Hitler's Scientists: Science, War and the Devil's Pact

Hitler’s Scientists: Science, War and the Devil’s Pact
By John Cornwell
Viking, 2003, 600 pgs. Nonfiction

In the first half of the twentieth century German scientists were at the forefront of scientific discoveries, including developments in physics that ultimately led to the atomic bomb. With Hitler’s rise to power and unfolding policies of “racial cleansing” these same scientists were faced with multiple political and ethical dilemmas. Could they help Germany best by continuing their work, even as Jewish colleagues were dismissed from academic faculties? Could they continue to do good science under the Fascist regime? Many scientists left the country rather than become complicit in Hitler’s agenda. Others stayed, but in the end, Hitler’s policies weakened German science and contributed to German defeat in World War II.

This book shows a different and fascinating side of World War II history. British historian Cornwell illuminates the choices and achievements of some of the most famous names in science including Einstein, Heisenberg, Von Braun, and Niels Bohr.