Fritz haber: the protean man
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- 37 - hand, “became a convinced pacifist and internationalist and, in diluted form, a socialist.” 7
In support of the war and opposing Allied accusations of German atrocities in Belgium, Haber, his friend Richard Willstätter, and 91 others signed the “Manifesto of the 93”. The document denied that Germany had committed atrocities and also asserted that Germany was blameless for starting the war; Germany‟s culture and military tradition were emphasized as being “one and the same.” 8 Responding to this proclamation, Einstein co- wrote the “Manifesto of the Europeans” with Georg Nicolai; this opposed the first manifesto. It was distributed among the scientists in Berlin, but only two others, Wilhelm Forster and Otto Bück, signed. 9
believed that the war was “a kind of suicidal drama in Europe‟s history, an eruption of insanity.” 10 Additionally, Einstein joined a peace group named the Federation of the Germans, founded in November 1914, which wanted the war to end quickly and peacefully as well as to prevent future wars from occurring. While abroad, he often made remarks expressing his disapproving and opposing thoughts on the war and since he was still a state official in Prussia, these remarks “bordered on high treason.” 11
considered a deal-breaker, so to speak, they remained friends; Haber did not permit the political actions of his friend to alter his high estimation of Einstein both as person and also as a scientist. Einstein even tutored the then thirteen-year-old Hermann Haber in mathematics during the beginning of 1915 because the child was “quite sick and couldn‟t go to school.” 12 Haber also continued to rally for Einstein‟s cause at the Institute by helping to found the Kaiser Wilhelm Society‟s Institute for Physics in the fall of 1917; he sat on its board of directors together with Einstein. 13
By 1917, Haber had lost his faith that Germany would win the war. Einstein described his thoughts on the horrific war by stating that, “Our entire much-praised technological progress, and civilization generally could be compared to an ax in the hand of a pathological criminal.” 14 Thus, with the armistice of November 11, in 1918, Einstein was overjoyed that the war was to end. Haber, however, had poured his soul into the German war effort and now had to deal with the great loss and well as any repercussions his actions may have caused amongst his friends. In January 1918, Einstein was trying to help one of his fellow physicists travel to neutral Holland, and
- 38 - Haber took the liberty of taking a request for this action to the very top of the military ranks. Einstein apparently rebuked Haber‟s attempt to help and Haber tried to explain his actions to his friend in a letter 15 :
Nothing was further removed from my mind… than [to feel] pleasure at your unfamiliarity with military custom… It is not only in the field of mathematical physics that life depends on the knowledge of and acceptance of certain formal connections and not only in the field in which you work miracles is it usually impossible to achieve success without the formal laws. For myself I merely ask that you believe that I am pleased and happy to be useful to you, that I have too much respect for your person and achievement to ever make fun about something you do and that I personally am extremely fond of you [ich Sie persönlich lieb habe]. 16
Haber clearly did not intend to embarrass his friend, but it does seem that he was very proud that he was able to take the request to the highest military authorities. He reveled in his ranking and the power it allotted him, yet with the end of the war he was forced to integrate himself back into civilian life. This was only made harder when he was listed among the war criminals to be tried for their actions during the war. He was forced to flee to Switzerland but was eventually able to return to Germany when the charges were dropped.
During these difficult times for Haber, Einstein was celebrating the changes occurring in Germany, for he had detested the old regime. His theory of relativity was also gaining more acclaim, being called “one of the greatest- perhaps the greatest of achievements in the history of human thought.” 17 Einstein was joining Haber among the elite of German scientists, as well as German society. Yet his actions promoting Zionism sometimes caused his friend to question whether or not Einstein was patriotic and supportive of Germany at all. Einstein planned to travel to the United States in the spring of 1921 with Chaim Weizmann, a leading Zionist and a distinguished chemist at Manchester University. The pair planned to raise funds for a Hebrew University in Jerusalem. This trip reflected Einstein‟s deep connection with his Jewish heritage and brought to the light the great divide between himself and Haber over this issue. Einstein had, in fact, even refused an important invitation, in May 1918, from the Imperial Academy of Sciences to travel to St. Petersburg stating that “I find it repugnant to travel without necessity to a country in which my tribesmen are so brutally persecuted.” 18
yet he did not wish for his friend to travel to the United States in 1921. He did not believe that Einstein should Yüklə 415,83 Kb. Dostları ilə paylaş:
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