Kill Heisenberg

 Kill Heisenberg

At midnight, along a silent street in Berlin, two figures walked slowly beneath the cold brilliance of the full moon. Jacob, the elder of the two, was about thirty. Scott, scarcely twenty, walked beside him. The street lay in darkness; no lamps burned, and only the moon lent its pale illumination. Anyone observing them closely could have discerned that they were strangers to the town — foreigners, perhaps. In wartime, such a distinction could prove dangerous.

For that reason, they had remained indoors through the previous night, and, from fatigue and tension, had passed the daylight hours drinking.

Jacob lit a cigar and began to speak.

“Do you know why wars are fought, my friend? War is not truly between nations. Nor is it between peoples. The human mind itself is divided by innumerable contradictions. War is merely the outward manifestation of the clamor among those fragments of the ego. If the human mind were harmonious and unified, there would be no war.”

Scott gave a faint laugh. “What you say sounds like poetry. Or philosophy. My limited understanding grasps nothing of it. I suppose you are a man who reads deeply.”

“It is philosophy,” Jacob replied. “The philosophies of the East always flow like poetry. A friend of mine is devoted to Vedantic texts. From his intoxicated ramblings I, too, learned a few things.”

“You have had more rum than wisdom tonight. That is why you entangle the human mind with war.”

“Fool,” Jacob said gently. “Listen. Every mind on this earth is but a fragment of a vast collective mind. The events of the outer world are reflections of that collective consciousness. If that greater mind were harmonious, there would be no war. War is created by man — or rather, by the human mind.”

Scott studied him. “Are you a Jew?”

“Yes. Why do you ask?”

“You joined the army because of Hitler’s atrocities against the Jews.”

“My parents were Russian Jews. Twenty years ago, violent uprisings broke out against Jews in Russia. We fled to America and settled in New York. This world grants Jews no lasting peace. Just as every race has its own nation, the Jews too must have a nation. Jews from all over the world must gather there. This war is the first opening toward that destiny. First, Hitler must fall. Then there must be a homeland for the Jews — Israel. That should be the dream of every Jew.”

“At least your participation in this war carries meaning,” Scott said. “But I joined for no ideology — only for money. During America’s Great Depression, my father’s investments in the stock market collapsed. He lost his business and all his property. Unable to endure the harassment of creditors, he took his own life. I was seventeen. My mother and sister and I endured great hardship. When this war began, I enlisted immediately. I can now send a good portion of my pay home. Because of the war, industry has revived. My mother and sister have found respectable employment. But tell me — why have we come to this city?”

“To bring this war to an end.”

“You and I?”

“Yes. Tonight is the beginning.”

“What are we to do?”

“We are going to meet a man. His name is Werner Heisenberg.”

“Hitler’s close advisor?”

“No. A scientist. We are going to kill him.”

The moon shone like a polished silver bowl suspended in the heavens. The street lay heavy with silence. Somewhere, a dog barked briefly and then fell quiet.

“In a few months,” Jacob continued, “this city will fall under Russian control.”

“They say the war is still uncertain.”

“That uncertainty ends tonight.”

They reached a house and knocked. From within came the gentle strains of piano music. After a few moments, the door opened.

They entered and were seated.

“You — who are you?” the man asked cautiously. “Are you from the secret surveillance department? I sent all the details last week.”

“Your name is Heisenberg?”

“Yes.”

“We are indeed from an intelligence service — but not Germany’s. We are from American intelligence.”

Heisenberg stiffened.

“What do you want?”

“I will tell you shortly. First, what do you think of this war?”

“What is there for me to say?”

“Is it a just war?”

“I have no opinion.”

“Do you believe Jews are a race that deserves extermination?”

“No. Professionally, I have many Jewish friends — including Albert Einstein.”

“And what do you think of Einstein?”

“A brilliant scientist. But excessively praised. I, Erwin Schrödinger, Niels Bohr, and others have developed scientific ideas superior to his. For reasons unknown, people ignore that his contribution to quantum physics is limited.”

