Profiles in Perfidy

In this brilliant and absorbing volume, Margret Boveri, a German foreign correspondent, deals almost exclusively with the collaborators, Axis radio propagandists and German resistance leaders of World War II. Treatment of the Communist traitors of the Cold-War era is reserved for a later volume.

The conservative reader will find the first six chapters irritating. They contain pseudo-Liberal cant and differ from the rest of the book, which is factual, discriminating and intelligent. While I lacked time to compare Jonathan Steinberg’s translation with the German text, I did compare the passages referring to McCarthy as a test. The German original blames McCarthyism for denying Dr. Oppenheimer clearance for further work on atomic weapons. The English text adds that Oppenheimer was “publicly branded as disloyal.” Other passages contain similar heavy-handed additions to the text which will do nothing to enhance Miss Boveri’s reputation for objectivity and independence of mind. The American edition also mauls proper names. Hede Massing becomes Hedi Massing. The German original quoted Nathan Weyl (a reasonably good first approximation) on disloyalty; the American edition changes this to Hermann Weyl, referring, I suppose to the distinguished author of The Philosophy of Mathematics and Natural Science. If Miss Boveri has altered the German text (contrary to the statement in the end papers) she owes it to her translator’s reputation to say so.

NW

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Nathaniel Weyl

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In this brilliant and absorbing volume, Margret Boveri, a German foreign correspondent, deals almost exclusively with the collaborators, Axis radio propagandists and German resistance leaders of World War II. Treatment of the Communist traitors of the Cold-War era is reserved for a later volume.

The conservative reader will find the first six chapters irritating. They contain pseudo-Liberal cant and differ from the rest of the book, which is factual, discriminating and intelligent. While I lacked time to compare Jonathan Steinberg’s translation with the German text, I did compare the passages referring to McCarthy as a test. The German original blames McCarthyism for denying Dr. Oppenheimer clearance for further work on atomic weapons. The English text adds that Oppenheimer was “publicly branded as disloyal.” Other passages contain similar heavy-handed additions to the text which will do nothing to enhance Miss Boveri’s reputation for objectivity and independence of mind. The American edition also mauls proper names. Hede Massing becomes Hedi Massing. The German original quoted Nathan Weyl (a reasonably good first approximation) on disloyalty; the American edition changes this to Hermann Weyl, referring, I suppose to the distinguished author of The Philosophy of Mathematics and Natural Science. If Miss Boveri has altered the German text (contrary to the statement in the end papers) she owes it to her translator’s reputation to say so.