--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Von Braun and his team had just launched…" description: "\"“Von Braun and his team had just launched America’s first successful satellite, Explorer I, and as far as the public was concerned, von Braun’s star wa..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/59e/annie-jacobsen-9277_concentration-camp_von-braun-and-his-team-had-just-launched_1792936.jpg" --- # Von Braun and his team had just launched America’s first… ![“Von Braun and his team had just launched America’s first successful satellite, Explorer I, and as far as the public was concerned, von Braun’s star was on the rise. But Army intelligence had information on von Braun that the rest of the world most definitely did not, namely, that he had been an…” quote by Annie Jacobsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/59e/annie-jacobsen-9277_concentration-camp_von-braun-and-his-team-had-just-launched_1792936.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/59e/annie-jacobsen-9277_concentration-camp_von-braun-and-his-team-had-just-launched_1792936.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/59e/annie-jacobsen-9277_concentration-camp_von-braun-and-his-team-had-just-launched_1792936.jpg) > ““Von Braun and his team had just launched America’s first successful satellite, Explorer I, and as far as the public was concerned, von Braun’s star was on the rise. But Army intelligence had information on von Braun that the rest of the world most definitely did not, namely, that he had been an officer with the Nazi paramilitary organization the SS during the war and that he was implicated in the deaths of thousands of slave laborers forced to build the V-2 rocket, in an underground labor-concentration camp called Nordhausen, in Nazi Germany.”” [Annie Jacobsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-jacobsen/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote reveals the stark contrast between public acclaim for von Braun’s achievements and the hidden, dark history of his involvement with Nazi atrocities. **In simple terms:** Public praise can mask serious moral failings. Key Takeaway Recognize that success may coexist with ethical breaches. Themes history morality leadership science Mood conflicted reflective Type historical ethical When to use this quote - Space program evaluation - corporate ethics training - public policy debates - media analysis Key Concepts Ethical accountability historical revisionism Questions to Reflect On - How should societies weigh scientific contributions against moral crimes? - Can redemption be earned after participation in atrocities? A Different Perspective The quote may oversimplify complex wartime choices and postwar rehabilitation. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Braun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/braun-617826/) [Braun Star](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/braun-star-1963264/) [Braun Team](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/braun-team-1963266/) [Concentration camp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/concentration-camp/) [Launched America](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/launched-america-1963265/) [Nazi germany](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nazi-germany/) [Von Braun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/von-braun-1177013/) ## Related quotes > [“Since he had, in contrast to his delivery, a big burly squared-off bulk of a body which gave hint of the methodical ruthlessness of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-mailer/since-he-had-in-contrast-to-his-delivery-a-big-burly-squared-off-bulk/) [Norman Mailer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-mailer/) > [“By the end of January 1946, 160 Nazi scientists had been secreted into America. The single largest group was comprised of the 115 rocket…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-jacobsen/by-the-end-of-january-1946-160-nazi-scientists-had-been-secreted-into/) [Annie Jacobsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-jacobsen/) > [“Over the course of that long day in Nordhausen my grandfather gave up the dream he had shared with the Werner von Braun of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-chabon/over-the-course-of-that-long-day-in-nordhausen-my-grandfather-gave-up/) [Michael Chabon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-chabon/) > [“The Soviets, knowing that the Americans would permit the German scientists to leave if they wished to, attempted to take advantage of the much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-river-editors/the-soviets-knowing-that-the-americans-would-permit-the-german/) [Charles River Editors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-river-editors/) > [“Beauty could not love you back. People were not what they seemed and certainly not what they said. Madness was contagious. Memory served melancholy.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorrie-moore/beauty-could-not-love-you-back-people-were-not-what-they-seemed-and/) [Lorrie Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorrie-moore/) > [“I believe it is time to explode once and for all the theory of the solitary space rocket and its little band of bold…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-l-petranek/i-believe-it-is-time-to-explode-once-and-for-all-the-theory-of-the/) [Stephen L. Petranek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-l-petranek/) > [“strength than he can muster, he needs faith in God.” Years before anyone would accept the idea of a man travelling to the moon…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-proctor/strength-than-he-can-muster-he-needs-faith-in-god-years-before-anyone/) [Bob Proctor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-proctor/) > [“In 1940, Heinrich Himmler, wanting to extend SS influence to the rocket program, pressured Wernher von Braun into joining the organization despite his lack…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-river-editors/in-1940-heinrich-himmler-wanting-to-extend-ss-influence-to-the-rocket/) [Charles River Editors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-river-editors/) > [ \[Eva Braun\] did not want me to interrupt her or try to lift her spirits. She told me she had to go through these… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gretl-braun/eva-braun-did-not-want-me-to-interrupt-her-or-try-to-lift-her-spirits/) [Gretl Braun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gretl-braun/) > [It was a lot of fun working with Braun Strowman.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexa-bliss/it-was-a-lot-of-fun-working-with-braun-strowman/) [Alexa Bliss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexa-bliss/) > [ I am convinced that he loved Eva \[Braun\] and there is absolutely no question of her complete adoration of him. He was away all… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gretl-braun/i-am-convinced-that-he-loved-eva-braun-and-there-is-absolutely-no/) [Gretl Braun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gretl-braun/) > [ \[Eva Braun\] always said, "you're the Führer, you can do whatever you want to do." ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gretl-braun/eva-braun-always-said-you-re-the-f-hrer-you-can-do-whatever-you-want/) [Gretl Braun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gretl-braun/) > [ \[Eva Braun\] always called him der Führer to us. It was ridiculous, but she never changed that. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gretl-braun/eva-braun-always-called-him-der-f-hrer-to-us-it-was-ridiculous-but/) [Gretl Braun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gretl-braun/) > [Braun Strowman - that guy's a monster. He's done some amazing things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/baron-corbin/braun-strowman-that-guy-s-a-monster-he-s-done-some-amazing-things/) [Baron Corbin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/baron-corbin/) > [“My name is Gerhard Braun, and I am God.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-dekker/my-name-is-gerhard-braun-and-i-am-god/) [Ted Dekker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-dekker/) ## More by Annie Jacobsen > [Anyone who's read my 'Terror in the Skies' series knows that I have not been writing with an eye toward approval from any government…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-jacobsen/anyone-who-s-read-my-terror-in-the-skies-series-knows-that-i-have-not/) [Annie Jacobsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-jacobsen/) > [“Over the next five years, DARPA’s biohybrid programs advanced at an astonishing pace. Microprocessor technology was doubling in capacity every eighteen months. By June…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-jacobsen/over-the-next-five-years-darpa-s-biohybrid-programs-advanced-at-an/) [Annie Jacobsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-jacobsen/) > [The activities that went on at Camp King between 1946 and the late 1950s have never been fully accounted for by either the Department…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-jacobsen/the-activities-that-went-on-at-camp-king-between-1946-and-the-late/) [Annie Jacobsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-jacobsen/) > [“By the time of the Cuban Missile Crisis, Eisenhower’s test ban had failed, and the United States and the Soviet Union had both returned…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-jacobsen/by-the-time-of-the-cuban-missile-crisis-eisenhower-s-test-ban-had/) [Annie Jacobsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-jacobsen/) > [“By contrast, Dresher and Flood found that the minority of game players who refused to testify against their criminal partner were almost always of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-jacobsen/by-contrast-dresher-and-flood-found-that-the-minority-of-game-players/) [Annie Jacobsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-jacobsen/) > [“To address strength and endurance issues, Goldblatt initiated a program called the Mechanically Dominant Soldier. What if soldiers could have ten times the muscle…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-jacobsen/to-address-strength-and-endurance-issues-goldblatt-initiated-a/) [Annie Jacobsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-jacobsen/) > [The area out at Area 51 that was part of the Operation Plumbbob test continues to be contaminated. It was not cleaned up until…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-jacobsen/the-area-out-at-area-51-that-was-part-of-the-operation-plumbbob-test/) [Annie Jacobsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-jacobsen/) > [I'm not an aviation historian, I'm not an Air Force aficionado, and I'm definitely not a ufologist. I'm not someone who studies UFOs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-jacobsen/i-m-not-an-aviation-historian-i-m-not-an-air-force-aficionado-and-i-m/) [Annie Jacobsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-jacobsen/) > [Back in the 1950s, there was a top-secret program code-named SUNTAN being conducted at a top-secret facility called Skunk Works. Its objective? To develop…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-jacobsen/back-in-the-1950s-there-was-a-top-secret-program-code-named-suntan/) [Annie Jacobsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-jacobsen/) > [In the winter of 1973, the American POWs held captive in Vietnam were released according to the terms of the Paris Peace Accords.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-jacobsen/in-the-winter-of-1973-the-american-pows-held-captive-in-vietnam-were/) [Annie Jacobsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-jacobsen/) > [I examined a lot of CIA declassified UFO files, which are fascinating, because there was a huge UFO craze going on in America. There…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-jacobsen/i-examined-a-lot-of-cia-declassified-ufo-files-which-are-fascinating/) [Annie Jacobsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-jacobsen/) > [You can absolutely drive through an atmospheric bomb test and not be affected.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-jacobsen/you-can-absolutely-drive-through-an-atmospheric-bomb-test-and-not-be/) [Annie Jacobsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-jacobsen/) > [“The war in Europe was over. Germans called it die Stunde Null, zero hour. Cities lay in ruins. Allied bombing had destroyed more than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-jacobsen/the-war-in-europe-was-over-germans-called-it-die-stunde-null-zero/) [Annie Jacobsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-jacobsen/) > [“Poindexter’s background was in submarines, and there was an analogy here, he told Tether. Submarines emit sound signals as they move through the sea.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-jacobsen/poindexter-s-background-was-in-submarines-and-there-was-an-analogy/) [Annie Jacobsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-jacobsen/) > [The problem is the myths of Area 51 are hard to dispute if no one can speak on the record about what actually happened there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-jacobsen/the-problem-is-the-myths-of-area-51-are-hard-to-dispute-if-no-one-can/) [Annie Jacobsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-jacobsen/) [Explore all 74 Annie Jacobsen quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-jacobsen/) ## More Concentration camp quotes > [“The experiences of camp life show that man does have a choice of action… There were enough examples, often of a heroic nature, which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viktor-frankl/the-experiences-of-camp-life-show-that-man-does-have-a-choice-of/) [Viktor Frankl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viktor-frankl/) > [“The only lesson I got pounded into me was about man's limitless capacity for vice - that and the fact that social distinctions vanish…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chol-hwan-kang/the-only-lesson-i-got-pounded-into-me-was-about-man-s-limitless/) [Chol-Hwan Kang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chol-hwan-kang/) > [“Emotion constricted Hawke’s throat. He suddenly understood why the victims of concentration camps had walked quietly to the gas chambers. In the face of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-marlantes/emotion-constricted-hawke-s-throat-he-suddenly-understood-why-the/) [Karl Marlantes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-marlantes/) > [If writing with a goal - whether it be evangelistic, apologetic, or didactic - implies propaganda, then all recorded history is propaganda. . .