An unprocessed draft manuscript being reconstructed ... - WNLibrary

Eavesdropping on Hitler’s Reich
Major Rittner sent the text of this revealing conversation to
London to be translated by experts.
GLOOM SETTLED on the “guests” again. Heisenberg threatened
for the ninth time to withdraw his Parole. Weizsäcker counselled
him: “We must not push matters so far that we have to carry out
our threat.” Being good Germans, they began writing a memorandum,
setting out their aspirations for the future.
HAHN: The Major [Rittner] thought that we should put . . . something
about the anti-Nazi convictions of our whole group
HEISENBERG: You know as well as I do that Diebner has joined in
the Nazi-game.
Later, Professor Gerlach also admonished Hahn: “Diebner could
never sign with a clear conscience that he has never taken part in
war work of any kind.
Restrictions were suddenly loosened. On October 2, 1945 Professors
Hahn, Laue, and Heisenberg were driven into London to
meet British scientists at the Royal Institution.
“The Americans have decided,” Heisenberg stated upon his
return to Farm Hall, quoting Blackett, “that we should return to
Germany. They have made a condition, however, that we are not to
return to the French zone.”
That was awkward, because most of their families were at
Hechingen. The Americans favoured them all going to the British
zone, said Heisenberg: “The only snag about Göttingen is the proximity
of the Russian sector, and Blackett thought that the Americans
would not consider Göttingen for that reason. “
A new letter was drafted to Blackett, and something of the
tricky diplomatic blood in the Weizsäcker family showed in the
surrounding conversation. “I suggest,” said Weizsäcker, “we keep on
telling the English that we wish to leave here. But, at the same time,
we keep on making suggestions which are difficult to comply with.”
In this way they would enhance their bargaining strength.
“The fact that we are in England,” appreciated Laue, “is favour-