Gestapo U.S.A.: When Justice Was Blindfolded [Hardcover]

William E. Winterstein Sr. (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 2010

This book is a relentless effort by a former military officer and member of the Apollo team to restore historical truth. The history books say that Russian and American scientists deserve the kudos for developing the technology that launched the first satellite and put man on the moon. It chronicles the untold story of the German rocket scientists who came to the U.S. after World War II and lays out convincing evidence that early U.S. space history, as it has been written, is not the truth:.German rocket scientists could have launched an American satellite a year before Sputnik - but the government stopped the project..In 1946, the German rocket team had the knowledge to send a man to the moon within a decade, but President Kennedy announced in 1961 that we would develop the knowledge. .Federal investigators wrongly accused a member of the German team, Arthur Rudolph, of Nazi war crimes, and the government was guilty of gross misconduct in prosecuting him..The investigators claimed exemption from the Freedom of Information Act.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

First-time author William E. Winterstein, Sr., a retired U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel and internationally known rocket engineer, was a member of NASA's Apollo team that put a man on the moon in 1969. He worked closely with a team of 118 German rocket scientists headed by Dr. Werhner von Braun. Since the mid-1980's he has tried through administrative, legal, and political means to bring the truth to light.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 280 pages
• Publisher: Robert Reed Publishers; 2nd edition (January 1, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1931741131
• ISBN-13: 978-1931741132
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,342,749 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars review of Gestapo USA by Germar Rudolf trans. by J. M. Damon, September 29, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Gestapo U.S.A.: When Justice Was Blindfolded (Hardcover)

Book review of Gestapo USA by Germar Rudolf, Translated by J. M. Damon From German to English
As part of "Operation Paperclip" shortly after World War II, the USA transported a number of captured German rocket scientists to Ft. Bliss, Texas, where they were kept under quasi arrest for almost two years. William Winterstein was the Army officer who served as steward of this valuable war booty. A close friendship developed between Winterstein and Wernher von Braun; so that when the Apollo Moon Landing Program got under way, von Braun brought Winterstein to Huntsville, Alabama as part of his team.

Winterstein begins his book with the triumphant story of the German scientists and technicians who gave the USA world supremacy in space exploration. Most of the book, however, is devoted to the scandal involving Dr. Arthur Rudolph, the manager of the Apollo Program. Early in the Eighties, Rudolf came under the crosshairs of the witch hunting Office of Special Investigation (OSI), which had been established in 1976 by President Jimmy Carter under pressure from the Jewish lobby.

This was a special department of the Department of Justice whose function was the discovery and deportation of former National Socialist criminals who had emigrated to the US. The OSI alleged that Dr. Rudolph had committed war crimes in the course of his activities as director of production of V2 Rockets at the Mittelbau facility. In addition, the OSI charged that he was a Nazi and a racist since he had joined the Party in 1931. The two Jewish inquisitors assigned to the case, Neil Sher and Eli Rosenbaum, decided against establishing direct contact with Dr. Rudolph, preferring to deal with his lawyer instead. They made concrete threats of attacking Dr. Rudolph in an expensive and long drawn out legal procedure designed to revoke his US citizenship. However they hesitated to present the evidence which they allegedly had against him. In the Fall of 1983 they finally offered Dr. Rudolph a deal under which he would voluntarily renounce his US citizenship, leave the USA permanently, and plead guilty to having exploited slave labor. In return, they assured him that he would receive his full retirement benefits plus Social Security while his naturalized wife and children would be allowed to keep their US citizenship.

Because Dr. Rudolph had recently undergone a bypass operation, was in a stressful situation and lacked financial means to protect himself from prosecution by a branch of the federal government, he finally agreed to these conditions, albeit under protest. In 1984 Dr. Rudolf left the United States and returned to Germany as a visitor. In accordance with his agreement, he renounced his citizenship at the American Embassy. Since Dr. Rudolph was no longer a citizen of Germany, this caused a diplomatic protest on the part of the Federal Republic. That government, which emulated Washington's frenzied persecution of former National Socialists, had no desire to be seen as a dumping ground for unwanted US citizens. Washington paid no attention to the protests of its vassal state, however.

In view of the charges leveled by the OSI, Germany also pressed charges against Dr. Rudolph. These were soon dropped for lack of evidence. Furthermore, Germany's request for assistance in obtaining evidence disclosed that the OSI had been bluffing. There was no evidence of culpability on Rudolph's part. The OSI had gone so far as to advertise in newspapers for incriminating evidence, without success. At a reunion of his old Apollo team, William Winterstein learned of the disgraceful affair and became involved in the Rudolph case. Ever since then he has been active on Rudolph's behalf, seeking official rehabilitation and reinstatement of citizenship. Over a period of 15 years, he has collected a great deal of evidence and entered appeals of all court decisions. Despite clear and overwhelming evidence in support of Rudolph, his Sisyphus (relentless) labors have remained without success at any level. This is a very sobering realization for anyone who still has faith in our system of government. Even the US Congress allowed itself to be misused by the OSI, as it sealed the Rudolph file. It will be many years before the public knows of the dirty tricks which the OSI used to assassinate the character of one of the greatest German American scientists and then deprive him of his citizenship.

Winterstein finishes off his fascinating story by exposing close collaboration between the OSI and the KGB in framing Rudolph. Perhaps this provides our best insight into the motivation and methods of the OSI.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome book about Space history and Human Rights, August 21, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Gestapo U.S.A.: When Justice Was Blindfolded (Hardcover)

The book contains many supporting documents that prove the point of the Author. The website pointed to Amazon for me to buy the book and it helped me make my decision for buying the book. The website is .... and has a reader survey seeking opinions of readers. Definitely worthwhile cause to give verbal support to help right a wrong.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The facts behind the persecution of Arthur Rudolph, March 20, 2003

By 

Harold McFarland (Florida) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Gestapo U.S.A.: When Justice Was Blindfolded (Hardcover)

"Gestapo USA" examines the historical events of the German rocket team that developed the technology that eventually sent satellites into space and men onto the moon. While it looks at several historical curiosities such as how the team had the technology to send a satellite into space before Sputnik but was held at bay for political reasons, the majority of the book examines the case of Arthur Rudolph. Arthur Rudolph was one of the German scientists involved in U.S. rocket research. After completing the majority of his research and developing the technology he was suddenly accused of Nazi war crimes and deported.

The author, William E. Winterstein, is in an excellent position to walk the reader through the case. He is a retired military officer and was intimately involved in the rocket research project. As he gets into the details of the Rudolph case it appears at first to be just a case of a person trying to clear the name of a good friend. But further reading shows that he is not only determined to clear his friend's name but has a great deal of clear and convincing evidence that the Federal investigators had an ulterior motive for deporting Rudolph. What that motive might be is never clear, but Mr. Winterstein includes copies of letters, and other evidence that clearly points to a governmental conspiracy. He presents much of the evidence in a voluminous series of appendices to the text.

People who are interested in conspiracy theories will enjoy the book as it definitely opens a lot of questions and leaves them unanswered. If you are interested in history, rocket science, political science, conspiracy theories, or just want to know what the government is capable of doing to the innocent this will be one of your favorite books. The title "Gestapo USA" may be a little overboard, but the subtitle "When Justice was Blindfolded" is a perfect description of the situation. This is a highly recommended read and sure to become a favorite for those interested in historical truth.