Ernest Cuneo: Difference between revisions
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| death_place = [[Washington, D.C.]] |
| death_place = [[Washington, D.C.]] |
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| occupation = Professional athlete, Lawyer, Newspaperman, Author, Intelligence liaison |
| occupation = Professional athlete, Lawyer, Newspaperman, Author, Intelligence liaison |
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| education = [[Columbia University]] ([[Bachelor of Arts|BA]], [[Bachelor of Laws|LLB]], [[Master of Laws|LLM]]) |
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| employer = [[Saturday Evening Post]] (editor at large) |
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| organization = [[Democratic National Committee]] (General counsel, 1936–1940)<ref name=times-obit /><br />[[North American Newspaper Alliance]] (1951–1980) |
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| notable_works = ''Life With Fiorello'' (1955)<br />"National Whirligig" column (1962–1980)<ref name=FDR /><br />"Take It or Leave It" column (1968–1972)<ref name=FDR /> |
| notable_works = ''Life With Fiorello'' (1955)<br />"National Whirligig" column (1962–1980)<ref name=FDR /><br />"Take It or Leave It" column (1968–1972)<ref name=FDR /> |
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| known_for = Professional football player<br />Activities during [[World War II]] |
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| children = 2, including [[Jonathan Cuneo|Jonathan]] |
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| children = Jonathan and Sandra<ref name=times-obit /> |
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| name = Ernest Cuneo |
| name = Ernest Cuneo |
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| image = |
| image = |
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| caption = |
| caption = |
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| birth_date = {{Birth date|1905|5|27}} |
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1905|5|27}} |
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| birth_place = [[Carlstadt, New Jersey]] |
| birth_place = [[Carlstadt, New Jersey]], U.S. |
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| death_date = {{Death date and age|1988|3|1|1905|5|27}} |
| death_date = {{Death date and age|1988|3|1|1905|5|27}} |
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| death_place = [[Washington, D.C.]] |
| death_place = [[Washington, D.C.]] |
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| teams = *[[Orange Tornadoes]] (1929) |
| teams = *[[Orange Tornadoes]] (1929) |
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*[[Brooklyn Dodgers (NFL)|Brooklyn Dodgers]] (1930) |
*[[Brooklyn Dodgers (NFL)|Brooklyn Dodgers]] (1930) |
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'''Ernest L. Cuneo''' (May 27, 1905 – March 1, 1988)<ref name=times-obit>[https://www.nytimes.com/1988/03/05/obituaries/ernest-l-cuneo-82-owned-news-service.html?pagewanted=1 "Ernest L. Cuneo, 82; Owned Newspaper Service"], ''The New York Times'', March 5, 1988. Accessed April 23, 2010.</ref> was an American lawyer, newspaperman, author, and intelligence liaison. He was also a professional [[American football|football]] player in the [[National Football League]]. |
'''Ernest L. Cuneo''' (May 27, 1905 – March 1, 1988)<ref name=times-obit>[https://www.nytimes.com/1988/03/05/obituaries/ernest-l-cuneo-82-owned-news-service.html?pagewanted=1 "Ernest L. Cuneo, 82; Owned Newspaper Service"], ''The New York Times'', March 5, 1988. Accessed April 23, 2010.</ref> was an American lawyer, newspaperman, author, and intelligence liaison. He was also a professional [[American football|football]] player in the [[National Football League]]. |
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== Early life and education == |
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== Biography == |
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=== Education and early career === |
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Cuneo's first newspaper experience was as editor of the school newspaper at [[East Rutherford High School]] in [[East Rutherford, New Jersey]]. During his college vacations, Cuneo worked for the ''[[New York Daily News]]''. |
Cuneo's first newspaper experience was as editor of the school newspaper at [[East Rutherford High School]] in [[East Rutherford, New Jersey]]. During his college vacations, Cuneo worked for the ''[[New York Daily News]]''. |
