Operation Paperclip
bringing evil into our home
As World War II in Europe was drawing to a close, German scientists and technologists were looking to escape the fate awaiting those on the defeated side of the conflict. Those that could believed they had better prospects in the west than with the Soviet Union.
Meanwhile, those who had been paying attention recognized the looming conflict between the west and the Soviet empire. Generals George Patton and Curtis LeMay were some of the most vocal, but they were not alone. There were others in the intelligence community and other places high in the US government that recognized the value of the technical expertise in the defeated land.
Both sides saw the value of these German scientists and engineers and grabbing the best was one of the first sources of contention in the cold war. In all, about 1,600 of the best and brightest Germany had produced found their way to US shores. It should be noted that when the Soviet Union acquired they same type of talent, they took them to Russia where they picked whatever knowledge they could from the men and then, sent them back to the rubble of a fallen Third Reich.
In the US, on the other hand, such was the fear of the Soviet menace that people high in the government were willing to overlook the past of the rogues gallery welcomed with a path to citizenship. Not all were hard core Nazis, but the number included many who were spared the hangman's noose.
The program, justifiably, ran into a few speed bumps along the way. Samuel Klaus in the State Departments section that approved visa made it difficult for some of the worst offenders to become legal residents of the US. Even though the approval from President Truman specified that the Army approval was sufficient to grant the documents, Klaus still did his best to stop the program. Because of his efforts the Army did keep some of the worst, ones who were awaiting trial at Nuremberg, in Germany, but still made use of their knowledge. Eventually, Klaus was reassigned to a position that removed him from the visa approval process.
While security was tight and much information was classified, columnist Drew Pearson proved to be another obstacle to overcome as his investigation revealed to the the public the kind of people the military was bringing into the country and how they were living well on the taxpayers dollars rather than swinging from a rope. After the initial outcry, the public found other things to think about, like getting back to their simpler civilian lives, and Paperclip went on as planned.
Most visible was rocket scientist Wernher von Braun, who led the US to the first lunar landing and a commanding lead in intercontinental ballistic missiles. There were some who raised the ethical concerns about bringing this member of the Nazi Party who created the V-2 rockets that terrorized Great Britain. They also objected to the fact that some of the labor to producer these rockets came from concentration camps with many prisoners deaths in the underground assembly plant at Nordhausen.
Perhaps he was a victim of his place of birth and the necessity of being a member of the Nazi Party if he was to develop his craft. It may be a moot point since he is gone and so are the people who brought him into our country and gave him a good life while he kept us in the lead with our space program. It could be argued we received a net benefit from his help.
The same could be said for many other scientists who joined the victorious side. They helped advance the air craft industry and many others that ultimately produced more and better consumer goods.
The scientists working on biological warfare, toxic chemicals and the like were brought the the US to continue their mad scientist things. By the time Richard Nixon took office the Americans had accumulated tons of these weapons. He did not believe we should be using such things and issued and order they should all be destroyed. It took the better part of a decade to get the job done because there was no experience with such and operation...but it did get done.
There were others, recruited by the likes of Allen Dulles and Sidney Gottlieb who had skills and knowledge these men sought greatly. They were looking for ways to get information from enemy captives and control their actions to make them unwilling or unknowing accomplices in their nefarious deeds. Some of the acquired technicians were well versed in these practices and, they too, were recruited.
These provided the roots of such programs as MKULTRA and other secret programs. Some of this was done in the country and ended in tragedies like Frank Olson's death. Others were taking place in black sites in Europe... most notably Camp King in Germany... where some of the worst offenders were employed since there was no way to get them into the US. It was also the facility where some who had been welcomed were sent when they turned out to be troublesome because of their past or current activities.
Camp King was established, not only because of the Nazi scientists it employed, but because many of the experiments were plainly illegal if conducted at home. It was also convenient because the researchers were told that disposal of bodies was not a problem. Experiments were conducted with Soviet spies and other “expendables”. It was a visit to this facility that began the disillusionment of Frank Olson and his desire to leave the chemical warfare program.
It is ironic that the US helped defeat one of the most evil forces the world has seen then we brought some of the perpetrators into our own house and gave them a place to do their mad scientist thing.
Meanwhile, those who had been paying attention recognized the looming conflict between the west and the Soviet empire. Generals George Patton and Curtis LeMay were some of the most vocal, but they were not alone. There were others in the intelligence community and other places high in the US government that recognized the value of the technical expertise in the defeated land.
