Radio War Nerd EP #171 — "Finks": CIA, Paris Review & Cultural Cold War (Patreon)

Guest: Joel Whitney, author 

Recorded: February 27, 2019

The War Nerd talks to author Joel Whitney about his new book "Finks: How The CIA Tricked The World's Best Writers" which exposes how deeply American spies meddled in and weaponized highbrow culture and magazine culture in the Cold War — with a particular focus on the Paris Review, the famous literary journal founded by CIA officer Peter Matthiessen, and helped every step of the way with its many CIA editorial liaisons. One of the most intriguing was Paris Review editor John Train, who later pioneered the use of arming western-backed jihadis (in Afghanistan) with video cameras and training them to film—or stage, if they had to—Russian atrocities for propaganda use in the West. We discuss the Good — James Baldwin; the Bad — too many to name; and the Ugly, poet Robert Lowell. 

Buy Joel Whitney's book "Finks: How the CIA Tricked the World's Best Writers". Check out Joel's personal website including links to his articles. Follow Joel on Twitter.

Images:

*(left to right) Richard Wright, his wife Ellen, Shakespeare Books owner George Whitman, Paris Review editor Max Steele, and CIA recruit/Paris Review editor Peter Matthiessen

* Mohammed Ali and Paris Review editor/CIA collaborator George Plimpton

Total time: 2:09:49

Direct link to this episode's mp3 here.