Operation Paperclip

Operation Paperclip

Related Links :	Black Projects Main Page Operation Paperclip Case Files

Operation Paperclip was a program to recruit former Nazi scientists. Some of these scientists studied torture and brainwashing, and several had just been identified and prosecuted as war criminals during the Nuremberg Trials.

Several secret U.S. government projects grew out of Operation Paperclip. These projects included Project CHATTER (established 1947), and Project BLUEBIRD (established 1950), which was later renamed to Project ARTICHOKE in 1951. Their purpose was to study mind-control, interrogation, behavior modification and related topics. Headed by Dr. Sidney Gottlieb, the MK-ULTRA project was started on the order of CIA director Allen Dulles on April 13, 1953,011 largely in response to Soviet, Chinese, and North Korean use of mind-control techniques on U.S. prisoners of war in Korea.

Operation Paperclip was a secret U.S. intelligence program, originally known as Project Overcast, that began in 1945 to recruit over 1,600 German scientists, engineers, and technicians to the United States after World War II, often by downplaying or "sterilizing" their Nazi affiliations to circumvent government restrictions. This program significantly advanced American technology, particularly in rocketry and aerospace, contributing to the Cold War technological arms race with the Soviet Union, but also led to significant ethical controversy by overlooking the war crimes and human rights abuses committed by some of the recruited individuals.

Origins and Objectives

Strategic Shift:

In the immediate aftermath of World War II, the U.S. feared that the Soviet Union would recruit these highly skilled German individuals, shifting the technological balance of power.

Focus Areas:

The program initially aimed to exploit German expertise in fields like guided missiles, jet engines, and aerodynamics to benefit the U.S. war effort against Japan, though the war's end in 1945 led to its continuation.

The "Sterilization" Process:

To bypass U.S. government edicts barring former Nazi party members from civil service and professional roles, intelligence officers "sterilized" the personnel files of the scientists by removing or concealing their Nazi affiliations.

The Name:

The program was renamed Operation Paperclip by Ordnance Corps officers who would attach a paperclip to the files of the scientists they wanted to recruit, a symbol of their desire to employ them in the U.S..

Impact and Legacy

Technological Advancement:

Operation Paperclip was instrumental in developing the U.S. missile program, advanced aircraft, and spaceflight capabilities, with significant contributions to the nation's technological superiority during the early Cold War.

The Cold War Context:

The program's primary motivation was to gain a technological edge over the Soviet Union, which was also vying for German scientific talent, initiating the technological race that defined the Cold War.

Ethical Controversy:

The decision to recruit known war criminals and those who used slave labor, like Wernher von Braun, who was a member of the SS and visited the Buchenwald concentration camp, sparked considerable debate about national security versus accountability for atrocities.

Long-Term Effects:

In 1979, the Justice Department established the Office of Special Investigations (OSI) to find and prosecute Nazi war criminals living in the U.S., partially as a response to the ethically questionable aspects of Operation Paperclip