| − | The principal problem facing the first generation of covert operators was murky objectives. Was covert action designed merely to "contain" the Soviet Union or to "roll it back?" Covert operations were handled by the CIA's "Office of Policy Coordination" (OPC). There was confusion on its mission OPC—was it merely to stir up trouble behind the [[Iron Curtain]] or to "liberate" and [[rollback]] the Kremlin's Eastern European satellites? One early covert operation was a total failure in Albania, where the OPC worked with Britain's [[MI6]] to train and deploy anti-communist commandos committed to overthrowing the Soviet-backed regime of Enver Hoxha. Frank Wisner, the first OPC director, regarded the Albanian operation as "a clinical experiment to see whether larger rollback operations would be feasible elsewhere," but [[Kim Philby]], a Soviet mole inside MI6, leaked the details to the Kremlin, with ghastly results for the anti-Hoxha forces. | + | The principal problem facing the first generation of covert operators was murky objectives. Was covert action designed merely to "contain" the Soviet Union or to "roll it back?" Covert operations were handled by the CIA's "Office of Policy Coordination" (OPC).<ref>[https://youtu.be/GXFLYOHCGdw 1982 SPECIAL REPORT: "THE CIA/NAZI CONNECTION"]</ref> There was confusion on its mission OPC—was it merely to stir up trouble behind the [[Iron Curtain]] or to "liberate" and [[rollback]] the Kremlin's Eastern European satellites? One early covert operation was a total failure in Albania, where the OPC worked with Britain's [[MI6]] to train and deploy anti-communist commandos committed to overthrowing the Soviet-backed regime of Enver Hoxha. Frank Wisner, the first OPC director, regarded the Albanian operation as "a clinical experiment to see whether larger rollback operations would be feasible elsewhere," but [[Kim Philby]], a Soviet mole inside MI6, leaked the details to the Kremlin, with ghastly results for the anti-Hoxha forces. |
| | The CIA supported resistance movements and dissidents in the communist regimes of [[Eastern Europe]] and the Soviet Union during the [[Cold War]]. One example is the counterespionage operations following the discovery of the Farewell dossier which some argue contributed to the fall of the Soviet regime.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4394002 |title=CIA slipped bugs to Soviets |work=[[Washington Post]] |publisher=[[NBC]] |date= |accessdate=2008-11-21}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cia.gov/library/center-for-the-study-of-intelligence/csi-publications/csi-studies/studies/96unclass/farewell.htm |title=The Farewell Dossier|publisher=Central Intelligence Agency |date= |accessdate=2008-11-21}}</ref> | | The CIA supported resistance movements and dissidents in the communist regimes of [[Eastern Europe]] and the Soviet Union during the [[Cold War]]. One example is the counterespionage operations following the discovery of the Farewell dossier which some argue contributed to the fall of the Soviet regime.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4394002 |title=CIA slipped bugs to Soviets |work=[[Washington Post]] |publisher=[[NBC]] |date= |accessdate=2008-11-21}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cia.gov/library/center-for-the-study-of-intelligence/csi-publications/csi-studies/studies/96unclass/farewell.htm |title=The Farewell Dossier|publisher=Central Intelligence Agency |date= |accessdate=2008-11-21}}</ref> |