Physics and National Socialism: An Anthology of Primary Sources

Front Matter....Pages i-ci
Albert Einstein: My Reply. On the Anti-Relativity Theoretical Co., Ltd. [August 27, 1920]....Pages 1-5
Max von Laue: Review of Johannes Stark’s ‘The Current Crisis in German Physics’ [January 12, 1923]....Pages 6-7
Philipp Lenard & Johannes Stark: The Hitler Spirit and Science [May 8, 1924]....Pages 7-10
Albert von Brunn: Review of ‘100 Authors against Einstein’ [March 13, 1931]....Pages 10-16
Lise Meitner: Letter to Otto Hahn [March 21, 1933]....Pages 17-18
Albert Einstein: Letters to the Prussian Academy of Sciences and the Academy’s Response [March 28-April 5, 1933]....Pages 18-21
Law for the Restoration of the Professional Civil Service [April 7, 1933]....Pages 21-24
First Ordinance on the Implementation of the Law for the Restoration of the Professional Civil Service [April 11, 1933]....Pages 25-26
Voluntary Resignation of Prof. James Franck [April 17, 1933]....Pages 26-31
Edith Hahn: Letter to James and Ingrid Franck [April 22, 1933]....Pages 31-32
Göttingen University Lecturers: Professor Franck’s Resignation [April 24, 1933]....Pages 32-34
Law against the Overcrowding of German Schools and Universities [April 25, 1933]....Pages 34-36
Wolfgang Köhler: Conversations in Germany [April 28, 1933]....Pages 36-40
The Spirit at Universities [April 28, 1933]....Pages 40-43
Fritz Haber: Letter of Resignation to the Prussian Minister of Sciences, Arts and Culture Rust [April 30, 1933]....Pages 44-45
James Franck: Letter to Walther Gerlach [May 3, 1933]....Pages 45-46
Third Ordinance on the Implementation of the Law for the Restoration of the Professional Civil Service [May 6, 1933]....Pages 46-49
Philipp Lenard: A Big Day for Science. Johannes Stark Appointed President of the Reich Physical and Technical Institute [May 13, 1933]....Pages 49-52
Max von Laue: The Change in the Reich Physical and Technical Institute Presidency in the Spring of 1933....Pages 53-54
Hans Kopfermann: Letter to Niels Bohr [May 23, 1933]....Pages 54-59
The Scientific Situation in Germany [June 2, 1933]....Pages 59-61
Werner Heisenberg: Letter to Max Born [June 2, 1933]....Pages 61-63
Carl Bosch: Letter to Fritz Haber [June 16, 1933]....Pages 63-63
Fritz Haber: Letter to Carl Bosch, June 22, 1933....Pages 63-65
Governor of Hessen Jakob Sprenger: Dismissal of Prof. George Jaffé from the Civil Service [June 26, 1933]....Pages 66-66
Sir Joseph John Thomson: Letter to George Jaffé [July 18, 1933]....Pages 67-67
Max von Laue: Opening Address at the Physics Conference in Würzburg [September 18, 1933]....Pages 67-71
Johannes Stark: Organization of Physical Research [September 18, 1933]....Pages 71-76
Max von Laue: Fritz Haber † [February 16, 1934]....Pages 76-79
Kaiser Wilhelm Society: Record of a Conference Regarding the Kaiser Wilhelm Institute of Physics [June 22, 1934]....Pages 79-82
Max von Laue: On Heisenberg’s Uncertainty Relations and their Epistemological Significance [June 29, 1934]....Pages 82-86
Johannes Stark: Personal Evaluations of Gustav Hertz and Richard Gans for the German University Lecturers Association [November 8, 1934]....Pages 86-87
Gustav Mie: Letter to Max von Laue [November 20, 1934]....Pages 87-89
Max von Laue: Letter to Gustav Mie [November 22, 1934]....Pages 89-91
Max Wien: Physics at German Universities [Late November 1934]....Pages 91-95
Law on the Retirement and Transfer of Professors as a Result of the Reorganization of the German System of Higher Education [January 21, 1935]....Pages 96-97
Martin Nordmeyer: Letter to Lise Meitner [May 21, 1935]....Pages 97-98
Max Planck: Progress Report by the Kaiser Wilhelm Society for the Advancement of the Sciences (April 1934 to the End of March 1935) [June 28, 1935]....Pages 98-99
Philipp Lenard: Foreword to ‘German Physics’ [August 1935]....Pages 100-109
Johannes Stark: Philipp Lenard: An Aryan Scientist. Speech at the Inauguration of the Philipp Lenard Institute in Heidelberg [December 13, 1935]....Pages 109-116
