commercial aims of Germany’s industrial giant BASF were in terms of the
production of ammonium sulphate as fertilizer—by far the most common use
of ammonia in Germany at the time. Robert’s contract with Haber was also
simply in terms of the production of ammonia, so one could reasonably argue
therefore that even with a link to the ‘explosives industry’, to Robert, the
whole contractual process would naturally have seemed just an opportunity
for personal, financial and professional progression and nothing more sinister.
After all, why should this young man’s ambition be restrained by some
hypothetical future, having to choose between the corn fields and the killing
fields? Decades later another Robert—Robert Oppenheimer—summed up
the scientist’s dilemma
25
;
A scientist cannot hold back progress because of fears of what the world will do
with his discoveries.
But there was surely one other reason for Robert’s engagement with this
contract, and that was the exciting opportunity it presented to parallel the
work of Woodland Toms, whose contribution to the science of agricultural
fertilisers had led to legally binding assurances of quality in the United
Kingdom, and whose ‘kindness’
6 had meant so much to him. Oppenheimer
was fully aware of where his work was leading and surely so too was Robert Le
Rossignol. But soon, by ‘calling down nitrogen from the heavens to make plant
growth possible …’, Robert and Haber were to be given ‘the key to the gates of
Heaven’, but would civilization … ‘prove itself worthy of the gift? For of course
… ‘it is one that society may also use to its undoing …’.
26
7.4 Haber’s Dilemma
With Koenig and Le Rossignol now ‘on board’ Haber was in an enviable
position. He had secured the financial backing of an industrial giant, his
co-workers were of the highest calibre, the problems they addressed were of
international importance and whichever route were to prove the most effective, professional kudos and huge financial gains were to be made. But therein
lay Haber’s dilemma, where to place his best efforts? Biographical evidence
suggests Haber’s heart lay in the ammonia synthesis, but BASF were entirely
sceptical of this route and Haber would have required some significant evidence to convince the company otherwise. In May 1908, during a trip to
Berlin, the evidence dropped into his lap. Here, he ran into Walther Nernst
and learned of Nernst’s connection with the Griesheim Chemical Works—
152
D. Sheppard
production of ammonium sulphate as fertilizer—by far the most common use
of ammonia in Germany at the time. Robert’s contract with Haber was also
simply in terms of the production of ammonia, so one could reasonably argue
therefore that even with a link to the ‘explosives industry’, to Robert, the
whole contractual process would naturally have seemed just an opportunity
for personal, financial and professional progression and nothing more sinister.
After all, why should this young man’s ambition be restrained by some
hypothetical future, having to choose between the corn fields and the killing
fields? Decades later another Robert—Robert Oppenheimer—summed up
the scientist’s dilemma
25
;
A scientist cannot hold back progress because of fears of what the world will do
with his discoveries.
But there was surely one other reason for Robert’s engagement with this
contract, and that was the exciting opportunity it presented to parallel the
work of Woodland Toms, whose contribution to the science of agricultural
fertilisers had led to legally binding assurances of quality in the United
Kingdom, and whose ‘kindness’
6 had meant so much to him. Oppenheimer
was fully aware of where his work was leading and surely so too was Robert Le
Rossignol. But soon, by ‘calling down nitrogen from the heavens to make plant
growth possible …’, Robert and Haber were to be given ‘the key to the gates of
Heaven’, but would civilization … ‘prove itself worthy of the gift? For of course
… ‘it is one that society may also use to its undoing …’.
26
7.4 Haber’s Dilemma
With Koenig and Le Rossignol now ‘on board’ Haber was in an enviable
position. He had secured the financial backing of an industrial giant, his
co-workers were of the highest calibre, the problems they addressed were of
international importance and whichever route were to prove the most effective, professional kudos and huge financial gains were to be made. But therein
lay Haber’s dilemma, where to place his best efforts? Biographical evidence
suggests Haber’s heart lay in the ammonia synthesis, but BASF were entirely
sceptical of this route and Haber would have required some significant evidence to convince the company otherwise. In May 1908, during a trip to
Berlin, the evidence dropped into his lap. Here, he ran into Walther Nernst
and learned of Nernst’s connection with the Griesheim Chemical Works—
152
D. Sheppard