Melvin J. Lasky
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Melvin Jonah Lasky (15 January 1920, New York City - 19 May 2004, Berlin) was an American journalist, intellectual, and member of the Anti-Communist Left.
Born in New York and schooled at City College and later the University of Michigan, he would serve in World War II as a combat historian for the 7th Army. Lasky remained in Germany after the war, making his home in Berlin, where he worked for American military governor Lucius D. Clay. He became editor of "The New Leader" and later "Der Monat." During this time, Lasky was an outspoken critic of the United States' earlier reluctance to intervene to stop the genocide of European jews.
He was best known for his role as Editor-in-Chief of Encounter. He succeeded Irving Kristol, the original editor and founder, in 1958 and helped turn the young magazine into one of the most highly regarded periodicals in Europe. Lasky steered Encounter to represented the point of view of the anti-Communist, anti-Totalitarian Left. In 1967, it was revealed that, unbeknownst to Lasky, Encounter was one of many publications that had been funded covertly by the CIA. Despite a lack of evidence that those in charge of the magazine were aware of the source of the funding or that the CIA had ever pressured editorial decisions, the public perception of the magazine was damaged. Lasky remained at "Encounter" until the magazine folded in 1991.
Lasky was the author of many books including "Utopia and Revolution," "Voices in the Revolution," "On the Barricades and Off," and "The Language of Journalism." He was married twice, to Brigette Lasky (neé Neweger) and to Helga Hegewisch, and had two children, Vivienne Lasky and Oliver Lasky. He died in May of 2004 of a heart ailment. A portion of his unpublished memoirs appears in News from the Republic of Letters.
