Milo Minderbinder

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Lieutenant Milo Minderbinder is a character in two of Joseph Heller's novels, Catch-22 and Closing Time.

Milo is the mess officer at the U.S. Army Air Corps base and he becomes obsessed with expanding mess operations and trading goods for the profits of the syndicate (in which he and everyone else "has a share"). Milo is a satire of the modern businessman, and beyond that as the living representation of capitalism, as he has no allegiance to any country, person or principle unless it pays him.

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

Milo, unlike most characters in Catch-22, who are only the subject of one chapter, is the subject of three chapters ("Milo the Mayor," "Milo," and "Milo the Militant"). Like most characters in "Catch-22," he is mentioned much earlier in the book than his chapter. He is one of the main characters in the novel. His most interesting attributes are his complete, mercenary amorality and absurd logic in the operations of his enterprise.

Milo's enterprise becomes known as "M & M Enterprises", with the two M's standing for his initials and the "&" added to dispel any idea that the enterprise is a one-man operation. Milo travels across the world, though mainly the Mediterranean, trying to buy and sell goods at a profit through black market channels. Everyone in the camp has a "share", which Milo uses to defend his actions, stating what is good for the company is good for all.

Milo even begins contracting missions for the Germans, fighting on both sides at Orvieto, and bombing his own squadron at Pianosa. He finally gets court-martialed for treason. At one point, Milo orders his fleet of aircraft to attack the American base where he lives, killing many American officers and enlisted men. As M&M Enterprises proves to be incredibly profitable, he hires an expensive lawyer, who gets the court convinced that it was capitalism which made America great, and Milo is an example of an American entrepreneur. Ironically, his company's phrase, "What's good for M&M enterprises is good for the country" mirrors a phrase Mussolini often used; "What's good for Fiat is good for Italy", or the similar "What's good for General Motors is good for America". There are some historical parallels to Milo Minderbinder, most notably Ford, who like Minderbinder avoided getting their factories blown up due to business connections.

In typical Catch-22 satirical fashion, Milo's business is incredibly profitable, with the exception of his attempts to sell Egyptian cotton, which he tries to dispose of by coating with chocolate and serving it in the mess hall. Later Yossarian gives Milo the idea of selling the cotton to the government as the "business of government is business"

Milo is a friend of the novel's protagonist, Yossarian, tending to trust him more than he trusts anyone else. However, he continually ignores Yossarian's pleas for help because of his preoccupation with running M & M Enterprises. He ultimately betrays Yossarian by striking a deal with Colonel Cathcart: Yossarian's squadron must fly additional missions, and Milo gets the credit. When Nately's Whore's Kid Sister goes missing, Milo abandons Yossarian's attempt to find her after a business opportunity presents itself.

[edit] Film

Jon Voight portrayed Milo in the 1970 film adaptation of the novel directed by Mike Nichols. According to his autobiography "Kiss Me Like A Stranger", Gene Wilder was offered the role of Milo for the film, but declined due to creative differences.