In late 1945 and early 1946, the emergence of the Cold War and the economic importance of Germany caused the United States in particular to lose interest in the program. The British handed over denazification panels to the Germans in January 1946, while the Americans did likewise in March 1946. The French ran the mildest denazification effort. Denazification was carried out in an increasingly lenient and lukewarm way until being officially abolished in 1951. The American government soon came to view the program as ineffective and counterproductive as the United States had close economic ties with many Nazi industrial leaders and had assisted many Nazis in escaping justice through the covert Operation Paperclip. Additionally, the program was hugely unpopular in West Germany where many Nazis maintained positions of power, and was opposed by the new West German government of Konrad Adenauer. On the other hand, denazification in East Germany was considered a critical element of the transformation into a socialist society and was far stricter in opposing Nazism than its counterpart. However, not all former Nazis faced harsh judgment. Doing special tasks for the government could protect some from prosecution.