Between 1945 and 1952, more than 1,600 scientists, doctors, and engineers who served the Third Reich were hired under U.S. military contracts. Before V-E Day, the Allied governments were already seeking out Nazi scientists in order to take advantage of the advanced research and accomplishments of the Nazi weapons programs. The increasing distrust between the Allies and the Soviet Union led to a race to track down and recruit the most famous and knowledgeable of the Nazi scientists and engineers. Biological and chemical weapons as well as the V-2 program were of specific interest to the U.S., so Operation Paperclip, a program that remained secret for decades, was eventually developed to facilitate visas and contracts for these men. The Nazi doctors killed and maimed prisoners with various plagues (to develop vaccines for their soldiers), hypothermia (to save pilots shot down over water), sea water ingestion (to try to make sea water drinkable), and myriad other tortures. Some of their experiments seemed pointless to the U.S. military, while others seemed important and valuable.

In order to hire many of the scientists, the U.S. military and government often hid the depth of the scientists' involvement in the Nazi war effort, and not only from the American public but from many people within the government who didn't support hiring "former" Nazis. There are many sources to learn more about this program, including the recent book "Operation Paperclip" by Annie Jacobsen.