ABSTRACT
The British exploitation of German science and technology was only made possible by the unique circumstances of the occupation of Germany. A modern, advanced nation, with a sizeable research and development sector, lay at the mercy of other, similarly advanced nations, all of whom sought recompense for the previous conflict and military advantages for any future one. As bizonal fusion began in 1947, pressure to reduce the burdensome costs of the occupation mounted and the most promising solution was to facilitate the economic reconstruction of the western portion of Germany. Denial policy also eventually drew to a close, in part because of the changing attitudes of German scientists. Under reparations arrangements, Britain received just under 380,000 tons of dismantled German capital equipment, of which only around a quarter would have been potentially productive. Major German firms took action during the valuation stage, which makes reaching a convincing conclusion about the worth of removed equipment even more difficult.
