Monday, Jun. 18, 1934
False Planck?
World great is Max Planck because he conceived the quantum theory, an exploit of pure science. Last week he listened with other German scientists in smoky Diisseldorf to Nazi Minister of Science, Art and Education Dr. Bernhard Rust, who felt called upon to deny that Hitlerism is hostile to Science.
"We are not! Nein!" cried Nazi Rust, "but we do not believe in Science divorced from the people. Nein! They are false scientists who believe that scientific life of a higher order can exist for itself alone while questions of the day are solved somewhere in the lower regions."
That night Max Planck's scientific peers made him feel that he must make a bold reply to Bernhard Rust. Sad-faced Max Planck did not fail Pure Science. Next day at the Congress of the Kaiser Wilhelm
Society for Advancement of Science he made what was considered a daring speech indeed. To have praised live Jew Albert Einstein would have been madness, but he did praise dead Jew Heinrich Hertz, discoverer of "Hertzian waves." And bold Max Planck said: "History proves that the greatest and most vital discoveries were made by scientists who worked for the sake of pure science only."
Indulgently Nazi Rust did not crack down on Professor Planck, but as president of the Society Herr Planck dolefully reported that 85 scientists have sent in their resignations and are suffering "economic difficulties" under the Nazi regime.
Same day in Munich, home of dark beer and darker Adolf Hitler. German artists were assured that Hitlerism is not opposed to art by Dr. Paul Joseph Goebbels, Minister of Propaganda & National Enlightenment. "Since National Socialism looks upon itself as the Art of Politics," crowed Cock Goebbels. "it feels a natural kinship with the other arts and artists."
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