Nazi-Socialism and International Science [December 14, 1935]....Pages 116-118
Willi Menzel: German Physics and Jewish Physics [January 29, 1936]....Pages 119-121
Werner Heisenberg: On the Article: ‘German and Jewish Physics’ [February 28, 1936]....Pages 121-124
Johannes Stark: Comment on W. Heisenberg’s Reply [February 28, 1936]....Pages 124-127
Max von Laue: Review of Philipp Lenard’s ‘German Physics’ [February 29, 1936]....Pages 127-129
Ernst Gehrcke: How the Energy Distribution of Black-Body Radiation Was Really Found [April 3, 1936]....Pages 130-133
Peter Debye: Comment on the Preceding Article by E. Gehrcke: ‘How the Energy Distribution of Black-Body Radiation Was Really Found’ [May 4, 1936]....Pages 133-134
Peter A. Thiessen: Physical Chemistry in the National Socialist State [May 9, 1936]....Pages 134-137
Werner Heisenberg, Hans Geiger & Max Wien. Petition [Spring 1936]....Pages 137-140
Reich Education Ministry: Memorandum to Reich Education Minister Bernhard Rust [October 2, 1936]....Pages 140-141
Germany and the Nobel Prizes [February 12, 1937]....Pages 141-143
Bernhard Rust: Creation of a Research Council [March 16, 1937]....Pages 143-145
Reich Ministry of Science, Education and Culture: The Taking of a Doctorate by Jews of German Nationality [April 15, 1937]....Pages 145-146
Peter Debye: The Kaiser Wilhelm Institute of Physics [April 23, 1937]....Pages 146-151
‘White Jews’ in Science [July 15, 1937]....Pages 152-157
Johannes Stark: ‘Science’ is Politically Bankrupt [July 15, 1937]....Pages 157-160
Friedrich Hund: Letter to Reich Minister Rust [July 20, 1937]....Pages 160-161
Carl Krauch: Youth to the Front Line. New Blood in Science and Technology [August 1937]....Pages 161-168
Fritz Heyer: Review of Erich Günther’s Military Physics. A Handbook for Teachers [April 18, 1938]....Pages 168-169
Carl Bosch: Letter to Reich Minister of the Interior Wilhelm Frick [May 20, 1938]....Pages 170-171
Reich Interior Ministry: Letter to Carl Bosch [June 16, 1938]....Pages 171-171
Ludwig Prandtl: Letter to Heinrich Himmler [July 12, 1938]....Pages 172-175
Heinrich Himmler: Letter to Reinhard Heydrich [July 21, 1938]....Pages 175-176
Heinrich Himmler: Letter to Werner Heisenberg [July 21, 1938]....Pages 176-177
Heinrich Himmler: Letter to Ludwig Prandtl [July 21, 1938]....Pages 177-178
Reich Ministry of Science, Education and Culture: Memorandum to State Secretary Otto Wacker [October 3, 1938]....Pages 178-181
Peter Debye: Letter to the board of the German Physical Society and enclosed draft letter to the German members [December 2 & 8, 1938]....Pages 181-182
German Physical Society: Minutes of the Meeting of December 14, 1938 [December 14, 1938]....Pages 182-183
Percy W. Bridgman: ‘Manifesto’ by a Physicist [February 24, 1939]....Pages 184-186
Ludwig Prandtl: Mechanics [c. April 1939]....Pages 186-188
Hans Geiger: Experimental Physics [c. April 1939]....Pages 189-192
Abraham Esau: Technical Physics [c. April 1939]....Pages 193-194
SS Head of the Central Office of Public Safety: Letter to Rudolf Mentzel enclosing Report on Heisenberg [May 26, 1939]....Pages 195-197
Siegfried Flügge: Exploiting Atomic Energy. From the Laboratory Experiment to the Uranium Machine — Research Results in Dahlem [August 15, 1939]....Pages 197-206
Erich Schumann: Armed Forces and Research [1939]....Pages 207-220
Max Planck: Max von Laue. For the 9th of October 1939. [October 6, 1939]....Pages 220-222
Ludwig Glaser: Jews in Physics: Jewish Physics [November 1939]....Pages 223-234
Philipp Lenard: Foreword to ‘Ideological Continental Blockade’ [February 1, 1940]....Pages 234-235
Contract between the Army Ordnance Office and the Kaiser Wilhelm Society for the Advancement of the Sciences [March 6, 1940]....Pages 235-238
Bernhard Rust: Letter to the Army High Command [March 15, 1940]....Pages 238-239
Ernst Telschow: Foreword to Yearbook of the Kaiser Wilhelm Society for the Advancement of the Sciences [August 1940]....Pages 239-239
