Recently I uncovered an article from the “Brentwood Central Islip Bulletin,” dated Thursday, May 23, 1957 and entitled, Brentwood Lawyer Helped Einstein During Development of Atom Bomb. This article made reference to an Alexander Sacks, a resident of Brentwood and a prominent attorney.  The article continues to state that Mr. Sacks was a close friend of Albert Einstein who often played with his children at his Brentwood home.  The article sparked my interest and I wanted to know more about Alexander Sacks and the role he played in this historic event.  I started searching the Internet for more information and discovered that an Alexander Sachs, a well known economist, had hand delivered a letter from Albert Einstein to Franklin D. Roosevelt on October 11, 1939 thus starting what was later know as the Manhattan Project. Although the last names were spelled slightly different there was a possibility that this was the same man. What made this seem even more likely was that the letter written by Einstein was written in August 1939 at his summer home in Peconic.

After reading a few obituaries for Alexander Sachs, the economist it was determined that he was married to Charlotte Cramer and had no children.  The Brentwood Attorney was married to an Ann Sacks and they had four children. Writing to FDR’s Library could not confirm that Alexander Sachs, the economist had any children or if he owned property in Brentwood, NY.  A call to the Suffolk County Bar Association led to a second call to the New York Attorney’s Register. The 

Attorney’s Register listed his last place of employment as Wallace Witty Frampton & Veltry PC.  A call to the firm verified that an Alexander Sacks did indeed work for the firm at one time and had know Albert Einstein.  The firm put me in touch with his widow and I was able to learn more about Mr. Sacks connection to Albert Einstein.  

-M. Koferl, Local History Room Newsletter, April 2006

Addendum

According to Alexander Sacks son, Mr. Sacks was never employed by Wallace Witty Frampton & Veltry. In his later years, after he had retired, he would sometimes assist the Brentwood law firm of Borda, Wallace & Witty on minor matters.  The law practice Mr. Sacks opened in Brentwood was  "Sacks and Wolf".  His law partner was Ed Wolf.