Blowback: America's Recruitment of Nazis and Its Effects on the Cold War [Hardcover]

Christopher Simpson (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The postwar recruitment of Nazis and collaborators by agencies of the U.S. government stemmed, the author illustrates, from intense East-West competition after the German surrender, prodded by the prospect of war between the superpowers. Simpson, a freelance journalist, reveals that many covert operations of the early Cold War era involved the use of operatives known to have committed crimes against humanity during the Second World War. The underlying theme here is the corruption of American ideals in connection with this hushed-up recruitment policy in the name of anticommunism. In elaborating the policy's "negative blowback," Simpson emphasizes the long-term corrosive effect on American intelligence agencies in particular.
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

As the story of Andrija Artukovic, the high-ranking fascist Croatian who found refuge in the United States, and books by John Loftus, Howard Blum, and others tell us, a disgraceful chapter in U.S. Cold War history lies in the systematic use of Nazi and fascist war criminals to help the anti-Soviet aims of American intelligence and national security agencies. Germans and East Europeans were eagerly recruited into and rose to key positions in the Cold War crusade. Simpson's careful researchwhich underscores the part of the Catholic Church and reveals the role of George Kennan in this policyraises profound questions for scholars, lawmakers, and citizens alike. Henry Steck, SUNY Coll. at Cortland
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 398 pages
• Publisher: Weidenfeld & Nicolson; 1 edition (March 1988)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1555841066
• ISBN-13: 978-1555841065
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.3 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #202,896 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful insight for the start of the Cold War, July 26, 2004

By 

N. Dubeski (Hamilton, Ontario) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Blowback: The First Full Account of America's Recruitment of Nazis and Its Disastrous Effect on The cold war, Our Domestic and Foreign Policy. (Paperback)

I have to say that this is a great examination of the inadvertent effects in American policy and ideology following the recruitment of Nazi intelligence officers. This book should be read not only by those interested in the origins of the Cold War, but also by those who want to study Operation Paperclip, the recruitment of Nazi scientists by the American government. This is not revisionist history, and it is not one of those quasi-historical books that try to sell themselves on a controversial and speculative thesis. It is well documented, and a very worthy book for anyone interested in mid-20th century history.

24 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Bring this book back in print!, June 3, 2004

By 

Rocco Dormarunno (Brooklyn, NY) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Blowback: America's Recruitment of Nazis and Its Effects on the Cold War (Hardcover)

It's a shame that Christopher Simpson's "Blowback: America's Recruitment of Nazis and Its Effects on the Cold War" has gone out of print. While portions of this book smack of revisionist history, the truth at the heart of it is nothing short of harrowing and infuriating. Most significantly, it's an important part of post-War American history that needs further discussion: the carte blanche treatment given to some of the Nazi party's worst war criminals in exchange for dubious (at best) information on the Russians.

According to Simpson's exhaustive research, brutal mass murderers whose technical and/or espionage value saved them from the Nuremburg trials, were given new lives, lots of money, and immunity in America in order to aid in our fight against the communists. While it seems that some of the information they gave us tilted the Cold War in our favor, the fact remains that these men had the blood of countless concentration camp victims on their hands. The photos of the death camps, including a poignant photograph of four generations of Jewish women in their underwear, moments before their execution, underscores Simpson's outrage at the cheapness America placed on their lives.

Lastly, I would point out that the subtitle is slightly misleading. While Simpson does discuss the effects these informants had on the Cold War, the subtext really has to do with the effects they had on American society. And it's not a pretty picture. I hope this book is brought back in print. Until then, picked up one of the used copies available here.

26 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars We Have Met the Enemy and He Is Us...., April 8, 2000

By 

Robert D. Steele (Oakton, VA United States) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Blowback: The First Full Account of America's Recruitment of Nazis and Its Disastrous Effect on The cold war, Our Domestic and Foreign Policy. (Paperback)

Very scary stuff. The bottom line is that for the sake of enhancing national security and national competitiveness, the U.S. Government, with approval from the highest levels, funded the wholesale introduction into U.S. citizenship of both Nazi scientists and Nazi participants in genocidal programs who were viewed in many cases as "essential" to our anti-Communist endeavors. The loss of perspective among selected senior intelligence and policy officials, and the long-term influence of this program on our obsession with Communism, give one pause.