1 z. COPY No......... ITEM No. 11 and 27 FILE No. XIV—6 CONFIDENTIAL THE UNIVERSITY OF STRASBOURG rnxTrrnuvfTT a t VjWI'IJ xL/JJAl A iAi.- COMBINED INTELLIGENCE OBJECTIVES SUB-COMMITTEE CONFIDENTIAL THE UNIVERSITY OF STRASBOURG 29 December 1$U4 Reported by W. P. HOOP. Capt.,USN, (Nary ALSOS) CIOS Black List Items 11- Torpedoes 2k -Medical. COMBINED INTELLIGENCE OBJECTIVES SUB-COMMITTEE G-2 DIVISION, SHARP (Rear) APO-U13 CONFIDENTIAL CONFIDENTIAL TABLE OP CONTENTS Subject Page No, Introduction 3 General Harrstire 3 The Library 5 The Institut fuer Angewandte Physik 6 The PhyslkalTsches Institut 6 The Medical Research Institute 7 Port Pransecky 7 Supersonic (Underwater) Laboratory: Port Pransecky J Biological Laboratory! Port Pransecky 8 University of Strasbourg: Personnel 9 PERSONNEL OF INSPECTION TRAM Dr. H,J.E. REID, (O.S.R.D. ALSOS) Captain W.P. ROOP, USH, (Navy ALSOS) Captain CROMARTY, (Army ALSOS) CONFIDENTIAL CONFIDENTIAL ALSOS - 55 aL303 INTELLIGENCE MISSION UNITED STATES NAVY Paris, France. Report on Visit to the University of St r as bo ur g. > y ' Enclosure: (l) Personal- und Yorlesungs-Veraeichnis. Winter Semester 19UU-U5. Introduction. This is the first institution of learning to become accessible to the ALSOS Mission as a channel for exploration cf German scientific achievement in relation to the war. It occupies a unique position geographically and academically. The opportunity which it offers for pursuing the purposes of ALSOS will not he duplicated even east of the Rhine if hostile attitudes are en- countered there as expected. At the same time the French, Belgian and Dutch Universities are much further removed from direct understanding of German war effort in scientific lines. The German schools at “Bonn and Cologne are likely to be as severe- ly damaged as that at Aachen. Even aside from the specific in- telligence targets it presents, the University of Strasbourg therefore deserves special attention as a port of entry into scientific Germany. General Narrative., At the time of first contact made by AI303 about ?8 November, the administration of the University was completely disrupted. The specific objectives in view at that time, which are explain- ed in separate reports, did not permit waiting for entry by normal channels and a very limited use of force had to be made. It was restricted to the necessary minimum and things were left sub- stantially undisturbed. A statement was made that U. S, troops had been quartered in University buildings, specifically a bat- talion of infantry under Major Rathtum. No evidence of this was seen at the time of my visit on 11 December, but a certain amount of confusion and scattering of papers was found. This might have occurred at any time after 25 November and might have been done by any of many different persons. A request had been made by Lt.Col. Pash for the University authorities to deny CONFIDENTIAL CONFIDENTIAL access to certain rooms at No.5 Quai Koch. At the time of my visit on 16 December, it was explained to me that the request could not he complied with, and I saw no reason for reproach. On 11 December, accompanied by Dr. H.J.E. Reid and Webster, McMM2c, I was admitted to the main building, where we found four professors. Dr. Victor Coulon-Tauber, Dr. Karl Mugler, Dr. Bail Rinck and Dr. Paul Wemert, all Alsatian members of the staff of the Reich e-Uni versltaet. They received us cordially and one of them led us to the office of the Rector of the Unlversltc de Strasbourg, M. Prelot. The Rector himself was absent, but we were most cordially received by his secretary, M.Marthelot, who directed us to other offices of the Universite. He explained that a large part of the faculty had estab- lished Itself temporarily in Clermont-Ferrand, that the Relchs- Unlversltaet had made a new start in 19*J-0, hut at the time of the liberation many professors who had come in from Germany had evacuated. The exiled members of the Universite were now free to return and in the meantime a number of Alsatian members of the staff who had remained through both changes were carrying on, mainly with courses of popular instruction. On 15 December, Dr. Reid and I visited, first, the Physics Laboratory of the Medical Research Institute with Capt.Cromarty of Army ALSOS, and then the office of the Registrar at 5 Qdai Koch, where we found M. Benjamin Rltzenthaler in charge, his chief Oeorg Armbruster having been interned. He put us in touch with Dr. Emil Rinck, Professor of Chemistry, and Robert Mueller, master mechanician. In the company of these two we visited the Institute of Physics, the Institute of Applied Physics and the wr»r laboratories established at Port Pransecfcy. On l6 Decenber finally, the morning was speht at the library. The German director. Dr. Karl J. Hartmann, had re- turned to Gflttingen, and the Admin1st rateur de la Bibliotheque Nationals et Unlversitaire, M. Ern, Wickersheimer, had just occupied the office. He received us well and we were given every courtesy by a librarian, Mme. Helts, who had remained throughout the German occupation. A good idea of the character of the Relche-Universitaet is given by Encl.