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== Career == |
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After |
After earning his law degree from [[Columbia University]], Cuneo became law secretary to [[Fiorello H. LaGuardia]], who was then a [[United States Congress|congressman]] representing [[New York (state)|New York]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=For Our Eyes Only|url=https://magazine.columbia.edu/article/our-eyes-only|access-date=2020-11-01|website=Columbia Magazine|language=en}}</ref> During this time, he would brief LaGuardia on the investigations of judicial malpractice and fraudulent bankruptcies. His 1955 memoir ''Life With Fiorello'' would serve in large part for the basis of the Tony Award-winning musical ''[[Fiorello!]]''<ref name="times-obit" /> |
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Cuneo eventually earned a Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Laws, Master of Laws from [[Columbia University]].<ref>[https://www.afio.com/pages/hart_cordell_cuneo_petition_2013.pdf ''A PATRIOT: ERNEST L. CUNEO''] </ref> |
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In 1936, James Farley appointed Cuneo associate general counsel of the [[Democratic National Committee]]. According to [[Neal Gabler]], from the mid-1930s on, Cuneo not only acted as a liaison between [[Franklin Roosevelt]] and [[Walter Winchell]], but he frequently wrote long political items for the Winchell column.<ref>[[Neal Gabler]], ''Walter Winchell: Gossip, Power and the Culture of Celebrity'' (Knopf, 1994).</ref> |
In 1936, James Farley appointed Cuneo associate general counsel of the [[Democratic National Committee]]. According to [[Neal Gabler]], from the mid-1930s on, Cuneo not only acted as a liaison between [[Franklin Roosevelt]] and [[Walter Winchell]], but he frequently wrote long political items for the Winchell column.<ref>[[Neal Gabler]], ''Walter Winchell: Gossip, Power and the Culture of Celebrity'' (Knopf, 1994).</ref> |
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When [[World War II]] began, [[William Joseph Donovan|General William Donovan]], who was head of the [[Office of Strategic Services]] (OSS), appointed Cuneo a liaison officer between the OSS, [[British Security Coordination]] (a part of MI-6),<ref>Jennet Conant, ''The Irregulars: Roald Dahl and the British Spy Ring in Wartime Washington,'' Simon and Schuster, 2008</ref> the [[Federal Bureau of Investigation]], the [[United States Department of State]], and U.S. President [[Franklin Roosevelt]]. |
When [[World War II]] began, [[William Joseph Donovan|General William Donovan]], who was head of the [[Office of Strategic Services]] (OSS), appointed Cuneo a liaison officer between the OSS, [[British Security Coordination]] (a part of MI-6),<ref>Jennet Conant, ''The Irregulars: Roald Dahl and the British Spy Ring in Wartime Washington,'' Simon and Schuster, 2008</ref> the [[Federal Bureau of Investigation]], the [[United States Department of State]], and U.S. President [[Franklin Roosevelt]]. |
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A friend of the muckraking newspaper columnist and broadcaster [[Drew Pearson (journalist)|Drew Pearson]], Cuneo used his position at the OSS to leak stories on U.S. commanders and their behavior.<ref>Sweeney, Michael S., ''Secrets of victory: the Office of Censorship and the American press and Radio in World War II'', University of North Carolina Press, {{ISBN|0-8078-2598-0}} (2001), pp. 157-162</ref> |
A friend of the muckraking newspaper columnist and broadcaster [[Drew Pearson (journalist)|Drew Pearson]], Cuneo used his position at the OSS to leak stories on U.S. commanders and their behavior.<ref>Sweeney, Michael S., ''Secrets of victory: the Office of Censorship and the American press and Radio in World War II'', University of North Carolina Press, {{ISBN|0-8078-2598-0}} (2001), pp. 157-162</ref> Pearson, whose reputation had been severely damaged after President Roosvelt had publicly called him a liar, wanted to strike back at the administration and its conduct of the war. Cuneo suggested to Pearson that a sensational, exclusive news story would make people forget Roosevelt's criticism, and offered Pearson details of General [[George S. Patton]]'s [[George S. Patton slapping incidents|slapping of a private soldier]] he had learned from others in the War Department.<ref>Hirshson, Stanley P., ''General Patton: A Soldier's Life'', p. 424</ref> Pearson's resulting broadcasts and news articles sufficiently concerned Secretary of War [[Henry L. Stimson]] that he requested Army General [[Joseph T. McNarney]] to "..put an inspector on the War Department to see who has been leaking out information. Pearson's articles are about three-quarters false but there's just a germ of truth in them that someone must have given him."<ref>Hirshson, Stanley P., ''General Patton: A Soldier's Life'', p. 426</ref> |
