Operation paperclip was the codename under which the us intelligence and military services extricated scientists from germany, during and after the final stages of world war ii. Project paperclip was a postwar and cold war operation carried out by the joint intelligence objectives agency jjoa. Supposedly named after the paperclips that were used to attach the files of the recruited german scientists, the project was the brainchild of americas joint intelligence objectives agency joia, a subcommittee of the joint chiefs of staff of the us armed forces. Lasby, who teaches history at the university of texas, describes how the covert competition for the minds of the vanquished came about as a spinoff of the onsetting cold war the americans won, getting more and the cream of the crop. I want to thank robert gunn, judith kafka, marion rohrleitner, jon. Lasby atheneum new york wikipedia citation please see wikipedias template documentation for further citation fields that may be required. Excellent research that shows how the government that took the place of the united states after the us civil war eventually absorbed the leaders of nazi germany by smuggling key social, political and weapon scientists along with various high ranking military officials to the us and whitewashing their history so as to bolster the standing of the us against its inevitable clash with the soviet. The author offers a history of project paperclip, which brought german and austrian scientists, engineers, and technicians to the us after world war ii for employment in the armed services, civilian agencies, and defense industries. Invited guest lecture science and national security in the cold war. Also valuable from an occupationcentered perspective is john gimbels science, technology and reparations. The first page of the pdf of this article appears above. Of particular interest were scientists specialising in.
Historians of british cold war armaments and aerospace industries have. Operation paperclip project gutenberg selfpublishing. The cia project that allowed nazi scientists, many who committed war crimes, to live freely in the us to exploit their technology. However, truman expressly forbade anyone found to have been a member of the nazi party and more than a. Her new book, operation paperclip, the secret intelligence program that brought nazi scientists to america, is a detailed and disturbing account of how former cohorts of adolf hitler, many. Operation paperclip also project paperclip was the code name for the o. The answer to stalins question is the subject of project paperclip. However, truman expressly forbade anyone found to have been a member of the nazi party and more than a nominal participant in its activities, or an active supporter of. The term overcast was the name first given by the german scientists family.
Reliable information about the coronavirus covid19 is available from the world health organization current situation, international travel. At least 1,600 scientists and their dependents were recruited and brought to the united. The term overcast was the name first given by the german scientists family members. Underground knowledge a discussion group the fourth. German scientists and the cold war, 1971, clarence g. Operation overcast project gutenberg selfpublishing. Convinced that german scientists could help americas postwar efforts, president harry truman agreed in september 1946 to authorize project paperclip, a program to bring selected german scientists to work on americas behalf during the cold war however. Operation paperclip was a secret program of the joint intelligence objectives agency jioa. It was executed by the joint intelligence objectives agency jioa, and in the context of the burgeoning sovietamerican cold war 194591 one purpose of operation paperclip was to deny. The following lists contain names of engineers, scientists and technicians specializing in rocketry who originally came from germany but spent most of their careers working for the nasa space program in huntsville, alabama particularly after world war ii, many engineers left germany to pursue further rocket projects in the u. I did find one case in my sample of foreign scientist case files of. Operation paperclip was the office of strategic services oss program in which over 1,500 german scientists, technicians, and engineers from nazi germany and other foreign countries were brought to the united states for employment in the aftermath of world war ii. List of german aerospace engineers in the united states. Numerous and frequentlyupdated resource results are available from this search.
By the end of world war two in europe it had become increasingly plain to both britain and america that the ussr would not. German scientists, american policy, and the cold war john gimbel the american program to bring german scientists and technicians to the united states after world war ii project paperclip was but one aspect of a larger postwar program designed to exploit german. The project was originally called operation overcast, and is sometimes also known as project paperclip. The united states government, nazi scientists, and project paperclip, 1945 to 1990, linda hunt, st martins pr. Operation paperclip was the name given to the secret movement of senior german scientists to america at the end of world war two in europe. The end of wwii was exciting for the allies and their efforts to defeat the nazis, but the spillover into the cold war led to some paranoid moves by the cia and u. This is a superb account of the project that brought 642 germanscientists and technicians to the united states after world war ii in order to deny these skills to others, mainly the russians, andto benefit. German scientists and the cold war scribner february 1975 isbn 0689705247 christopher simpson, blowback. The battle of the laboratories chapter 1 science and american. It was conducted by the joint intelligence objectives agency jioa, and in the context.
