Did the US secretly bring in Nazi scientists?
The Army’s own 1947 cable and the Justice Department’s own history confirm it, including men flagged as security threats. That Paperclip scientists shaped CIA mind-control work is not shown by any record read.
- ✓ ConfirmedJul 1945The US military starts bringing German scientists to America
- ✓ ConfirmedTheoryOfficials knowingly worked around Nazi pasts to keep scientists in the programme
- UnverifiedTheoryPaperclip scientists worked inside the CIA’s mind-control programmes, such as MKULTRA
After the Second World War the US military brought German scientists to America, including Nazi Party members and men tied to slave labour.
The question Who did the US bring in under Paperclip, what did officials know, and what did those men go on to do?
What the records say
The documented story holds up: 9 of 12 timeline steps are Confirmed by the records (score 94).
3 theories checked: 1 unverified, 2 confirmed. A theory is rated by its key claim.
The Justice Department’s own history says some persecutors were let in knowingly
confirmedAn admission against interest: the party recorded something damaging to itself. See the step
Down the rabbit hole
The ground line is the documented timeline. Each tunnel is a theory that branches off it; every chamber is a step, coloured by how well the records support it. The deepest chamber is the theory’s key claim. Tap one to open it.
Main timeline
Oldest first- 1943–1945confirmed
Germany’s V-2 rockets are built with concentration camp labour at Mittelwerk
The underground factory was part of the Dora-Nordhausen camp complex. Thousands of prisoners died, mostly from malnutrition, exhaustion and overwork. NASA says von Braun “was involved in decision-making about the use of slave labor.”
T1Justice Department OSI history, 2006–2008pp. 331–332involved party: US government (the Justice Department, which admitted Paperclip scientists and later prosecuted one)T1NASA biography of von Brauninvolved party: US government (NASA) - Jul 1945confirmed
The US military starts bringing German scientists to America
The Joint Chiefs authorised Project Overcast to use “chosen rare minds”, with up to 350 specialists to be brought immediately. The goals were to use German research and to keep it from the Soviet Union.
T1Nazi War Crimes IWG report, Apr 2007pp. 13–14involved party: US government (an interagency group chaired by the Archivist, with the Defense Secretary and Attorney General as members)T1Justice Department OSI history, 2006–2008p. 331involved party: US government (the Justice Department, which admitted Paperclip scientists and later prosecuted one) - Dec 1945confirmed
Arthur Rudolph, the Mittelwerk operations director, is among the first to arrive
The immigration service knew he had been a Nazi Party member and had worked at Mittelwerk. The Justice Department history says there is no sign it knew about his use of slave labour.
T1Justice Department OSI history, 2006–2008pp. 331–332involved party: US government (the Justice Department, which admitted Paperclip scientists and later prosecuted one) - 3 Sep 1946likely
President Truman approves the programme, now called Paperclip
It was meant to exclude anyone who was more than a “nominal participant” in Nazi Party activities. The IWG says presidential authority was needed because many of the scientists had been members of Nazi organisations.
T1Justice Department OSI history, 2006–2008pp. 331, 339 n. 1involved party: US government (the Justice Department, which admitted Paperclip scientists and later prosecuted one)T1Nazi War Crimes IWG report, Apr 2007p. 14involved party: US government (an interagency group chaired by the Archivist, with the Defense Secretary and Attorney General as members) - 4 Dec 1947confirmed
The programme’s office and the Army push back on security reports that flag von Braun and 13 others
The cable lists 14 specialists, including “BRAUN, Werner von”, whom military-government reports classed as “potential or actual threats to the security of the United States”. The Army said the evaluation was “unrealistic”.
T1Nazi War Crimes IWG report, Apr 2007pp. 14–15, fig. 4involved party: US government (an interagency group chaired by the Archivist, with the Defense Secretary and Attorney General as members) - 1949confirmed
The Justice Department helps Rudolph get a visa
On 28 Feb 1949 the department’s number-two official urged the immigration service to admit him; refusing “would be to the detriment of the national interest”. Rudolph re-entered through Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, and became a citizen in 1954.
