GAMM and the partition of Germany (Q1806972)

GAMM, Gesellschaft für Angewandte Mathematik und Mechanik (Society for Applied Mathematics and Mechanics), was founded in Germany in 1923. This account by a former secretary takes advantage of records that have come to light after the reunification of Germany in 1989. The author describes some of the complicated issues as members tried to maintain some continuity with the pre-war society within an occupied and divided Germany. This is a useful addition to the history of GAMM and is significant for its documentation showing how difficult, if not impossible, it is to evaluate the moral or political stances of scientists in both west and east in the post-war era. The author warns against judging a person's actions on the basis of incomplete information, even in the case of people who were known to make such rushes to judgment themselves in this unhappy period.