We do not feel competent to make concrete propositions for the policies of the great powers. We think that today a small country such as the Federal Republic can protect itself best and promote world peace by renouncing explicitly and voluntarily the possession of atomic weapons of any kind. Be that as it may, none of the undersigned would be ready in any way to take part in the production, the tests, or the application of atomic weapons.
At the same time, we emphasize the utmost importance of the peaceful application of atomic energy, which should be supported with all means, and we will participate in this task as we did before.
Fritz Bopp, Max Born, Rudolf Fleischmann, Walther Gerlach, Otto Hahn, Otto Haxel, Werner Heisenberg, Hans Kopfermann, Max v. Laue, Heinz Maier-Leibnitz, Josef Mattauch, Friedrich-Adolf Paneth, Wolfgang Pauli, Wolfgang Riezler, Fritz Stra\u00DFmann, Wilhelm Walcher, Carl Friedrich Frhr. v. Weizs\u00E4cker, Karl Wirtz
Text__m_F10KOdEd-WfYQ0GneCwQ_title=G\u00F6ttingen Declaration, April 12, 1957 (4)