Doc. 115: W. Heisenberg, Aug. 16, 1947 361 finally ended with: "People say I suffer occasionally from nervous debility. [7] This is slander. I have nerves of steel." As he said this he pounded his knee, spoke faster and faster, and whipped himself up into such a fury that I was left with no other choice than to remain silent and to take my leave. [8] 115 Werner Heisenberg: Research in Germany on the Tech nical Application of Atomic Energy [August 16, 1947] Source: Werner Heisenberg, 'Research in Germany on the Technical Application of Atomic Energy',·l Nature, Volume 160, No. 4059, August 16, 1947, pp. 211-215. Even ten years ago, physicists were well aware that the utilization of atomic energy could not be realized without a fundamental extension of scientific knowl- edge. In spite of the remarkable progress in experimental nuclear physics which followed the introduction of high-voltage equipment and the invention of the 7 Cf., e.g., Waite [1977] for a psychoanalytical biography of Adolf -> Hitler. 8The fact that this account was published soon after the end of World War II and was reprinted several times since without any comment on the factual collaboration of the Kaiser Wilhelm Society with the Nazi regime has caused Albrecht [1993] to suspect that Bruche had used the then aging Planck in the ongoing effort to put the actions of the DPG and the KWG during the National Socialist period in a better light (cf. Bruche [1946]a). Planck's distinction between 'worthy' and 'worthless' Jews above, for example, shows on the contrary how pervasive anti-Semitism, an integral part of the Nazi ideology, actually was even among leaders of the German intelligentsia. Thus this text cannot simply be considered an authentic documentation of Planck's 'heroic' intervention for a select few of his persecuted colleagues. It is also an illustration of the selective, even distorting use of historical events for the purposes of the politics of the day. This is equally true of the earlier accounts of Planck's visit, such as in W. -> Heisenberg's letter to M. -> Born (here doc. 22). In it Heisenberg only reported that Planck had been assured that the government would not impede science beyond the Civil Service Law provisions. This more positive version better suited Heisenberg's own motives of trying to dissuade Born from emigrating. It is therefore by no means clear that it is any more justified to grant greater historical weight to Heisenberg'S contemporary report as is suggested in Albrecht [1993], p. 47. * [Original footnote *:] "This article is a slightly abridged translation of a paper appearing in Die Naturwissenschaften." 1 W. -> Heisenberg's paper referred to in the preceding original footnote * is entitled: 'Uber die Arbeiten zur technischen Ausnutzung der Atomkernenergie in Deutschland', Die Natur wissenschaften 33 [1946]' pp. 325-329. Contemporaries from the Allied countries disputed the impartiality of this survey of nuclear research in Germany. S. -> Goudsmit thought the author had pulled the events out of their historical context and had artificially severed them from their military origin in an attempt to portray pure fundamental research; see, e.g., doc. 116 and Walker [1989]a, pp. 21Of., for a historical discussion of this issue. At the end of the paper appeared the following statement: "Publication of results for which no source is cited was prohibited during the War." The relevant reports published in the series of secret reports on German nuclear research, Kernphysikalische Porschungsberichte (--> KPPB), are indicated. On this publication see also doc. 109, footnote 4. K. Hentschel (ed.), Physics and National Socialism © Birkhäuser Verlag 1996