Claire Sterling
Encyclopedia
Claire Sterling was an American author and journalist whose work focused on crime, political assassination, and terrorism. Her theories on Soviet bloc involvement in international terrorism and the attempted assassination of Pope John Paul II, presented in The Terror Network
and The Time of the Assassins, respectively, were politically influential and controversial.
, worked as a union organizer, and was briefly member of the Young Communist League
. After receiving a master's degree in journalism from Columbia University
in 1945, she became the Rome correspondent of "a fly-by-night American news agency." When it folded, she joined The Reporter
, which she wrote for until it ceased publication in 1968. Sterling began writing her first book after losing her job at The Reporter; it was published in 1969. She also wrote for various newspapers and magazines, including The New York Times
, Washington Post and Reader's Digest
.
She married Thomas Sterling, a novelist, in 1951. After spending their honeymoon in Italy the two moved there, living in Rome for several decades. They had two children. She died of cancer at age 75, in a hospital in Arezzo
.
, the Czechoslovak foreign minister, which she blamed on Soviet or Czechoslovak Stalinists. More controversial were her books The Terror Network
(1981) and The Time of the Assassins (1984). In the former book, which was translated into 22 languages, she claimed that Soviet Union was a major source of backing behind terrorist groupings around the world. The book was read and appreciated by Alexander Haig
and William Casey, but its arguments were dismissed by the CIA's Soviet analysts. Sterling was the first to claim (in a September 1982 article in Reader's Digest
) that the 1981 assassination attempt on Pope John II
had been ordered by the Bulgarian Secret Service, a theory that became known as the "Bulgarian Connection." The Time of the Assassins dealt with the assassination attempt and advanced this theory. Her last two books dealt with the Sicilian Mafia and post-Communist globalized organized crime, respectively.
The Terror Network
The Terror Network was a 1981 book by Claire Sterling which argued that the USSR was using terrorists as a proxy force.In part because of the book, CIA director William J. Casey commissioned a Special National Intelligence Estimate on Soviet support for terrorism...
and The Time of the Assassins, respectively, were politically influential and controversial.
Life
Sterling was born in Queens, New York. She earned a bachelor's degree in economics at Brooklyn CollegeBrooklyn College
Brooklyn College is a senior college of the City University of New York, located in Brooklyn, New York, United States.Established in 1930 by the New York City Board of Higher Education, the College had its beginnings as the Downtown Brooklyn branches of Hunter College and the City College of New...
, worked as a union organizer, and was briefly member of the Young Communist League
Young Communist League, USA
The Young Communist League USA is the fraternal youth organization of the Communist Party USA. Although the name of the group has changed a number of times over the years, it dates its lineage back to 1920, shortly after the establishment of the first communist parties in America.-Early years:The...
. After receiving a master's degree in journalism from Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
in 1945, she became the Rome correspondent of "a fly-by-night American news agency." When it folded, she joined The Reporter
The Reporter (magazine)
The Reporter was an American biweekly news magazine published in New York from 1949 through 1968.In its heyday it was viewed as a prestigious intellectual forum...
, which she wrote for until it ceased publication in 1968. Sterling began writing her first book after losing her job at The Reporter; it was published in 1969. She also wrote for various newspapers and magazines, including The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
, Washington Post and Reader's Digest
Reader's Digest
Reader's Digest is a general interest family magazine, published ten times annually. Formerly based in Chappaqua, New York, its headquarters is now in New York City. It was founded in 1922, by DeWitt Wallace and Lila Bell Wallace...
.
She married Thomas Sterling, a novelist, in 1951. After spending their honeymoon in Italy the two moved there, living in Rome for several decades. They had two children. She died of cancer at age 75, in a hospital in Arezzo
Arezzo
Arezzo is a city and comune in Central Italy, capital of the province of the same name, located in Tuscany. Arezzo is about 80 km southeast of Florence, at an elevation of 296 m above sea level. In 2011 the population was about 100,000....
.
Work as an author
Sterling's first book revisited the 1948 death of Jan MasarykJan Masaryk
Jan Garrigue Masaryk was a Czech diplomat and politician and Foreign Minister of Czechoslovakia from 1940 to 1948.- Early life :...
, the Czechoslovak foreign minister, which she blamed on Soviet or Czechoslovak Stalinists. More controversial were her books The Terror Network
The Terror Network
The Terror Network was a 1981 book by Claire Sterling which argued that the USSR was using terrorists as a proxy force.In part because of the book, CIA director William J. Casey commissioned a Special National Intelligence Estimate on Soviet support for terrorism...
(1981) and The Time of the Assassins (1984). In the former book, which was translated into 22 languages, she claimed that Soviet Union was a major source of backing behind terrorist groupings around the world. The book was read and appreciated by Alexander Haig
Alexander Haig
Alexander Meigs Haig, Jr. was a United States Army general who served as the United States Secretary of State under President Ronald Reagan and White House Chief of Staff under Presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford...
and William Casey, but its arguments were dismissed by the CIA's Soviet analysts. Sterling was the first to claim (in a September 1982 article in Reader's Digest
Reader's Digest
Reader's Digest is a general interest family magazine, published ten times annually. Formerly based in Chappaqua, New York, its headquarters is now in New York City. It was founded in 1922, by DeWitt Wallace and Lila Bell Wallace...
) that the 1981 assassination attempt on Pope John II
1981 Pope John Paul II assassination attempt
The first attempted assassination of Pope John Paul II took place on Wednesday, May 13, 1981, in St. Peter's Square at Vatican City. The Pope was shot and critically wounded by Mehmet Ali Ağca while he was entering the square. The Pope was struck 4 times, and suffered severe blood loss. Ağca was...
had been ordered by the Bulgarian Secret Service, a theory that became known as the "Bulgarian Connection." The Time of the Assassins dealt with the assassination attempt and advanced this theory. Her last two books dealt with the Sicilian Mafia and post-Communist globalized organized crime, respectively.
Books
- Our Goal Was Palestine (1946) (a 20-page pamphlet, published under her maiden name)
- The Masaryk Case (1969)
- The Terror Network (1981)
- The Time of the Assassins (1984)
- Octopus: The Long Reach of the International Sicilian Mafia (1990)
- Thieves' World: The Threat of the New Global Network of Organized Crime (1994) (published in the UK as Crime Without Frontiers)