Our germans reveals how some paperclip proponents and scientists influenced the perception of the rival soviet threat by volunteering inflated estimates of. The american program to bring german scientists and technicians to the. The program was run by the newlyformed joint intelligence objectives. Project paperclip article about project paperclip by the. These were the brains behind the nazis onceindomitable war machine. United states after world war ii project paperclip was but one aspect of a. Postworld war i1 reccruitment of german scientistsproject paperclip. In september 1946 president harry truman approved the dullesinspired paperclip project, whose mission was to bring no less than 1,000 nazi scientists to the united states. Truman authorized project paperclip, a program designed to bring selected german scientists to work for the united states during the cold war.
In 1945, the joint intelligence objectives agency was established with direct responsibility for effecting operation paperclip. So began operation paperclip, a decadeslong, covert project to bring hitlers scientists and their families to the united states. Tracking nazi scientists who came to america the star. Operation paperclip originally operation overcast 19491990 was the office of strategic services oss program in which over 1,500 german scientists, engineers, and technicians from nazi germany and other foreign countries were brought to the united states for employment in the aftermath of world war ii. Exploitation and plunder in postwar germany stanford. Operation paperclip was the office of strategic services oss program used to recruit the scientists of nazi germany for employment by the united states in the aftermath of world war ii 193945. John loftus, citing an osi paperclip file, wrote in 1982 that the pentagon had apparently decided, without informing the president, that the interests of national security in. After wwii, nazi party scientists were given a new.
Soviet union to seize as many german scientists as possible in anticipation of the cold war. German scientists and the cold war large format edition 9781542407496. Though it is often forgotten in cold war history, the denazification of germany. Government, nazi scientists, and project paperclip, 1945 to 1990 new york. Project paperclip german scientists and the cold war book. Project paperclip was a postwar and cold war operation carried out by the joint. As world war ii ended, the race was on with the soviet union to seize as many german scientists as possible in anticipation of the cold war.
Convinced that german scientists could help americas postwar efforts, president harry truman agreed in september 1946 to authorize project paperclip, a program to bring selected german scientists to work on americas behalf during the cold war. The american program to bring german scientists and technicians to the united states after world war ii project paperclip was but one aspect of a larger postwar program designed to exploit german scientific and technical knowhow for the benefit of the military and industrial establishments in the united states. German scientists, united states denazification policy. German scientists, american policy, and the cold war john gimbel stanford university press recently published his science, technology, and reparations. Operation paperclip, by annie jacobsen, provides perhaps the most comprehensive, uptodate narrative available to the general public. Background operation paperclip was the code name for the 1945 office of strategic services, joint intelligence objectives agency recruitment of german scientists from nazi germany to the u. Operation paperclip was primarily involved with the movement of scientists involved in rocket technology for nazi germany. Oclcs webjunction has pulled together information and resources to assist library staff as they consider how to handle coronavirus. German scientists and the cold war finalist, national book awards 1972 for history. Her book is a detailed and highly readable account of the program. Thus, in the name of national interest, the united states began ing the nazi scientists. Project paperclip was americas solution to this problem.
President truman authorized operation paperclip in august 1945. Exploitation of german science and the challenges of technology. It was conducted by the joint intelligence objectives agency jioa, and in the context of the burgeoning cold war 194591, one purpose of operation paperclip was to deny german scientific. Science and american foreign relations since world war ii by greg whitesides january 2019.