Latest news with #COLDWAR
Sydney Morning Herald
a day ago
- Politics
- Sydney Morning Herald
The gripping story of how smuggled books helped end the Cold War
COLD WAR The CIA Book Club: The Best-Kept Secret of the Cold War Charlie English HarperCollins, $29.99 In Nazi Germany books considered to be un-German were burnt in public. No such public ritual existed in the Soviet Union, where censorship was secretive and subtle. During the Cold War (1945-1989), the Polish government suppressed culture behind closed doors too. The most populous central European country was then aligned to Moscow, which meant any criticism of the Kremlin was off limits. This Sovietisation of Polish culture was resisted by certain writers, such as Czesław Miłosz, who fled to Paris in the early 1950s. The Polish poet won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1980, but his writing was banned in his native country. As was the work of many western writers, including George Orwell, Hannah Arendt, Albert Camus and Virginia Woolf. But in communist Poland an underground literary culture still flourished. Books came from the west via various channels and sources. Some were hidden in the toilets of sleeper trains shuttling across Europe. A copy of The Gulag Archipelago, by Russian dissident Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, was said to have been concealed in a baby's nappy on a flight to Warsaw. But banned literature wasn't coming into Poland by sheer chance. '[It was] part of a decades-long US intelligence operation [that built] up libraries of illicit books on the far side of the Iron Curtain,' Charlie English explains in The CIA Book Club. The British author begins this captivating story in 1955, when Free Europe Press printed 260,000 copies of Orwell's 1945 political fable Animal Farm, which were sent by balloon into East-Central Europe. But the clandestine mission, the brainchild of Free Europe Committee (FEC), an anti-communist CIA front organisation, wasn't very successful. So Langley, CIA headquarters, came up with a more effective strategy: direct mail. Post was strictly censored behind the Iron Curtain, but some books got through. 'No country responded with greater enthusiasm than Poland,' writes English, a former Guardian journalist. A persistent researcher who writes with flair, he notes that books with more controversial themes were typically sent to privileged intellectuals less likely to be persecuted. Among that list was Cardinal Karol Wojtyla, the Archbishop of Krakow, later elected Pope John Paul II. The world's first Slavic Pope had been receiving books — indirectly at least — from the CIA for years. But like most of the recipients, he had no clue where the books were coming from. The CIA book programme was 'a complex organisation ... consisting of bookshops, publishers, libraries, book exporters, and Russian and East European personalities' living in various European cities, as George Minden once put it. During the mid-1950s the Romanian exile began working for the Free Europe Press Book Centre in New York, which handled the CIA's mailing project.
The Age
a day ago
- Politics
- The Age
The gripping story of how smuggled books helped end the Cold War
COLD WAR The CIA Book Club: The Best-Kept Secret of the Cold War Charlie English HarperCollins, $29.99 In Nazi Germany books considered to be un-German were burnt in public. No such public ritual existed in the Soviet Union, where censorship was secretive and subtle. During the Cold War (1945-1989), the Polish government suppressed culture behind closed doors too. The most populous central European country was then aligned to Moscow, which meant any criticism of the Kremlin was off limits. This Sovietisation of Polish culture was resisted by certain writers, such as Czesław Miłosz, who fled to Paris in the early 1950s. The Polish poet won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1980, but his writing was banned in his native country. As was the work of many western writers, including George Orwell, Hannah Arendt, Albert Camus and Virginia Woolf. But in communist Poland an underground literary culture still flourished. Books came from the west via various channels and sources. Some were hidden in the toilets of sleeper trains shuttling across Europe. A copy of The Gulag Archipelago, by Russian dissident Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, was said to have been concealed in a baby's nappy on a flight to Warsaw. But banned literature wasn't coming into Poland by sheer chance. '[It was] part of a decades-long US intelligence operation [that built] up libraries of illicit books on the far side of the Iron Curtain,' Charlie English explains in The CIA Book Club. The British author begins this captivating story in 1955, when Free Europe Press printed 260,000 copies of Orwell's 1945 political fable Animal Farm, which were sent by balloon into East-Central Europe. But the clandestine mission, the brainchild of Free Europe Committee (FEC), an anti-communist CIA front organisation, wasn't very successful. So Langley, CIA headquarters, came up with a more effective strategy: direct mail. Post was strictly censored behind the Iron Curtain, but some books got through. 'No country responded with greater enthusiasm than Poland,' writes English, a former Guardian journalist. A persistent researcher who writes with flair, he notes that books with more controversial themes were typically sent to privileged intellectuals less likely to be persecuted. Among that list was Cardinal Karol Wojtyla, the Archbishop of Krakow, later elected Pope John Paul II. The world's first Slavic Pope had been receiving books — indirectly at least — from the CIA for years. But like most of the recipients, he had no clue where the books were coming from. The CIA book programme was 'a complex organisation ... consisting of bookshops, publishers, libraries, book exporters, and Russian and East European personalities' living in various European cities, as George Minden once put it. During the mid-1950s the Romanian exile began working for the Free Europe Press Book Centre in New York, which handled the CIA's mailing project.
