George Mink the Early Years

Did you ever know of someone who led a very dark and mysterious life?  So mysterious that anyone with direct contact did all they could to bury the facts and forget what happened?  Such is the story of George Mink, who came to Philadelphia from Zhytomir in 1913 as a 14-year-old, and eventually became an assassin working for Stalin.  

My interest started after reading a whole bunch of original documents that were saved by my father.  They included Western Union telegrams to the State Department in 1934, letters to different union organizers, and more letters to the State Department in 1970.  I was able to get his service record from the U.S. Navy, his 600 page rap sheet from the FBI, and most recently, his file from the archives of the KGB aka the CPU at that time.  Also included are articles written by academics who have studied George and the things that he did or was accused of doing.  We’ll learn about George over the next 3 posts.

A common theme throughout the story is who and where is George Mink. The records contain so many inconsistencies it's hard to know the truth.  We know that he was the first son of Shmuel Minkowsky, 1876-1904, and Nechama (Weinstein) Minkowsky, 1876- d. Shmuel and Nechama separated and I believe that Shmuel got custody of his son George. Shmuel remarried and fathered another son, Baruch, and then died in 1904.  George, now age 5, was living with his stepmom and half brother who was born in 1902. 

George was named after his grandfather Gadya, my great great grandfather, who died in 1893. According to his handwritten biography in the KGB files, George was sent to live with his grandfather, Israel, who was a “chicken killer” and was “smuggled into the U.S. in 1911 to live with a relation on my father’s side.”

He actually arrived in the U.S. on  August 2, 1913, on the Brandenberg which sailed from Bremen, Germany to Philadelphia.  Although his arrival age says 17 years old, we know it to be 14.  

Nechama, George’s Mother

Written on the back of the photograph was this note: “Be always happy and healthy and remember your mother Nechama”

September 17, 1913

We can assume from the photo that George and Nechama were in contact even though he was living with his grandfather.

FROM THE KGB FILES:

If you want to read the whole file click here

Autobiography

a) Social position and Origin.

My name is George Mink.

My real name is Godi Minkowsky.

Place of birth : Zhitomir Volyan.

HANDWRITTEN AUTOBIOGRAPHY:

“My father died two years after I was born, I was born in the year of 1899. (This is just one example of George rewriting history.  We know, as stated above, that Shmuel died in 1904 when George was 5.)  

My mother and father are of Jewish origin and I was left in care of my grandfather who was a chicken killer in Zhitomir.

My mother remarried and left, but I never met her. I’m not married.

Materially, I live very poor, and I only received an elementary education in Jewish language, a little Russian.

My father and mother something student and my mother family I don’t know. At the age of 13 I was sent to the United States to some relation of My Father’s Side, this was the year of 1911. I was smuggled on the Russian boat going to USA.  Arrived in Philadelphia I was sent to public school and after 

That I used to sell newspapers because the relations I like the relations I like with the very poor, and have worked in the middle trade. There were union members and also members of that Socialist Party, but I never something, that time you anything about the movement .

I live with them two years and then decided to shift for myself so I left for Chicago well in Chicago I secured work as a messenger boy in a telegraph office. I also worked as a checker in the New York Central Railroad, as a driver helper for something company, my jobs never lasted very long. I always live with Native Americans, and I always live with Native Americans, and I adopted myself to the life of the country, and picked up the language in a slang form.

My wages on all jobs were very small from $8 a week to $13 a week .

I realized that to get along better than an immigrant. So I have decided to Americanize myself, and in the year of 1916 I joined the United States Navy, giving my name is George Martin, born in the USA after 6 months and training, I was transferred on the battleship Delaware in the Boston Navy Yard.  The Russian Cruiser sailed in damage and all of the Russian Sailors were transferred to the barracks so sure, the commander of the Navy Yard, ask for someone that could speak Russian, I then apply for the position, telling him that I can speak a little, giving reasons, but that my people were of Russian descent. 

Dealing with the Russian crew was the first time I came into contact with the revolutionary movement.

The Russian seamen used to something me and only then I realized what was what in this world. I was transferred to another ship carrying soldiers to France as a member of the gun crew. Made a few trips overseas and then I was again transfer to a destroyer, and I kept on militating amongst the American semen against the war, in the year of 1919 I was discharged from the Navy with an ordinary discharge. 

I then joined the international seamen’s union, AF of L and became very active organizing. In 1921 I was elected to the Central labor Council of Philadelphia representing. “

End of autobiography

George Mink in his Navy Uniform

George wasn’t a stellar sailor while he was in the Navy.  He enlisted June 19, 1917, during WWI, at the recruiting office in Chicago.  He put Philadelphia as his place of birth and his next of kin as Uncle Harry Mink living at 1725 S. 7th St., Phila.  His total pay per month at the time of enlistment was $17.60.  He was discharged January 4, 1918, serving only 6 ½ months.  He was moved around and served on three ships: U.S.S. Newport, the  U.S.S. Delaware, and the U.S.S. Susquehanna.

He was disciplined for smoking out of hours, disregarding orders, and loafing around. He spent his last month in the Navy at various Naval Hospitals and was eventually discharged for being unfit physically to serve. 

George Mink’s Navy Record

So to recap, George’s teen years... 

• He was bounced from home to home and separated from his mother when he sailed to the US in 1913.  

• He doesn’t even acknowledge his American family ( my grandfather and his nuclear family, where he was living) in his autobiography.  

• He makes Harry Mink, who is his 2nd cousin and 4 years younger, his next of kin in the Navy documents.  

• He wants to fit in very badly and be “Americanized”.  

• He is the first one to shorten Minkowsky to Mink.  

In the next post we’ll look at his work as a union organizer and the third post we’ll learn about George as an assassin for Stalin… duh duh duh... Stay tuned.