Melvin Jonah Lasky | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | January 15, 1920 New York, NY, USA |
| Died | May 19, 2004 (aged 84) |
| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater | University of Michigan |
| Occupation(s) | Editor, journalist, author |
| Spouse(s) | Brigitte (Newiger) Lasky Helga Hegewisch |
| Children | Vivienne Lasky Oliver Lasky |
| Family | Floria Lasky (sister) David R. Altman (brother-in-law) |
Melvin Jonah Lasky (15 January 1920 – 19 May 2004) was an American journalist, intellectual, and member of the anti-Communist left. He founded the German journal Der Monat in 1948 and, from 1958 to 1991, edited Encounter, one of many journals revealed to have been secretly funded by the CIA through the Congress for Cultural Freedom (CCF).
From 1950 to 1963, the CIA covertly supported the CCF and a number of its publications, including Encounter. While Lasky admitted he knew of the CIA's role as a funding source before it was made public in 1966, allegations that he was a CIA agent have not been substantiated by evidence.[1] In 1947, Lasky wrote an influential document that made the case for a cultural Cold War intended to win over European intellectuals.
- ^ Saunders, Cultural Cold War (1999), p. 44. "And what of Melvin Lasky? Was he not an ideal candidate to join the swelling ranks of the CIA? It would later be alleged that Lasky had become an agent. This he consistently denied. Like Thaxter in [Saul Bellow's novel] Humboldt's Gift, the rumour 'greatly added to his mysteriousness.' His constant presence at the forefront of the CIA's cultural Cold War for the next two decades would not go unnoticed."