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Cold War: CIA vs KGB Espionage & Covert Operations - Coggle Diagram
Cold War:
CIA vs KGB
Espionage &
Covert Operations
Origins & Formation
CIA founded 1947 from OSS roots
KGB established 1954
Why superpowers invested in intelligence
Cold War context: ideology vs ideology
Methods & Tactics
Recruitment of double agents
Surveillance & wiretapping
Psychological operations (PSYOP)
Disinformation campaigns
Defection programs
Famous Spies & Double Agents
Aldrich Ames — CIA mole for KGB
Kim Philby — British double agent
Rudolf Abel — Soviet spy in US
The Cambridge Five spy ring
Major CIA Operations
Iran coup 1953 — Operation Ajax
Guatemala coup 1954
Bay of Pigs failure 1961
Chile intervention 1973
Operation Mockingbird (media infiltration)
Major KGB Operations
Infiltration of Western governments
Cambridge Five recruitment
Assassination plots & active measures
Operations in Eastern Europe
Influence operations in Africa & Asia
U-2 Incident — Turning Point
US spy plane shot down 1960
Eisenhower caught lying to the public
Paris Summit collapsed
Showed espionage had real diplomatic cost
Impact on Cold War Outcome
Did CIA operations weaken the USSR?
KGB destabilization of Western politics
Role of intelligence in Soviet collapse
Legacy of both agencies today
sources
klein, julieanne. “Cold War Spies & Espionage | Study.Com.” Study.Com, 2003,
https://study.com/academy/lesson/cold-war-spies-espionage.html
.
Britannica Editors. “U-2 Incident | Summary, Significance, Cold War, & Facts.” Encyclopedia Britannica, 20 July 1998,
https://www.britannica.com/event/U-2-Incident
. Accessed 5 May 2026.
“KGB: Debriefing - THE KGB v THE CIA: THE SECRET STRUGGLE.” Pbs.Org, 2026,
https://www.pbs.org/redfiles/kgb/debrief/k_brief_ter_knightley.htm
. Accessed 5 May 2026.