The Secrets of Operation Paperclip: Rockets, War Crimes, and the Cold War

In the final days of World War II, as Nazi Germany crumbled, the United States launched a secret program that would change history: Operation Paperclip. Its mission—recruit Germany’s top scientists before the Soviets could, regardless of their past.

Hundreds of Nazi engineers, weapons experts, and even accused war criminals were brought to America, their records scrubbed clean. Among them was Wernher von Braun, designer of the V-2 rocket, who became the father of the Saturn V, the rocket that carried Apollo astronauts to the Moon. Others contributed to U.S. programs on chemical weapons, spy satellites, and even mind control experiments that fed into MKUltra.

The justification was survival—the Cold War was beginning, and technological supremacy was paramount. But the ethical cost was immense. Scientists once tied to atrocities were now shaping U.S. military power, space exploration, and intelligence.

Join The Nocturnal Archives as we uncover the truth behind Operation Paperclip—a controversial deal with the architects of a darker past.