Scoop
17-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Scoop
COLD WAR Is Coming: South Auckland Hosts NJPW TAMASHII's Inaugural Tag Team Championship Tournament
On Friday 4 July, the spotlight lands on Māngere as global wrestling powerhouse New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) presents COLD WAR, a one-night tournament under the NJPW TAMASHII banner to crown the first-ever NJPW TAMASHII Tag Team Champions. Locally driven by the NJPW New Zealand Dojo (NZ Dojo) in Ōtāhuhu, Auckland, COLD WAR brings together elite talent from Japan, Germany, New Zealand, Australia, Samoa, Tonga, and throughout the local scene. Alongside the tournament, the card features strong style singles and six-man tag matches, all in front of a homegrown crowd at the Māngere Arts Centre. This event continues a proud legacy: New Zealand has produced some of the industry's most respected names, Steve Rickard, Peter Maivia, and The Bushwhackers, all of whom helped shape NZ's place on the global wrestling map. Now, with COLD WAR, a new era begins: one that blends tradition with the future and brings that moment home to South Auckland. Event Details: Event: NJPW TAMASHII: COLD WAR Venue: Māngere Arts Centre, Auckland Date: Friday 4 July 2025 Time: 6:30 PM Tickets: About the NZ Dojo and NJPW TAMASHII The NJPW New Zealand Dojo (NZ Dojo), based in South Auckland, is the official training ground for New Japan Pro-Wrestling in the Southern Hemisphere. Founded by NJPW star Toks Fale, the Dojo trains wrestlers through a foundation of Japanese strong style, South Pacific identity, and discipline. It also runs LION'S DEN, a weekly live event that showcases emerging talent. NJPW TAMASHII is the official Oceania brand of New Japan Pro-Wrestling, connecting athletes across New Zealand, Australia, and the South Pacific with one of the world's most respected wrestling platforms.
Scoop
01-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Scoop
South Auckland Hosts Global Wrestling Milestone: Inaugural NJPW TAMASHII Tag Team Champions To Be Crowned At COLD WAR
Press Release – NJPW TAMASHII From the shadow of Māngere Mountain, New Zealand's place in global wrestling history will be cemented at COLD WAR, where four elite tag teams will battle to become the first-ever NJPW TAMASHII Tag Team Champions. Held at the Māngere Arts Centre; South Auckland's cultural hub, COLD WAR marks a major turning point for New Japan Pro-Wrestling's Oceania brand. The event combines international prestige with strong local roots, showcasing the power of Pacific identity and Japanese Strong Style in one high-stakes tournament. 'COLD WAR tells people what we've known for a long time,' says Toks Fale, founder of the NZ Dojo, also known domestically as Fale Dojo. 'The next generation is already here. And they're ready.' What makes this event historic: • The majority of wrestlers competing are NZ Dojo / Fale Dojo students and graduates, representing different intakes over the past decade. • These athletes have trained under the same system that produced NJPW stars, living proof of how far South Auckland's wrestling scene has come. • TAMASHII's core roster has been shaped entirely through this pathway, making COLD WAR a true celebration of homegrown talent on a global stage. Among them are Oskar Leube (Germany) and Yuto Nakashima (Japan): two returning graduates who began their journey at Fale Dojo in 2019, then sharpened their craft at the NJPW Dojo in Japan and across Europe. They now return to South Auckland not as students, but as contenders. Both are tipped to be future stars of NJPW and TAMASHII. EVENT DETAILS Māngere Arts Centre, South Auckland Friday 4 July 2025 Doors open 6:30 PM Tickets available via Eventfinda: ABOUT NJPW TAMASHII NJPW TAMASHII is the Oceania territory of New Japan Pro-Wrestling, operated by the NZ Dojo. TAMASHII blends Japanese Strong Style with South Pacific discipline, offering a direct pathway from New Zealand and Australia to the global wrestling scene.
Scoop
01-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Scoop
South Auckland Hosts Global Wrestling Milestone: Inaugural NJPW TAMASHII Tag Team Champions To Be Crowned At COLD WAR
From the shadow of Māngere Mountain, New Zealand's place in global wrestling history will be cemented at COLD WAR, where four elite tag teams will battle to become the first-ever NJPW TAMASHII Tag Team Champions. Held at the Māngere Arts Centre; South Auckland's cultural hub, COLD WAR marks a major turning point for New Japan Pro-Wrestling's Oceania brand. The event combines international prestige with strong local roots, showcasing the power of Pacific identity and Japanese Strong Style in one high-stakes tournament. 'COLD WAR tells people what we've known for a long time,' says Toks Fale, founder of the NZ Dojo, also known domestically as Fale Dojo. 'The next generation is already here. And they're ready.' What makes this event historic: • The majority of wrestlers competing are NZ Dojo / Fale Dojo students and graduates, representing different intakes over the past decade. • These athletes have trained under the same system that produced NJPW stars, living proof of how far South Auckland's wrestling scene has come. • TAMASHII's core roster has been shaped entirely through this pathway, making COLD WAR a true celebration of homegrown talent on a global stage. Among them are Oskar Leube (Germany) and Yuto Nakashima (Japan): two returning graduates who began their journey at Fale Dojo in 2019, then sharpened their craft at the NJPW Dojo in Japan and across Europe. They now return to South Auckland not as students, but as contenders. Both are tipped to be future stars of NJPW and TAMASHII. EVENT DETAILS Friday 4 July 2025 Doors open 6:30 PM Tickets available via Eventfinda: ABOUT NJPW TAMASHII NJPW TAMASHII is the Oceania territory of New Japan Pro-Wrestling, operated by the NZ Dojo. TAMASHII blends Japanese Strong Style with South Pacific discipline, offering a direct pathway from New Zealand and Australia to the global wrestling scene.
