Operation Paperclip: The Secret Intelligence Program that Brought Nazi Scientists to America
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- Create Date：2022-02-25 09:58:22
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Annie Jacobsen
- ISBN：0316221031
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Summary
The explosive story of America's secret post-WWII science programs， from the author of the New York Times bestseller Area 51
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。
In this definitive， controversial look at one of America's most strategic， and disturbing， government programs， Jacobsen shows just how dark government can get in the name of national security。
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。
In this definitive， controversial look at one of America's most strategic， and disturbing， government programs， Jacobsen shows just how dark government can get in the name of national security。
Reviews
Marcela
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Disgust and revulsion … I never thought I would feel that way about science and the American politics。This book is great， but the facts are sad and unbelievable。
Katie
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I found this book fascinating。 At times it became a little dry and too detailed， but overall excellent。
Rosalyn Young
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Fascinating。 Jam packed with history。 Last quarter of the book slows down。
Zach
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Absolutely fascinating and wholly disturbing。 Sheds an important light on a truly dark chapter in American history。
Dobby
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Mind blowing
Dave
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At least 4 stars， "Operation Paperclip" by Annie Jacobsen does a very good job of detailing one of the United States' biggest moral quagmires of the twentieth century。 （I know， that's a tall order given our history。） The U。S。 （specifically the military and CIA） managed to shield then hire some of the worst Nazi criminals of World War II。 We believed it was imperative for two main reasons: we wanted the power their science represented; and we did not want our main adversary （the USSR） to acquire At least 4 stars， "Operation Paperclip" by Annie Jacobsen does a very good job of detailing one of the United States' biggest moral quagmires of the twentieth century。 （I know， that's a tall order given our history。） The U。S。 （specifically the military and CIA） managed to shield then hire some of the worst Nazi criminals of World War II。 We believed it was imperative for two main reasons: we wanted the power their science represented; and we did not want our main adversary （the USSR） to acquire the science。 And who is to say that given the facts as known at the time， that a different set of leaders would have done differently （although a few folks at the time did vigorously object）？ I think the main take-away from Jacobsen's fine story is: do the ends justify the means？ This is an excellent lesson in ethical decision-making， I recommend "Operation Paperclip" by Annie Jacobsen。 。。。more
Zahra
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Such a well-researched and well-written report on a dark period of contemporary American history， and our complicated relationship with science and morality。
Trey Brummett
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I love annie so she can do no wrong。 One of my favorite books ever。
Denny Hunt
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This was well written。 It felt complete。 I have read other books about Paperclip and this one compares favorably。 I would like to see this author write about mind control programs in the US。
Dan Shaffer
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Such a fascinating book！I knew a little bit about Project Paperclip， but had no idea how many Nazis the US employed after the war to aid in the space race and gain technological advancement。 Highly recommend。
Aiden Hunt
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Excellent book。 Constantly made me angry， though， thinking about the unprincipled， hypocritical opportunists and fools who first defeated， then tried to become， the Nazis。
David Courter
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Fascinating bit of history。
David Bowick
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Annie Jacobson is certainly the most thorough historian I have ever read。 I was really challenged in this book， both by its breadth of information， and the questions it brings to light about America's role in Nazi history。 This is going on the must read again shelf。There are many things in this book that are disheartening to hear， but the end of the last chapter titled， "what lasts？"， sums up a big question in the book。 When， as a nation， do the ends justify the means？ In an interview with an Au Annie Jacobson is certainly the most thorough historian I have ever read。 I was really challenged in this book， both by its breadth of information， and the questions it brings to light about America's role in Nazi history。 This is going on the must read again shelf。There are many things in this book that are disheartening to hear， but the end of the last chapter titled， "what lasts？"， sums up a big question in the book。 When， as a nation， do the ends justify the means？ In an interview with an Auschwitz survivor by the name Gerhard Maschkowski， in response to the question what lasts， he pulled up his sleeve to point to the ink tattoo and said， "this last。。。 but it is also a record of the truth"。 。。。more
Tina
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A must read to see how the Nazi’s infiltrated the United States。 They were made powerful people in industry and government positions。 Allan Dulles and his cronies made this happen。 Must read
Tom
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I appreciate this book。 It is difficult to consider the atrocities of Nazi Germany and balance that with the technology other countries such as the US gained。 Really well done as all her books are。
Zack
