A Whisper of Espionage : Wolfgang Kohler and the Apes of Tenerife [Hardcover]

Ronald Ley (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1, 1997

Dr. Wolfgang Kohler, a founder of Gestalt theory & former Pres. of the Amer. Psychological Assoc., laid the cornerstone of modern cognitive psychology. His pioneering experiments with apes are considered classics. What was not known is that while researching animal behavior on Tenerife, Dr. Kohler may have also been engaged as a wartime spy for Germany in World War I. The author presents his three-year odyssey to determine the true facts in a narrative that is absolutely spellbinding. What we find is a fascinating tale that is rich in history, politics, intrigue, & betrayal -- a true-life detective story of the first magnitude.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Wolfgang Kohler is renowned as one of the founders of Gestalt psychology and as the author of The Mentality of Apes , which detailed his experiments with simians on Tenerife, in the Canary Islands, from 1914 to 1920. In this expose, Ley, professor of psychology at the State University of New York, shrilly claims to have uncovered a secret, one revealed to him by Kohler's chief assistant on Tenerife: the psychologist was a German spy during World War I. The author's investigations in England, East and West Germany and elsewhere in Europe confirmed for him that Kohler had served the German military by building, maintaining and operating a concealed radio that contributed to that country's war effort. Readers will consider that the jury is still out on the case, and that this overpadded book would have been more effective as a magazine article.
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 264 pages
• Publisher: Avery Pub. Group (August 1, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0788151347
• ISBN-13: 978-0788151347
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.2 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,237,257 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating and Important - Kohler remains a Hero, May 29, 2006

By 

David H. Peterzell "Ph.D., Ph.D." (San Diego, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Whisper of Espionage : Wolfgang Kohler and the Apes of Tenerife (Hardcover)

I read this book many years ago, after it was recommended to me by Michael Wertheimer (son of Max). It was a fascinating story. If you have any interest in the history of psychology, psychology and science during WWII and the holocost, or Gestalt Psychology, then this is really full of lots of interesting things. Wolfganf Kohler's work on insight in chimps seems to have been a cover for his espionage work in WWI. As his status grew, Kohler distanced himself from these times and this research.

One point that the author makes is that WWI was much different than WWII. We shouldn't confuse pre-Nazi Germany with the German nightmare that followed. Kohler seems to have followed his patriotic duty in WWI. In WWII, he was an anti-Nazi hero in a dangerous time and place. He generally stood up for his Jewish colleagues and bravely communicated his discontent before he had to leave Nazi Germany. So I hope this book doesn't serve to villify Kohler in any way. One gets the sense that his family felt the need to cover up Kohler's past, but I didn't read anything that deteracted from his heroic nature. (Compare this to, say, Konrad Lorenz' Nazi past).

I remember talking to Richard Held, the emminent MIT psychologist, about this book. He was one of Kohler's students in the U.S. He emphasized this point, and emphasized that Kohler was a man of remarkable integrity. I believe this!

I'm currently reading another remarkable book on Gestalt Psychologists. This one is the long-awaited book on Max Wertheimer and Gestalt Psychology by Michael Wertheimer and Brett King. Highly recommended!