George C. Minden

George C. Minden
Born	February 19, 1921 Bucharest, Romania
Died	April 9, 2006 (aged 85) Manhattan, New York City, U.S.
Education	University of Bucharest
Occupation	Intelligence operative
Spouse(s)	Margarete Schmidt Marilyn Miller
Children	3 sons, 1 daughter

George C. Minden (February 19, 1921 - April 9, 2006) was a Romanian-born intelligence operative who, as the president of the International Literary Center, ran a covert book distribution program for Eastern Europe financed by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) during the Cold War. ^{[1] [2] [3]} By the end of his tenure, it had helped send more than 2 million books into Communist countries ^[4] .

Minden oversaw the careful selection of titles intended to introduce Eastern Bloc readers to liberal, philosophical, and literary works that challenged totalitarian ideologies. These included 1984 and Animal Farm by George Orwell, The Open Society and Its Enemies by Karl Popper, Darkness at Noon by Arthur Koestler, and Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov. ^[4] Distribution methods varied and included mailing books directly, using diplomatic pouches, and relying on students or travelers to carry materials across borders. ^[4] Recipients ranged from intellectuals and academics to libraries and underground samizdat networks such as Teresa Bogucka's "Flying Library" operating within Communist countries.

Further reading

• English, Charlie (2025). The CIA Book Club: The Best Kept Secret of the Cold War. London, U.K.: William Collins. ISBN   978-0-00-849512-1.

References

1. "George Minden". The Times. May 9, 2006. Retrieved April 15, 2025.
2. Martin, Douglas (April 23, 2006). "George C. Minden, 85, Dies; Led a Cold War of Words". The New York Times. Retrieved April 15, 2025.
3. Sowiński, Paweł (July 18, 2019). "Cold War Books: George Minden and His Field Workers, 1973–1990". East European Politics and Societies. 34 (1).
4. English, Charlie (2025). The CIA Book Club: the best-kept secret of the Cold War. London: William Collins. ISBN   978-0-00-849512-1.