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An exhaustive account of a truly horrific piece of shameful American history。 This book leaves no stone unturned， and gets a little dry in its mission to reveal every facet of how the American government had zero qualms about employing Nazi scientists and learning their secrets in the immediate aftermath of WWII。Be ready to find yourself disgusted pretty frequently。 And the next time the moon landing comes up in casual conversation？ Make sure to make a scene and start yelling that “THE NAZIS HEL An exhaustive account of a truly horrific piece of shameful American history。 This book leaves no stone unturned， and gets a little dry in its mission to reveal every facet of how the American government had zero qualms about employing Nazi scientists and learning their secrets in the immediate aftermath of WWII。Be ready to find yourself disgusted pretty frequently。 And the next time the moon landing comes up in casual conversation？ Make sure to make a scene and start yelling that “THE NAZIS HELPED US GET THERE。” 。。。more
Leila Marie
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Interesting subject matter but so much had since been discovered that Jacobson’s research comes off as underdeveloped。
Brit
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Important information， but poorly executed。 This book is long and disorganized。 I truly struggled to finish it and always finish books。
Clif
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Sometimes the stories given to us are trying to tell us something about the real world we live in， something kept from us by our educators， official reports， etc。， and not just self-contained entertainment。 When the MCU came out with "Captain America: Winter Soldier"， I had a sneaking suspicion someone in the writers' room and the Producers were trying to tell us something that our own history teachers and writers have kept from us （and not the first time， "Apt Pupil" and S5 E8 of Star Trek: Voy Sometimes the stories given to us are trying to tell us something about the real world we live in， something kept from us by our educators， official reports， etc。， and not just self-contained entertainment。 When the MCU came out with "Captain America: Winter Soldier"， I had a sneaking suspicion someone in the writers' room and the Producers were trying to tell us something that our own history teachers and writers have kept from us （and not the first time， "Apt Pupil" and S5 E8 of Star Trek: Voyager's "Nothing Human" to name a few）。 But it wasn't until I read Harriet Washington's "Medical Apartheid" that I heard about *actual* Nazi doctors continuing their experiments on most likely Black people in federal prisons in the South。 Jim Crow， Nazis *and* the Prison Industrial Complex （the last empowered by the 13 Amendment， no less）！？！ （rubs temple）。 After finishing that book， I bought this on my Kindle， and （after reading several urban fiction novels to cut the product a bit）， dove in。 It wasn't the death， the destruction， the torture and callous disregard for life that I was surprised by （I already read "Man's Search for Meaning" by Viktor Frankl， which was very specific in the areas of hypothermia， something that play's significantly in this book）， but 1） the technological， scientific and medical innovations achieved because of it， 2） the willingness of the American powers-that-be to give an open door and a pass to these guys and 3） because of the imminent threat of rising Soviet power that would've dampened almost any ethical second-guessing to acquire them。 I won't be able to relate the details in as lively a narrative as the author， but I will definitely say that the parallels between what she relays in this book and the current social arguments against more diverse curriculum （ie anti-CRT） definitely mirror each other （the need for historical revisionism， erasure， defending the indefensible when the ends justify the means， bandwagon patriotism， etc）。 The Nazis have become a historically convenient "tie them to the train tracks" type of bad guy that we've projected all of our national evils and inclinations on。。。not knowing all this time that they've been copying America's homework for a long time before they got to where they were。 Which explains why America welcome them with such open arms。Once you get past the WWII hobbyism， the clear cut cases of evil， the battles， the spies， and even the exceptions （Oscar Schindler in Germany and John Rabe in China when the Japanese Imperial forces overran Nanking）， definitely read this book so you know what America itself （"the good guys"） has overlooked to achieve its own ends。 。。。more
LindaJ^
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A well-researched and detailed look at how the US chose to bring hundreds of Nazi scientists and doctors to the US to continue their work on weapons of mass destruction （biological and chemical warfare） and to assist the US in staying in front of the Soviets in the space race and other technologies。 Raises many moral issues about government choices。 Well worth a read if this topic interests you。
Mike Perryman
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Dish the dirt on the allies and their double standards
Ian Reed
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Very interesting。 Packed with information and can feel discombobulated at times。 I recommend keeping a notebook for some light reading notes。 That has always helped me keep place in the narrative of a given book and certainly helps your brain retain more information。 Would enthusiastically recommend。
Donald Scoby
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I thought I knew the gist of Operation Paperclip。 This book not only showed me I knew very little but that the story was quite different and quite a bit more detailed。 I might also say that what I knew before now appears to contain a lot of spin。 Glad to know the greater story and it has inspired me to research other areas of WWII history and possibly Cold War history。The author's research and writing seemed well done。 I like that she self-narrated her work。 There were some words and names that I thought I knew the gist of Operation Paperclip。 This book not only showed me I knew very little but that the story was quite different and quite a bit more detailed。 I might also say that what I knew before now appears to contain a lot of spin。 Glad to know the greater story and it has inspired me to research other areas of WWII history and possibly Cold War history。The author's research and writing seemed well done。 I like that she self-narrated her work。 There were some words and names that seemed possibly mispronounced 。。。 given the context maybe they are different， but these threw me off throughout the audiobook。 Also， I've had other titles by this author in my to-be-listened-to collection。 This was my first of her work， I'm now even more interested in her other work。 。。。more
