# Please help me debunk this alarmist page re Fukushima

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-me-debunk-this-alarmist-page-re-fukushima/621204>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [May 7, 2012, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-me-debunk-this-alarmist-page-re-fukushima/621204 "2012-05-07T18:37:15Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 4

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**Author:** ![Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/46a35a/32.png) [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_T-Bonham.net)\
**Post date:** [May 11, 2012, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-me-debunk-this-alarmist-page-re-fukushima/621204/61 "2012-05-11T19:41:17Z")

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> [@Mijin](#):
>
> T"Throughout the Nazi-led mass extermination of the Jewish people in World War II, IBM’s top computer scientists provided key technologies that allowed Hitler’s minions to more “efficiently” exterminate prisoners and organize work camps"

Well, this one is semi-true.  
See the book [IBM and the Holocaust](http://www.ibmandtheholocaust.com/) for details.

IBM (through their German subsidiary) did provide services to the German government, especially their Census department and State Police departments. And the lists compiled by them, which included marking which people were Jews, were used by the Nazi’s.

But it was not “top computer scientists” (computers weren’t invented yet), it was IBM punched card machines that were used. And it wasn’t “top scientists”, but just ordinary systems analysts & efficient designers. And the IBM machines didn’t help “‘exterminate’ prisoners more efficiently”, it just helped gather them up.

So while some details are wrong, the basic idea is correct in this quote.

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**Author:** ![coremelt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4491bb/32.png) [@coremelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/coremelt)\
**Post date:** [May 12, 2012, 7:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-help-me-debunk-this-alarmist-page-re-fukushima/621204/62 "2012-05-12T07:37:59Z")

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Thanks gray ghost, I will try and skim that and post the relevant info when I find it.

Might take me a while ;(

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