I wasn't suggesting that Heisenberg should be regarded as a Hero, more like that he doesn't appear to have been a committed Nazi. If I recall properly, after our team of scientists got a look at the German Atomic bomb project, they were flabbergasted at why it hadn't made more progress. They felt that Heisenberg was more than capable of working out the science that the Allies had, yet it appeared as though he didn't get very far.
To me as a scientist, Heisenberg is a hero for his work. Then the war. National loyalties. And in nazi germany get a headshot if you did not cooperate.
I find myself of a divided mind about this. If German Scientists slow walked some of their research because they opposed what the Nazis were doing with it, I think that is a good thing. On the other hand, when people such as Klaus Fuchs were feeding information to the Russians about our Atomic Research (as were others in the program) I thought they should have been shot.
I want national loyalty when they are ours, but not so much when they are theirs. I guess it's because I used to think we were the "good guys" and the good guys are always supposed to win.
Appreciate your response.
If Heisenberg as many belived warned the allies through Bohr.
And, then sabotaged Germany’s efforts.
He might be a hero as well in all terms. Humanitarian and scientific.
As you say, there is a lot of evidence that after the Bohr talk, which I think was his mentor, he started sandbagging. He did not want Hitler to have such a mighty weapon.
It would have ended the war in europe at least.
Nuke London, nuke Moscow.
What would America have done?
I think the nuclear bomb was such a game changer.
It questions eveyone’s loyaltees to the root.
It is as if the one ring of Sauron had been found.
What do we do?
Churchill wanted to nuke Moscow.
To end the Russian communist threat onnce and for all.
Thoughts?
That is pretty much the story I was told after a lecture by Karl Wirtz.