Annie Jacobsenโs new book is called Operation Paperclip: The Secret Intelligence Program That Brought Nazi Scientists to America. It isnโt terribly secret anymore, of course, and it was never very intelligent. Jacobsen has added some details, and the U.S. government is still hiding many more. But the basic facts have been available; theyโre just left out of most U.S. history books, movies, and television programs.
Ngemuva kweMpi Yezwe II, amasosha aseMelika aqashe ososayensi kanye nodokotela abangamakhulu ayisithupha, kubandakanya nabanye ababambisene nabasondelene kakhulu no-Adolf Hitler, okubandakanya nabesilisa ababhekene necala lokubulala, ubugqila kanye nokuhlolwa kwabantu, kubandakanya nabesilisa abalahlwe ngamacala empi, amadoda atholwe ngamacala empi, nabantu abangakaze babhekane necala. Amanye amaNazi azamile eNuremberg bekade asebenzela i-US eJalimane noma e-US ngaphambi kwezivivinyo. Abanye babevikelwa ezikhathini zabo ezedlule nguhulumeni wase-US iminyaka, njengoba babehlala futhi besebenza eBoston Harbour, eLong Island, eMaryland, e-Ohio, eTexas, e-Alabama, nakwezinye izindawo, noma bashaywe nguhulumeni wase-US baya e-Argentina ukuze abavikele ekushushisweni . Eminye imibhalo yesivivinyo yahlukaniswa ngokuphelele ukuze kugweme ukudalulwa kokunamathisela kososayensi abalulekile base-US. Amanye amaNazi abalelwa ayengabakhwabanisi ababedlula bonke bengososayensi, abanye babo ngemuva kwalokho bafunda amasimu abo ngenkathi besebenzela amasosha aseMelika.
Abahlali baseMelika baseJalimane ngemuva kweMpi Yezwe II bamemezele ukuthi lonke ucwaningo lwamasosha eJalimane lwaluzophela, njengengxenye yohlelo lokudalulwa kombuso. Kodwa-ke ucwaningo lwaqhubeka futhi lwakhula luyimfihlo, ngaphansi kwegunya laseMelika, eJalimane naseMelika, njengengxenye yenqubo ongayibuka njengezinza. Akuqashwa ososayensi kuphela. Izinduna ezazingamaNazi, iningi lazo ezazingama-SS ngaphambili, zaqashwa yi-US empini yaseJalimane yangemva kwempi ukuba ihlole - futhi ihlukumeze - abaseSoviet.
Amasosha aseMelika aguquka ngezindlela eziningi lapho ababekade bengamaNazi babekwa ezikhundleni eziphezulu. Kwakungososayensi be-rocket baseNazi abaphakamise ukubeka amabhomu enuzi emarokhethi futhi baqala ukwakha imicibisholo ehambisana nokulwa. Kwakungonjiniyela abangamaNazi ababeklame ingadi kaHitler engaphansi kweBerlin, manje owayesebenzela uhulumeni waseMelika izinqaba ezingaphansi komhlaba ezintabeni zaseCatoctin naseBlue Ridge. Amanga amaNazi ayaziwa aqashwa ngamasosha ase-US ukuthi abhale izinhlaka zezinkampani ezazichaza ubuqili ngokuqanjwa kwamanga okuyiSoviet. Ososayensi baseNazi basungule izinhlelo zezikhali zamakhemikhali nezebhayoloji zase-US, ziletha ulwazi lwabo lwe-tabun ne-sarin, kungasaphathwa i-thalidomide - nokulangazelela kwabo ukuhlolwa komuntu, okwenziwa amasosha ase-US kanye ne-CIA esanda kwenza. Yonke imibono emangalisa futhi emangazayo yokuthi umuntu angabulawa kanjani noma ibutho lingafakwa buthaka lalinentshisekelo ocwaningweni lwabo. Kwakhiwa izikhali ezintsha, kubandakanya i-VX ne-Agent Orange. Kwenziwe idrayivu entsha yokuhambela futhi yahlomisa izikhala zangaphandle, futhi amaNazi wangaphambili abekwa eqenjini elizobizwa ngeNASA.
