Abstract: Was the capture of former Nazi officials by covert United States operatives and subsequent integration into their Space Program justified? The capture and relocation of German scientists in Operation Paperclip was justified because the achievements of the captured scientists led to the United States victory in the Space Race, it prevented the Soviets from gaining the intellectual of the German scientists (who preferred being captured by the Americans) and using it against the Americans, and because none of the Germans captured were explicitly complicit in the Final Solution and none were guilty of war crimes to the extent that they would be tried alongside the major war criminals at Nuremberg.
Historical Context: In the aftermath …show more content…
Although many of the captured scientists were members of the Nazi parties, none participated in the mass genocide of European Jews or were actively complicit in Nazi militarism. In fact, anyone that was suspected of being compliant with Nazi militarism and genocide were later deported and prosecuted. This included Georg Rikhey (deported in 1946) who was accused of compliance with the Gestapo and Arthur Randolph (deported in 1984) who was accused of using forced labor. (Both stood trial and were acquitted) Many intellectuals were not employed to their full potential prior to the mass recall in 1943 where they were recalled from combat with exception to the V-2 development scientists. However, some of captured scientists were in fact guilty of other crimes including Hubertus Strughold who worked at NASA until his retirement in 1968, and who was a doctor performed many inhumane medical experiments on concentration camp prisoners at Dachau. These procedures included performing unnecessary invasive surgeries without anaesthetic, submerge patients in freezing water for hours on end, and placed in air pressure chambers all without consent. However, Strughold lied to the Allied authorities at the end of the war claiming no knowledge of the atrocities at Dachau and thus was recruited for Operation Paperclip. Also, none of the scientists that were not deported would have tried at Nuremberg in violation of Truman’s prerequisites for being allowed to being repatriated to the United States. Wernher von Braun’s use of slavery in building his was not complicit. As von Braun biographer
Historical Context: In the aftermath …show more content…
Although many of the captured scientists were members of the Nazi parties, none participated in the mass genocide of European Jews or were actively complicit in Nazi militarism. In fact, anyone that was suspected of being compliant with Nazi militarism and genocide were later deported and prosecuted. This included Georg Rikhey (deported in 1946) who was accused of compliance with the Gestapo and Arthur Randolph (deported in 1984) who was accused of using forced labor. (Both stood trial and were acquitted) Many intellectuals were not employed to their full potential prior to the mass recall in 1943 where they were recalled from combat with exception to the V-2 development scientists. However, some of captured scientists were in fact guilty of other crimes including Hubertus Strughold who worked at NASA until his retirement in 1968, and who was a doctor performed many inhumane medical experiments on concentration camp prisoners at Dachau. These procedures included performing unnecessary invasive surgeries without anaesthetic, submerge patients in freezing water for hours on end, and placed in air pressure chambers all without consent. However, Strughold lied to the Allied authorities at the end of the war claiming no knowledge of the atrocities at Dachau and thus was recruited for Operation Paperclip. Also, none of the scientists that were not deported would have tried at Nuremberg in violation of Truman’s prerequisites for being allowed to being repatriated to the United States. Wernher von Braun’s use of slavery in building his was not complicit. As von Braun biographer