From Nazi war criminals to space pioneers: how Operation Paperclip used Nazi scientists for American ends

As World War 2 came to an end American military officials scoured Germany looking for scientists to take to the US, wanting to secure their knowledge and expertise.

But many were high ranking Nazis who should have been facing war crimes trials for the inhumane experiments they conducted on Jewish and other prisoners.

Annie Jacobsen’s book Operation Paperclip tells the story of how the American government both overlooked their crimes, and gained from their presence in America.

Annie spoke to Suzanne Hill about Operation Paperclip on Nightlife’s This Week in History.

Listen to the program on NightLife with Suzanne Hill.