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It should be noted for the record that the author did not enjoy full and unfettered access to all DO and OS records, finding aids, manual indexes, or computer search tools. Access to records and, even more importantly, the ways to find information are highly restricted within CIA and even more so within the Directorate of Operations and the Office of Security — for operational, security, and privacy reasons. While the various components permitted me to review numerous records and 201 files, the author did not enjoy carte blanche access to all files. This does not mean that the author did not receive significant help to order and review those records that he determined to be of possible relevance. Quite the contrary, the author received bountiful help over the years from the unsung heroes of the Agency - the recordkeepers who toil in the bowels of Headquarters and at the warehouse-like Agency Archives and Records Center. Without their help, no Agency histories could be written. (U)
After shifting through hundreds of records boxes and personality files, the author is convinced that it is impossible to write the definitive history of such a complex issue as the relationships that existed between American intelligence and the Nazis during and after the war. The topic is too broad, the issues are complex and changed over time, and the timeframe itself encompasses the entire lifespan of the CIA and its predecessors. The records are scattered, and many were destroyed or otherwise are not readily available. The identification of every single Nazi war criminal or collaborator who came into
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