Vlad Georgescu (October 20, 1937 – November 13, 1988) was aRomanian historian, academic, political dissident, and director of the Romanian-language department ofRadio Free Europe between 1983 and 1988.
Born inBucharest, Georgescu studied history at theUniversity of Bucharest, and worked at the Romanian-Russian Museum until it was closed down in 1963, when he was transferred to theInstitute of Southeastern European Studies in Bucharest. He earned aPhD in history from the University of Bucharest in 1970 and published works on 18th and 19th century Romanian history. Georgescu taught in 1967 and 1968 at theUniversity of California, Los Angeles and in 1973 atColumbia University.[1]
In 1977, Georgescu was jailed for two months for disputing the role of the Communist Party in history in the manuscript of a book which he had sent abroad.[2] Two years later he left the country, becoming a fellow at theWoodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington, D.C., and teaching at theUniversity of Maryland and atRutgers University. Georgescu then returned to Europe and worked for theRadio Free Europe.[1]
In 1987, a week after Georgescu announced that he would broadcast fragments fromIon Mihai Pacepa'sRed Horizons, he received a warning from aSecuritate general that he would not live more than a year if he went on to broadcast it. Georgescu ignored the warning and went ahead and broadcast it.[3] A year later, he died of a malignantbrain tumor at the age of 51 inMunich.[1][3] In 2007,Cotidianul published informative notes sent byConstantin Bălăceanu-Stolnici to the Securitate, which included a sketch of Georgescu'sMunich apartment, drawn after a visit to see Georgescu,[4] which might have enabled the possible assassination of Georgescu.[5]
Georgescu and his wife, Mary, had a son, Tudor.[6]
