In what sense can one say that the Nazis destroyed psychoanalysis or that the members of the old DPG (German Psychoanalytic Society) who remained in Germany rescued and preserved psychoanalysis throughout the years of dictatorship? The authors attempt to reconstruct the answer to this question by reference to the relevant literature which has since accumulated. The glance into the past nurtures doubts as to whether the posture of today's psychoanalysts is appropriate to this historical experience.