Central Intelligence Agency And The Cold War - 1821 Words

The Central Intelligence Agency and the Cold War Two trillion dollars was the amount spent by the United States on the war with the Soviet Union, which never seen the battlefield. Over four decades of US presidencies were committed to containing communism within the Soviet Union, and existing establishments, driving US foreign policy decisions across the globe. Armed forces, government officials, and US presidents, may have been unable to contain communism on their own. In 1947, the first year of the Cold War, President Harry Truman proposed a six-pronged defense strategy which included the National Security Act of 1947, giving birth to the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) (Roark, et al. 789). The consensus of the Cold War was driven by†¦show more content†¦Within that same year, Guatemala was being run by elected reformist Jacobo Arbenz, whom was accepting support from a local Communist Party. Consequently, the CIA helped support an opposition party who overthrew Arbenz and installed a dictatorship (Roark, et al. 818). S everal years later, in 1959, the Cuban Revolution, led by Fidel Castro, caught the attention of the US government. When Castro asked the US for support, it was denied, and in result Castro turned to the Soviet Union. Eisenhower responded to this by prompting the CIA to begin training Cuban exiles for invasion. Additionally, in Iran, the CIA helped rid of an elected government to support a dictatorship that would allow the US access to oil, this is the first piece of evidence showing the CIA was in coordination to capitalist interests and there was a link between the CIA and oil industry. Eisenhower authorized a coup which put Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlaui back in government over Mohammad Mossadegh. Also in the Middle East, Eisenhower continued Truman’s friendship with Israel, but also attempted to build relationships with Arab nations to secure their oil. These foreign decisions began to form a pattern of protecting US capitalist interests in countries that weren’t an imm ediate threat to the US and installing governments solely for the benefit to the US, and not the citizens within those countries. President JohnShow MoreRelatedThe History and Mission of the CIA Essay1463 Words   |  6 PagesThe Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), while on the surface appearing as dissimilar as the ideas of Karl Marx and the Founding Fathers, have at their heart a very similar idea behind them. Both of these federal bureaucracies are federal agencies, with the heads appointed by the President, and responsible to Congress. The CIA is a rather young federal agency, with its earliest predecessor dating back to only 1941 (Wallace 482). On July 11, 1941, the firstRead MoreThe Attack On Pearl Harbor And 2001 Attacks On The World Trade Center1298 Words   |  6 Pages(U.S) Intelligence community has come a long way since the revolutionary war. After winning independence from England, the U.S would not invest much into intelligence or foreign policy until the 20th century. Foreign policy was simply not a priority for our young nation, having an ocean on eastern and Western boarders of the country severely limited potential threats. President Franklin D. Roosevelt would be the first president since Washington to understand the importance of intelligence and layRead MoreThe Revolution Of The Cuban Revolution1559 Words   |  7 Pagestook place. United States President Dwight D. Eisenhower ordered the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) to begin a covert operation to bring down the pro-communist Cuban governmen t. Nonetheless Fidel Castro’s potential pro-communist beliefs, the seizure of American owned companies and land lead to extreme concern from United States policy makers and officials. The mission, however would become possibly one of the greatest intelligence failures in the history of the United States. The failed Bay of PigsRead MoreThe National Security Act Of 19471677 Words   |  7 PagesCounterintelligence is one of the most vital areas of the United States intelligence system, and is heavily intertwined with our history, laws and ethics. According to the National Security Act of 1947, counterintelligence (CI) is defined as â€Å"information gathered and activities conducted to protect against espionage, other intelligence activities, sabotage, or assassinations conducted by or on behalf of foreign governments or elements thereof, foreign organizations or foreign persons, or internationalRead MoreDifferences Between Non- State Actors And Nation- States1749 Words    |  7 PagesNation state threats are important to look at in the intelligence community because they are at times difficult to analyze. Being part of a nation state means they have resources that can make our collection and analytical platforms difficult to use. This is important because the Intelligence Community has taken somewhat of a back seat on focusing on nation state threats. The focus has been more towards non- state actors this being because of the war on terrorism in Iraq and Afghanistan over the pastRead MoreThe American Intelligence Community Essay955 Words   |  4 PagesThe origins of covert action in America’s intelligence activities go far beyond WWI. The Founding Fathers were the first ones in introducing intelligence concepts and intelligence activities during America’s revolution. Benjamin Franklin is known as a big contributor in the processes and use of intelligence activities. He became known as a master of covert action (Central Intelligence Agency 2009). Franklin initiated his covert action skills when he was named Ambassador to France. Thanks to hisRead MoreCia Research Paper1266 Words   |  6 Pagesbetween the intelligence-gatherer and the policy-maker. Since the 1970s the CIA has provided intelligence to Congress as well as to the executive, so that it now finds itself in a remarkable position, involuntarily poised nearly equidistant between them. It has not however abused this freedom of action, probably unique among world intelligence agencies, so as to cook intelligence. CIA deputy director. Robert M. Gates, a career intelligence officer, is Deputy Director of Central Intelligence. He servedRead MoreHistory Of Intelligence During The United States1137 Words   |  5 Pages History of Intelligence in the United States The history of intelligence in the United States resulted from the Cold War period and also provided intelligence support to the United States military which helped develop policies and procedures of the United States toward other countries. The development of intelligence in the United States has ultimately provided higher security for our citizens. President George Washington took command over the Continental Army in 1775; he had agents devise secreteRead MoreThe Iran-Contra Scandal1731 Words   |  7 PagesIntroduction The Iran-Contra Scandal occurred on the (insert specific dates) in the midst of the cold war. Oliver North, a member of the National Security Council of the United States, was accused of diverting money from weapon sales in Iran to support the Contras in Central America. Provide context of central America, how this was exposed, what happened to north, specific trial stuff, talk about the cold war/tensions†¦ state thesis at end of sentence, state arguments, conclude. Main Argument 1 TheRead MoreThe Intelligence Of The United States1568 Words   |  7 Pagesmost part â€Å"intelligence norms† are still serving the purposes for which they were designed to fulfill. However, the intelligence community (IC) is not currently post-cold war which is where these norms may have been exactly what was needed in order to protect our national security. The treats that our national security faced during the cold war are not the same as the advanced technological tactics that are threatening our national security today. With the early on perceived intelligence community