Hans-Joachim Flechtner: Where does German Physics Stand Today? A Wartime Conference in Berlin [September 8, 1940]....Pages 240-246
Wilhelm Müller: The State of Theoretical Physics at Universities [November 1940]....Pages 246-259
Ludwig Prandtl: Letter to Reich Marshal Hermann Göring [April 28, 1941]....Pages 259-261
Ludwig Prandtl: Attachment to the Letter to Reich Marschal Hermann Göring [April 28, 1941]....Pages 261-266
Carl Ramsauer: Letter to Ludwig Prandtl [June 4, 1941]....Pages 267-268
Pascual Jordan: Revolution in Science [September 1941]....Pages 268-275
Carl Ramsauer: Letter to Ludwig Prandtl [October 31, 1941]....Pages 275-276
Walter Weizel: Review of ‘Jewish and German Physics’ [January 1942]....Pages 276-277
Carl Ramsauer: Letter to Bernhard Rust [January 20, 1942]....Pages 278-281
Carl Ramsauer: American Physics Outdoes German Physics [January 20, 1942]....Pages 281-284
Carl Ramsauer: Refuting Allegations that Modern Theoretical Physics is a Product of the Jewish Spirit [January 20, 1942]....Pages 285-289
Carl Ramsauer: The Munich Conciliation and Pacification Attempt [January 20, 1942]....Pages 290-292
Ludwig Prandtl: Letter to Carl Ramsauer [January 28, 1942]....Pages 292-293
Werner Heisenberg. The Theoretical Basis for the Generation of Energy from Uranium Fission [February 26, 1942]....Pages 294-301
Georg Dietrich Graue: Letter to Albert Vögler [March 13, 1942]....Pages 301-301
Albert Vögler: Foreword to ’Yearbook of the Kaiser Wilhelm Society for the Advancement of the Sciences [after March 31, 1942]....Pages 302-302
The Führer’s Decree on the Reich Research Council [June 9, 1942]....Pages 303-303
Hermann Göring et al.: Record of a Conference Regarding the Reich Research Council, July 6, 1942....Pages 304-308
Hans Feitl: War Physics. Specific Weight ‘Zero’. Submarine Diving Conditions [May 30, 1943]....Pages 309-311
Paul Karlson: War Physics. Dropping Bombs. Wind Tunnel Tests [May 30, 1943]....Pages 311-314
Carl Ramsauer: The Key Position of Physics in Science, Technology and Armament [June 18, 1943]....Pages 315-320
Abraham Esau: Memorandum on the Budget of the Plenipotentiary of Nuclear Physics Research [November 19, 1943]....Pages 321-322
Kurt Diebner: Listing of Nuclear Research Commissions Enclosed with a Letter to the President of the Reich Research Council [April 18, 1944]....Pages 322-324
A[braham]. Esau [July 16, 1944]....Pages 324-327
Heinrich Himmler: Letter to Albert Speer [August 3, 1944]....Pages 327-329
Walther Gerlach: Letter to Reich Party Leader Martin Bormann [December 16, 1944]....Pages 329-331
Lise Meitner: Letter to Otto Hahn [June 27, 1945]....Pages 332-334
Alvin M. Weinberg & Lothar W. Nordheim: Memorandum [November 8, 1945]....Pages 334-339
Wolfgang Finkelnburg: The Fight against Party Physics [c. 1946]....Pages 339-345
Samuel A. Goudsmit: War Physics in Germany [January 1946]....Pages 345-352
Samuel A. Goudsmit: German Scientists in Arm Employment I—The Case Analyzed [February 1947]....Pages 352-356
Hans A. Bethe & Henri S. Sack: German Scientists in Army Employment II—A Protest [February 1947]....Pages 356-359
Max Planck: My Audience with Adolf Hitler [May 6, 1947]....Pages 359-361
Werner Heisenberg: Research in Germany on the Technical Application of Atomic Energy [August 16, 1947]....Pages 361-379
Samuel A. Goudsmit: Nazis’ Atomic Secrets. The Chief of a Top-Secret U.S. Wartime Mission Tells How and Why German Science Failed in the International Race to Produce the Bomb [October 20, 1947]....Pages 379-392
Max von Laue: The Wartime Activities of German Scientists [April 1948]....Pages 393-395
Philip Morrison: A Reply to Dr. von Laue [April 1948]....Pages 396-397
Samuel A. Goudsmit: Our Task in Germany [April 1948]....Pages 397-400
Lise Meitner: Letter to Otto Hahn [June 6, 1948]....Pages 400-402
Walther Gerlach: Affidavit on Rudolf Mentzel [December 13, 1948]....Pages 403-406
Back Matter....Pages I-CIV