“Do you dislike him because he is Jewish?”

“No. It is merely professional rivalry.”

“When we knocked, we heard beautiful piano music. Were you playing?”

“No. It was from the gramophone.”

“Could you play it again? To hear Ludwig van Beethoven on a night like this is a rare pleasure.”

Music filled the room — like a wandering breeze, like the swirling of a river, like the deep resonance of the sea. When it ended, Heisenberg seemed less tense.

“Why have you come?” he asked again.

“My orders are to kill you. I carry a pistol in my inner coat. But I do not believe I shall need it. My conscience tells me you are trustworthy — that you think beyond race and nation. Is it true that Hitler once intended to have you killed?”

“Yes. Hitler is a fool. He declared relativity and quantum mechanics to be ‘Jewish science’ and inferior. Because I did not agree with him, he considered eliminating me.”

“Then why did he change his mind?”

“I do not know.”

“What relationship does your mother have with Heinrich Himmler?”

“I understand your implication. It is true that my mother appealed to Himmler on my behalf. But I do not know the nature of their relationship. Only that they were acquaintances.”

“In this war, whom do you wish to see victorious?”

“Germany, certainly. Consider what a united Europe under German leadership might achieve. It could propel humanity forward.”

“Replace ‘German leadership’ with ‘under Hitler’ and answer again. You yourself called him a fool. Imagine Europe entirely under him.”

Heisenberg was silent.

“Do you wish this war to end?”

“Yes. I am weary of it. At times, I even think it would not matter if Germany lost.”

“You know that ending this war lies in your hands.”

“You refer to the secret weapon.”

“Yes. A weapon that splits the atom. A weapon capable of leveling entire cities.”

“And I know America is developing the same under J. Robert Oppenheimer.”

“Whoever builds it first will win the war.”

“That is true. Yet I hope the effort fails. The radiation would affect generations.”

“Then why participate?”

“I was compelled. They threatened my wife and me.”

“How long before Germany completes it?”

“If I wished — a few months. But I have deliberately delayed it. I exaggerated the critical mass required to sustain a nuclear chain reaction. I reported it would take years. Hitler lost interest.”

“Excellent. Continue so. I need details of heavy water production facilities.”

“This weapon could bring catastrophic ruin. I will assist in whatever way prevents that.”

He handed over documents.

As they prepared to leave, Jacob said quietly:

“One more thing. Einstein asked me to deliver this letter.”

Heisenberg’s eyes brightened.

“He provides an equation and asks me to verify it. But it is flawed. I shall correct it. Deliver the correct equation to him.”

They departed.

Outside, under the moonlit sky, they lit their cigars again.

“Friend,” Jacob said, “the war has ended tonight — because of what we have done.”

“But Heisenberg was already delaying the weapon.”

“That would only prolong the war — prolong the suffering.”

“You mean the heavy water facilities he revealed?”

“No. Germany could rebuild those. What he gave us is far more significant.”

He pointed to the data.

“The correct equation for critical mass. Even Einstein and American scientists have not found it.”

“Why would he give it to us?”

“I provoked his pride. His desire to surpass Einstein.”

“With it, what will America do?”

“They will build the weapon first — within months. I do not think they will use it on Germany. Likely on Japan. The devastation will shock the world. The war will end.”

Scott’s voice hardened.

“So the destruction Germany might have wrought will instead be wrought by America. That is the only difference. The radiation will scar generations. And in the future, many nations will build such weapons and bring the world to the brink of annihilation. Do you not see that?”

“Last question. Why didn’t you kill Heisenberg?”

“It was all part of a long-term vision. After this war, if we could bring Heisenberg over to our side, wouldn’t that be a great advantage?”

“For a moment, I thought you might actually have something called a conscience.”

Jacob remained silent for a long time. To hide his nervousness, he drew quickly on his cigarette. 

“Who am I?” he said at last. “Only a soldier. A mere instrument.”

“Yes,” Scott replied quietly. “An instrument.”

And the two figures disappeared into the Berlin night.