(l). The issue fof Autumn welcomed students again after 25 years Interm (during which the buildings had be n occupied by the Universite). The beglnnlag in was modest. CONFIDENTIAL CONFIDENTIAL but each semester since that time showed an increase in the number of studente and extent of activities. There appears to hare been no new building construction, however, except as noted later, and the process has been one of replacement of French by German activity with incidental shifts of emphasis. The general importance of the situation for ALSOS lies in the fact that a large fraction of the present staff in residence has a close acquaintance with an important group of German scientists. More detailed information about the work of the Germans is obtained there now than anywhere else* The specialized developments during the German occupation had a definite relation to the war. The Institute of Applied Physics is a new creation. The work of the Physical Institute was given a very definite wartime significance. Most important of dl, perhaps, is the newly-founded Besearch Institute of the Medical Facility, with its three branches. Biology, Physics and Chemistry, housed in a building in the grounds of the Buerger- spital. It was here that a high tension generator of capacity 1.5 mllll6n volts was completed in February The culmina- tion of wartime laboratory work was reached in an establishment at Fort Fransecky about 10 km* northof the city. These various enterprises will now be separately described. Th? Library. The Library is one of the more important secondary con- tinental collections, with more than a million volumes. In addition to material of historical and local interest, current publications, including those on technical subjects, have been regularly purchased. The building is suitable for its purposes according to standards somewhat below the highest level. The services of indexing, circulation, care of the books and the like seem from U.S. points of view, inadequate, though not lacking altogether. A separate service to undergraduate stu- dents was maintained in the main building of the university, about on the scale of the "browsing rooms" of our larger university libraries. Bach of the separate scientific insti- tutes had a working collection of books of its own. In the case of the Medical Institute, at least, this was outside the cognizance of the central library altogether* . CONFIDENTIAL CONFIDENTIAL The main building had received a direct bomb hit which ouened up the main reading room to the weather. The books were stowed in the basement and are mostly not exposed to rapid de- terioration for the time being. A small amount of work was being done in improvement of conditions of stowage. The catalog is intact. Recent acquisitions had been removed. It was said that in principle A 1 books bought with German funds had been taken to Qdttigen. In the case of the Medical Institute, a collection of say 2000 volumes of key periodicals still remained at Port Pransecky. The recent acquisitions were boxed for shipment and are still lying in the basement at the Institute building at the Buerger-Spital. Evacuation of rec nt acquisitions from other Institutes was more complete but still not wholly so. A fair number of repent periodicals was seen in the Physikallschen Institute although vacant shelves remained where books had been removed. The Institut fuer Angewandte Physik. The Inst 1tut fuer Angewandte Physik at lU Waltharistaden is a large private house taken over for laboratory use. The director. Dr. Hledemann, Joined the staff before and carried on his experiments in underwater supersonlcs as a continuation of earlier work. Instruction in courses 183 to 187* page 62, enclo- sure (l) was also presumably carried on here. The adjoining house had been completely demolished, presumably by bomb, but No. lU is substantially intact. Active research, however, seemed to have been transferred to Port Pransecky. The Physikalisches Institut. The Physikalisches Institut is a large and substantial building in a conspicuous place on the main campus. A pros- pectlv illustrating its use following the last war is enclosed. The building is undamaged but appeared not to have had much use. It is doubtful if the courses numbered 169 to 187 on pages 61 and 52, enclosure (l) were Justified by the number of