T1Justice Department OSI history, 2006–2008pp. 332, 339 n. 4involved party: US government (the Justice Department, which admitted Paperclip scientists and later prosecuted one) - 1945–1955confirmed
Hundreds of German specialists are brought in
The IWG counts 765 scientists, engineers and technicians brought in 1945–1955 under Overcast, Paperclip and similar programmes, and cites a historian’s estimate that up to 80 percent were former Nazi Party members. The National Archives holds dossiers on over 1,500 people.
T1Nazi War Crimes IWG report, Apr 2007p. 14involved party: US government (an interagency group chaired by the Archivist, with the Defense Secretary and Attorney General as members)T1National Archives, JIOA records guideSources disagreeThe IWG says 765 people came in 1945–1955; the National Archives holds dossiers on “over 1,500” scientists, technicians and engineers brought under Paperclip and similar programmes. The counts may cover different groups and years. - 1952confirmed
Walter Schreiber, tied to experiments on camp inmates, leaves for Argentina
The National Archives describes Schreiber as having been “instrumental in medical experiments on concentration camp inmates”. He left after a newspaper column about his past.
- 1950–1969likely
Von Braun’s team builds Army missiles, then NASA’s Saturn V
At Redstone Arsenal the team designed the Army’s Redstone and Jupiter ballistic missiles. In 1960 it moved to NASA, where von Braun was chief architect of the Saturn V that took Apollo 11 to the Moon.
T1NASA biography of von Brauninvolved party: US government (NASA)T1Nazi War Crimes IWG report, Apr 2007p. 14involved party: US government (an interagency group chaired by the Archivist, with the Defense Secretary and Attorney General as members) - Oct 1984confirmed
Rudolph leaves the US and gives up his citizenship
Facing prosecution, he agreed not to contest that he took part in persecuting civilians at Mittelwerk. He denied wrongdoing to the press. NASA refused to take back the medal it gave him in 1969.
T1Justice Department OSI history, 2006–2008pp. 332, 335involved party: US government (the Justice Department, which admitted Paperclip scientists and later prosecuted one)T1National Archives, JIOA records guide - 1992likely
A Canadian court finds Rudolph directed slave labour
German records found in 1990 showed he had recommended using camp prisoners. A Canadian appeal court concluded he “called for, made use of and directed” slave labourers. Only the Justice Department’s account of the ruling was read.
T1Justice Department OSI history, 2006–2008pp. 336, 341 n. 21involved party: US government (the Justice Department, which admitted Paperclip scientists and later prosecuted one) - 2006–2010confirmed
The Justice Department’s own history says some persecutors were let in knowingly
It says “some persecutors were indeed knowingly granted entry” and America became “in some small measure” a “safe haven for persecutors”. The department released a heavily redacted copy in 2010 after a lawsuit; the full text was leaked to the New York Times.
T1Justice Department OSI history, 2006–2008p. 330involved party: US government (the Justice Department, which admitted Paperclip scientists and later prosecuted one)T2National Security Archive, Nov 2010
Branches
Go down oneA branch is only as strong as its weakest step so far. The count is how many sources back each step.
Records cleaned up to let Nazis in
Did officials work around the Nazi records of the scientists they wanted?
Tom Bower’s 1987 book “The Paperclip Conspiracy” and Linda Hunt’s 1991 “Secret Agenda”, both cited by the 2007 IWG report. Neither book was read here.
- 7,211,801 YouTube views, “Annie Jacobsen, ‘Operation Paperclip’” (Politics and Prose) as of 17 Oct 2026 T3YouTube: Jacobsen at Politics and Prose
- 223,514 YouTube views, “When the U.S. recruited Nazis for ‘Operation Paperclip’” (PBS NewsHour) as of 17 Oct 2026 T3YouTube: PBS NewsHour with Jacobsen
- 11,440 Goodreads ratings of Jacobsen’s “Operation Paperclip” as of 17 Oct 2026 T3Goodreads: Jacobsen, “Operation Paperclip”
Many of the recruits had been accused of war crimes
The publisher says “Many of these men were accused of war crimes, and others had stood trial at Nuremberg”.
