Leslie I. Poste

Leslie Irlyn Poste (also known as "Leslie I. Posté") (1918–1996) was a librarian in the Monuments, Fine Arts, and Archives program at the end of World War II, and was active in the preservation, conservation and restitution of books, scrolls, manuscripts and reports accumulated by the German government from the occupied countries.

Having studied at Wayne State University, Poste received his bachelor's degree in Library Science from Columbia University.

"Like so many Monuments, Fine Arts, and Archives program officers, Leslie Poste's military career began with his induction as a private soldier because his vision problems nixed his application to Officers' Candidate School. By 1943 he had just earned his Master's degree in Library Science and was serving as an acting librarian at Columbia College when the Army called him. With their usual placement skills they put Poste into a General Service Engineers Regiment like mine. His regiment landed in Bristol, England, and built the same sort of temporary encampments our regiment had constructed. During a cold and miserable winter, Poste was nearly buried alive when a ditch his unit was digging collapsed upon them. The accident sent him to a hospital near Oxford for thirty days, during which time he started a war-time library of paperback books. At the end of his stay the hospital wanted to keep him because he could type and spell medical terms. Still in need of physical therapy for a crushed knee he wante to stay, but the army sent him back to his regiment. They needed typists too, but could not keep him for long. His librarian's training had finally been spotted and he became the first enlisted man to join the Library Branch of Special Services in London. From then on Poste rose through the Army's staff school programs which needed libraries for their instruction. After two and half years in the Army he won his commission as a first lieutenant in June 1945. Poste remained in England until he was sent to Heidelberg 15 October 1945 to become a MFA&A officer with the Seventh Army. On arriving, he was interviewed by my boss, Captain James Rorimer. Jim never failed to be impressive on first meeting and Poste was awed by his stories of MFA&A's preservation missions on behalf of looted art. On the other hand, virtually nothing had been done about looted libraries: "It's up to you," Rorimer said and then inquired if Poste could drive a car. He could not. The same afternoon he received a half hour's instruction. Thus prepared, Lt. Leslie Poste set out to rescue some of the finest libraries of Europe."

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Wikipedia