3 8 4 D O C U M E N T 4 2 1 M A R C H 1 9 2 9 In the memorandum that formed the basis for the founding of the Institute, it was pointed out that with the first division of the Physikalisch-Technische Reichsanstalt in this city, an institute dedicated solely to physical research already exists. How- ever, the Physikalisch-Technische Reichsanstalt could not, even at the beginning, fulfill the duties or the role of a Kaiser Wilhelm Institute for Theoretical Physics. For by its very nature, it was always intended for applications of metrology, in par- ticular for precision measurements, and not for the goal of fostering progress in the- oretical physics. In the meantime, as a result of the reorganization of the Physikalisch-Technischen Reichsanstalt, which has eliminated its former first divi- sion, the need for a special center for supporting theoretical physics has become even more pressing and visible. The Kaiser Wilhelm Institute for Physics has indeed also made theoretical phys- ics the object of its special mission in the past 12 years. It has proved itself by plac- ing the necessary apparatus and materials, sometimes also assistants, at the disposal of eager and successful researchers, and in economically difficult times it has provided research fellowships to younger, promising scholars in this field. This form of support, which predates the Emergency Association for German Science, has now become dispensable owing to the much greater material basis and the wid- er framework of the activities of the latter, if not in an economic sense, then at least in an organizational sense. This type of activity on the part of the Kaiser Wilhelm Institute for Physics has become more and more a start-up function and a makeshift exercise rather than the true fulfillment of its planned goals. In no other field does the sum of the activities of individual scholars working separately lag so far behind what their combined efforts could yield within an institute. This is because of the fact that, given the rapidity and the astounding mass of new results, personal con- tacts and a local concentration of researchers can create an intellectual atmosphere that contributes decisively to the success of the best and most effective. For this reason, a greater productivity is to be expected with a high probability from an institute that exists as a physical structure, in which not only are funds dis- tributed, but also highly qualified scientists can cooperate in their common voca- tion. This conclusion is multiplied and amplified by the fact that there is no pure research institute for theoretical physics in all of Germany, and the most creative and productive branch of the “exact” natural sciences indeed has no location here where the atmosphere of the field can be concentrated into a mutually vital air for a circle of suitablyqualified personages working together. The inclusion of visitors from Germany and abroad on a temporary basis within the new institute will amplify the advantages that have been achieved thus far in providing funds to support the work of external colleagues. The physics of X-rays, structural analysis, and in particular the physics of molecular beams will provide