CIA and Cold War Covert Action

Featuring David Robarge, Chief Historian, Central Intelligence Agency.

Covert action historically has been perhaps the most controversial and least understood function of the CIA. While all presidents since World War II have used covert action to try to influence the political situation in countries of interest to advance US national security interests, they sometimes have done so to rescue failing foreign policies, with exaggerated expectations of the prospects for success, without due attention to long-term consequences, or in ways that contradict the popular will in the countries targeted. Nonetheless, the CIA has had some notable operational successes, and public perceptions of covert action have been skewed by excessive attention to a small number of dubious undertakings.