Doc. 16: J. Franck, May 3, 1933 45 the vanguards of the great modern nationalist movement. [5] My tradition de- mands that in my choice of colleagues I take into account the professional and personal attributes of applicants to an academic position without inquiring af- ter their racial characteristics. You will not expect a man of 65 years of age to reject a mentality that has guided him in the past 39 years of his academic life; and you will understand that the pride with which he has served his German native country throughout his life now compels him to make this request for retirement. [6] Respectfully yours 16 James Franck: Letter to Walther Gerlach [May 3, 1933] Source: Heinrich & Bachmann (Eds.) [1989], p. 71. Illustration No. 43: Facsimile of typed letter signed (No. 90) addressed to 'Herrn Prof. Dr. W. Gerlach, Miinchen, Leopoldstr. 6' with sender's address: 'Merkelstr. 4, Gottingen'. 5 According to Goran [19G7], p. 159, on April 21, 1933, Haber received a telephone call from Bernhard -+ Rust as Prussian Minister of the Sciences, Arts and Culture advising him that work at the institute could not continue with the present staff, which included 12 non-Aryan persons (24.5%), of which 3 were division directors and 5 assistants (see Vierhaus & vom Brocke (Eds.) [1990], p. 361). On pp. 579ff., Stoltzenberg [1994] reports that 6 assistants had to be fired along with three others. 6Cf. Goran [19G7], pp. IGOf., and Vierhaus & vom Brocke (Eds.) [1990], pp. 362ff., describing the loss of Haber's two brilliant Jewish department directors, Herbert Freundlich and Michael Polanyi, on April 22. On April 27, 1933, the main leadership of the -+ KWG had instructed that all employees be investigated. with directions that dismissals and suspensions could be carried out immediately. This led to Haber's resignation as an act of solidarity. See also Haber's farewell letter to the membcrs of his institute, dated Oct. 1, 1933. quoted in Festschrift [1961]' p. 191. Haber's efforts to place former members of his institute at other research and industrial establishments outside of Germany are documented in Stoltzenberg [1994]' sees. 13.1 and 13.2.2. 7Haber was summoned to the Ministry some days later and was received by one of Rust's assistants; but Haber insisted on speaking to the minister in person. This was refused. According to Goran [1967], pp. IGlf., and Stoltzenberg [1994], p. 582, a few days later Rust mentioned in a public address to Berlin studentsthat he had received a letter from a German Jew, without mentioning Haber by name. Rust said, "the man had written that he always chose collaborators solely on the basis of their qualifications. This [said Rust] was a practice absolutely incompatible with the modern development of Germany". When Haber was informed by letter that his resignation had been accepted, he was surprised and "for a time sorely indignant. He had miscalculated its effect upon the Nazis." (Goran [1967], p. 162). An official reply to his letter to Minister Rust has not survived, but in a press conference on May 6, 1933. Rust said, among other things: "Professor Haber may have explained in a letter that he cannot accept being dictated on the choice of his co-workers. The Minister must reply to this, however, that it is the Minister's business to assure that the younger generation is engaged in scientific collaboration. Following these guidelines in the long-run is more important and more beneficial than giving individual scientists the opportunity to make some sort of invention." Less than one year later, on January 29, 1934, Haber died in Basel: Cf. von Laue's obituary, doc. 29, and the materials about the Haber memorial session, which took place on Jan. 29, 1935 in Dahlem (Berlin), quoted, e.g., in Festschrift [1961]' pp. 192ff. K. Hentschel (ed.), Physics and National Socialism © Birkhäuser Verlag 1996