The CIA (Central Intelligence Agency) was created by President Truman in 1947, but it would be President Eisenhower who greatly expanded the CIA’s duties during the Cold War. The plots and propaganda the CIA hatched, along with American foreign policy at this time in general, remain pretty controversial.
Iran
Mohammed Mossadegh was elected prime minister of Iran in 1951. Rumors of Mossadegh appealing to the Soviets for aid, along with tensions with Britain over Iran’s oil industry, caused the CIA to consider the Iranian prime minister as a threat. Eisenhower approved of a CIA coup called “Operation AJAX,” in which the CIA staged bribes, spread propaganda, and stimulated uprisings in Iran to move Mossadegh out of his position. With help from the British, eventually a new Shah, Reza Pahlavi, replaced Mossadegh. Pahlavi’s autocratic regime, contrary to the democratic ideals of the US, would eventually lead to the Iranian Revolution in 1979.
Guatemala
A similar thing happened in Guatemala, when populist leader Jacobo Arbenz was elected in 1950. Although there remains no clear evidence that Arbenz was allying himself with the Soviet Union, Arbenz’s land reform policies are what sparked suspicion from the US. The CIA led a coup called “Operation PBSUCCESS,” which forced Arbenz out of Guatemala and replaced him with a man named Carlos Armas. While the US viewed this as liberation from communism, Guatemala would be shaken and suffer under Armas’s authoritarian government.
Cuba
The Cuban Revolution and the rise of Fidel Castro quickly caught the attention of the CIA and the US government. Throughout the height of the Cold War, the CIA hatched numerous plots to assassinate Castro or otherwise remove him from power, but he managed to survive more than 600 assassination attempts. Castro’s relations with the Soviet Union were dangerous to the US, especially since Cuba was so close to the southern American border. Tensions eventually culminated in the Cuban Missile Crisis, the brink of all out nuclear war.
The Congo
At the time of the Cold War, the Congo province was ruled by prime minister Patrice Lumumba, who supported the non-aligned movement and African unification. The province of Katanga was not happy with Lumumba’s regime and threatened to secede from the Congo. Lumumba reached out to the United Nations (UN) and the US for help. The UN didn’t provide much aid, and the US refused, seeing the stance of neutrality as a sign of possible Soviet influence. Lumumba then reached out to the Soviets, who agreed to help him by sending him military supplies. The situation escalated into a civil war, and the US approved of a CIA to oust Lumumba from his position. The CIA was able to turn Lumumba into the hands of the Katangans, who later executed him. The new Congo regime was authoritarian and corrupt, but it was supported by the US in the name of anti-communism. This is a resonating theme throughout American foreign intervention during the Cold War.
Concluding Note
While the intent of expanding the CIA was to halt and push back Soviet influence in other countries, the anti-communist zeal within the US threatened to tear apart America’s projection of democratic ideals. For instance, the support of dictatorial or unpopular leaders just for the purpose of containing communism destroyed the reputation of the US. Additionally, foreign interventions by the US disrupted means of self-determination, something promised to new nations by the US after both World Wars.
But alas, history is full of nuance and complexity, and it’s not necessarily accurate to say something is completely in one direction or completely the other. There were many motivations and reasons behind any operation, decision, or reaction in the realm of history and certainly in the Cold War. It's up to you to examine the effectiveness of these decisions and learn from both the positive and negative aspects of these international struggles.
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