| The FBI Files of Wernher von Braun--Part 7 | |
By Tom Carney
Reprinted with permission of Old
Huntsville Magazine
Hon.
Edgar Hoover
...
The latest issue of Life Magazine pinpoints the life and habits of Werhner von
Braun, one of the great scientists at Redstone. ... This letter may sound
farfetched to you, but when the Russians can kidnap several men in New York City
in broad daylight, it would seem a simple matter for a fellow traveler to
sabotage Von Braun’s private plane. ...
Evidently
Hoover had the same concerns as he forwarded a copy of the letter to the
Secretary of the Army. The warning proved oddly prophetic considering
what happened later.
Director,
FBI
Attempt
To Wreck Plane
Huntsville,
Alabama
...
von Braun was scheduled to take his test on instrument flying … in preparation
for this flight, the plane was completely examined and declared to be in perfect
condition. XXX took the plane on a short test flight and when only a short
distance from the airport the engine cut out.
XXX said the engine cutout was caused by someone deliberately placing oil
on the back side of the magneto post. It was common knowledge that von Braun was
to take a test flight ... it would have to be someone who was familiar with the
mechanics of an airplane … no way for oil to get there unless it had been
placed there ... by placing oil in this position it would soon cause the magneto
to become overheated and then result in the motor cutting out.
Much
of the data the FBI collected on von Braun raises more mysteries than they
solve. When Khrushchev visited the United States in 1959, six pages of data,
labeled “Classified” and entitled “Khrushchev In The United States” were
placed in von Braun’s files. When they were released under the Freedom of
Information Act, the file was completely blacked out. Another memo, also blacked
out and dealing with Internal Security, Germany, was entitled “Reactivation of
Nazis.”
An
idea of the tight surveillance von Braun was under is suggested by the following
entry.
Director,
FBI
Secret
XXX
had told him that a brother of von Braun’s in Germany had suggested to the
subject that he get in touch with Werhner von Braun who might help get him a job
... about 18 months ago he telephoned long distance to von Braun ... and that
shortly afterwards he was interviewed by the FBI. ...
Also
in the files is an invitation from Senator John Sparkman inviting Hoover to the
premier of “I Aim At The Stars,” a movie based on von Braun’s life.
Although it is not known if Hoover attended, in a later memo, Clyde Tolson,
Assistant Director of the FBI, declined to have von Braun talk at a FBI
breakfast, writing “von Braun is a phony,
and the director agrees.”
By
the early 1960s, confidence in our government's policy was at an all time low.
The Russians were beating us in space and we had just suffered the embarrassing
debacle at the Bay Of The Pigs. To counter this, President Kennedy proposed a
bold new national incentive of placing a man on the moon by the end of the
decade. The attention of the free world was immediately focused on Huntsville,
Alabama as people everywhere looked to von Braun and his team of German
scientists to salvage American prestige.
Part
8--More Files
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