Heisenberg
Moderator: Commissar D, the Evil
Heisenberg
I have a question regarding Heisenberg the German Nuclear scientist, if he was so important to the Nazi war effort then why was he allowed to go to Switzerland to give lectures unprotected and ungaurded when Allied agents could easily assasinate or abduct him?
I guess the answer is, the Nazis didn't consider him all that important. His work -- especially his uncertainty principle -- was rejected by Johannes Stark and the "Aryan" physicists, who saw Heisenberg's quantum mechanics as just more "Jewish physics" in the spirit of Einstein. In fact, in 1937, Schwarze Korps published a nasty little article ("White Jew in Scholarship") suggesting that Heisenberg and other "Jews in character" ought to be made to disappear! With the faithful banging the drums for an inquisition, it took a back-door connection (Heisenberg's mom talking to Himmler's mom) to keep the physicist out of a concentration camp.
So Heisenberg remained free and kept working right up to the end, but the Party faithful continued to discount him. He failed to gain promotion to the Seat of Theoretical Physics at the University of Munich when it came vacant, and his work was never particularly well-funded or supported. Basically, the Nazi hierarchy didn't understand it, found it suspect and didn't see it going anywhere fast. All that "Jewish physics," ya know.
So Heisenberg's toiling in the Nazi wilderness was a classic case of the victory of ideology over science. Fortunately, we've learned from Germany's stupid mistake, which is why an American school board recently voted to classify evolution as an unproven theory and give equal time to creationism. Sigh.
So Heisenberg remained free and kept working right up to the end, but the Party faithful continued to discount him. He failed to gain promotion to the Seat of Theoretical Physics at the University of Munich when it came vacant, and his work was never particularly well-funded or supported. Basically, the Nazi hierarchy didn't understand it, found it suspect and didn't see it going anywhere fast. All that "Jewish physics," ya know.
So Heisenberg's toiling in the Nazi wilderness was a classic case of the victory of ideology over science. Fortunately, we've learned from Germany's stupid mistake, which is why an American school board recently voted to classify evolution as an unproven theory and give equal time to creationism. Sigh.
Confirmed
Thanks, you pretty much confirmed my ideas why he was not protected, so what was this wonder weapon that Hitler was touting towards the end, he stated "No country would have a defence against it", was this just hot air and bluff, im sure it wasnt the V2 or ME262 as these were already developed and used by this time.
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JEROME Georges
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Heisenberg
Hi,
interesting message.
I suggest to anyone interested by subject to read this book
french translation
Powers "Le mystère Heisenberg
L'allemagne nazie et la bombe atomique
1993 651 pages and pics
translation : the mistery Heisenberg
the ns germany and the nuclear weapon
1992 ?
JG
interesting message.
I suggest to anyone interested by subject to read this book
french translation
Powers "Le mystère Heisenberg
L'allemagne nazie et la bombe atomique
1993 651 pages and pics
translation : the mistery Heisenberg
the ns germany and the nuclear weapon
1992 ?
JG