Sir

The editorial “Hollow apologies should be avoided” (Nature 403, 813; 2000) gives a correct account of the efforts of the Max Planck Society (MPS) to explore the history of its predecessor, the Kaiser Wilhelm Society, during the Nazi period. It discusses MPS president Hubert Markl's statement that it is not within the moral authority of those who did not take part in Nazi experiments to apologize on behalf of those who committed these crimes. It suggests apologies may be due, rather, for the MPS's ignoring of the issue until quite recently.

The MPS can agree with this. However, President Markl has already publicly apologized. In 1998, at a ceremony for the fiftieth anniversary of the society's foundation, he said: “I consider it my duty to offer a public apology for that which the Max Planck Society may have failed to do in the face of its responsibility for the consequences of its prehistory during the Third Reich — even were it only that the Society has done too little to explore this prehistory for too long.” In the same speech, Markl condemned the actions of German scientists against Jewish and other victims of the terrible Nazi past in more detail. The full text is on the Internet (http://www.mpg.de/jubilae_e.htm).

The question of public statements to survivors can only be decided after the independent commission of historians has given its advice to the president. But the Max Planck Society is grateful for this chance to let your readers know that it has acted — though maybe regrettably late — exactly as advised in your editorial.