Viereck, George Sylvester

Viereck, George Sylvester

(1884–1962) writer, propagandist; born in Munich, Germany. He emigrated to New York with his family (1896). A published poet (1904), he became a writer and editor with German language publications, defending Germany at the outbreak of World War I. Questioned by the U.S. government in 1918 for receiving money from a former German minister, he was not prosecuted, despite public outrage. Known for his interviews of international figures—including Hitler (1923)—he was a Nazi apologist who was indicted (1941) under the Foreign Agents Registration Act; he served four years in prison (1943–47). He wrote two novels and a memoir in his later years.