Choosing between $30 billion and 78 war criminals, for most people, money is hard to resist.
However, after the end of World War II, one country resolutely forwent the huge reparations and insisted on taking away 78 war criminals by name. It was not until half a century later that the meaning behind this seemingly bizarre decision was revealed.
Looking back at the end of the 30s of the last century, Hitler united with Germany, Japan, Italy and other Axis powers to provoke World War II, and this global hot war brought great trauma to the world.
After the war, in order to rebuild, the victorious powers demanded reparations from Germany.
At that time, the United States refused Germany's compensation of up to $30 billion, and instead chose to take away 78 war criminals.
This move has left many countries wondering why they would forgo huge sums of money in favor of some war criminals involved in crimes
It was not until later, with the rise of the United States' scientific and technological prowess, that the original wisdom was revealed.
The United States chose these 78 war criminals because they were Germany's top scientific researchers.
At that time, the United States was an emerging country that lacked a deep cultural heritage and a strong industrial base.
As an industrial power in Europe, Germany has many scientists and researchers. During World War II, German engineers dominated with advanced equipment, and these scientists designed many innovative products for Germany, such as Nazi flying saucers and Tiger tanks.
Therefore, the scientific research value of these 78 war criminals cannot be ignored.
This decision of the United States is based on the cherishing of talent. At that time, the development of science and technology required highly qualified scientists and engineers.
After these German war criminals were brought to the United States, they injected new vitality into American scientific research. The addition of scientists such as von Braun promoted the development of the American space industry, and eventually made the United States a world leader in science and technology.
This story teaches us that talent is the key to a nation's development, no matter when and where. The United States saw this and made a difficult but ultimately wise choice.
Today, the United States is firmly seated as the world hegemon, which is also a wise move to take away war criminals in the first place.