THE STORY OF A POSTAL LETTER

At first glance, this 1961 envelope appeared to be a simple piece of mail — an ordinary letter sent from Washington, D.C. to Buffalo, New York. Yet, one peculiar detail caught my attention and transformed it into a historical mystery worth investigating. The envelope bore a Jordanian postage stamp featuring King Hussein, but the postal cancellation mark was American, stamped in Washington, D.C. Even more curious, there were no Jordanian postal markings anywhere on the cover — an impossibility for normal international mail of the period.

Intrigued by this contradiction, I purchased the envelope on eBay, convinced that it concealed a deeper story. My investigation soon revealed that the sender, Mrs. George Varick Lauder, listed her return address as “Amman, Jordan, c/o Department of State, Washington 25, D.C.” — a format typically used by U.S. diplomatic and intelligence personnel stationed overseas. This small but significant clue opened a fascinating trail that led to the discovery of George Varick Lauder’s connection to the CIA, and his likely covert posting in Amman, Jordan during the early 1960s.

What began as a curious postal anomaly turned into an extraordinary historical find — a physical link to America’s intelligence presence in the Middle East during the Cold War era. This envelope, seemingly mundane, proved to be a silent witness to diplomatic secrecy and coded communication across continents.

George Varick Lauder was a CIA officer whose service spanned the most important decade of the Cold War. While there are no specific official records of his duties – as is usually the case with undercover officers – a body of evidence, including the attached envelope, points to an important and influential period of work in Jordan. His work there would have placed him at the center of U.S. efforts to stabilize the Hashemite monarchy, counter Soviet and Nasserist influence, and manage the aftermath of the Arab-Israeli conflict. Lauder is a model Classically for a “top secret” client, whose success is measured by the absence of his name from public records, not his presence in them.

Background: Biography of George Varick Lauder

Confirmed General Information:

Identity: George Varick Lauder III (often mentioned with “Third” or “Son”).
Birth and death: Born circa 1924, died on July 17, 1997 in Washington, D.C., as recorded in his obituary.
Military service: Served as a pilot in the U.S. Army Air Force during World War II, flying in the China-Burma-India theater of operations. This early experience in complex foreign environments was a common source of recruitment in the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) and later in the CIA.
Education: Graduated from Yale University in 1947. He was a member of the prestigious secret society “スクロール & Key,” suggesting that he belonged to an elitist and well-connected network—another characteristic of the CIA’s early recruitment.
Occupation: Publicly listed as “State Department employee.” This is the standard cover for CIA officers working under official cover (i.e., enjoying diplomatic immunity). His obituary explicitly states that he “served at the State Department for 30 years,” which is the common expression to refer to a career in the CIA.

Evidence Analysis: Envelope

The envelope addressed to Mr. Charles Penny, Jr. from Mrs. George Varick Lauder in Amman, Jordan is crucial circumstantial evidence.

“Across Offices” (C/O): The sender’s address “Across the State Department Offices, Washington 25, D.C.” is a definitive indication that they are on an official mission under cover. All official communications of U.S. government employees deployed overseas, especially in the diplomatic corps (including CIA officers under the cover of the State Department), were channeled through the State Department in Washington. This procedure was standard for both regular mail and diplomatic purse.
Conclusion: The circumstance establishes that Mrs. Lauder (and thus her husband, George) were actually present in Amman, Jordan, as part of the official U.S. mission. Given Lauder’s personal profile, his role was almost certainly not that of a cultural assistant or a business officer, but more likely that of a CIA station chief or a senior operations officer.

Historical and Political Context: Jordan in the 1950s to the 1970s

To understand the potential role of the Oder, one must assess Jordan’s critical situation during that period. King Hussein bin Talal, who ruled from 1952 to 1999, was a key ally of the West in a region rife with danger:

The “Arab Cold War”: a conflict between the revolutionary socialist republics (led by Gamal Abdel Nasser and supported by the Soviet Union) and traditional monarchies (such as Jordan and the Western-backed Saudi Arabia). Nasser’s agents, Nasserists, and propagandists constantly threatened King Hussein’s throne.
Palestinian nationalism: After the 1948 and 1967 wars, Jordan absorbed a huge number of Palestinian refugees. Palestinian factions (fedayeen), such as Yasser Arafat’s Fatah, became a state within a state, challenging the king’s authority and leading to civil war in 1970 (Black September).
Regional instability: Coups in Syria and Iraq, the rise of the Baath Party, and the constant threat from Israel have made King Hussein’s survival seem impossible without external support.