…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-copan/if-writing-with-a-goal-whether-it-be-evangelistic-apologetic-or/) [Paul Copan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-copan/) > [“This time of year, the purple blooms were busy with life- not just the bees, but butterflies and ladybugs, skippers and emerald-toned beetles, flitting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-wiggs/this-time-of-year-the-purple-blooms-were-busy-with-life-not-just-the/) [Susan Wiggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-wiggs/) > [There will be in the next generation or so a pharmacological method of making people love their servitude and producing dictatorship without tears, so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aldous-huxley/there-will-be-in-the-next-generation-or-so-a-pharmacological-method/) [Aldous Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aldous-huxley/) > [I didn't equate a POW camp with a concentration camp.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-hovis/i-didn-t-equate-a-pow-camp-with-a-concentration-camp/) [Larry Hovis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-hovis/) > [As I see it, our revolutionary task is to destroy phallic identity in men and masochistic non-identity in women--that is, to destroy the polar…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-dworkin/as-i-see-it-our-revolutionary-task-is-to-destroy-phallic-identity-in/) [Andrea Dworkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-dworkin/) > [“He main retain his human dignity even in a concentration camp. Dostoevsky said once, 'There is only one thing that I dread: not to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viktor-e-frankl/he-main-retain-his-human-dignity-even-in-a-concentration-camp/) [Viktor E. Frankl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viktor-e-frankl/) > [The question is not whether the system works, but whether we like the way it works. Just because something works doesn't mean it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-question-is-not-whether-the-system-works-but-whether-we-like-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [As long as my record stands in federal court, any American citizen can be held in prison or concentration camps without trial or hearing.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-korematsu/as-long-as-my-record-stands-in-federal-court-any-american-citizen-can/) [Fred Korematsu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-korematsu/) > [“Each of us has his own inner concentration camp... We must deal with, with forgiveness and patience-as full human beings, as we are and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viktor-frankl/each-of-us-has-his-own-inner-concentration-camp-we-must-deal-with/) [Viktor Frankl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viktor-frankl/) > [You can do business with America or the authoritarian dictators of Beijing, who oppress their own people, put millions of Muslims in concentration camps,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-hilton/you-can-do-business-with-america-or-the-authoritarian-dictators-of/) [Steve Hilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-hilton/) > [...women who 'adjust' as housewives, who grow up wanting to be 'just a housewife,' are in as much danger as the millions who walked…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betty-friedan/women-who-adjust-as-housewives-who-grow-up-wanting-to-be-just-a/) [Betty Friedan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betty-friedan/) > [ \[Albert\]Camus had denounced the gulag and Stalin's trials. Today we can see that he was right. To say that there were concentration camps in… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-camus/albert-camus-had-denounced-the-gulag-and-stalin-s-trials-today-we-can/) [Catherine Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-camus/) [Browse all 283 Concentration camp quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/concentration-camp/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Von Braun and his team had just launched America’s first successful satellite, Explorer I, and as far as the public was concerned, von Braun’s star was on the rise. But Army intelligence had information on von Braun that the rest of the world most definitely did not, namely, that he had been an officer with the Nazi paramilitary organization the SS during the war and that he was implicated in the deaths of thousands of slave laborers forced to build the V-2 rocket, in an underground labor-concentration camp called Nordhausen, in Nazi Germany.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Annie Jacobsen" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-jacobsen/von-braun-and-his-team-had-just-launched-america-s-first-successful/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Concentration camp" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-jacobsen/von-braun-and-his-team-had-just-launched-america-s-first-successful/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/59e/annie-jacobsen-9277_concentration-camp_von-braun-and-his-team-had-just-launched_1792936.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/59e/annie-jacobsen-9277_concentration-camp_von-braun-and-his-team-had-just-launched_1792936.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/59e/annie-jacobsen-9277_concentration-camp_von-braun-and-his-team-had-just-launched_1792936.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Von Braun and his team had just launched America’s first successful satellite, Explorer I, and as far as the…” — Annie Jacobsen", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Annie Jacobsen", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-jacobsen/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Von Braun and his team had...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-jacobsen/von-braun-and-his-team-had-just-launched-america-s-first-successful/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-jacobsen/von-braun-and-his-team-had-just-launched-america-s-first-successful/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```