February 9, 2005
THE GOOD WAR:
UPI Intelligence Watch (JOHN C.K. DALY, Feb. 7, 2005, UPI)
To the great embarrassment of U.S. intelligence, Washington's National Security Archive has released formerly classified government documents acquired under the Freedom of Information Act, noting that the U.S. agencies recruited and employed five of Adolph Eichmann's Nazi assistants after World War II. The National Security Archive non-profit group waged a lengthy legal battle for access to the papers. The documents are based on internal investigations by the CIA's history department. The CIA previously steadfastly refused to make the documents public. The revelations highlight the contradictory U.S. intelligence activity but also the U.S. Army's conduct in Germany at the conclusion of the war. Efforts were made to recruit members of the SS and the Gestapo despite the U.S. simultaneously waging a campaign of de-Nazification and arresting and trying Nazi war criminals.
It would have been more honest and useful to have just ditched Unconditional Surrender openly and recruited the entire state to fight the USSR. Posted by Orrin Judd at February 9, 2005 8:25 AM
It is one of the more disgusting episodes in our nation's history. Aarons and Loftus do a thorough job of discussing what happened and showing how stupid it was. The evil of providing hideouts for mass murderers does not need to be explained to people with even a minimal understanding of morality. As the GEICO ad says, 'Even a caveman can understand it.'
Posted by: Bart at February 9, 2005 12:23 PMRather a minor evil compared to saving Stalin.
Posted by: oj at February 9, 2005 12:39 PMBart
What if we offer immunity to some of Bin Laden's henchmen to provide us with information to his location and other intelligence about various Islamist roaming America? Would that not be similiar? (of course not of same magnitude)
The skeleton key to unlocking the secret history of the 20th century is Operation Paperclip.
Posted by: carter at February 9, 2005 2:42 PMh-man,
This was using Nazis on spec to spy on Communists, a dubious proposition at best, despite the fact that they probably knew less about Communists than the guy who owned the candy store on the corner. Your analogy is completely wrong.
Posted by: Bart at February 9, 2005 7:41 PMIt made marginally more sense than purging high school teachers in New Jersey.
Orrin fantasizes that the Russkies, faced with a second (or third, depending on when you start counting) intrusion of German barbarians, would say, 'Come on in, save us from Stalin,' although it seems altogether more likely that they'd remember what had happened the previous year and offer to lick them again.
Heck, we're still trying to get him to give up the idea that Roosevelt was a Stalinist agent.
Posted by: Harry Eagar at February 10, 2005 12:04 AMFDR wasn't an agent, just Stalinism's savior.
Posted by: oj at February 10, 2005 12:09 AMAh, we're making progress, it seems
Posted by: Harry Eagar at February 11, 2005 3:41 PM