George Henry Seldes was a native of Alliance, New Jersey, and the older brother of writer Gilbert Seldes. He was a highly controversial American journalist and author of the first half of the 20th century.
As a young man, Seldes began his career as a cub reporter for the Pittsburgh Leader at the age of 18. He then became a war correspondent, reporting from the European theater during World War I. After the war, Seldes and several other reporters were court-martialed for entering Germany without military permission to interview Hindenburg. They got their interview but were later forbidden to print it.
Seldes then worked as a foreign correspondent for the Chicago Tribune, reporting on the Bolshevik purges and murders in Soviet Russia, which eventually led to his expulsion from the country. He also reported on the fascist regime in Italy, earning him persona non grata status there as well. Seldes wrote a book about Mussolini, entitled "Sawdust Caesar" (1936),which was a rather unflattering portrayal.
On May 2, 1931, Seldes married Countess Dursilla Ladine Young de Martino in Toulon, France. However, the union did not last long, and the following year he married Helen Larkin Wiesman, whom he had met several years earlier in Paris when she was a graduate student studying chemistry at the Sorbonne.
Seldes and his wife were close friends of several other 20th-century literary greats, including Sinclair Lewis, John Dos Passos, Dorothy Thompson, and Vincent Sheean. They were also close friends with journalist Drew Pearson, who would often pass on news stories to Seldes that he deemed too hot to print in his own syndicated column.
Seldes was the author of numerous controversial books about the press, politics, and religion. Some of his notable works include "You Can't Print That!" (1929),"Can These Things Be!" (1931),"The Vatican: Yesterday-Today-Tomorrow" (1934),"Iron, Blood and Profits" (1934),"Freedom of the Press" (1935),"Lords of the Press" (1938),"You Can't Do That! " (1938),"The Catholic Crisis" (1940),"Witch Hunt" (1940),"Facts and Fascism" (1943),and others.
As a journalist, Seldes exposed corrupt politicians and corporate lobbyists and was one of the first to report on the results of product testing by consumer unions. He also reported on the link between tobacco and longevity, which no other publication would touch at that time.
In the early 1950s, Seldes fell victim to McCarthyism and was blacklisted for a number of years. During this time, he was able to publish at least one work, "Tell the Truth and Run" (1953).
