Lyle Munson
Lyle Munson | |
|---|---|
 Munson, pictured 1959 | |
| Born | Lyle Hugh Munson |
| Died | (aged 55) |
| Other names | The Bookmailer |
| Citizenship | American |
| Children | 2 |
Lyle Hugh Munson (c. 1918 – November 1, 1973) was an American intelligence agent and then, later, a book publisher and distributor under the corporate name The Bookmailer, Inc.. Based in the New York area, his company was known particularly for offering anti-communist and right-wing works. Robert W. Welch Jr., the head of the John Birch Society, considered him a "good friend".
Biography
[edit]He was born Lyle Hugh Munson[1] to Ruth Munson. He had a brother, David.[2]
Intelligence
[edit]Munson worked for the Office of Strategic Services starting in 1940,[3][2] and in the CIA's[2] psychological warfare division. In 1949, he testified before the Senate Internal Security Subcommittee.[4] He stopped being an intelligence agent in 1951.[2] He was involved in the case of diplomat John Paton Davies Jr. and his 1954 dismissal. After leaving the CIA, he became president of the Swen Publications Company.[2]
Bookmailer
[edit]Munson was the head of The Bookmailer, a small right-wing publishing house.[2] During the 29 years of its existence, Bookmailer published around fifty books on its own,[5] in addition to distributing books published by small publishers. They were based in New York City, changing offices after an April 18, 1961, burglary.[6] In 1964, they moved to Linden, New Jersey.[7][8] The company was 20% owned by P. C. Beezley. Sales circa 1960 were about 200,000 volumes per year,[1] and grew to around 2 million in 1961 off of a wave of interest in anti-communist material.[9] Employees included Herbert Romerstein.[10] Munson was editor of Bookmailer's publication "For the Skeptic", which was a collection of readings aimed to "help you to understand the mechanics of the Communist spy apparatus and its successes"; this was promoted by the John Birch Society.[2]
Robert W. Welch Jr., the head of the John Birch Society, considered him a "good friend", appreciating his publishing of anti-communist material.[2]
According to Russell Kirk, Bookmailer advertising was turned down by conservative journal Modern Age because his advertising agent had a Jewish name.[11]
Books published
[edit]- Attack by Mail[8]
- Communism and Your Child by Herbert Romerstein[10]
- An edition of Freedom from War: the United States Program for General and Complete Disarmament in a Peaceful World (Department of State publication 7277) intended to stoke protests against US moves toward disarmament[12]
- The John Franklin Letters, published anonymously but probably written by Revilo P. Oliver[13]
- Major Jordan's Diaries by George Racey Jordan with Richard L. Stokes (reprint edition)[14]
- The World's Most Orphaned Nation by Joseph Cardinal Mindszenty[1]
- A volume of speeches by US Senator Thomas J. Dodd[15]
Personal life
[edit]Munson and his wife, Anne, moved from New Jersey to Mattoon, Illinois less than a year before his death. After he passed, Anne started her own by-mail bookselling operation, Munson Books.[5] They had two children.[2]
Death
[edit]Munson died November 1, 1973, at the age of 55. He retired shortly before his death.[2]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c Beezley v. Commissioner, 27 T.C.M. 1015 (T.C. September 19, 1968).
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Lyle H. Munson, 55, Publisher Of Right-Wing Books, Is Dead". The New York Times. November 2, 1973. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved February 6, 2025.
- ^ Kahn, Ely Jacques (1976). The China Hands: America's Foreign Service Officers and what Befell Them. Penguin Books. ISBN 9780140043013.
- ^ Life-Lines, volume 14, 1972
- ^ a b Smith, Linda (January 8, 1976). "Widow starts business, takes newspaper route". Journal Gazette. Retrieved June 30, 2020.
- ^ The Weekly Crusader, volume 3 (1962) page 14
- ^ Publishers Weekly, Volume 186 (1964) page 59
- ^ a b Tactics, Volume 6, Issue 9, 20 September 1969
- ^ Knebel, Fletcher (December 17, 1961). "Big Boom in the Publishing World: Anti-Red Books are Best-Sellers". Des Moines Register.
- ^ a b "Herbert Romerstein (RIP)".
- ^ Imaginative Conservatism: The Letters of Russell Kirk
- ^ "No Army - No Navy - No Air Force". The Star (Port St. Joe, Florida). April 5, 1962. Retrieved June 30, 2020.
- ^ Michael, George (January 21, 2010). "Blueprints and Fantasies: A Review and Analysis of Extremist Fiction". Studies in Conflict & Terrorism. 33 (2): 149–170. doi:10.1080/10576100903488451. ISSN 1057-610X.
- ^ The Blue Book of The John Birch Society (Fifth Edition) By Robert Welch
- ^ Congressional Record