students. The rooms used by Dr. Pinkelnburg for office space aaL for erpe rl- mental research were visited. Some papers were found and these were left for closer examination in future. All significant apparatus had been removed. Dr. Welszlcker1s office still con- tained books and papers needing further study. The Instrument CONFIDENTIAL CONFIDENTIAL ■hop was nearly or quite Intact and in use by the master mecha- nician, Mr, Mdller. The rest of the building also should be thoroughly examined for clues as to the nature of the German work done there. «he Medical Research Institute, ./ J,i-. •••*- — ' I The building deroted to the use of the Research Institute of the Medical Faculty was not so designated on maps prior to the German occupation. It lies Just south of the Maternity Bldg. 1h the Buerger-Spltal. quite across the city from the University# . The inspiration for this institute came from Dr.FleischJiann who finally gave it a turn quite unusual among medical centers in nuclear physics from on. The specialties of the others aare not so clearly defined. The high tension generator is of rery recent construction and has had only about 100 hours of operation# It adjoins the Institute buildings and is designed as an aux- iliary to its work. It narrowly escaped destruction by a bomb which left a crater between the two buildings, but the generator appears to be intact# Fort Franseeky. At Fort Franseeky two laboratories were found, one for experiments in supersonics, one for btiogical work. This fort is a strong point lying about 10 km. north of the city. It has massire constructions of earth and masonry in the interior of which are many large rooms and wide corridors. The spaces actually used had natural light and air through windows opening into the court forming the center of the fort. The working space thus needed cover for these windows to give complete protection against blast, but were well-provided against direct hits. The fort was captured by surprise infantry action and evi- dences of the fight were still to be seen. It was understood that a large part of the garrison was taken prisoner# Work in the supersonic laboratory had been suspended a iflonth or so before the capture, and the space used for quartering troops. It appeared however that the biological laboratory had continued inkise nearly up to the end# Supersonic (Underwater) Laboratory: Fort Franseeky. The principal material equipment remaining in the supersonic laboratory is a tank about 8 x 8 x U feet in depth, fitted with CONFIDENTIAL OONFIDFiNTIAL highly absorbent interior surfaces. Frames were provided for positioning the generator and receiver in the tank. The experi- ments made in this tank were understood to he directed toward measurements of the transparency of metallic screens of varying composition for sound waves of supersonic frequency. These screens were made up on the spot and a number of furnaces and other pieces of equipment used in their preparation were still to be seen. A number of pieces of electronic equipment said to have been removed from the Haglnot communications system had been assembled, possibly with a view to salvaging parts for use in these tests. A torpedo head was found in the. Institute of Applied Physics and it was said that this had been fitted with . a supersonic quart* generator and the cavity closed with a cap of the material under test. The cavity was filled with oil during the test# The information on frequency at tdilch these tests were made is not definite and the generator was not available. Men- tion was made of a quarts plate a few millimeters thick which would suggest a f requency of the order of a half million cycles per second. Possibly an estimate might be made from the type of absorbing assembly used. It was made up of small irregular plates of cork about l/h inch thick and 1 to 2 inches across. These were mounted in cement so that each piece of cork projected edgewise into the water for a distance of one to two Inches. The cork plates were set in a spacing of about one inch or less from each other, in a random arrangement. The whole assembly thus presented to incident sound waves a solid backing surface faced by a zone in which the water was broken up by cavities (filled with cork). The zone was one to two Inches deep and the cavities, arranged in an irregular pattern, occupied say 20 to 25 percent of the volume of the zone. The reason for suspension of work in the supersonics lab- oratory at Fort Fransecky could not be determined. Biological Laboratory: Fort Fransecky. ®ie other line of work at the fott had absorbed considerably larger effort and seemed to have continued nearly up to the time of the Allied occupation. The chief items of equipment which indicated