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Operation Paperclip

The Secret Intelligence Program that Brought Nazi Scientists to America

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The “remarkable” story of America's secret post-WWII science programs (The Boston Globe), from the New York Times bestselling author of Area 51.

In the chaos following World War II, the U.S. government faced many difficult decisions, including what to do with the Third Reich's scientific minds. These were the brains behind the Nazis' once-indomitable war machine. So began Operation Paperclip, a decades-long, covert project to bring Hitler's scientists and their families to the United States.

Many of these men were accused of war crimes, and others had stood trial at Nuremberg; one was convicted of mass murder and slavery. They were also directly responsible for major advances in rocketry, medical treatments, and the U.S. space program. Was Operation Paperclip a moral outrage, or did it help America win the Cold War?

Drawing on exclusive interviews with dozens of Paperclip family members, colleagues, and interrogators, and with access to German archival documents (including previously unseen papers made available by direct descendants of the Third Reich's ranking members), files obtained through the Freedom of Information Act, and dossiers discovered in government archives and at Harvard University, Annie Jacobsen follows more than a dozen German scientists through their postwar lives and into a startling, complex, nefarious, and jealously guarded government secret of the twentieth century.

In this definitive, controversial look at one of America's most strategic, and disturbing, government programs, Jacobsen shows just how dark government can get in the name of national security.

"Harrowing...How Dr. Strangelove came to America and thrived, told in graphic detail." —Kirkus Reviews Armed Forces Judaism Military Science Special & Elite Forces

Critic reviews

One of The Boston Globe's Best Books of 2014

One of iBooks' Top Ten Nonfiction Books of the Year

"Important, superbly written.... Jacobsen's book allows us to explore these questions with the ultimate tool: hard evidence. She confronts us with the full extent of Paperclip's deal with the devil, and it's difficult to look away."—Matt Damsker, USA Today (4 stars)
"With Annie Jacobsen's OPERATION PAPERCLIP for the first time the enormity of the effort has been laid bare. The result is a book that is at once chilling and riveting, and one that raises substantial and difficult questions about national honor and security...This book is a remarkable achievement of investigative reporting and historical writing."—Boston Globe
"As comprehensive as it is critical, this latest expose from Jacobsen is perhaps her most important work to date.... Jacobsen persuasively shows that it in fact happened and aptly frames the dilemma.... Rife with hypocrisy, lies, and deceit, Jacobsen's story explores a conveniently overlooked bit of history." -- Publishers Weekly (starred)
"The most in depth account yet of the lives of Paperclip recruits and their American counterparts.... Jacobsen deftly untangles the myriad German and American agencies and personnel involved...more gripping and skillfully rendered are the stories of American and British officials who scoured defeated Germany for Nazi scientists and their research."—New York Times Book Review
"Chilling, compelling, and comprehensive accounting.... Jacobsen's impressive book plumbs the dark depths of this postwar recruiting and shows the historical truths behind the space race and postwar US dominance. Highly recommended for readers in World War II history, espionage, government cover-ups, or the Cold War." -- Library Journal (starred)
"Darkly picaresque.... Jacobsen persuasively argues that the mindset of the former Nazi scientists who ended up working for the American government may have exacerbated Cold War paranoia."—New Yorker
"An engrossing and deeply disturbing exposé that poses ultimate questions of means versus ends." -- Booklist (starred)
"Annie Jacobsen's Operation Paperclip is a superb investigation, showing how the U.S. government recruited the Nazis' best scientists to work for Uncle Sam on a stunning scale. Sobering and brilliantly researched." -- Alex Kershaw, author of The Liberator
"Throughout, the author delivers harrowing passages of immorality, duplicity and deception, as well as some decency and lots of high drama. How Dr. Strangelove came to America and thrived, told in graphic detail." -- Kirkus Reviews
All stars
Most relevant
This seems a well-researched and in many ways necessary history. Not only does it tell us who in the Nazi scientific and technical establishment was recruited to assist the US military, but why their crimes were so egregious.

The problem with the audiobook is the narration. I do not think the author was the best person to undertake this task.

Firstly, there are the numerous mispronunciations of German and European names. This seems odd since the author was surely exposed to the correct pronunciations during her research. On the other hand, audiobooks suffer from this problem frequently.

There is also the very strange manner of speaking. The best analogy I can make is to some YouTube videos. Some of these are narrated by computer-generated voices. The delivery is thus strangely stilted with the emphasis being place on the wrong words in a sentence, or on the wrong parts of words. The narration of this book frequently reminds me very much of that.

Finally, there is the strange and disturbing pronunciation of some English words. I was more than taken aback to hear "annals of war" pronounced "anals of war" near the start of the book (I kid you not).

So, a interesting book, but would be better if narrated by a professional voice artist I think.

Interesting Book, Questionable Narration

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I’ve bought all the Annie Jacobsen audiobooks on here. They’re so well presented and so well researched and feed into one another. Great set of books.

Great as always

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Loads of info in this book, paints a clear picture of how Americas 20th century success was litrualy built off the most prolific nazi's

Very interesting read

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Excellent book, historically accurate with exceptional wealth of information. Excellently written and read . It shows the origins of today’s neocon criminal obsessions

Great book

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Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I would, but with a few caveats.

The major reason to recommend this audiobook is that it details the involvement of major German corporations in human rights abuses prior to and throughout WW2. This is important as far too few people are aware of this dark history. I particularly enjoyed learning more about the history of the drug Thalidomide. It also gives a biography of prominent Nazi scientists who were given clemency to accelerate technological progress in the USA.

The caveats are that whilst the narrator has a very clear voice, it lacks emotion and comes across as rather robotic. An excellent narrator can bring even turgid text to life, this narrator made listening more of a chore. My second caveat is that the evaluation of Operation Paperclip is rather facile as the author simply retreated to the moral high ground.

What other book might you compare Operation Paperclip to, and why?

Her book on Area 51.

What three words best describe Annie Jacobsen’s voice?

Clear
Robotic
Unengaging

A very interesting topic

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