November 14, 2025
Jazz hands from Langley?
What Happened with the CIA and The Paris Review?
Did the CIA help launch The Paris Review? Commenters say “art ops” are real
TLDR: A new biography spotlights Paris Review co-founder Peter Matthiessen’s secret CIA past, reviving old doubts about influence. Commenters clash between “art ops are obvious” and “no proof,” trading classic exposés, modern-art conspiracies, and FOIA frustration over how culture and covert work might have danced together.
Peter Matthiessen co-founded The Paris Review while secretly working for the CIA (the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency), and a new biography reopens the decades-old question: was the magazine a tasteful cover for culture wars? The community is split—and loud. One camp shouts, “Of course!” dropping receipts like Carl Bernstein’s 1977 exposé on the CIA and the media. Another points to The New York Times noting there was no evidence the agency used Matthiessen to steer the Review, and says the spy angle is being overcooked. The most viral flex? A reminder that the CIA bankrolled everything from jazz to an animated Animal Farm—and possibly Abstract Expressionism, with a commenter linking the BBC’s piece on modern art as a CIA weapon.
Snark levels soared. Folks joked the “non‑drumbeaters” in the first issue were drumbeating for Langley, and memed “Jazz hands by the CIA.” The title of Matthiessen’s own notes—“THE PARIS REVIEW V. THE CIA: My Half-life as a Capitalist Running Dog”—became instant copypasta. Meanwhile, FOIA (Freedom of Information Act) stonewalling quoted by readers (“the CIA wouldn’t give me anything”) fueled suspicion: if there’s nothing to hide, why the hush? In true internet form, the thread ping-ponged between eye-rolls, conspiracy winks, and literary gossip—with everyone agreeing on one thing: the line between high art and high ops was very, very blurry.
Key Points
- •Peter Matthiessen co-founded The Paris Review while serving as an undercover CIA operative.
- •A 1977 New York Times article revealed Matthiessen’s CIA affiliation and noted no evidence of CIA influence on The Paris Review through him.
- •Matthiessen left the CIA in 1953 after roughly two years and did not disclose details of his agency work.
- •The CIA covertly funded a wide range of cultural projects during the Cold War, including art, music, media, and publishing.
- •Lance Richardson’s new biography, based on extensive interviews and archival research, offers clearer insight into The Paris Review’s early years and Matthiessen’s dual roles.