Amerikanskoe gestapo (American Gestapo) [Anti-American propaganda pamphlet]

Print run 50,000 copies.

Good condition; creases across upper corners of the wrappers, back wrapper is stained, moisture stains on the outer corners of the front wrapper; internally trace of moisture along fore-edge margin throughout the book gradually disappearing to the beginning.

In 1949 publishing house of the Moscow City Committee of the CPSU "Moskovskiy Raborchiy" (Moscow Worker) rated the book "American Gestapo" as "a political pamphlet exposing contemporary American reality" and representing "the transformation of the United States into a fascist-police country where flourishes terror and lawlessness." The manuscript of the book was sent to the Department for Agitation and Propaganda for reviewing. The chapters focusing on the intelligence activities were sent for assessment to the Minister of State Security of the USSR V. S. Abakumov. The conclusions were as follows: "A considerable part of the book is based on the author's conjectures and fabrications, therefore, cannot be used to expose the criminal activities of the American intelligence agencies. In preparation of the book the author used closed materials, which are not appropriate to refer to in the open media. The publication of such a book can only confuse our readers' understanding of contemporary American reality.[...] Comrade Abakumov is against the publication of V. Minaev's book. The Propaganda and Agitation Department considers it inexpedient to publish the book by V. Minaev "American Gestapo". [1]

Two months later V. N. Minaev wrote to V. M. Molotov stating that the leadership of the publishing house "Moskovskiy Rabochiy" consistently delayes the publication of the book "American Gestapo", which he defined as touching the topic of "the schemes of domestic political espionage and police terror in the United States." In addition, he noted that the materials that form the basis of the book were "entirely drawn from American sources - the press and literature." [1]

The range of themes covered in the book include: history and origin of the FBI, fascist organizations in the USA (Ku Klux Klan, American Legion, Black Legion), capitalist espionage in the workers' movement, gansterism as the essence of the American way of life, etc.

Book's collage cover design by famous Soviet graphic artist and caricaturist Vasily Ivanovich Fomichev (1908-1998). Woked for the Komsomol'skaya Pravda newspaper. Especially known for his agitprop posters.

Vladislav Nikolaevich Minaev (1905-1966) was a Soviet writer and publicist. Author of works on the history and activities of international intelligence and counterintelligence.