Eagle and Swastika: CIA and Nazi War Criminals and Collaboratorsexamines the Central Intelligence Agency's involvement with Nazis and their collaborators after World War II.  The CIA expressed reluctance to work with some individuals or organizations, as seen with the Ukrainian nationalists and the Gehlen Organization. As tensions mounted between East and West, the Agency retreated from this stand because of the pressing need for intelligence on the intentions and capabilities of the Soviet Union. 

The first half of this study examines many of the CIA's earliest operations in Europe when the Agency decided to work with individuals and groups with Nazi backgrounds. 

The second half of the study shifts to the period of the 1970s to the present day and looks at the Agency's role in the investigations, including such notable cases as Klaus Barbie and Kurt Waldheim. 

Eagle and Swastika highlights the general operational activities of the Agency and its predecessors and recounts specific projects involving those with Nazi backgrounds from 1945 to the present day. The study should be regarded as a critical guide to future research into this emotional and complicated subject.