Whether it makes sense to investigate the political views and behaviors of a natural scientist is a valid question. Certainly it does not do justice to the lifetime achievement of a natural scientist to look at him first and foremost as a homo politicus. However, the opposite is also true: scientific research is located in a social and political context, which conditions this research in any number of different ways. Without any reference to the political situation in which scientists work, the historical dimension of their scientific activity cannot be sufficiently understood.

In the history of German science, this is especially true for the period of the fascist-totalitarian dictatorship of National Socialism. There is a common misconception that National Socialism was hostile to science. In fact, this regime offered previously inconceivable opportunities for professional development to scientists, or at least to those who were not ostracized or driven out of the country. Of course, the Nazi dictatorship also tempted scientists to disregard ethical principles and even to participate in research directly connected to the regime's crimes against humanity.

Therefore, it is legitimate to conduct a biographical investigation of Adolf Butenandt's political posture during the National Socialist period. Between 1933 and 1945, Butenandt experienced a spectacular scientific ascent. As a biochemist and director of one of the most important institutes of the Kaiser Wilhelm Society (Kaiser-Wilhelm-Gesellschaft, KWS), he was one of the leading natural scientists of the Third Reich.