Both sides saw the value of these German scientists and engineers and grabbing the best was one of the first sources of contention in the cold war. In all, about 1,600 of the best and brightest Germany had produced found their way to US shores. It should be noted that when the Soviet Union acquired they same type of talent, they took them to Russia where they picked whatever knowledge they could from the men and then, sent them back to the rubble of a fallen Third Reich.
In the US, on the other hand, such was the fear of the Soviet menace that people high in the government were willing to overlook the past of the rogues gallery welcomed with a path to citizenship. Not all were hard core Nazis, but the number included many who were spared the hangman's noose.
The program, justifiably, ran into a few speed bumps along the way. Samuel Klaus in the State Departments section that approved visa made it difficult for some of the worst offenders to become legal residents of the US. Even though the approval from President Truman specified that the Army approval was sufficient to grant the documents, Klaus still did his best to stop the program. Because of his efforts the Army did keep some of the worst, ones who were awaiting trial at Nuremberg, in Germany, but still made use of their knowledge. Eventually, Klaus was reassigned to a position that removed him from the visa approval process.
While security was tight and much information was classified, columnist Drew Pearson proved to be another obstacle to overcome as his investigation revealed to the the public the kind of people the military was bringing into the country and how they were living well on the taxpayers dollars rather than swinging from a rope. After the initial outcry, the public found other things to think about, like getting back to their simpler civilian lives, and Paperclip went on as planned.
Most visible was rocket scientist Wernher von Braun, who led the US to the first lunar landing and a commanding lead in intercontinental ballistic missiles. There were some who raised the ethical concerns about bringing this member of the Nazi Party who created the V-2 rockets that terrorized Great Britain. They also objected to the fact that some of the labor to producer these rockets came from concentration camps with many prisoners deaths in the underground assembly plant at Nordhausen.
Perhaps he was a victim of his place of birth and the necessity of being a member of the Nazi Party if he was to develop his craft. It may be a moot point since he is gone and so are the people who brought him into our country and gave him a good life while he kept us in the lead with our space program. It could be argued we received a net benefit from his help.
The same could be said for many other scientists who joined the victorious side. They helped advance the air craft industry and many others that ultimately produced more and better consumer goods.
The scientists working on biological warfare, toxic chemicals and the like were brought the the US to continue their mad scientist things. By the time Richard Nixon took office the Americans had accumulated tons of these weapons. He did not believe we should be using such things and issued and order they should all be destroyed. It took the better part of a decade to get the job done because there was no experience with such and operation...but it did get done.
There were others, recruited by the likes of Allen Dulles and Sidney Gottlieb who had skills and knowledge these men sought greatly. They were looking for ways to get information from enemy captives and control their actions to make them unwilling or unknowing accomplices in their nefarious deeds. Some of the acquired technicians were well versed in these practices and, they too, were recruited.
These provided the roots of such programs as MKULTRA and other secret programs. Some of this was done in the country and ended in tragedies like Frank Olson's death. Others were taking place in black sites in Europe... most notably Camp King in Germany... where some of the worst offenders were employed since there was no way to get them into the US. It was also the facility where some who had been welcomed were sent when they turned out to be troublesome because of their past or current activities.
Camp King was established, not only because of the Nazi scientists it employed, but because many of the experiments were plainly illegal if conducted at home. It was also convenient because the researchers were told that disposal of bodies was not a problem. Experiments were conducted with Soviet spies and other “expendables”. It was a visit to this facility that began the disillusionment of Frank Olson and his desire to leave the chemical warfare program.
It is ironic that the US helped defeat one of the most evil forces the world has seen then we brought some of the perpetrators into our own house and gave them a place to do their mad scientist thing.
Operation Paperclip: The Secret Intelligence Program that Brought Nazi Scientists to America
by Annie Jacobsen
In the chaos following World War II, the U.S. government faced many difficult decisions, including what to do with the Third Reich's scientific minds. These were the brains behind the Nazis' once-indomitable war machine. So began Operation Paperclip, a decades-long, covert project to bring Hitler's scientists and their families to the United States. Many of these men were accused of war crimes, and others had stood trial at Nuremberg; one was convicted of mass murder and slavery. They were also directly responsible for major advances in rocketry, medical treatments, and the U.S. space program. Was Operation Paperclip a moral outrage, or did it help America win the Cold War?
Drawing on exclusive interviews with dozens of Paperclip family members, colleagues, and interrogators, and with access to German archival documents (including previously unseen papers made available by direct descendants of the Third Reich's ranking members), files obtained through the Freedom of Information Act, and dossiers discovered in government archives and at Harvard University, Annie Jacobsen follows more than a dozen German scientists through their postwar lives and into a startling, complex, nefarious, and jealously guarded government secret of the twentieth century.