• Skoobie@lemmy.film
    ·
    1 year ago

    Promising a deal that includes citizenship, a house, a salary, and an administrative position to a Nazi scientist in exchange for their work and knowledge such that one's country can gain ground in a cold war is absolutely fine. It's absolutely totally fine.

    Following through with the deal after getting the goods from the Nazi is not. Shoot the Nazi. You always shoot the Nazi.

      • Skoobie@lemmy.film
        ·
        1 year ago

        I apologize if I'm misreading. Are you suggesting that it would be wrong to shoot a Nazi?

          • Skoobie@lemmy.film
            ·
            1 year ago

            Ah, now I will admit to there having been a potential nuance. I certainly would want a trial before an execution, for instance. But I also think it would be wrong to assume these scientists were completely morally innocent. Maybe I could be persuaded from my earlier opinion of "You always shoot a Nazi" but there needs to be something to show. A diary entry saying "I'm not sure about this Hitler fella." Something.

      • Grimble [he/him,they/them]
        ·
        edit-2
        1 year ago

        The second one makes for one less Nazi. Thus less warcrimes. Dont tell me theres some magical "cycle of hate" you're beholden to, just for putting down a child-killing government operative.

  • zifnab25 [he/him, any]
    ·
    1 year ago

    I mean, if we're going to be serious, the USSR had its own version of Operation Paperclip. Operation Osoaviakhim

    In 1945 and 1946 the use of German expertise was invaluable in reducing the time needed to master the intricacies of the V-2 rocket, establishing production of the R-1 rocket and enable a base for further developments.

    ...

    On arrival the 302 Germans were split into several groups. A large group of 99 specialists from the Zentralwerke was installed in Podlipki in the north east section of Moscow as part of Korolev's NII-88, 76 design engineers were transferred to Gorodomlya Island, and 23 specialists to Khimki as part of Glushko's OKB-456 for the development of rocket engines.

    But once the Germans had been pumped for info, they fell by the wayside. The difference between Russians and Americans was that the Russians didn't put German scientists in administrative positions. They just squeezed them for their findings and retired them. The scientists didn't end up running the fucking departments.

      • zifnab25 [he/him, any]
        ·
        edit-2
        1 year ago

        In fairness, the Russians had one big advantage the Americans didn't..

        Russian scientists.

        But my point is more that they had no compunction over taking German scientists when presented with the opportunity.

          • vaalla@discuss.tchncs.de
            ·
            edit-2
            1 year ago

            They had a lot of excellent scientists.

            Fun fact, the math behind radar stealth was developed by a Russian scientists and was ignored in URSS because it had a shit title. US delayed translating it because they didn't undersrand the title. After a few years somebody at lockeed marting found it and realized what it meant. I think F-117 was developed based on that.

  • FUCKRedditMods@lemm.ee
    ·
    edit-2
    1 year ago

    At least von braun and his ilk contributed to science. The same cannot be said for the japanese war criminals behind unit 731, 1855 etc. they were let off scot free for the results of their fucking evil, psychopathic, sadistic GARBAGE “science”/“experimentation” 99% of which had no debatable value whatsoever.

  • jabrd [he/him]
    ·
    1 year ago

    You can't explain starfield's narrative weakness without citing operation paperclip. Not correctly, anyway

  • seitanic@lemmy.sdf.org
    ·
    1 year ago

    Actually, none of the scientists were found guilty of a crime. (And several of them were investigated.)

    • Landrin201@lemmy.ml
      ·
      1 year ago

      You actually believe that? The people who claim that people like Werner von Braun didn't commit any crimes are the CIA and Braun himself. All of the records from Germany were destroyed. It's essentially just taking his word on it to believe he was only involved because "he had to be."

      He was literally a member of the SS, the wing of the nazi government that was directly responsible for the Holocaust. He was photographed repeatedly with himmler himself, in uniform. He claimed that those were just ceremonial photos that he had to participate in the keep his career. He also claimed not to agree with the Nazis politically.

      Why would you believe anything that a member of the SS said? Especially one as important to the Nazis as von Braun was.

      Of fucking course he was never found guilty of any war crimes, the US was actively trying to recruit him. They didn't want to prosecute their newest asset, a man who directly led to the US becoming the globally dominant force it became during the space race. He was useful so the US government deliberately didn't investigate him seriously, took him at his word that he totally wasn't a real nazi, and then used him to invent more rockets for them.