This doctoral dissertation project, supported by the Science, Technology & Society program at NSF, examines the cultural and social impact of bringing the German rocket experts to the United States under the post-Second World War secret military operation "Project Paperclip." These German rocket scientists are considered instrumental in putting the first American satellite into orbit for the U.S. Army and the first Americans on the moon. This research focuses on how these engineers and their families integrated into the community of Huntsville, Alabama, beginning in 1950. This study explores how the men's previous work for the Nazi regime was interpreted by themselves, their family members, and their neighbors in Huntsville, to allow for smooth local integration and seemingly unquestioned celebration of these Germans as American heroes. By contrasting diverse local perspectives with national and international perspectives over time, this study shows how changing national and local foci shaped representations and evaluations of the German rocket engineers. The primary focus for this study is the time period from 1950 to 1970, i.e., from the Germans' arrival in Huntsville until the moon landing in 1969. The project uses an interdisciplinary combination of methods from cultural anthropology, sociology, history, and communication studies to show how divergent sources inform the construction of multiple historical narratives. Central to the study are oral histories collected from members of the German families and from white, Jewish, and African American members of the Huntsville community. The oral histories are combined with archival material, newspaper articles, and memoirs to illustrate how memories of World War II, the Holocaust, Jim Crow, the experiences of Jews in the Cold War South, and male and female perspectives are reflected in narratives about the meaning of Project Paperclip for Huntsville, Alabama. This project seeks to provide a new approach to the history of science and technology by linking science and immigration and analyzing their impact on communities.
