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The ‘Better’ Nazi: Pascual Jordan and the Third Reich

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Biographies in the History of Physics

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Abstract

Because Hitler’s regime strove for a totalitarian mobilization of German society for the National Socialist “People’s Community” (Volksgemeinschaft) and both rearmament and modern warfare depended on science-based technology and industry, it was difficult, if not impossible for most scientists to ignore or avoid National Socialist policies and ideology. Yet one of the most enduring and influential stereotypes about science during the Third Reich suggests that professional competence or proficiency was incompatible with National Socialism, or in other words, that real scientists were not Nazis.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    UK Nr. 69, Personnel File (PA) Pascual Jordan (HUA), 9. Archives of the Humboldt University in Berlin (HUA).

  2. 2.

    Interview of Pascual Jordan by Thomas S. Kuhn, Hamburg 20 June 1963, 16. Archive for the History of Quantum Physics.

  3. 3.

    Student Body of Rostock University to the Rector 29 February 1936, PA Jordan 69/11, 27. HUA.

  4. 4.

    See Footnote 3.

  5. 5.

    Pascual Jordan to Niels Bohr, Göttingen May 1945. Bohr Papers, folder Pascual Jordan. Niels Bohr Archive, Copenhagen (NBA).

  6. 6.

    REM J 107 (PA Pascual Jordan), 9356. Federal German Archives, Berlin-Lichterfelde.

  7. 7.

    Pascual Jordan to the Rector of Rostock University, 23 February 1938, PA Pascual Jordan, PA 69,/II, 54. HUA.

  8. 8.

    Pascual Jordan to the NS Regional Faculty Leader Gißel, 10 February 1938, PA Pascual Jordan, PA 69,/II, 56. HUA.

  9. 9.

    Pascual Jordan to the NS Regional Faculty Leader Gißel, 10 February 1938, PA Pascual Jordan, PA 69,/II, 55. HUA.

  10. 10.

    Pascual Jordan to the Rector of Rostock University, 23 February 1938, PA Pascual Jordan, PA 69,/II, 54. HUA; Pascual Jordan to the NS Regional Faculty Leader Gißel, 10 February 1938, PA Pascual Jordan, PA 69,/II, 56. HUA.

  11. 11.

    Pascual Jordan to F. Kubach, Rostock 28 March 1938 (transcription). Universität Konstanz, Philosophische Archiv, Nachlass Hugo Dingler. PA Pascual Jordan, PA 69,/II, 57–59. HUA.

  12. 12.

    Pascual Jordan to Max Born, Hamburg 23 July 1948. Preußischer Kulturbesitz, Handschriftenabteilung, Max Born Papers, Folder 353. Berlin State Library.

  13. 13.

    Student Body of Rostock University to the Rector, Rostock 23 August 1937. 74. HUA.

  14. 14.

    Reichserziehungsministerium Nr. 2744, Atomphysikkongresse Kopenhagen 1936/37/38, 27. Federal German Archives, Berlin-Lichterfelde.

  15. 15.

    Dean to the State Ministry of Mecklenburg, Abteilung Unterricht, Rostock 15 April 1936 PA j, 46. HUA.

  16. 16.

    MfS-HA 1X711, PA 2697, 15. BStU MfS-HA Archives, Berlin.

  17. 17.

    Studentenschaft der Universität Rostock to the Rector, Rostock 29 February 1936, PA j, 27. HUA.

  18. 18.

    Gutachten des Leiters der Dozentenschaft der Universität Rostock (Gißel), Rostock 20 March 1936, PA j, 26ff. HUA.

  19. 19.

    Student Body of Rostock University to the Rector, Rostock 23 August 1937, PA j, 74. HUA.

  20. 20.

    Report on the Commission Meeting Regarding Schrödinger’s Successor of, Berlin 19 August 1936. PA Schrödinger Nr. 248/III, 12. HUA.

  21. 21.

    Niels Bohr Library, Samuel Goudsmit Papers, Box 27, Folder 4L. American Institute of Physics. https://repository.aip.org/islandora/object/nbla%3AAR2000-0092, accessed April 24, 2019.

  22. 22.

    Pascual Jordan to Niels Bohr, Göttingen May 1945. Bohr Papers, folder Pascual Jordan. NBA.

  23. 23.

    See Footnote 22.

  24. 24.

    Max Born to Pascual Jordan, Bad Pyrmont 30 October 1957. Preußischer Kulturbesitz, Born Papers. Berlin State Library.

  25. 25.

    Werner Heisenberg, 1946. Persilschein for Pascual Jordan, Nachlass Werner Heisenberg. Archives of the Max Planck Society (MPGA).

  26. 26.

    Akademieleitung, Naturwissenschaftliche Einrichtungen, Bd. 5 Archives of the Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences (ABBAW) and Dahn 2019.

  27. 27.

    Protocol of the Mathematical-Scientific Class, 20 February 1947. ABBAW.

  28. 28.

    Memo for Director Naas, Berlin 24 August 1948. ABBAW.

  29. 29.

    Robert Rompe: Regarding the Appointment of Prof. Dr. Pascual Jordan. Berlin 4 October 1948. ABBAW.

  30. 30.

    Pascual Jordan to H. Schimank, Göttingen 1 June 1946. Hans Schimank- Gedächtnis-Stiftung, NL Schimank, Correspondence Jordan. Archives of the University of Hamburg.

  31. 31.

    Wilhelm Lenz to the Rector of the University of Hamburg, Hamburg 6 August 1946. Hochschulwesen, Dozenten- und Personalakten, IV 2076, PA Pascual Jordan, 2. Hamburg State Archives (HSA).

  32. 32.

    W. Blaschke to the Rector of Hamburg University Paul Harteck, Hamburg 3.1.1953. Hochschulwesen, Dozenten- und Personalakten, IV 2076, Personalakte Pascual Jordan, 25–27. HSA.

  33. 33.

    Wolfgang Pauli to P. Willer, Zurich 8 May 1952, from Karl von Meyenn.

  34. 34.

    Philipp Frank to Helen Dukas, 1950. Albert Einstein Archives. No. 16410. The Jewish National und University Library, Hebrew University Jerusalem.

  35. 35.

    Jacob Clay to Wolfgang Gentner, 7 February 1952. Ulrich Schmidt-Rohr Papers. Max Planck Institute for Nuclear Physics, Heidelberg.

  36. 36.

    Lise Meitner to Max von Laue, Cambridge 17 January 1958. Max von Laue Papers. MPGA.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Max Planck Institute for the History of Science, Boltzmannstr. 22, 14195, Berlin, Germany

    Dieter Hoffmann

  2. Department of History, Union College, Schenectady, NY, 12308, USA

    Mark Walker

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Correspondence to Mark Walker .

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  1. Ernst-Haeckel-Haus, Friedrich-Schiller-University, Jena, Germany

    Christian Forstner

  2. Union College, Schenectady, NY, USA

    Mark Walker

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Hoffmann, D., Walker, M. (2020). The ‘Better’ Nazi: Pascual Jordan and the Third Reich. In: Forstner, C., Walker, M. (eds) Biographies in the History of Physics. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-48509-2_7

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