Useful info about useful idiots

[Louis Proyect <lnp3@xxxxxxxxx>]

(From Alan G., a professional archivist who keeps up with Marxmail)

I did a Proquest Historical Newspaper (certain major U.S. papers) search of
useful idiot.

Earliest citation of the phrase (no mention of Lenin) was a 1948 New York
Times article, stating that a right-wing Italian Socialist newspaper used
the term in attacking left-wing Socialists.

Next mention (also no reference to Lenin) is from the Washington Post in
1961 -- and again it's from Italy.  The neo-fascist MSI used the term to
characterize bourgeois politicians (or maybe political
parties) which opposed an alliance with the neo-fascists.