British and American views of the German menace in World War I

Abstract

At a Symposium on the History of Nuclear Physics, the distinguished Caltech astrophysicist and recent president of the American Physical Society, Willy Fowler, was asked to comment on the concept of internationalism in science. ‘There are nationalistic tendencies, to be sure’, he responded, ‘but they are subordinated to scientists’ love of travel’. By and large, nationalistic tendencies have been suppressed, if not in favour of hedonism, then surely in deference to hymns of praise to the brotherhood of science.