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Period: to
CIA's Lifespan
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MK ULTRA
The CIA thought that the Soviets had developed some sort of mind control technology, and wanted to match their power. They did a slew of experiments with LSD, which mainly consisted of slipping it in random people's drinks. They also tried to use it in interrogations, as a sort of truth serum.
Szalavitz, Maia. "The Legacy Of The CIA’S Secret LSD Experiments On America | TIME.Com". TIME.Com, 2021, https://healthland.time.com/2012/03/23/the-legacy-of-the-cias-secret-lsd-experiments-on-america/. -
Iranian Coup De'tat
The CIA funded a coup in Iran against the democratic leader Prime Minister Mohammad Mosaddegh. They did this largely because they wanted to retain control over the oil in Iran, and to support the Shah's monarchy. It was known in the CIA as operation Ajax, and it was majorly successful.
"SECRETS OF HISTORY: The C.I.A. In Iran -- A Special Report.; How A Plot Convulsed Iran In '53 (And In '79) (Published 2000)". Nytimes.Com, 2000, -
The Guatemalan Coup De'tat
At the behest of corporations like the United Fruit company, the CIA funded a coup against the democratic reformist leader Jacobo Arbenz. The military aspect largely failed, but the psychological warfare the CIA waged made the Guatemalan military ineffective. Jacob resigned, and Carlos Armas became a military dictator. "CIA And Assassinations: The Guatemala 1954 Documents". Nsarchive2.Gwu.Edu, 2021, https://nsarchive2.gwu.edu//NSAEBB/NSAEBB4/index.html. Accessed 6 May 2021. -
COINTELPRO
COINTELPRO was technically just an FBI operation, however CIA intelligence was often used for its services. This organization's purpose was to depose communists and Civil Rights leaders in the US, and would blackmail and assassinate multiple leaders of these groups. The LINGUAL program, which was a part of the CIA, opened peoples mail to receive information, much of which was used in COINTELPRO.
Aclu.Org, 2021, https://www.aclu.org/files/FilesPDFs/mlkreport.pdf. Accessed 4 May 2021. -
A Coup in the Congo
Patrice Lumumba was the Prime minister of the DRC, and even though the CIA didn't think he was a communist, they saw him as being open to aid from the Soviets. His government was overthrown using CIA funding and a small military led by Joseph-Desire Mobutu. They imprisoned Lumumba, who was later killed.
"DRC: How The CIA Got Patrice Lumumba". The Africa Report.Com, 2021, https://www.theafricareport.com/58653/drc-how-the-cia-got-under-patrice-lumumbas-skin/. Accessed 7 May 2021. -
Bay of Pigs
The CIA payed and train multiple Cuban insurgents to launch an attack against the communist nation. The attack failed miserably, both because JFK didn't authorize the use of the US Air Force, and because they had almost no other help on the island. The fight was over in a few days, after Castro got in control of his military.
"Bay Of Pigs: The 'Perfect Failure' Of Cuba Invasion". BBC News, 2011, https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-13066561. Accessed 4 May 2021. -
Operation Coldfeet
A naval plane that was scouting the Arctic Ocean found an abandoned Soviet drift station. The CIA saw it was left in a hurry, and realized they could find important information there. They quickly parachuted some agents down, and got a hold of Soviet secrets and technology.
Cia.Gov, 2021, https://www.cia.gov/static/7d8d161eb94335f523a2230e2d468490/Robert-Fulton-Operation-Coldfeet.pdf. Accessed 7 May 2021. -
Assassination of Dictator Trujillo
Trujillo was an oppressive dictator of the Dominican republic for 31 years, and contributed to the death of thousands of Haitians. An Indigenous group of Dominicans plotted to kill the strongman, and succeeded in doing so. When one of the assassins was interrogated and tortured, he admitted to having gotten weapons from the CIA.
"C.I.A. IS REPORTED TO HAVE HELPED IN TRUJILLO DEATH (Published 1975)". Nytimes.Com, 1975, -
Project Azorian
This was one of the CIA's more lucrative missions, and it involved retrieving a denounced and sunken Soviet submarine. The CIA created a fake mining area where they knew the submarine was, and designed a ship to retrieve the submarine. They only managed to retrieve a part of the submarine, but they did so under the nose of the Soviets.
@LilaThulin, Follow. "During The Cold War, The C.I.A. Secretly Plucked A Soviet Submarine From The Ocean Floor Using A Giant Claw". Smithsonian Magazine, 2019, -
Operation Cyclone
This operation was one of the most successful at the time, but would come back to bite the CIA. During Soviet interference in Afghanistan, the CIA supplied weapons, most importantly stinger missiles. This solved the problem of the Soviet Air Force, which would greatly help Afghan Jihadists.
"Arming Afghan Guerrillas: A Huge Effort Led By U.S. (Published 1988)". Nytimes.Com, 1988, https://www.nytimes.com/1988/04/18/world/arming-afghan-guerrillas-a-huge-effort-led-by-us.html. Accessed 7 May 2021.