Ukucabanga okungapheli kwempi, ukucabanga ngempi okungenamkhawulo, kanye nemicabango yokulwa lapho isayensi nobuchwepheshe bekumboza ukufa nokuhlupheka, konke kwahamba phambili. Ngenkathi umNazi owayekade ekhuluma nomkhosi wokudla kwabesifazane eRochester Junior Chamber of Commerce ngo-1953, isihloko somcimbi sasiwukuthi "iBuzz Bomb Mastermind ukuze Ikhulume noJaycees Namuhla." Lokho kuzwakala kuyinto engathandeki kithina, kodwa kungenzeka kuthuthuke noma ngubani ohlala e-United States nganoma yisiphi isikhathi ngaphambi kweMpi Yezwe II. Bukela le Walt Disney uhlelo lwethelevishini featuring a former Nazi who worked slaves to death in a cave building rockets. Before long, President Dwight Eisenhower would be lamenting that โthe total influence โ economic, political, even spiritual โ is felt in every city, every State house, every office of the Federal government.โ Eisenhower was not referring to Nazism but to the power of the military-industrial complex. Yet, when asked whom he had in mind in remarking in the same speech that โpublic policy could itself become the captive of a scientific-technological elite,โ Eisenhower named two scientists, one of them the former Nazi in the Disney video linked above.
Isinqumo sokufaka i-1,600 yeqembu likaHitler lesayensi kwezobuchwepheshe empini yase-US sasiqhutshwa ukwesaba i-USSR, kokubili okunengqondo kanye nomphumela wobuqili bokwesabisa ukukhwabanisa. Isinqumo savela ngokuhamba kwesikhathi futhi sasiwumkhiqizo wezingqondo eziningi ezaphambuka. Kepha leli bhenji lima noMengameli Harry S Truman. UHenry Wallace, owandulelwa nguTruman njengephini likamongameli esithanda ukucabanga ukuthi ngabe waqondisa umhlaba ngendlela engcono kune-Truman enza njengoMongameli, empeleni wagqugquzela uTruman ukuthi aqashe amaNazi njengohlelo lwemisebenzi. Kungaba kuhle embonini yaseMelika, kusho iqhawe lethu elithuthukayo. Abangaphansi kukaTruman baphikisana, kodwa uTruman wanquma. Njengoba izingcezwana ze-Operation Paperclip zaziwa, i-American Federation of Scientists, u-Albert Einstein, nabanye banxusa uTruman ukuba akuqede. Isazi se-nyukliya, uHans Bethe nozakwabo asebenza naye uHenri Sack babuza uTruman:
โNgabe iqiniso lokuthi amaJalimane angasindisa isizwe izigidi zamadola lisho ukuthi ukuthengwa okuhlala njalo nokuba yizakhamizi kungathengwa? Ngabe iMelika ingathembela [ososayensi baseJalimane] ukuthi basebenzele ukuthula lapho inzondo yabo ebhekiswe kumaRussia ingenza ukuthi kukhule umehluko phakathi kwamandla amakhulu? Ngabe impi yayilwelwe yini ukuze kuvunyelwe umbono wamaNazi ungene ngaphakathi ezikhungweni zethu zemfundo nezesayensi ngomnyango ongasemuva? Ngabe sifuna isayensi kube yize? โ
Ngo-1947 i-Operation Paperclip, nokho eyayincane, yayisengozini yokuqedwa. Esikhundleni salokho, iTruman yaguqula amasosha ase-US noMthetho Wezokuphepha Kazwelonke, futhi yakha ubumbano oluhle kakhulu u-Operation Paperclip angalufuna: i-CIA. Manje lolu hlelo lwaqala, ngamabomu nangengamabomu, ngolwazi oluphelele kanye nokuqonda okufanayo kukaMongameli wase-US ofanayo owayememezele njengeseneli ukuthi uma amaRussia ewina i-US kufanele asize amaJalimane, okuphambene nalokho, ukuqinisekisa ukuthi iningi labantu kungenzeka washona, uMongameli ofanayo owachitha ngamabomu ngamabhomu enuzi emadolobheni aseJapan, lowo kanye umongameli owasilethela impi eKorea, impi ngaphandle kokumenyezelwa, izimpi eziyimfihlo, umbuso onwebile wezisekelo, izimfihlo zamasosha kubo bonke izindaba, ubumongameli basebukhosini, kanye nezindiza zezimboni zezempi. I-US Chemical Warfare Service yathatha ucwaningo ngezikhali zamakhemikhali zaseJalimane ekugcineni kwempi njengendlela yokuqhubeka nokuba khona. UGeorge Merck bobabili bathola izinsongo zebhayoloji ezazisetshenziselwa ezempi futhi wathengisa nemithi yokugomela amabutho ukubaphatha. Impi yayiyebhizinisi futhi ibhizinisi lalizoba lilungile isikhathi eside esizayo.
