In May of 1945, the Third Reich was in chaos.
Adolf Hitler was dead, German surrender was imminent, and Allied troops had already begun divvying up German territory.
But high-ranking Nazi engineer Wernher von Braun wasn't worried.
In fact, he approached the US government directly— informing them of his location and waiting calmly for their arrival.
As the brain behind the world's first long-range ballistic missile, von Braun knew his expertise made him a highly valuable military asset.
And sure enough, his so-called captors gave him a decidedly warm welcome.
Von Braun wasn't the only Nazi scientist receiving this treatment.
While World War II was almost over, a new war was brewing.
And the US was eager to recruit the smartest minds in Germany before the Soviets got the chance.
This became known as Operation Paperclip— a clandestine campaign that brought over 1,500 German scientists to the US between 1945 and 1962.
