The National Endowment for Democracy was set up in 1983 after a series of scandals undermined both the credibility and the public image of the [[CIA]]. The organization was established as a cutout doing much of the agency’s dirtiest work. “It would be terrible for democratic groups around the world to be seen as subsidized by the CIA,” Gershman himself said, explaining its creation. “A lot of what we do today was done covertly 25 years ago by the CIA,” NED cofounder Allen Weinstein told ''[[The Washington Post]]'' in 1991. | The National Endowment for Democracy was set up in 1983 after a series of scandals undermined both the credibility and the public image of the [[CIA]]. The organization was established as a cutout doing much of the agency’s dirtiest work. “It would be terrible for democratic groups around the world to be seen as subsidized by the CIA,” Gershman himself said, explaining its creation. “A lot of what we do today was done covertly 25 years ago by the CIA,” NED cofounder Allen Weinstein told ''[[The Washington Post]]'' in 1991. |