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18 Operation Paperclip

Operation Paperclip: The

Secret Intelligence

Program to Bring Nazi

Scientists to America

Continued from Page 17

Meanwhile, the Technical Director of the
German Army Rocket Center, Wernher von
Braun, was jailed at P.O. Box 1142, a military-
intelligence black site in Fort Hunt, Virginia, in
the United States. Since the prison was unknown
to the international community, its operation by
the US was in violation of the Geneva
Convention of 1929, which the United States
had ratified. Although Von Braun's interrogators
pressured him, he was not tortured; however, in
1944 another prisoner of war, U-boat Captain
Werner Henke, had been shot and killed while
climbing the fence at Fort Hunt.

Capture and detention

By 1947 this evacuation operation had netted an the Hs 293 missile; for two years, he first
Early on, the United States created the
estimated 1,800 technicians and scientists, along worked at the Special Devices Center, at Castle
Combined Intelligence Objectives
with 3,700 family members. Those with special Gould and at Hempstead House, Long Island,
Subcommittee (CIOS). This provided the
skills or knowledge were taken to detention and New York; in 1947, he moved to the Naval Air
information on targets for the T-Forces that went interrogation centers, such as one code-named Station Point Mugu.
in and targeted scientific, military and industrial
DUSTBIN, to be held and interrogated, in some In August 1945, Colonel Holger Toftoy,
installations (and their employees) for their
cases for months. head of the Rocket Branch of the Research and
know-how. Initial priorities were advanced
A few of the scientists were gathered up Development Division of the U.S. Army's
technology, such as infrared, that could be used
in Operation Overcast, but most were Ordnance Corps, offered initial one-year
in the war against Japan; finding out what
transported to villages in the countryside where contracts to the rocket scientists; 127 of them
technology had been passed on to Japan; and
there were neither research facilities nor work; accepted. In September 1945, the first group of
finally to halt the research. A project to halt the
they were provided stipends and forced to report seven rocket scientists (aerospace engineers)
research was codenamed "Project Safehaven",
twice weekly to police headquarters to prevent arrived at Fort Strong, located on Long Island in
and it was not initially targeted against the them from leaving. The Joint Chiefs of Staff Boston harbor: Wernher von Braun, Erich W.
Soviet Union; rather the concern was that
directive on research and teaching stated that Neubert, Theodor A. Poppel, August Schulze,
German scientists might emigrate and continue
technicians and scientists should be released Eberhard Rees, Wilhelm Jungert, and Walter
their research in countries such as Spain,
"only after all interested agencies were satisfied Schwidetzky.
Argentina or Egypt, all of which had
that all desired intelligence information had Beginning in late 1945, three rocket-
sympathized with Nazi Germany. In order to
been obtained from them". scientist groups arrived in the United States for
avoid the complications involved with the
On November 5, 1947, the Office of duty at Fort Bliss, Texas, and at White Sands
emigration of German scientists, the CIOS was
Military Government of the United States Proving Grounds, New Mexico, as "War
responsible for scouting and kidnapping high
(OMGUS), which had jurisdiction over the Department Special Employees".
profile individuals for the deprivation of western part of occupied Germany, held a In 1946, the United States Bureau of
technological advancements in nations outside
conference to consider the status of the Mines employed seven German synthetic fuel
of the US.
evacuees, the monetary claims that the evacuees scientists at a Fischer-Tropsch chemical plant in
Much U.S. effort was focused on Saxony
had filed against the United States, and the Louisiana, Missouri.
and Thuringia, which by July 1, 1945, would
"possible violation by the US of laws of war or In early 1950, legal U.S. residency for
become part of the Soviet Occupation zone.
Rules of Land Warfare". The OMGUS director some of the Project Paperclip specialists was
Many German research facilities and personnel
of Intelligence R. L. Walsh initiated a program effected through the U.S. consulate in Ciudad
had been evacuated to these states, particularly
to resettle the evacuees in the Third World, Juárez, Chihuahua, Mexico; thus, German
from the Berlin area. Fearing that the Soviet
which the Germans referred to as General scientists legally entered the United States from
takeover would limit U.S. ability to exploit
Walsh's "Urwald-Programm" (jungle program), Latin America.
German scientific and technical expertise, and
however this program never matured. In 1948, Eighty-six aeronautical engineers were
not wanting the Soviet Union to benefit from
the evacuees received settlements of 69.5 transferred to Wright Field, where the United
said expertise, the United States instigated an
million Reichsmarks from the U.S., a settlement States had Luftwaffe aircraft and equipment
"evacuation operation" of scientific personnel
that soon became severely devalued during the captured under Operation Lusty (Luftwaffe
from Saxony and Thuringia, issuing orders such
currency reform that introduced the Deutsche Secret Technology).
as:
Mark as the official currency of western The United States Army Signal Corps
On orders of Military Government you
Germany. employed 24 specialists – including the
are to report with your family and baggage as
John Gimbel concludes that the United physicists Georg Goubau, Gunter Guttwein,
much as you can carry tomorrow noon at 1300
States put some of Germany's best minds on ice Georg Hass, Horst Kedesdy, and Kurt Lehovec;
hours (Friday, 22 June 1945) at the town square
for three years, therefore depriving the German the physical chemists Rudolf Brill, Ernst Baars,
in Bitterfeld. There is no need to bring winter
recovery of their expertise. and Eberhard Both; the geophysicist Helmut
clothing. Easily carried possessions, such as
Weickmann; the optician Gerhard Schwesinger;
family documents, jewelry, and the like should
Scientists and the engineers Eduard Gerber, Richard
be taken along. You will be transported by motor
Guenther, and Hans Ziegler.
vehicle to the nearest railway station. From
In May 1945, the U.S. Navy "received in
there you will travel on to the West. Please tell (Continued on Page 20)
the bearer of this letter how large your family is. custody" Dr. Herbert A. Wagner, the inventor of