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German rocket specialists brought to the United States under Project Paperclip, Fort Bliss, Texas, 1946
German rocket specialists brought to the United States under Project Paperclip, Fort Bliss, Texas, 1946. Photo: NASA · Public domain · via Wikimedia Commons
Secrets & power · United States · 1945 – 1984

Operation Paperclip

Established1945 CE – 1984 CEFort Bliss, Texas, USA

After World War II the U.S. secretly recruited German scientists — including former Nazis — to build its rockets.

As World War II ended, the United States moved to secure German scientific talent before the Soviet Union could. A program first called Overcast, later Paperclip, run by the Joint Intelligence Objectives Agency, brought more than 1,600 German scientists, engineers and technicians to the United States. Records held by the National Archives document the program.

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Hero image: German rocket specialists brought to the United States under Project Paperclip, Fort Bliss, Texas, 1946. Photo: NASA · Public domain · via Wikimedia Commons. Evidence labels describe the written claims, not the image. Version 1 · updated 2026-10-22.