the nature of the work being done were three glass enclosures which seem to have been used for isolation of animals under experiment and observation. A number of pieces of equip- ment commonly used in hospitals or in biological laboratories CONFIDENTIAL CQE7IDENTIAL remained, but It appeared that Important portable items had been removed, Including an electron microscope. A small brick incin- erator, with a fire box about 10 by 30 inches might have been used for disposal of infectious material, as was rumored. A good collection of periodicals on physics and biological and medical subjects still remained. Examination of this laboratory and interrogation of persons who might know of details of the work done there was still con- tinuing at this writing, and results will hare to be reported separately. It is not yet possible to say exactly what was th« nature of the resulets which were desired. The reason for choice of this location for such work is also not wholly clear. Security of some sort naturally lies at the bottom of it, but it is hard to see what threat to security is better resisted at the fort than in the grounds of the Buerger- Spital. The most plausible suggestion is that the bomb which landed near the Institute led to the belief that this special laboratory was regarded by the Allies as a target of high priority. So far as is known this is not the case. Another possibility is that Alsatian personnel in the hospital was not trusted and a more isolated location was desired. The price paid for whatever security was achieved was a rather large measure of Inconvenience. The suspension of the supersonic work at the fofct may show that this price was found too high. University of Strasbourg! Personnel. Various personalities Involved will now be taken up. Egon Hiecemann# Born 1 7eb. 1900 at Cologne. Dozent at Cologne University from 1931* professor 1938* At Strasbourg from Evacuated to Lde Constance; 7orschungsstelle fuer Angewandte'Physlk, Salem/Bodensee. His speciality is super- • sonics, and the effect of frequency sound waves on sus- pended particles. His work in organizing the Institute for ipplied Physics had an early beginning and continued actively up to evacuation said to hove occurred in October, He is author of a book on "Grundlagen und Ergebnlsse der Ultraschallforsohung n, pub- lished in 1939* it has not been possible to get a copy of this book. Copies of reprints of articles in scientific periodicals COKFIDTCKTIAL CONFIDENTIAL found in hie office indicate specialization pn experimental study of properties end effects of supersonic waves, especially on small particles suspended In air. Work on transparency of metals as carried on at Fort Fransecky seems to have been a di- gression. Otto Bickenbach. Not listed in Oelehrten Calendar, 19*+1. iusrerordeintllche. (AO) Professor of Internal Medicine at Strasbourg 2U November Chief of the Bio- logical section of the Medical Research Institute. Lectured on pathological physiology in 19*+ 1-U2. Believed to have been active at Fort Franseckly, and to have evacuated to Tauber- Blschofshelm near Wftrzburg, where the Turnhalle of the Franken- schule is utilized. Rudolf Fleischmann. Bora 1 May I9O3 at Erlangen. Dozent at Heidelberg from 1938* A.O. professor of physics on the Medical Faculty at Strasbourg from 1 November 19*+1» Section Chief for Physics at the Research Institute. Specialized in nuclear Physics. Has written several comprehensive accounts of current work on artificial radioactivity. Jointly with W. Bothe, from onward, as well as periodical accounts of original work in the same field. Sponsored the construction of the high tension generator at the Mrger-Spltal. Said to have been interned and available for interrogation. Friedrich Weygand. Not listed in Section Chief for chemistry in the Research Institute of the Medical Faculty. His special work is not very well-defined and he had only limited duties of instruction, but is listed in enclosure (l) also as an A.O. professor in the Medical Faculty since Possibly he is engaged on secret projects, or has Nazi admin- istrative functions. Wolfgang Lehmann. Bom in Halle 31 August 1905* Dozent’ at Breslau from 1939# at Strasbourg from where he became Director of the Institute for “Race Biology". Participated in ethnologic field work in Malaya from 1927* Specialized in Human Genetics, Race Hygiene, Politics of Population. His institute was housed with the Research Institute. He serves on the examining board for medical degrees. Perhaps he had Nazi administrative functions. Wolfgang Finkelnburg. Born at Bonn 5 June 1905- Dozent at Karlsruhe 1932, A.O. professor Technlsche Hochschule Darmstadt confidential CONFIDENTIAL 1938. At Strasbourg from 15 October 