Modern Humanists: Adriano Olivetti, Milton Gendel, and Cultural Transfer in Cold War Italy

Abstract: Exploring the agents and infrastructure of cultural transfer in the 1950s, this essay reconstitutes the activities of Milton Gendel on behalf of Adriano Olivetti. Thanks to Bruno Zevi, Gendel began working for Olivetti in 1951 as an editor and translator. He quickly became a trusted advisor, shaping Olivetti's image in the foreign press and acting as a liaison between Olivetti and the United States Information Service (USIS) in Italy. Facilitating negotiations regarding the publication and distribution of books by Edizioni di Comunità purchased by USIS, Gendel helped Olivetti reassure American officials that his ambiguous political platform furthered rather than threatened their interests.