CIA Questions
Consider the statement 'The most important role the CIA has played in its history is as a scapegoat.'
Why did CIA activities within the US generate more controversy than what the CIA did outside the US?
Assess the significance of the CIA in influencing the course of the Cold War and bringing about its conclusion.
'Morality and ethics have no place in the world of intelligence.' Evaluate the accuracy of this statement in the post-1947 era
Look at the scandal of all the private groups that the CIA had been funding secretly
the outrage of the public, how it changed public view on them afterwards despite everything they had already done abroad
racist views to other countries? thought what was done had to be done?
American exceptionalism?
Yes they play a role, because of the issues around it being in a liberal-democratic state; how open should they be?
No they don't play a role, because does taking ethics into consideration negatively impact the intelligence process?
if it's for the 'greater good' do the ends justify the means?
how would one monitor the ethics if its all meant to be covert?
idea that the CIA had become a rogue elephant in the 70's, when in reality everything the CIA had done was authorised by the US government (i.e the President)
but when it goes wrong, they were able to blame the CIA
needed state-private networks because otherwise it would be too close to communism
because if they argued that it didn't play a role; didn't have to be responsible for their actions, it was too close to communism ?
famous quote 'gentlemen do not read each other's mail', so the idea that morality did come into it; there was a line ?
used psychological warfare instead of direct conflict in Eastern European countries
how do you measure their success? long-term/short term?
its hard to measure because its probably kept secret, but maybe their success is that they were able to assist the US government in this way, even if they were the villain to the rest of the world?
a lot of the controversies outside of the US were early on as well? As it was still new (trying/testing new methods)
how did this affect the American psyche? Did this give them arrogance, that they could do anything?
the 3 case studies of trying to contain the Soviet spread in Germany, Italy and Hungary
it was about containment in the centre, and direct conflict in the periphery (non-European countries); because they didn't want a war
why did they use different methods outside of Europe to what they used in Europe?
was it racism? the Cold War? greater history of economic interests? or because it felt like it was in the 'Soviet's backyard' ?
they tried to use containment in the 'centre', and direct conflict in the 'periphery' countries
bay of pigs is a prime example
with many countries that they got involved in, they thought short term; toppling their governments, not caring as much about the long term
eg the 3 case studies, they felt as thought it was a proxy war for the US and Soviets; the locals were not as important
Plausible deniability: the 5412 document written so the US government could plausibly disclaim any involvement in operations
good example: the difference in the two titles of 'The Cultural Cold War', because the one printed outside the US was more inflammatory than in the US
the book: 'I'm glad the CIA were immoral'
came with the downfall of the 70's; the 60's were a radical time; US citizens weren't trusting their goverment
Also need to ask the Q: how was it not significant in bringing about the end of the Cold War?
At the end of the Cold War, the CIA actually had no intel that the Soviet Union was about to collapse, a couple years before they even said the Soviet Union was an affective system and was there to stay