Anand A Trivedi
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Very much felt my anger boiling over。 I will say it was a bit long winded at times。
Kelly R。
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Incredible read of history that has been kept quiet for a long time。 It's a little difficult to keep up with all the different players （consider reading the brief bios in the back to help keep track of people） but well worth the time to read and digest。 Incredible read of history that has been kept quiet for a long time。 It's a little difficult to keep up with all the different players （consider reading the brief bios in the back to help keep track of people） but well worth the time to read and digest。 。。。more
Markus
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Masentavin kirja jonka tänä vuonna luin。 Paha sai palkkansa valitettavan kirjaimellisesti。
Tim Schmidt
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Truly remarkable detective work by Jacobsen。 Thorough and detailed， while maintaining a story feel。 The details are some I’ve never even heard before and shed light on the true horrors that was the Third Reich。
Andrew Bulthaupt
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I listened to this book via Audible。Before I read this book， I thought I knew about Operation Paperclip， but I quickly discovered how wrong I was。 This book truly opened my eyes both to a whole new collection of horrors that the Nazis committed and a shocking amount of forgiveness， ignorance， apathy， and ineptitude on the part of the United States government。Most of my knowledge about Paperclip prior to reading this book was around Wernher von Braun and the other rocket scientists brought from G I listened to this book via Audible。Before I read this book， I thought I knew about Operation Paperclip， but I quickly discovered how wrong I was。 This book truly opened my eyes both to a whole new collection of horrors that the Nazis committed and a shocking amount of forgiveness， ignorance， apathy， and ineptitude on the part of the United States government。Most of my knowledge about Paperclip prior to reading this book was around Wernher von Braun and the other rocket scientists brought from Germany to the US after World War II to kick start the American space program， ultimately leading to man landing on the moon。 I had no idea that doctors， chemists， and hundreds of other scientists and engineers in a variety of fields also came over as part of the program。 Neither was I aware of the breadth of the atrocities many of them committed， from experimenting on prisoners to the use of slave labor to the creation of unspeakable chemical and biological weapons。 I always told myself that just because someone was in Germany during World War II didn't mean they did horrible things。 I'm still sure that's true for many， but very few of the individuals the US government recruited seemed to fit into that category。Then comes the duplicitous and underhanded acts that members of the US military and government performed in order to bring the people into the country and hide it from the American public， followed by repeated coverups of the nature of the Germans that were brought here。 We still don't know the full extent of what happened， as many files are still classified or have been destroyed。 And then， once in the US， some individuals collaborated with the former Nazis to continue unethical experiments and other acts。 It's shocking and appalling。Author Annie Jacobsen does a fantastic job explaining the sequences of events as we know them based on public information and declassified documents。 I am amazed at how judgment-free a majority of the text is， focusing instead on the facts。 Sometimes this makes the book dry， but this isn't really the place for any kind of humor or lightheartedness。 I appreciate the attempt to stay as impartial as possible and let the reader reach their own conclusions。As someone who has always enjoyed learning about the space race during the Cold War， this book shines an entirely new light on what I thought I knew and has me rethinking many things。 It is definitely worth the read and I recommend it to anyone looking to learn more about World War II， the Cold War， and the development of new science and technology and the cost such progress can bear。 。。。more
Melissa Jones
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I finished this book a couple of days ago， and I can’t stop thinking about it。 If you’ve ever wondered what happened to the many nazi scientists after Germany was defeated， and whether justice was brought to them， this book will answer all of those questions， as well as many questions you didn’t know you had。 My husband took a medical ethics course in med school years ago， and he told me how they had discussed the ethical dilemma those in the medical field have faced using knowledge that had bee I finished this book a couple of days ago， and I can’t stop thinking about it。 If you’ve ever wondered what happened to the many nazi scientists after Germany was defeated， and whether justice was brought to them， this book will answer all of those questions， as well as many questions you didn’t know you had。 My husband took a medical ethics course in med school years ago， and he told me how they had discussed the ethical dilemma those in the medical field have faced using knowledge that had been gained from inhumane experiments that were performed on concentration camp prisoners。 Many of these men who performed these atrocities came to the United States and lived the rest of their lives continuing their research and making significant contributions to science。 The United States government was afraid that if they didn’t bring them here， then the Russians would take them and they’re sought after technology。 It is a fascinating， well researched book uncovering things that have been hidden for a long time。 。。。more
Don Scalise
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