Pictured above in the center of this photograph is Wernherr von Braun, a German immigrant to the United States who helped lead America space program during the 1950s and 1960s.
Before that time, Von Braun was a member of the Nazi Party of Germany and an officer in the Schutzstaffel (SS) who led Nazi Germany's efforts to develop rockets as weapons. He used slave labor to construct rockets, literally working prisoners to death to build his rockets
At the end of World War II, the United States, the Soviet Union, and Britain captured top German scientists and engineers and compelled them to work for their captors. The US program to use these captured geniuses was called Operation Paperclip. Von Braun was one of these Germans who worked for the Americans under Operation Paperclip.
Was it ethical for the United States to engage in Operation Paperclip? Here some information sources to consider as you debate the topic.
The above video explains the differences between primary and secondary sources. Even if you know the definitions of these terms, be sure to watch this video because it is important to express that primary and secondary sources are not necessarily more accurate or less biased than each other.
Now we will look at certain secondary sources in the library databases. Have you used the databases before? If you don't have recent experience with our library's databases, then I suggest watching this introductory video.
Here is a curated list of primary sources to consider when studying Operation Paperclip.
