If you think about space flight one of the more interesting aspect is the liftoff. Gravity has to be overcome to overcome gravity there are large rockets that blast away and provide the thrust to go to space. In the US one of the leading rocketeers was Wernher von Braun and for many people he was one of many unsung heroes who tried to ensure people went to space and came home safely as President Kennedy wanted. The story of Mr. von Braun is one which the US military overlooked his background in order to achieve the Presidential order. Mr. von Braun’s story is told in the autobiography by Michael Neufeld titled Von Braun published by Vintage Books, New York, 2007.

Mr. von Braun was a leading rocket engineer in Nazi Germany and although his childhood dream was to work on rockets and he was a very good engineer, during the war he was leading the charge for Nazi Germany of rockets (with explosives) bombing England. After the war, the German engineers including Mr. Braun were brought to the US. First he was in El Paso, later moved to Huntsville, Alabama. The division is now called the US Space and Rocket Center. One of the passages in the book suggested the people of Huntsville were at first weary of the Germans. Later, resources continue to be committed to the town which meant more people employed, the people of Huntsville liked having the Germans in their community.

After the war, people who were Nazis were classified as important and less important. It was understood, when the Nazis were in power, if you did not go along with them they may kill you or make life very difficult. If you did not like it, move or keep quiet. The US military after the war used Nazis in what became NASA and in Europe to help the Marshall Plan rebuild Europe. This time the idea was to build economic livelihoods rather than military dictatorships.

Linking to dividend paying stocks, as long as you like the ends, the means can sometimes be overlooked. For example, the recent tax bill passed by President Trump will benefit corporations greatly, it will only marginally benefit the employees. If you can live with that, then it investing makes a great deal of sense. If you cannot try to find companies which tend to be more generous and still make money.

There are more questions than answers, till the next time – to raising questions.