Operation Paperclip

Extracted Attributes

• Type

  Secret United States intelligence program

• Duration

  1945-1959

• Controversy

  Nazi affiliations of many recruits, ethical implications of integrating individuals associated with war crimes into American society

• Official Name

  Operation Paperclip

• Recruit Origin

  Former Nazi Germany and Austria

• Alternate Names

  Operation Overcast, Project Paperclip

• Estimated Value

  US$10 billion in patents and industrial processes

• Number of Recruits

  Over 1,600 scientists, engineers, and technicians

• Primary Objectives

  Leverage German expertise for U.S. military research, prevent knowledge from falling into Soviet hands, gain military advantage in Cold War and Space Race

• Recruit Destination

  United States

• Recruit Affiliations

  Many were former members of the Nazi Party, including the SS or SA

• Location of Recruited Families

  Fort Bliss, El Paso, Texas

• Key Fields of Expertise Targeted

  Rocketry, aviation, chemical/biological warfare, synthetic fuels, medicine, aeronautics, V-2 weapons, jet/rocket propelled aircraft, naval equipment, field radios, secret writing chemicals, aero medicine, gliders

Timeline

• Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force (SHAEF) set up T-Force to examine German targets and scientific personalities. (Source: DBPedia)

  1945-02

• Large numbers of German scientists were discovered, leading to the establishment of the Enemy Personnel Exploitation Section and the DUSTBIN detention center. (Source: DBPedia)

  1945-04

• The US Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) officially established the first secret recruitment program, Operation Overcast. (Source: Wikipedia, DBPedia)

  1945-07-20

• The war against Japan ended, shifting the immediate objectives of the program. (Source: Web Search Results)

  1945-08

• The JCS established the Joint Intelligence Objectives Agency (JIOA) to directly oversee Operation Overcast and later Operation Paperclip. (Source: DBPedia)

  1945-09

• Operation Overcast was renamed Operation Paperclip by Ordnance Corps officers, who used paperclips to mark files of desired rocket experts. (Source: DBPedia)

  1945-11

• President Truman officially approved Operation Paperclip, expanding it to include 1,000 German scientists under 'temporary, limited military custody'. (Source: DBPedia)

  1946-09-03

• The Soviet Union conducted Operation Osoaviakhim, relocating over 2,200 German specialists and their families. (Source: DBPedia)

  1946-10-22

• The official duration of Operation Paperclip concluded, though similar programs continued. (Source: Wikipedia, DBPedia, User Summary)

  1959

• Similar programs to Operation Paperclip continued until this year. (Source: Web Search Results)

  1962

Operation Paperclip

Operation Paperclip was a secret United States intelligence program in which more than 1,600 German scientists, engineers, and technicians were taken from former Nazi Germany to the US for government employment after the end of World War II in Europe, between 1945 and 1959; several were confirmed to be former members of the Nazi Party, including the SS or the SA. The effort began in earnest in 1945, as the Allies advanced into Germany and discovered a wealth of scientific talent and advanced research that had contributed to Germany's wartime technological advancements. The US Joint Chiefs of Staff officially established Operation Overcast (operations "Overcast" and "Paperclip" were related, and the terms are often used interchangeably) on July 20, 1945, with the dual aims of leveraging German expertise for the ongoing war effort against Japan and to bolster US postwar military research. The operation, conducted by the Joint Intelligence Objectives Agency (JIOA), was largely actioned by special agents of the US Army's Counterintelligence Corps (CIC). Many selected scientists were involved in the Nazi rocket program, aviation, or chemical/biological warfare. The Soviet Union in the following year conducted a similar program, called Operation Osoaviakhim, that emphasized many of the same fields of research. The operation, characterized by the recruitment of German specialists and their families, relocated more than 1600 experts to the US. It has been valued at US$10 billion in patents and industrial processes. Recruits included such notable figures as Wernher von Braun, a leading rocket-technology scientist. Those recruited were instrumental in the development of the US space program and military technology during the Cold War. Despite its contributions to American scientific advances, Operation Paperclip has been controversial because of the Nazi affiliations of many recruits, and the ethics of assimilating individuals associated with war crimes into American society. The operation was not solely focused on rocketry; efforts were directed toward synthetic fuels, medicine, and other fields of research. Notable advances in aeronautics fostered rocket and space-flight technologies pivotal in the Space Race. The operation played a crucial role in the establishment of NASA and the success of the Apollo missions to the Moon. Operation Paperclip was part of a broader strategy by the US to harness German scientific talent in the face of emerging Cold War tensions, and ensuring this expertise did not fall into the hands of the Soviet Union or other nations. The operation's legacy has remained controversial in subsequent decades.

Web Search Results

• Project Paperclip and American Rocketry after World War II

  Project Paperclip was the second name for a program to bring German and Austrian engineers, scientists, and technicians to the United States after the end of World War II in Europe. Known by many today as “Operation Paperclip,” which is actually a misnomer, it was originally called Project Overcast. Its official objective was to bring these experts to the United States for six months to a year to help America in the war against Japan. But that war suddenly ended in August 1945 and the program

• Operation Paperclip: The Secret Intelligence Program that Brought ...

