Dr. Strangelove is an ex-Nazi scientist, suggesting Operation Paperclip, the US effort to recruit top German technical talent at the end of World War II. He serves as President Muffley's scientific adviser in the War Room. When General Turgidson wonders aloud what kind of name "Strangelove" is, saying to Mr. Staines (Jack Creley) that it is not a "Kraut name", Staines responds that Strangelove's original German surname was "Merkwürdigliebe" ("Strange love" in German) and that "he changed it when he became a citizen". Twice in the film, Strangelove accidentally addresses the president as "Mein Führer". Dr. Strangelove did not appear in the book "Red Alert".