CIA Mission in Jordan: The Agency’s primary objectives were:

Maintaining the Hashemite Monarchy: Ensuring that King Hussein remains in power as a pro-Western fortress.
Providing intelligence and stability: Providing King Hussein with intelligence on conspiracies against his regime, both internally and externally.
Relationship management: Acting as a secret and direct back channel between the U.S. government and the king, often bypassing official embassy channels on sensitive matters.

Analysis of the role and potential work of Oder in Jordan

Based on the context and timing suggested by the circumstance pattern (most likely in the 1950s or 1960s), we can analyze Lauder’s possible work.

Possible position: CIA station chief or senior operations officer

The CIA station in Amman was one of the most important in the Middle East. The station chief would be a highly experienced officer with direct access to the king. Lauder’s background in age, Yale graduation and service in World War II matches the model of the “Ivy League alumni” who ran the most sensitive intelligence hotspots of the era.

Key Potential Operational Responsibilities:

Cooperation with Jordanian Intelligence (General Intelligence): Lauder’s primary day-to-day job was likely to manage the relationship with Jordan’s General Intelligence Service (GID). This included coordinating intelligence exchanges, providing training and resources, and managing joint operations against common threats.
Direct cooperation with King Hussein: Declassified documents and personal memos (such as those of former CIA agent Jack O’Connell) confirm that CIA station chiefs often met directly with King Hussein. This relationship was built on trust and secrecy. Lauder would be the king’s direct channel to Washington, providing him with CIA reports and crucial warnings of assassination plots and coups.
Counter-subversion operations: Oversaw efforts to identify, penetrate, and neutralize Nasserist and Soviet client networks operating inside Jordan and targeting the monarchy.
Surveillance of the Fedayeen: In the run-up to Black September (1970), the CIA focused heavily on monitoring the strength and intentions of Palestinian resistance groups. Lauder would be responsible for providing Washington with real-time intelligence during this critical period.
Intelligence on the Arab-Israeli conflict: While the primary focus was on Jordan’s stability, the station was also gathering intelligence on Israeli and Arab military capabilities and intentions.

“Unofficial” Evidence and Sources:

Envelope: As analyzed, it is a first-hand personal artifact that places the Lauder family in Amman.
Obituary and public records: His obituary, albeit vague, confirms a 30-year career at the State Department with assignments in Europe, the Middle East, and Asia. The lack of specific details is in itself a sign.
CIA deployment patterns: Senior officers with an Oder-like profile were always sent to capitals with high stakes, such as Amman, Beirut, and Saigon. His career path corresponded to this pattern.
Endorsement from the declassified date: While Lauder’s name may not appear in the declassified cables (the names of the officers are often omitted), the jobs he performed are well documented. The CIA’s role in rescuing King Hussein from multiple coup attempts is an established historical fact. There was someone on earth doing this work; George Varick Lauder is a prime candidate for being that person during his tenure.

“FOR CHRISTMAS” SUSPENSION ANALYSIS: A DEDUCTIVE ANALYSIS

The words “FOR CHRISTMAS” on the envelope are interesting. There are several possible explanations:

Colloquialism/Operational Terms: Within the intelligence community, seemingly ordinary phrases were often used as informal symbols or identifiers for specific projects, channels, or types of communications. “Christmas” may be an internal code name for a specific operation, source, or type of intelligence product.
Personal Appeal or Note: It may be a very personal note from Mrs. Lauder to the addressee, perhaps asking him to urgently forward the message for religious or personal reasons unrelated to the intelligence work.
Sending Instructions: Perhaps instructions to the Post Office of the State Department, indicating that this letter should be placed in a specific bag or processed with special urgency related to a process or individual codenamed “CHRISTMAS”.

Without further context, its meaning remains speculative, but the possibility that it is an informal operational mark cannot be ruled out.

The bottom line

The claim that “there is no official evidence to prove” George Varick Lauder’s work at the CIA in Jordan is precisely the case. His career was designed not to leave any public trace. The envelope attached is not just evidence; it is a concrete piece of evidence that, when combined with his biography and the well-documented history of CIA operations in Jordan, makes a compelling case.

George Varick Lauder was likely a key figure in the CIA in Amman during a crucial period. His work would have included high-stakes intelligence cooperation, direct advice to the king, and covert operations aimed at shaping the fate of a decisive ally in the Middle East. He was a model of the “quiet American man” in the Cold War, operating in the shadows, where his influence was measured by the stability of a kingdom rather than in the public records of his government.