[An honorable lie: Abderhalden's letter for deletion of Jewish members of the Leopoldina - anticipatory obedience or protective statement?].

Abstract

In 1938, the president of the German Academy of Scientists Leopoldina, Emil Abderhalden, on his own accord confirmed to the NS-Gauleiter and minister that "to the Academy belong only members who are not Jews" and that the Leopoldina's membership had "already for some time" coincided with contemporary demands. When analysed according to the relevant sources, these exculpatory statements turn out to be intentionally false and, thereby, Abderhalden's only known proven lie, albeit an honourable one since the National Socialist leadership then had no reason to intervene in the Leopoldina's membership affairs. With this letter Abderhalden attempted to suggest that the Leopoldina had always operated in anticipatory obedience--which was not the case in reality.