In the final months of the war and immediately after, the United States launched a secret program called Operation Paperclip to recruit more than 1,600 German scientists, engineers, and technicians. The goal was to gain a military advantage over the Soviet Union in rocket technology, chemical weapons, and jet engines. To do this, U.S. intelligence officials whitewashed the Nazi pasts of many of these men, including Wernher von Braun. While ethically fraught, the program was undeniably successful for the U.S.; these scientists were instrumental in developing the American space program, the ICBM fleet, and the foundation of modern aerospace engineering.