Wittgenstein gave Russell a pretty hard time in the beginning

My German friend threatens to be an infliction, he came back with me after my lecture & argued till dinner-time – obstinate & perverse, but I think not stupid.8 [19.10.11]

My German engineer very argumentative & tiresome. He wouldn’t admit that it was certain that there was not a rhinoceros in the room … [He] came back and argued all the time I was dressing.9 [1.11.11 ]

My German engineer, I think, is a fool.10 He thinks nothing empirical is knowable – I asked him to admit that there was not a rhinoceros in the room, but he wouldn’t. [2.11.11]

[Wittgenstein] was refusing to admit the existence of anything except asserted propositions.11 [7.11.11]

My lecture went off all right. My German ex-engineer, as usual, maintained his thesis that there is nothing in the world except asserted propositions, but at last I told him it was too large a theme.12 [13.11.11]

My ferocious German came and argued at me after my lecture. He is armour-plated against all assaults of reasoning. It is really rather a waste of time talking with him.13 [16.11.11]

Excerpt from Monk - Ludwig Wittgenstein: The duty og Genius.

Russell learnt only later that Wittgenstein was Austrian, not German.

(The book is an excellent read. The NYT has a review "Give Him Genius or Give Him Death".)