Alternative Views hosts this interview with John Stockwell, a former CIA agent turned state critic and author of In Search of Enemies: Red Sunset, a meticulously detailed insider account of CIA covert actions. Joining him is Louis Wolf, a respected alternative journalist and writer who co-founded CovertAction magazine, which serves as a vital source of information for the general public regarding the actions of the CIA.
The CIA (Central Intelligence Agency) as we know it today emerged in the aftermath of World War 2 when President Harry Truman’s administration brought in the National Security Act of 1947. This pivotal legislation reshaped American intelligence efforts. Before this, the nation’s intelligence apparatus was primarily focused on gathering foreign intelligence, beginning with the establishment of the Office of the Coordination of Information (COI) by President Franklin D Roosevelt.
The COI’s successor was the Office of Strategic Services (OSS), which moved on from mere information gathering to what the CIA now describes on its website as ‘unconventional and paramilitary operations’ – essentially, to activities that would be termed terrorism when carried out by other nations. Following the OSS, there was a transitional period during which the Strategic Services Unit (SSU) served as a precursor to the establishment of the modern CIA.
For imperialist nations like the USA, maintaining control over other countries is imperative to enriching the ruling class. Recognising the difficulty in gaining widespread public support for continuous kinetic warfare, the imperialist states have instead established loyal and ruthless agencies that operate behind the scenes, tasked with carrying out covert wars and military operations that uphold western global hegemony.
In this interview, Stockwell and Wolf delve into how the administration of President Ronald Reagan significantly expanded the CIA’s authority during the 1980s. This enlargement emboldened the agency still further, granting it the power to act with impunity, free from the oversight of the media or the constraints of criminal courts.
What’s more, the CIA was given permission to operate within the borders of the United States, against its own population. This extension of powers was a response to mounting public scrutiny, as people became increasingly aware of the consequences of US actions around the world.
This revealing discussion elucidates the CIA’s transformation and its pivotal role in advancing imperialist agendas, particularly during periods of intensified political crisis.