  In her exhaustively researched book, Operation Paperclip, Annie Jacobson tells the little-known story of the race between American, British and Soviet intelligence to co-opt and exploit Nazi Germany's science and technology at the conclusion of World War II. At stake was military supremacy and a leg up in the looming Cold War. Under no circumstances could this knowledge be allowed to fall into Soviet hands.As the war drew to a close, the allies discovered lists of Germany's top scientists in [...] page-turner. Whether you're a history buff or simply intrigued by the intersection of science and politics, "Operation Paperclip" offers a comprehensive and insightful examination. Operation Paperclip is a must-read for anyone interested in the untold stories of post-World War II America. It is a testament to her skill as a writer and researcher, offering a nuanced perspective on a controversial yet pivotal moment in history. This book not only educates but also challenges readers to consider [...] page-turner. Whether you're a history buff or simply intrigued by the intersection of science and politics, "Operation Paperclip" offers a comprehensive and insightful examination. Operation Paperclip is a must-read for anyone interested in the untold stories of post-World War II America. It is a testament to her skill as a writer and researcher, offering a nuanced perspective on a controversial yet pivotal moment in history. This book not only educates but also challenges readers to consider

• How Operation Paperclip brought Nazi scientists to the U.S.

  Operation Paperclip—sometimes called Project Paperclip—was overseen by the Joint Intelligence Objectives Agency. It hoped to harness this technological expertise to develop America’s aeronautics, military, and space programs. Lasting officially until 1947, but continuing on through similar programs until 1962, Operation Paperclip brought 1,500 scientists from Germany and Austria to the United States, where most of them became citizens. [...] HISTORY & CULTURE # How Operation Paperclip brought Nazi scientists to the U.S. After World War II, Operation Paperclip quietly recruited German scientists to work on its most advanced weapons and space programs—including some who had been active in the Third Reich. The first U.S. test of a captured German V2 in 1946. At the end of World War II, a race began between the United States and the USSR to retrieve as many V2 rockets and staff as possible. [...] The program’s name boils down to the use of paperclips as a kind of earmark on candidates’ files. According to journalist Eric Lichtblau’s book The Nazis Next Door: HowAmerica Became a Safe Haven for Hitler's Men, recruiters vetted scientists to learn whether they were current members of the Nazi Party or sympathetic to the party’s core tenants—officially, at least. And so, officials “placed paperclips at the top of security dossiers for the scientists that interested them,” Crim explains.

• The Secret Operation To Bring Nazi Scientists To America - NPR

  Topical Press Agency/Getty Images In the fall of 1944, the United States and its allies launched a secret mission code-named Operation Paperclip. The aim was to find and preserve German weapons, including biological and chemical agents, but American scientific intelligence officers quickly realized the weapons themselves were not enough. [...] Accessibility links Skip to main content Keyboard shortcuts for audio player Book Review: 'Operation Paperclip' In the final months of World War II, the United States undertook an enormous effort to attract Nazi scientists to the U.S. Writer Annie Jacobsen's new book, Operation Paperclip, tells the story of that program. ## All Things Considered Latest Show Consider This Podcast About The Program Staff Contact The Program Corrections Twitter Facebook [...] The U.S. government went to great lengths to hide the pasts of scientists they brought to America. Based on newly discovered documents, writer Annie Jacobsen tells the story of the mission and the scientists in her book, Operation Paperclip: The Secret Intelligence Program That Brought Nazi Scientists To America. ### Interview Highlights On the origins of Operation Paperclip

• Families of Operation Paperclip

  In 1945 during the cold war and the space race with Russia, the United States conducted Operation Paperclip. Over 1600 German scientists, engineers, and technicians were taken from Germany to work for the U.S. government. Operation Paperclip’s purpose was to aid and advance the U.S. military during the cold war. This isn’t a video about the scientists and engineers, but about the 108 families stationed at Fort Bliss in El Paso, Texas. Thank you for watching From the Space Vault!

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• Instance Of

  Q1546073

Operation Paperclip was a secret United States intelligence program in which more than 1,600 German scientists, engineers, and technicians were taken from the former Nazi Germany to the U.S. for government employment after the end of World War II in Europe, between 1945 and 1959. Conducted by the Joint Intelligence Objectives Agency (JIOA), it was largely carried out by special agents of the U.S. Army's Counterintelligence Corps (CIC). Many of these personnel were former members and some were former leaders of the Nazi Party. In February 1945, Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force (SHAEF) set up T-Force, or Special Sections Subdivision, which grew to over 2,000 personnel by June. T-Force examined 5,000 German targets with a high priority on synthetic rubber and oil catalysts, new designs in armored equipment, V-2 (rocket) weapons, jet and rocket propelled aircraft, naval equipment, field radios, secret writing chemicals, aero medicine research, gliders, and "scientific and industrial personalities”. When large numbers of German scientists began to be discovered in late April, Special Sections Subdivision set up the Enemy Personnel Exploitation Section to manage and interrogate them. The Enemy Personnel Exploitation Section established a detention center, DUSTBIN, first in Paris and later in Kransberg Castle outside Frankfurt. The US Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) established the first secret recruitment program, called Operation Overcast, on July 20, 1945, initially "to assist in shortening the Japanese war and to aid our postwar military research". The term "Overcast" was the name first given by the German scientists' family members for the housing camp where they were held in Bavaria. In late summer 1945, the JCS established the JIOA, a subcommittee of the Joint Intelligence Community, to directly oversee Operation Overcast and later Operation Paperclip. The JIOA representatives included the army's director of intelligence, the chief of naval intelligence, the assistant chief of Air Staff-2 (air force intelligence), and a representative from the State Department. In November 1945, Operation Overcast was renamed Operation Paperclip by Ordnance Corps officers, who would attach a paperclip to the folders of those rocket experts whom they wished to employ in the United States. The primary purpose for Operation Paperclip was U.S. military advantage in the Soviet–American Cold War and the Space Race. The Soviet Union responded by relocating more than 2,200 German specialists—a total of more than 6,000 people including family members—with Operation Osoaviakhim during one night on October 22, 1946. In a secret directive circulated on September 3, 1946, President Truman officially approved Operation Paperclip and expanded it to include 1,000 German scientists under "temporary, limited military custody".