Was Project Paperclip moral or not?

[Autumnleaf]

After world war II the US snuck out some Nazis to put them to work in American industry. Their work allegedly helped the US to keep their edge in technology. This was Project Paperclip.

 

[Crazy Liz]

I thought the thread was about this:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One_red_paperclip

 

[Washington]

Yes it was.

 

[MoonlessNight]

I thought the thread was about this:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One_red_paperclip

I frequent a forum where a poster is convinced that that webpage is a government operation designed to make it harder to find information on project paperclip.

I guess this is evidence for that theory?

 

[clarksided]

I don't know if it was moral or not, but you can't always be moral in running a country, and I sincerely hope the US would do it again. It gave us a great advantage.

 

[IndomitableAmy]

It was also the "sneaking out" of many rocket-bombs ) V1's and V2's, and, frankly, all the equipment they could find. And this was after the war and the "sneaking out" was from the Soviet side before they got there.

The sneaking out of the people, I think was moral in that the people contacted the US soldiers, surrendering, asking to be taken by the US. The sneaking out of the equipment like that... I think, probably not moral. That, when Russia demanded back from us the weapons and other material we had taken, we sent them a bunch of rusted farm equipment was definitely bad because it's not good practice to insult a nation on that scale. I am convinced that this started the Cold War.

I think we could have a great advantage simply from taking the scientists who surrendered themselves to us.. and, sure, some schematics, I'll give that. I don't think we had to take all the actual equipment like that.. it was stealing from Russia, really. Best to take only what comes to you and what those people absolutely need.

 

[TheReasoner]

Operation paperclip was highly immoral and cannot have done anything to easen the severity of the cold war. As Amy stated, it is possible that this was one of the major factors contributing to the initiation of the cold war.

 

[The Nihilist]

That's silly. The major factor contributing to the initiation of the cold war is that we're capitalists, they were communists, we both had great big militaries, and we didn't like each other very much.

 

[IndomitableAmy]

I'm not saying that was the only reason behind the Cold War.. I agree, that'd be silly.. but I do think it gave the animosity the extra spunk it needed to develop to that so fast. When you join with someone you don't like against a common enemy, I don't think the best way to go when that enemy is defeated is to break treaties, steal from your former allies, and then send them trash when they request the return of their share of the spoils. That kind of thing might breed bad blood.. worse than was there before.

 

[TheReasoner]

That's silly. The major factor contributing to the initiation of the cold war is that we're capitalists, they were communists, we both had great big militaries, and we didn't like each other very much.

I'm not saying that was the only reason behind the Cold War.. I agree, that'd be silly.. but I do think it gave the animosity the extra spunk it needed to develop to that so fast. When you join with someone you don't like against a common enemy, I don't think the best way to go when that enemy is defeated is to break treaties, steal from your former allies, and then send them trash when they request the return of their share of the spoils. That kind of thing might breed bad blood.. worse than was there before.

Amy said it well.

 

[The Nihilist]

I'm not saying that was the only reason behind the Cold War.. I agree, that'd be silly.. but I do think it gave the animosity the extra spunk it needed to develop to that so fast. When you join with someone you don't like against a common enemy, I don't think the best way to go when that enemy is defeated is to break treaties, steal from your former allies, and then send them trash when they request the return of their share of the spoils. That kind of thing might breed bad blood.. worse than was there before.

Don't you know about our westward expansion? What you're describing is the American way