Editing Werner Heisenberg (section)

===''SS'' investigation===
Shortly after the discovery of the [[neutron]] by [[James Chadwick]] in 1932, Heisenberg submitted the first of three papers<ref>{{harvnb|Heisenberg|1932a}}, {{harvnb|Heisenberg|1932b}}, {{harvnb|Heisenberg|1933}}, as cited by {{harvnb|Mott|Peierls|1977|p=244}}</ref> on his [[Neutron#Proton – neutron model of the nucleus|neutron-proton model of the nucleus]].<ref name=Cassidy/><ref>{{harvnb|Mott|Peierls|1977|p=228}}</ref> After [[Adolf Hitler]] came to power in 1933, Heisenberg was attacked in the press as a "White Jew" (i.e. an [[Aryan race|Aryan]] who acts like a Jew).<ref>{{cite web |title=Heisenberg&nbsp;– The Difficult Years: Professor in Leipzig, 1927–1942 |publisher=American Institute of Physics |url=http://www.aip.org/history/heisenberg/p10.htm |access-date=20 July 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080915073146/http://www.aip.org/history/heisenberg/p10.htm |archive-date=15 September 2008 |url-status=live }}</ref> Supporters of ''[[Deutsche Physik]]'', or German Physics (also known as Aryan Physics), launched vicious attacks against leading theoretical physicists, including Arnold Sommerfeld and Heisenberg.<ref name=Cassidy/> From the early 1930s onward, the [[anti-Semitic]] and anti-theoretical physics movement ''Deutsche Physik'' had concerned itself with quantum mechanics and the [[theory of relativity]]. As applied in the university environment, political factors took priority over scholarly ability,<ref>{{harvnb|Beyerchen|1977|pp=141–167}}</ref> even though its two most prominent supporters were the [[Nobel Prize in Physics|Nobel Laureates in Physics]] [[Philipp Lenard]]<ref>{{harvnb|Beyerchen|1977|pp=79–102}}</ref> and [[Johannes Stark]].<ref>{{harvnb|Beyerchen|1977|pp=103–140}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|title = Werner Heisenberg and Albert Einstein|journal = Physics Today|date = 12 January 2007|pages = 38–42|volume = 53|issue = 7|doi = 10.1063/1.1292474|first = Gerald|last = Holton|bibcode = 2000PhT....53g..38H|doi-access = free}}</ref>

There had been many failed attempts to have Heisenberg appointed as a professor at a number of German universities. His attempt to be appointed as successor to Arnold Sommerfeld failed because of opposition by the ''Deutsche Physik'' movement.<ref name=Macrakis172>{{harvnb|Macrakis|1993|p = 172}}</ref> On 1 April 1935, the eminent theoretical physicist Sommerfeld, Heisenberg's doctoral advisor at the [[Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich|Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München]], achieved [[emeritus]] status. However, Sommerfeld stayed in his chair during the selection process for his successor, which took until 1 December 1939. The process was lengthy due to academic and political differences between the Munich Faculty's selection and that of the [[Reichserziehungsministerium|Reich Education Ministry]] and the supporters of ''Deutsche Physik''.

In 1935, the Munich Faculty drew up a list of candidates to replace Sommerfeld as ordinarius professor of theoretical physics and head of the Institute for Theoretical Physics at the University of Munich. The three candidates had all been former students of Sommerfeld: Heisenberg, who had received the [[Nobel Prize in Physics]]; [[Peter Debye]], who had received the [[Nobel Prize in Chemistry]] in 1936; and [[Richard Becker (physicist)|Richard Becker]]. The Munich Faculty was firmly behind these candidates, with Heisenberg as their first choice. However, supporters of ''Deutsche Physik'' and elements in the REM had their own list of candidates, and the battle dragged on for over four years. During this time, Heisenberg came under vicious attack by the ''Deutsche Physik'' supporters. One attack was published in ''[[Das Schwarze Korps]]'', the newspaper of the ''[[SS]]'', headed by [[Heinrich Himmler]]. In this, Heisenberg was called a "White Jew" who should be made to "disappear".<ref>{{harvnb|Hentschel|Hentschel|1996|pp=152–157 Document #55 [https://books.google.com/books?id=sl69XGiohsoC&pg=PA152 'White Jews' in Science (15 July 1937)]}}</ref> These attacks were taken seriously, as Jews were violently attacked and incarcerated. Heisenberg fought back with an editorial and a letter to Himmler, in an attempt to resolve the matter and regain his honour.

At one point, Heisenberg's mother visited Himmler's mother. The two women knew each other, as Heisenberg's maternal grandfather and Himmler's father were rectors and members of a Bavarian hiking club. Eventually, Himmler settled the Heisenberg affair by sending two letters, one to SS [[Gruppenführer]] [[Reinhard Heydrich]] and one to Heisenberg, both on 21 July 1938. In the letter to Heydrich, Himmler said Germany could not afford to lose or silence Heisenberg, as he would be useful for teaching a generation of scientists. To Heisenberg, Himmler said the letter came on the recommendation of his family and he cautioned Heisenberg to make a distinction between professional physics research results and the personal and political attitudes of the involved scientists.<ref name=Goudsmit117>{{harvnb|Goudsmit|1986|pp= 117–119}}</ref>

[[Wilhelm Müller (physicist)|Wilhelm Müller]] replaced Sommerfeld at the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich. Müller was not a theoretical physicist, had not published in a physics journal, and was not a member of the [[Deutsche Physikalische Gesellschaft|German Physical Society]]. His appointment was considered a travesty and detrimental to educating theoretical physicists.<ref name=Goudsmit117/><ref>{{harvnb|Beyerchen|1977|pp=153–167}}</ref><ref>{{harvnb|Cassidy|1992|pp=383–387}}</ref><ref>{{harvnb|Powers|1993|pp=40–43}}</ref><ref>{{harvnb|Hentschel|Hentschel|1996|pp=152–157}} Document #55 ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=sl69XGiohsoC&pg=PA152 'White Jews' in Science (15 July 1937)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160101210718/https://books.google.com/books?id=sl69XGiohsoC&pg=PA152 |date=1 January 2016 }}''<br />pp. 175–176 Document #63 ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=sl69XGiohsoC&pg=PA175 Heinrich Himmler: Letter to Reinhard Heydrich &#91;21 July 1938&#93;] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160521212342/https://books.google.com/books?id=sl69XGiohsoC&pg=PA175 |date=21 May 2016 }}''<br />pp. 176–177 Document #64 ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=sl69XGiohsoC&pg=PA176 Heinrich Himmler: Letter to Werner Heisenberg &#91;21 July 1938&#93;] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160603004352/https://books.google.com/books?id=sl69XGiohsoC&pg=PA176 |date=3 June 2016 }}''<br />pp. 261–266 Document #85 ''Ludwig Prandtl: Attachment to the letter to Reich Marschal (sic) Hermann Göring [28 April 1941]'' <br />pp. 290–292 Document #93 ''[[Carl Ramsauer]]: The Munich Conciliation and Pacification Attempt [20 January 1942]''</ref>

The three investigators who led the SS investigation of Heisenberg had training in physics. Indeed, Heisenberg had participated in the doctoral examination of one of them at the [[University of Leipzig|Universität Leipzig]]. The most influential of the three was [[Johannes Juilfs]]. During their investigation, they became supporters of Heisenberg as well as his position against the ideological policies of the ''Deutsche Physik'' movement in theoretical physics and academia.<ref>{{harvnb|Cassidy|1992|pp=390–391}} Please note that Cassidy uses the alias Mathias Jules for Johannes Juilfs.</ref>