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While working with Donovan and British Intelligence, Cuneo became acquainted with such notable people as [[Sir William Stephenson]], [[Roald Dahl]], [[Noël Coward]], [[Ivar Bryce]], and [[James Bond]] creator [[Ian Fleming]].<ref name=conant>Jennet Conant, ''The Irregulars: Roald Dahl and the British Spy Ring in Wartime Washington'', 2008. p. 332</ref> |
While working with Donovan and British Intelligence, Cuneo became acquainted with such notable people as [[Sir William Stephenson]], [[Roald Dahl]], [[Noël Coward]], [[Ivar Bryce]], and [[James Bond]] creator [[Ian Fleming]].<ref name=conant>Jennet Conant, ''The Irregulars: Roald Dahl and the British Spy Ring in Wartime Washington'', 2008. p. 332</ref> A particularly close friendship developed between Fleming and Cuneo, and Fleming named a taxi driver in his James Bond novel ''[[Diamonds Are Forever (novel)|Diamonds Are Forever]]'' "Ernie Cureo" ''(sic).'' Fleming later credited Cuneo with more than half the plot for ''[[Goldfinger (novel)|Goldfinger]]'' and all of the basic plot for ''[[Thunderball (novel)|Thunderball]]''; the dedication of the latter novel reads, "To Ernest Cuneo, Muse." For his service during the war, Cuneo was decorated by [[Italy]], [[Great Britain]], and the [[Genoa, Italy|City of Genoa]]. |
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=== Post-war activities === |
=== Post-war activities === |
Revision as of 23:53, 1 November 2020
Ernest Cuneo | |
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Born | |
Died | March 1, 1988 | (aged 82)
Bildung | Columbia University (BA, LLB, LLM) |
Occupation(s) | Professional athlete, Lawyer, Newspaperman, Author, Intelligence liaison |
Notable work | Life With Fiorello (1955) "National Whirligig" column (1962–1980)[1] "Take It or Leave It" column (1968–1972)[1] |
Spouse | Margaret Watson[1] |
Children | 2, including Jonathan |
American football career |
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Personal information | |
Born: | Carlstadt, New Jersey, U.S. | May 27, 1905
Died: | March 1, 1988 Washington, D.C. | (aged 82)
Height: | 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) |
Weight: | 192 lb (87 kg) |
Career information | |
College: | Columbia, Penn State |
Position: | Fullback, Guard, Halfback |
Career history | |
| |
Player stats at PFR |
Ernest L. Cuneo (May 27, 1905 – March 1, 1988)[2] was an American lawyer, newspaperman, author, and intelligence liaison. He was also a professional football player in the National Football League.
Early life and education
Cuneo was also a star athlete in high school and later played football at Columbia University and Pennsylvania State University. Afterwards, he played two seasons in the NFL for the Orange Tornadoes and the Brooklyn Dodgers.
Cuneo's first newspaper experience was as editor of the school newspaper at East Rutherford High School in East Rutherford, New Jersey. During his college vacations, Cuneo worked for the New York Daily News.
Career
After earning his law degree from Columbia University, Cuneo became law secretary to Fiorello H. LaGuardia, who was then a congressman representing New York.[3] During this time, he would brief LaGuardia on the investigations of judicial malpractice and fraudulent bankruptcies. His 1955 memoir Life With Fiorello would serve in large part for the basis of the Tony Award-winning musical Fiorello![2]
Cuneo eventually earned a Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Laws, Master of Laws from Columbia University.[4]
In 1936, James Farley appointed Cuneo associate general counsel of the Democratic National Committee. According to Neal Gabler, from the mid-1930s on, Cuneo not only acted as a liaison between Franklin Roosevelt and Walter Winchell, but he frequently wrote long political items for the Winchell column.[5]
World War II service
When World War II began, General William Donovan, who was head of the Office of Strategic Services (OSS), appointed Cuneo a liaison officer between the OSS, British Security Coordination (a part of MI-6),[6] the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the United States Department of State, and U.S. President Franklin Roosevelt.
