Remembering the Space Age. - Black Vault Radio Network (BVRN)

OperatION paperCLIp IN hUNtSVILLe, aLaBaMa
hereford’s above remark most likely refers to the barbecue party organized by
the town’s Chamber of Commerce to welcome the newcomers from Fort Bliss,
texas, as “Special Civic Guests.” the event was announced repeatedly in the
town’s main newspaper in 1950, 22 and it was clearly a well-planned and largescale
undertaking:
Local civic clubs will be asked to cancel their meetings during
that week, to meet during the municipal party at the Big
Spring park . . . elaborate entertainment and reception committees
will also be established, to make sure that everyone
is introduced, and has the opportunity of knowing others
who will be present . . . Sponsoring Chamber ofcials are
hopeful that the barbecue and fellowship will create continued
harmonious relations between the various segments of
the huntsville population. 23
Obviously, the creation of “harmonious relations” did not apply to those
between the white and black communities of huntsville. When ray explains,
“We just did not move in the same circles,” he is responding to such insults
by referring to them as a matter of choice by the ones being excluded—not
just by those who were actively doing the excluding. In this way, the insult
is transformed and therefore rendered nonexistent. the need for such a
transformation speaks to the level of pain these acts of exclusion caused.
In light of these segregated circumstances that were not unusual during the
1950s in the United States, it does not surprise that interest in and knowledge of
the group of Germans was and is relatively low among members of the african
american community. ray adds,
I did not know of their . . . direct participation in the afairs
of huntsville. I’m sure, you know, the fnancial uplift that
they brought to huntsville with the program was controlled
not by Germans, but by the white management at NaSa.
22. “2,700 attend Newcomer Fete Despite rains,” The Huntsville Times, august 10, 1950,
“Invitations Sent for Civic patry [sic],” Huntsville Times, July 17, 1950, “Newcomer party of
Welcome Set,” Huntsville Times, July 16, 1950, “Newcomers’ Civic party rescheduled for
aug. 9,” Huntsville Times, July 26, 1950, “rain Will Not halt Newcomer Outing today,”
Huntsville Times, august 9, 1950.
23. “Chamber to hold Barbecue party,” Huntsville Times, July 23, 1950. the guest list included
not only the German rocket engineers and their families. In fact, they were in the minority.
Invited were “Incoming scientifc personnel at redstone arsenal, the contract companies,
enlisted men and ofcers and their families.” Ibid.
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