The Spark File with Susan Blackwell and Laura Camien

Creativity Sparks: Operation Paperclip

January 05, 2022 Susan Blackwell and Laura Camien Season 3 Episode 7
The Spark File with Susan Blackwell and Laura Camien
Creativity Sparks: Operation Paperclip
Show Notes

Sometimes a spark is so surprising, so complex and thought provoking it can stun you into silence. And so it was when Susan shared Operation Paperclip with Laura.

As outlined in the book, Operation Paperclip by Annie Jacobsen, information on this secret United States intelligence program was recently de-classified and we are now all learning about the plan to bring Nazi Germany scientists to the US to harness their intellectual resources.

Defenders of the decision to welcome the scientists here have argued that the combined knowledge of these rocket scientists and nuclear scientists could have ended up in the hands of the Soviets, if the US had taken no action. 

Others wonder what are the ethical and moral costs of allowing their unimaginable war crimes to go without punishment or accountability.

This is a #dark spark. Listen in to try to make sense of it all.