I wouldn't give any importance to those transcripts. They were all aware that the captors are bugging them and they were just playing the innocent scientists that worked for the sake of advancing science and they are not infact proud members of the Nazi Party.
HEISENBERG: "Microphones installed? (Laughing) Oh, no, they're not as cute as all that. I don't think they know the real Gestapo methods; they're a bit old fashioned in that respect." [1], p. 13.
Fascinating how the people that they were discussing were having their ear to the wall. It makes you wonder to what extent they were doing this because they were aware of being eavesdropped on or if they were really so naive as to discuss how best to influence the people that they were utterly dependent on.
Edit: I've read some more of the transcript and what really is interesting is that they are so aloof from the realities of the situation they are in. Almost conceited.
Someone posted a link to a more complete transcript in one of the sibling threads here. I think it is ambiguous whether or who thought they were being recorded. They do in a couple instances talk about some things (people they think or know have isotopes or something like that (I don’t know anything about the physics), and some patents) that they don’t want to reveal to their captors. So, I think I’m the very least they weren’t all on the page of “let’s do a big counterintelligence type ruse.”
Of course there are also layers of intrigue going on; they are all colleagues but they must know that they’ll ultimately be interviewed to determine who was really loyal to the Nazi party, so to some extent they are probably trying to convince each other. Meanwhile the guy writing the transcript seems generally to have opinions about their personalities, and a genuine concern for their well-being to some extent, so I’m sure that colors his analysis too.
What's important about the recordings is that they were stunned at the news about Hiroshima, and declared it impossible. Heisenberg's own calculations had predicted a much larger critical mass. If they were acting, apparently they're amazing actors.
