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CIA book smugglers of the Cold War
Charlie English explores how the CIA used literature as a secret weapon during the Cold War, by smuggling books into the Eastern Bloc
- Lauren Good
Published: June 13, 2025 at 8:00 AM
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During the Cold War, the CIA book programme was a covert campaign to smuggle books into the Eastern Bloc using everything from balloon drops to baked bean tins. But why was literature such a significant weapon in the culture wars between east and west? Lauren Good speaks to author Charlie English about his book The CIA Book Club: The Gripping New History of the Best-Kept Secret of the Cold War.
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Charlie English is the author of The CIA Book Club: The Gripping New History of the Best-Kept Secret of the Cold War ( William Collins, 2025).
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Authors
Lauren GoodSenior content producer
Lauren Good is a senior content producer at HistoryExtra
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