U.S. Collaboration with Nazi, Fascist, and Communist Regimes: A Historical Overview

The United States has a long and complex history of collaborating with various regimes, including Nazi, fascist, and communist governments, when it served its geopolitical, economic, or strategic interests. This pragmatic approach to foreign policy often meant setting aside ideological differences in favor of perceived national interest.

Before World War II, several American companies, such as IBM, Ford, and General Motors, maintained business relationships with Nazi Germany. These economic ties contributed to the German economy, even as the Nazi regime pursued its militaristic and genocidal policies. Following the war, the U.S. initiated Operation Paperclip, secretly bringing over 1,600 German scientists, engineers, and technicians—many of whom were former Nazis—to work on military projects in the United States, including the development of rocket technology.

During the Cold War, the U.S. supported various fascist regimes as part of its strategy to contain communism. In Spain, despite Francisco Franco’s fascist dictatorship being aligned with the Axis powers during WWII, the U.S. forged a strategic alliance with his regime. Military bases were established in Spain in exchange for economic and military aid, viewing the country as a crucial ally in the fight against communism in Europe. Similarly, in Chile, the U.S. backed General Augusto Pinochet’s military coup in 1973, which overthrew the democratically elected socialist president, Salvador Allende. Pinochet’s regime, notorious for its human rights abuses, received substantial U.S. support as a countermeasure against the spread of communism in Latin America.

Engagement with communist governments also marked U.S. foreign policy. Despite deep ideological differences, the U.S. sought to normalize relations with the People’s Republic of China in the early 1970s. President Richard Nixon’s historic visit to China in 1972 initiated a strategic partnership aimed at countering Soviet influence during the Cold War. In Yugoslavia, the U.S. provided economic and military aid to the communist state under Josip Broz Tito, using this relationship to weaken the Soviet Union by supporting independent communist regimes not aligned with Moscow.

In the Global South, U.S. foreign policy during the Cold War often involved supporting authoritarian regimes to prevent the spread of communism. In Vietnam, the U.S. backed the authoritarian government of South Vietnam against the communist North, despite the former’s lack of democratic legitimacy and widespread corruption. In the Middle East, the U.S. alternately supported both Iran and Iraq during the Iran-Iraq War, driven by a desire to maintain regional balance and protect its interests, particularly concerning oil.

This history of collaboration highlights the tension between American values and strategic interests. While often justified as necessary to protect broader national security concerns, these alliances have been criticized for contributing to human rights abuses and undermining the U.S.’s commitment to democracy and freedom.

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