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Ichingcarpenter

(36,988 posts)
6. Hire the war criminal nazis in operation paper clip?
Thu Feb 5, 2015, 05:58 AM
Feb 2015

kurt blome

Kurt Blome was a high-ranking Nazi scientist before and during the Second World War. He was a deputy of the Reich Health Leader (Reichsgesundheitsführer) and Plenipotentiary for Cancer Research in the Reich Research Council. Blome captured the spirit of his medical identity in an autobiographical book, Arzt im Kampf (Physician in Struggle), in which he exuberantly equated medical and military power in their battle for life and death.

Blome had been arrested on 17 May 1945 by an agent of the United States Counter Intelligence Corps (CIC, an army intelligence service) in Munich, and he had no papers except his driving licence. After some weeks of custody, in which the CIC checked on his identity, Blome was taken to the Kransberg Castle (medieval castle north of Frankfurt) by an escort.

A few days after his arrival at the castle a secret message was transmitted to the ALSOS mission, an Anglo-American team of experts, whose order was to investigate the state of German and Italian weapons technology towards end of war:

"In 1943 Blome was studying bacteriological warfare, although officially he was involved in cancer research, which was however only a camouflage. Blome additionally served as deputy health minister of the Reich. Would like you to send investigators?"

Blome admitted that he had been ordered in 1943 to experiment with plague vaccines on concentration camp prisoners. He was tried at the Doctors' Trial in 1947 on charges of practicing euthanasia (extermination of sick prisoners), and conducting experiments on humans. Although acquitted, his earlier admissions were well known, and it was generally accepted that he had indeed participated in the gruesome experiments (there is evidence that Blome experimented with Sarin gas on Auschwitz prisoners).

It is believed that American intervention saved Blome from the gallows. In return Blome agreed to provide information to the Americans about his experiments in Dachau and advice in the development of their own germ warfare program. Two months after his Nuremberg acquittal, Blome was transferred to the USA (see Operation Paperclip) and interviewed at Camp David, Maryland about biological warfare. In 1951, he was hired by the U.S. Army Chemical Corps to work on chemical warfare. His file neglected to mention Nuremberg.

Eventually, Blome was arrested by French authorities, convicted of war crimes, and sentenced to 20 years in prison.

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You posted this too late at night. joshcryer Feb 2015 #1
I would mostly be saddened by the horrible things people do to others... NaturalHigh Feb 2015 #2
i'd wonder who you've identified as the present day nazis in this exercise, and why. ND-Dem Feb 2015 #3
What does this have to do with the "present day"? joshcryer Feb 2015 #4
The OP is a quite transparent commentary on the "present day". redgreenandblue Feb 2015 #7
It's likely a response to false equivalency. joshcryer Feb 2015 #13
I'd normally choose the first option, obviously. redgreenandblue Feb 2015 #25
"Isis is just like Hitler, y'all!!" RandiFan1290 Feb 2015 #5
No one said they are. nt stevenleser Feb 2015 #22
Hire the war criminal nazis in operation paper clip? Ichingcarpenter Feb 2015 #6
ISIS is not Nazi Germany. redgreenandblue Feb 2015 #8
No one said they are. nt stevenleser Feb 2015 #23
Liberals should never accept evil but we should always be smart in how we respond to it. n/t pampango Feb 2015 #9
Nazi Germany Was a Threat Sparhawk60 Feb 2015 #10
In your opinion in what way, and when, did Nazi Germany become a threat to the US? HereSince1628 Feb 2015 #12
If Germany Sparhawk60 Feb 2015 #15
I was hoping for something that looked rather less post hoc. HereSince1628 Feb 2015 #16
My Mistake Sparhawk60 Feb 2015 #31
I do think Nazi Germany pursued territory and in a aggressive manner HereSince1628 Feb 2015 #48
That's why US corporations supported Nazi's until Pearl Harbor... joshcryer Feb 2015 #14
incorrect Prescott Bush didn't stop until 1942 only when his bank was siezed Ichingcarpenter Feb 2015 #17
No, and we know that's not true. The Japanese are constitutionally prohibited from bothering ISIS. stevenleser Feb 2015 #26
What exactly did Japan leftynyc Feb 2015 #43
0 Recs, and this... MrMickeysMom Feb 2015 #11
Other: "I'm glad we're helping the USSR to liberate Europe and that the USSR is KingCharlemagne Feb 2015 #18
And Canada was in, losing so many young men polly7 Feb 2015 #20
I misplaced my time machine, all I know is ISIS is the greatest evil and threat in the history of dissentient Feb 2015 #19
If all folks were being honest, a fair group of folks would be choosing the second option. stevenleser Feb 2015 #21
Other JustAnotherGen Feb 2015 #24
Build a time machine and go back and kill... Tom Ripley Feb 2015 #27
If we didn't go to war against Germany there would be no helping to liberate death camps TheKentuckian Feb 2015 #28
We did not enter the war to save people janlyn Feb 2015 #29
+1 ND-Dem Feb 2015 #30
The poll isn't intended to be historical. Act_of_Reparation Feb 2015 #34
Sorry if my reply seemed harsh, janlyn Feb 2015 #36
And it was not the government that did not want to go in - it was the people who did not want to jwirr Feb 2015 #40
^^^THIS^^^ Tom Ripley Feb 2015 #41
Well in all fairness, you are dealing with people that do the same thing as Karl Rove Rex Feb 2015 #46
Back during the 40's many people in America thought it was OK ChosenUnWisely Feb 2015 #32
I don't know where you lived in the 40s but that was never the attitude in Iowa where I grew up jwirr Feb 2015 #39
I'm guessing that was AFTER leftynyc Feb 2015 #44
The enlistment were after Pearl Harbor. As to the attitude most probably did not feel that way but jwirr Feb 2015 #47
By the time we knew (and we knew as early as 1942) the USA was already at war with Germany. Spider Jerusalem Feb 2015 #33
Probably: "Hey, maybe we should stop turning away Jewish refugees from Europe?" Or perhaps: "Maybe Chathamization Feb 2015 #35
I was a child during the WWII years, RebelOne Feb 2015 #37
Born in 1941. Celebrated the victory with my returning military families. Did not of course jwirr Feb 2015 #38
Can we take the internet and 24/7 news back in time with us? JoePhilly Feb 2015 #42
Nothing better than Rex Feb 2015 #45
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