But how big a change did the United States go through after World War II, and how much of it can be credited to Operation Paperclip? Isnโt a government that would give immunity to both Nazi and Japanese war criminals in order to learn their criminal ways already in a bad place? As one of the defendants argued in trial at Nuremberg, the U.S. had already engaged in its own experiments on humans using almost identical justifications to those offered by the Nazis. If that defendant had been aware, he could have pointed out that the U.S. was in that very moment engaged in such experiments in Guatemala. The Nazis had learned some of their eugenics and other nasty inclinations from Americans. Some of the Paperclip scientists had worked in the U.S. before the war, as many Americans had worked in Germany. These were not isolated worlds.
Uma ubheka ngale kwecala lempi lesibili, elehlisayo nelibuhlungu, kuthiwani ngobugebengu bempi uqobo? Sibona i-United States ingenacala kangako ngoba yenza amaJapane ahlasela okokuqala, futhi ngoba ashushisa nabanye abalahlekelwe impi. Kepha icala elingakhethi icala belizoshushisa nabaseMelika nabo. Amabhomu awela ezakhamuzini zabulawa zalimala zachitha ngaphezu kwanoma yimaphi amakamu okuhlushwa - amakamu aseJalimane ayeqondiswe ngokwengxenye ngemuva kwamakamu ase-US kwabomdabu baseMelika. Kungenzeka yini ukuthi ososayensi abangamaNazi bahlangana nezempi yase-US kahle ngoba isikhungo ebesivele sikwenzile lokho ekwenzile ePhilippines sasingekho kuso sonke leso sidingo esikhulu sezinazion?
Kodwa-ke, ngandlela-thile, sicabangela ukushiswa komlilo kwamadolobha aseJapan kanye nokuhlelwa ngokuphelele kwamadolobha aseJalimane njengokucasulwa okuncane kakhulu ngokuqashwa kososayensi baseNazi. Kepha yini ekusicasulayo mayelana nososayensi baseNazi? Angicabangi ukuthi kufanele kube ukuthi babulala abantu abaningi ngakolunye uhlangothi okuyiphutha, iphutha elilinganiselwe kwezinye izingqondo zabo kodwa ngokuhamba kwesikhathi basebenzela ukubulawa kwabantu abaningi ngakwesokunene. Futhi angicabangi ukuthi kufanele kube ngokuphelele ukuthi babandakanyeka ekuhlolweni komuntu ogulayo nasekuphoqeleleni ngenkani. Ngicabanga ukuthi lezo zenzo kufanele zisicasule. Kepha kufanele ukwakhiwa kwamarokhethi kuthatha izinkulungwane zezimpilo. Futhi kufanele kusicasule noma ngabe kwenzeleni.
Kuyamangaza ukucabanga ngomphakathi ophucukile endaweni ethile emhlabeni eminyakeni ethile kusukela manje. Ngabe owokufika owayenesikhathi esidlule embuthweni wamasosha aseMelika uzokwazi ukuthola umsebenzi? Ngabe isibuyekezo siyadingeka? Ngabe babehlukumeze iziboshwa? Ngabe babezishaye izingane? Ngabe bebebhidlize izindlu noma badubule izakhamuzi zakwelinye izwe? Ngabe bake basebenzisa amabhomu eqoqwana? I-uranium eseqediwe? I-phosphorous emhlophe? Ngabe bake basebenza ohlelweni lwamajele aseMelika? Uhlelo lokuvalelwa kwamanye amazwe? Umugqa wokufa? Ukubukeza ngokuphelele kungadingeka kangakanani? Ngabe kungaba khona elinye izinga lokuziphatha okulandelanayo nje okungathiwa lamukelekile? Kungasho lutho ukuthi, hhayi lokho umuntu ayekwenzile, kodwa indlela abacabanga ngayo ngomhlaba?