Towards the end of World War II in 1945, Americans and Soviets hurried to obtain research done by German scientists during the war. The Americans, in order to bring these new ideas and technology to the US, brought some of the more important German scientists to the US to conduct research for them so that the results would be obtained more rapidly. This operation was highly secretive and was code named Operation Paperclip. The success of the operation, which ran up until 1990, helped move the US forward in science and technology by using Germans scientists to make advances in all areas of science and especially in the study of space technology that would have taken the US much longer to achieve without their contributions. Although there were ethical and moral problems with Operation Paperclip, the Operation itself was successful in moving the US rapidly forward in science and technology and establishing the country as a dominant power on the world stage.
During …show more content…
The massive leaps in such a short period of time was made possible by these individuals brought over by Operation Paperclip. The wonders of the Hubble Telescope and the ability to land the first man on the moon can be directly attributed to this post World War II undertaking. The US’ dominance over the Soviets can also be credited to this operation. However, the cost of the German scientists’ post war efforts cannot be as easily determined. The moral and ethical implications of their work during their time in the Nazi regime negatively color their achievements and point to the shortcuts the US was willing to make in the name of scientific advancement. History remembers wars but not all the names behind them. It appears that the US was hoping the same applied to their advancement using Operation Paperclip and the scientists behind
During …show more content…
The massive leaps in such a short period of time was made possible by these individuals brought over by Operation Paperclip. The wonders of the Hubble Telescope and the ability to land the first man on the moon can be directly attributed to this post World War II undertaking. The US’ dominance over the Soviets can also be credited to this operation. However, the cost of the German scientists’ post war efforts cannot be as easily determined. The moral and ethical implications of their work during their time in the Nazi regime negatively color their achievements and point to the shortcuts the US was willing to make in the name of scientific advancement. History remembers wars but not all the names behind them. It appears that the US was hoping the same applied to their advancement using Operation Paperclip and the scientists behind