In 1969, Neil Armstrong took "one giant leap for mankind." But whose technology got him there?

After World War II, while Holocaust survivors were turned away at American borders, the U.S. government secretly welcomed over 1,600 German scientists, engineers, and technicians. Many had troubling pasts. Some had very troubling pasts. All had knowledge America desperately wanted.

This is the story of Operation Paperclip—a classified program that transformed yesterday's enemies into tomorrow's heroes. From the Moon landing to modern missiles, from jet engines to space medicine, the fingerprints of this controversial operation are everywhere in American technology.

Percival Blackwood examines declassified documents, exposes the whitewashing of records, and asks the uncomfortable question: What are we willing to sacrifice for progress?

You'll never look at the Space Race the same way again.