Samtalerne med tyske Fysikere i Efteråret 1942.

Heisenberg og Weizsäcker havde gennem de tyske Myndigheder arrangeret en fysisk Kongres paa det af Besættelsesmagten indrettede tyske Institut i København. I denne Kongres tog kun faa danske og deriblandt ingen af de ledende Fysikere ved Universitetets Institut for teoretisk Fysik [del]. I de Dage aflagde imidlertid Heisenberg og Weizsäcker Besøg paa dette Institut og havde Samtaler saavel med Chr. Møller som med Bohr.

Under en Samtale med Bohr meddelte Heisenberg at han beskæftigede sig med Frigørelse af Atomenergi og udtalte som sin Overbevisning at Krigen, dersom den ikke endte med en tysk Sejr, vilde blive afgjort ved saadanne Hjælpemidler. Heisenberg sagde udtrykkelig at han ikke ønskede at gaa ind paa tekn. Detaljer men at Bohr maatte forstaa, at han vidste hvad han talte om, da han i 2 Aar udelukkende havde beskæftiget sig med dette Spørgsmaal.

Bohr afholdt sig fra enhver Bemærkning men forstod at det var en vigtig Oplysning som det maatte være hans Pligt at forsøge at bringe til engelsk Kendskab.

Under Samtaler med Møller søgte Heisenberg og Weizsäcker at forklare hvor urimelig og uforsvarlig den danske Befolknings og specielt de danske Fysikeres Stilling til Tyskland var idet jo en tysk Sejr allerede var sikret og at enhver Modstand mod

The conversations with German physicists in the autumn of 1942.

Through the German authorities Heisenberg and Weizsäcker had arranged a physics conference at the German Institute in Copenhagen, which had been established by the occupying power. Only a few Danes took [part] in this conference, and among them none of the leading physicists at the University’s Institute for Theoretical Physics. During those days, however, Heisenberg and Weizsäcker visited this Institute and had conversations with Chr. Møller as well as with Bohr.

During a conversation with Bohr, Heisenberg stated that he was working on the release of atomic energy and expressed his conviction that the war, if it did not end with a German victory, would be decided by such means. Heisenberg said explicitly that he did not wish to enter into technical details but that Bohr should understand that he knew what he was talking about as he had spent 2 years working exclusively on this question.

Bohr restrained himself from any comment but understood that this was important information which he was obliged to try to bring to the attention of the English.

During conversations with Møller, Heisenberg and Weizsäcker sought to explain that the attitude of the Danish people towards Germany, and that of the Danish physicists in particular, was unreasonable and indefensible since a German victory was already guaranteed and that any resistance