19^2.. Evacuated, possibly to Heidelberg. Engaged to, marry Eleanore Schftlen of Hdrdlingen 1938* Specialized in spectroscony. -Published a book on con- tinuous spectra in 1938* A manuscript of a book on electric arcs was seen and left in his office. He was quite active in instruction in experimental physics. Under date of he issued a second edition of a pamohlet on Physics, of lf8 pages* in popular vein. He had also worked on the subject of detona- tion and was said to take a special interest in wartime applica- tionof physics. However no closer indication of the nature of his work was obtained. Carl Friederich Freiherr von Weizsaecker. Born at Kiel, 28 June 1912, son of the German ambassador to the Vatican. Dozcnt at Berlin 1937 and assistant in the Kaiser Wilhelm Insti- tute of Physics at Dahlera. A.O. Professor at Strasbourg'1 Jan- uary Director of the Institute of Theoretical Physics. Published a book in 1937 on nuclear physics and has written articles on transformation of the elements in the stars. Parti- cipated in varied academic activities. Described as a philoso- pher, a man of ascetic rather than practical habits. 1 • Karl Julius Hartmann. Born at Homberg 9 March 1893* Director of the University Library at Gdttlngen 1935» Stras- bourg I9U2. Evacuated to Gdttlngen. Commended by his Alsatian assistant as a man of moderation. 1 Other members of the German Staff, are Johannes Stein, Dean of Medicine, Interned. Georg Armbruster, Inspector, inte rned. Eugen Haagen, Director of the Institute of Hygiene. Alsatian members of the staff, with whom helpful contacts were made are as follows? Enil Rinck, Professor of Chemistry. Robert Mdller, Master mechanic in the Institute of Applied Physics. Benjamin Rltzenthaler, Assistant in the Business Office. Mme P.H. Heitz, Librarian, 2U rue J.J.Rousseau, Trench officers of the Universite already present in the city are? M. Prelot, the Rectcur, who is also to be found at 13 Qual Paris. CONFIDENTIAL CONFIDENT IAJ- M. Marthelor, his secretary, at G Rue de la Toufsaint. N. Wickersheimer, administrateur de la bibliotheque. A print of the list of members of the university of Stras- bourg in exile at Clermont-Ferrand may be examined et:- Office of CIOS Secretariat, SHAEF (Rear) Office of JIC, Washington. Office of Scientific Intelligence Advisory Section, C-2 Division, SHAEF (Hain) W. P. ROOP Capt.,USE, Kavy ALSOS CONFIDENTIAL ENCLOSURE (l) Enclosure (l) consisting of Personal-Und Vorlesungs-Verzeichnis Winter-Semester I9UU/I9U5 Relchsunwersitat Sirasburg has been omitted from the reproduced copies of this report. Those sections refered to in the report have been extracted and printed below. Complete copies of the document may be examined at: Office of CIOS Secretariat, SHAEF (rear) Office of J.I.C, Washington. Office of Scientific Intelligence Advisory Section, 0-2 Division, SHAEF (Main) 3. THEQHITISCHE PHYSIK 169 Mechanic, Mo Pi Mi Do 10-11 v. Weizsacker 170* Naturphilosophis, Mo 15-17 v. Weizsacker Uebungen: 171 Uebungen zur Mechenik, Fr 10-11 v.VeizsScker 17? Seminar fur Theoretische Physik, Mo 17-19 v.Weizs&cker pr. u. gr. l6S Physikalisches Kolloqulim (lU-tagig), ge~f v.WeizsAcker meinsam mit Finkelnburg, Fleischraann, Helierich, Heidetnknn, Mi 17-19. gr U. EXFERIMENTiiLPHYSIK 173 Experimentalphysik II (Elektrizitat, Matfne- Finkelnburg tismus, Optik) fur Mediziner und Natur- wissenschaftler, Pi Ml Do 11-12 17'4 Erganzungen zur Experimentalphysik fur Finkelnburg Studierende der Naturwissenschaften, Mo 8-10 175 Physik der Atomkerne, 2 st., Zeit nach Ver- Flcischmann einbarung Uebungen: 176 •Physikalisches Praktikum fur Anf anger (Na- Finkelnburg turwlssenschaftier ab 2- Semester,} Do lU- 17, Sa 8-11 17J •Physikalisches Praktikum fur Mediziner des Finkelnburg 2. Semester (lU-tagig), Pi 1h-18 17S Physikalisches Praktikum fur Pharmazeuten Finkelnburg (ab 3» Semester), Sa 8-12 179 •Physlkalleches Praktikum fur Fortgeschrit- Finkelnburg tene, 12 st., Zeit nach Vereinbarung, pr. 180 Anleltung zu selbstandlgen wlssenschaft- Finkelnburg lichen Arbeiten, ganztagig, Mo-Sa, pr. u. 181 Seminar uher Experimentalohyslk, Mi 17-19 Finkelnburg pr, u. gr. 188 Anleltung zu wissenschaftlichen Arbeiten 1m Fleischuann iorsehungsinstitut der Mcdizinlschen Fakul - tilt, ganztAglg, pr* u. gr. 168 Physikalisches Kolloquiim, (ik-taglg), ge- meinsam mlt Hellerich Hiedemann, v. Finkelnburg Weizsacker, Mi 17-19, gr. Fleischmann 5. ANGEVANDTE PHYSIK. 183 Angewandle Physik, Di Do 11-12 Hiedemann Schwingungslehre, Hi ll-l Hiedemann Uebungen: <■ 185 *Physikalisch-Technisches Fraktikum, 12 st Hiedemann 2*eit nach Vereinbarung, pr. 18b Uebungen zur Angewandten Physik, Di 12-13 Hiedemann pr. u. gr. 187 Anleltung zu wissenschaftlichen Arbeiten Hiedeiaann ganztaglg, Mo~Sa, pr. u. gr.