A friend of the muckraking newspaper columnist and broadcaster Drew Pearson, Cuneo used his position at the OSS to leak stories on U.S. commanders and their behavior.[7] Pearson, whose reputation had been severely damaged after President Roosvelt had publicly called him a liar, wanted to strike back at the administration and its conduct of the war. Cuneo suggested to Pearson that a sensational, exclusive news story would make people forget Roosevelt's criticism, and offered Pearson details of General George S. Patton's slapping of a private soldier he had learned from others in the War Department.[8] Pearson's resulting broadcasts and news articles sufficiently concerned Secretary of War Henry L. Stimson that he requested Army General Joseph T. McNarney to "..put an inspector on the War Department to see who has been leaking out information. Pearson's articles are about three-quarters false but there's just a germ of truth in them that someone must have given him."[9]
While working with Donovan and British Intelligence, Cuneo became acquainted with such notable people as Sir William Stephenson, Roald Dahl, Noël Coward, Ivar Bryce, and James Bond creator Ian Fleming.[10] A particularly close friendship developed between Fleming and Cuneo, and Fleming named a taxi driver in his James Bond novel Diamonds Are Forever "Ernie Cureo" (sic). Fleming later credited Cuneo with more than half the plot for Goldfinger and all of the basic plot for Thunderball; the dedication of the latter novel reads, "To Ernest Cuneo, Muse." For his service during the war, Cuneo was decorated by Italy, Great Britain, and the City of Genoa.
Post-war activities
In March 1951, Cuneo and a small group of investors[11] purchased the North American Newspaper Alliance (NANA). In addition, Cuneo and the Bell Syndicate-North American Newspaper Alliance group acquired the McClure Newspaper Syndicate in September 1952, with Louis Ruppel installed as president and editor.[11] Cuneo acquired full control over NANA in the mid-1950s and served as president until 1963 when he sold it. Because of Cuneo's association with former members of American and British intelligence, including Fleming and Bryce, and because some writers in the Cuneo era had alleged links to the CIA, critics have suggested that NANA under his tenure was a front for espionage.[12]
He remained with NANA as a columnist and military analyst from 1963 to 1980.[13] For a number of years Cuneo wrote a syndicated column, "Take It or Leave It," which appeared three times a week. Earlier (in the early 1960s) he took over the "National Whirligig," the original "news behind the news" column[1] which appeared five days a week; writing that column until his death.
He also later served as editor-at-large of The Saturday Evening Post.
Cuneo also wrote several books. His writings also appeared in several articles posted by the Professional Football Researchers Association. These writing reflected on Cuneo's own experiences in the NFL, as well as his friendship with Pro Football Hall of Famer Benny Friedman.
Published works
- Life with Fiorello, Macmillan 1955
- "Present at the Creation: Professional Football in the Twenties." American Scholar, 1987
- "I Remember Benny", 1986
- "In the Same League", 1988
References
- ^ a b c d "Ernest Cuneo Papers, 1926-1988," Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library & Museum. Accessed Nov. 15, 2017.
- ^ a b "Ernest L. Cuneo, 82; Owned Newspaper Service", The New York Times, March 5, 1988. Accessed April 23, 2010.
- ^ "For Our Eyes Only". Columbia Magazine. Retrieved 2020-11-01.
- ^ A PATRIOT: ERNEST L. CUNEO
- ^ Neal Gabler, Walter Winchell: Gossip, Power and the Culture of Celebrity (Knopf, 1994).
- ^ Jennet Conant, The Irregulars: Roald Dahl and the British Spy Ring in Wartime Washington, Simon and Schuster, 2008
- ^ Sweeney, Michael S., Secrets of victory: the Office of Censorship and the American press and Radio in World War II, University of North Carolina Press, ISBN 0-8078-2598-0 (2001), pp. 157-162
- ^ Hirshson, Stanley P., General Patton: A Soldier's Life, p. 424
- ^ Hirshson, Stanley P., General Patton: A Soldier's Life, p. 426
- ^ Jennet Conant, The Irregulars: Roald Dahl and the British Spy Ring in Wartime Washington, 2008. p. 332
- ^ a b Knoll, Erwin. "McClure Syndicate Sold to Bell-NANA". Editor & Publisher (September 6, 1952).
- ^ "NORTH AMERICAN NEWSPAPER ALLIANCE". NameBase. Retrieved 2012-01-20.[dead link]
- ^ "Ernest L. Cuneo, 82; Owned Newspaper Service", The New York Times, March 5, 1988. Accessed April 23, 2010.
Further reading
- 1905 births
- 1988 deaths
- Brooklyn Dodgers (NFL) players
- Columbia Lions football players
- Penn State Nittany Lions football players
- Orange Tornadoes players
- Columbia Law School alumni
- New York (state) Democrats
- People from Carlstadt, New Jersey
- People from East Rutherford, New Jersey
- Military personnel from New Jersey
- Players of American football from New Jersey
- Sportspeople from Bergen County, New Jersey
- World War II spies for the United States