The premise: confirmedTrue in part. Georg Rickhey came under Paperclip, was tried by a US military court and acquitted; Rudolph was later found to have used slave labour. How many were accused overall was not checked.
T1National Archives, JIOA records guideT1Justice Department OSI history, 2006–2008pp. 335–336, 339 n. 8involved party: US government (the Justice Department, which admitted Paperclip scientists and later prosecuted one)Von Braun was an SS officer
The most famous recruit is the centre of most accounts.
The premise: confirmedTrue. NASA says he joined the Nazi Party in 1937 and became a junior SS officer in 1940.
T1NASA biography of von Brauninvolved party: US government (NASA)T1Nazi War Crimes IWG report, Apr 2007p. 14involved party: US government (an interagency group chaired by the Archivist, with the Defense Secretary and Attorney General as members)Most of them were Nazi Party members
Figures of a large majority are often quoted.
The premise: likelyThe IWG cites a historian’s estimate of “up to 80 percent”. It is an estimate, not a count.
T1Nazi War Crimes IWG report, Apr 2007p. 14involved party: US government (an interagency group chaired by the Archivist, with the Defense Secretary and Attorney General as members)
- confirmed
The Army called security warnings about 14 specialists, von Braun included, “unrealistic”
Carried over from the main timeline (step 5).
T1Nazi War Crimes IWG report, Apr 2007p. 15, fig. 4involved party: US government (an interagency group chaired by the Archivist, with the Defense Secretary and Attorney General as members)StartStrength so far:confirmed· 1 source on this step - confirmed
The programme’s director asked for security reports to be revised
The 2007 IWG report says the JIOA director asked the Army Counter Intelligence Corps to “revise some security reports so that certain scientists could participate in Project Paperclip”.
T1Nazi War Crimes IWG report, Apr 2007p. 14involved party: US government (an interagency group chaired by the Archivist, with the Defense Secretary and Attorney General as members)= HoldsStrength so far:confirmed· 1 source on this step - confirmed
Rudolph was admitted although his Nazi Party membership and Mittelwerk job were known
Carried over from the main timeline (steps 3 and 6).
T1Justice Department OSI history, 2006–2008p. 332involved party: US government (the Justice Department, which admitted Paperclip scientists and later prosecuted one)= HoldsStrength so far:confirmed· 1 source on this step - confirmed
Von Braun’s own dossier is missing from the National Archives
The Archives says the dossier for von Braun “was never transferred to NARA”.
= HoldsStrength so far:confirmed· 1 source on this step - confirmed
Key claim: officials knowingly worked around Nazi pasts to keep scientists in the programme
The 1947 cable, the IWG’s account of the request to revise reports and the Justice Department’s finding that persecutors were “knowingly granted entry” all come from the government itself. Which reports were actually rewritten was not read here.
T1Nazi War Crimes IWG report, Apr 2007pp. 14–15involved party: US government (an interagency group chaired by the Archivist, with the Defense Secretary and Attorney General as members)T1Justice Department OSI history, 2006–2008p. 330involved party: US government (the Justice Department, which admitted Paperclip scientists and later prosecuted one)= HoldsStrength so far:confirmed· 2 sources on this step
Bullshit meter
- No step is Unverified or Disproven.
- Key claim contradicted by tier 1? No. Nothing contradicts it; the government’s own records (the 1947 cable, the 2007 IWG report, the Justice Department history) support it.
Fluff meter: possibly planted
- Can’t be traced to an original record. Absent: traced to the 1947 cable and the Justice Department history.
- First appeared from new or anonymous accounts. Not measured.
- Coordinated identical wording. Not measured.
- Cited source doesn’t exist. Absent.
- Later contradicted. Absent: later government records confirm it.
● present · ○ absent · – not measured. Lists signals only. It never accuses anyone.
Personal interest meter
- The OSI history, was written by the Justice Department, which helped admit Rudolph in 1949 and later prosecuted him. T1Justice Department OSI history, 2006–2008pp. 332, 335involved party: US government (the Justice Department, which admitted Paperclip scientists and later prosecuted one)
“Has a documented interest” only, each one sourced. Never an implication of guilt.
