Photo: Deutsches Museum
Scientific Reports
The various series of the Scientific Reports belong to what is known as grey literature. This term encompasses research papers that were often reproduced in only a small number of copies and were not distributed through the traditional book trade. For the most part, these comprise internal publications from research institutions, commercial companies, and public authorities.
Photo: Deutsches Museum
‘Confidential’ or ‘Secret’
Many of these reports were classified as confidential or secret at the time of their creation.
The most extensive holding comprises the records of the Zentrale für wissenschaftliches Berichtswesen über Luftfahrtforschung (ZWB; Centre for Scientific Reporting on Aviation Research), spanning approximately 48 linear metres. It encompasses scientific and technical records in the field of aviation from around 1930 to 1945.
The second major holding consists of the 'Reports on German Industry', compiled between 1944 and 1947 by the Anglo-American intelligence and investigation units CIOS, BIOS, and FIAT (15 linear metres). Containing reports on individuals, industrial enterprises, research institutions, universities, and Reich ministries and authorities, they reflect the state of German technology and research at the close of the Second World War.
A third group comprises the holdings on nuclear research (designated as 'American Nuclear Research Reports'), consisting of around 2,600 almost exclusively English-language reports. The earliest documents date from 1942, while the most recent originate from around 1969. Although produced by research institutes across the world, American institutions predominate. More than 1,000 reports can be attributed to the United States Atomic Energy Commission. Other key American research teams were based at Argonne, Ames, Berkeley, Los Alamos, Miamisburg, and Oak Ridge.