Correlation meter
- Arthur Rudolph, appears in the main timeline, the records branch and the Moon branch. T1Justice Department OSI history, 2006–2008pp. 331–337involved party: US government (the Justice Department, which admitted Paperclip scientists and later prosecuted one)
- Georg Rickhey, a Paperclip recruit who left in 1947 to be tried for war crimes by a US military tribunal, and was acquitted. T1National Archives, JIOA records guide
- MKULTRA, The MKUltra case in this collection covers the CIA programme the secret-programmes branch is about. T1National Archives, JIOA records guide
Links to other cases appear once those cases exist.
Who worked on this
This case was assembled by the site from public records. Contributions are not open yet. Nothing here is invented, so the counts are zero.
This is the first published version of the case.
Sources
- T1involved party: US government (the Justice Department, which admitted Paperclip scientists and later prosecuted one) Judy Feigin, ed. Mark M. Richard, “The Office of Special Investigations: Striving for Accountability in the Aftermath of the Holocaust”, US Department of Justice, Criminal Division, dated December 2008 (completed 2006 per the National Security Archive); chapter “Arthur Rudolph - An Honored Rocket Scientist” and its notes (page numbers are the report’s own). The redacted official copy was read, with the unredacted copy for whited-out lines.. www.justice.gov · copy read: nsarchive2.gwu.edu
- T1involved party: US government (an interagency group chaired by the Archivist, with the Defense Secretary and Attorney General as members) Nazi War Crimes and Japanese Imperial Government Records Interagency Working Group, Final Report to the United States Congress, April 2007, pp. 13–15, including Figure 4, JIOA cable 4102 of 4 Dec 1947. www.archives.gov
- T1“Records of the Secretary of Defense (RG 330): Joint Intelligence Objectives Agency”, National Archives, Nazi War Crimes Disclosure Act records guide (page last reviewed 11 Oct 2016). www.archives.gov
- T1involved party: US government (NASA) “Wernher von Braun”, NASA, Former Marshall Space Flight Center Director biography page. www.nasa.gov
- T2National Security Archive posting on the Justice Department’s OSI history, originally posted 13 Nov 2010, updated 24 Nov 2010, George Washington University. nsarchive2.gwu.edu
- T3Goodreads page and publisher’s description for Annie Jacobsen, “Operation Paperclip: The Secret Intelligence Program that Brought Nazi Scientists to America” (2014). www.goodreads.com
- T3“Annie Jacobsen, ‘Operation Paperclip’”, Politics and Prose, YouTube, 15 Mar 2014 (talk recorded 26 Feb 2014). www.youtube.com
- T3“When the U.S. recruited Nazis for ‘Operation Paperclip’”, PBS NewsHour interview with Annie Jacobsen, YouTube, 31 Mar 2014. www.youtube.com
- T3“Joe Rogan | The Harsh Truths of Operation Paperclip (NASA & Nazi’s) w/Annie Jacobsen”, JRE Clips, YouTube, 17 May 2019. www.youtube.com
- T3“Wernher von Braun: From Nazis to NASA”, SciShow Space, YouTube, 16 Dec 2014. www.youtube.com
- T3“The Dark Side of the Moon Landing: Nazi Scientists at NASA | Full Documentary”, Get.factual, YouTube, 8 May 2025. www.youtube.com
- T4“Operation Paperclip MKULTRA CIA Mind Control”, ericdavids7711, YouTube, 14 Apr 2009. www.youtube.com
- T4“OPERATION PAPERCLIP, MK ULTRA MIND CONTROL!”, JAR PINK69, YouTube, 4 Nov 2015. www.youtube.com
- T4“HOW CIA CONTINUED NAZI PROGRAMS TO CREATE THE MIND CONTROL TRUTH SERUM | MK ULTRA”, WW2 Declassified, YouTube, 2 Dec 2025. www.youtube.com
- T3“Operation Paperclip: How Nazi Scientists Built MKUltra”, Grant Stinchfield, YouTube, 3 Jul 2026. www.youtube.com