Covert Action 1

Covert Action

MERCYHURST COLLEGEDEPARTMENT OF INTELLIGENCE STUDIES

Covert Action 2

Objectives At the end of this lesson, students will be able to:

Define covert action;

Identify and describe the range of covert action;

Relate and discuss key issues in covert action;

Identify the two key legal curtailments to US covert action and summarize their effects; and

Identify and explain several examples of the use of covert action throughout history.

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Covert Action

“An activity of the U.S. government to influence political, economic, or military

conditions abroad, where it is intended that

the role of the U.S. Government will not be apparent or acknowledged

publicly.”

NSC 10/2

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RANGE OF COVERT ACTION

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Range of Covert Action

Propaganda Political Activity Economic Activity Coups Paramilitary Operations

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Range of Covert Action

Secret Participation in Combat Renditions

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SHORT HISTORY OF COVERT ACTION

Queen Elizabeth I Orchestrated revolt of

Protestant Netherlands against their Spanish occupiers in 1566 to buy her more time to develop her navy

Stopped use of Dutch ports as a launching point for attack on England

Used pirates to steal Spanish gold from New World to build her navy

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Italy, 1948

First post-war elections in Italy US concerned over possible

communist party victory CIA advised non-communist parties

on propaganda, provided funding, etc.

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Iran, 1953

Mohammed Mossadeq Prime Minister of Iran, 1951-1953

Target of joint CIA/MI6 Operation AJAX led by Kermit Roosevelt

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Guatemala, 1954 Jacobo Arbenz

President of Guatemala, 1951-1954

Target of CIA operation PBSUCCESS (1953-4)

Operation used propaganda and small paramilitary force

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Bay of Pigs, 1961

Attempted large-scale copy of Guatemala operation to remove Fidel Castro from power

Various errors in analysis and planning

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Bay of Pigs, 1961 Over 100 Cuban

exiles killed; over 1100 taken prisoner

Non-Government Covert Actions Irish-American community

against the government of the United Kingdom

Clan na Gael

Provided uncounted thousands of dollars to support fight against UK

Partially led to the creation of the independent Irish Free State in 1922

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ISSUES IN COVERT ACTION

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Plausible Deniability Government denials of a role in the

events stemming from a covert action would appear plausible. Non-attribution to the United States

for covert operations was the original and principal purpose of the so-called doctrine of “plausible denial.”

Evidence before the Committee clearly demonstrates that this concept, designed to protect the United States and its operatives from the consequences of disclosures, has been expanded to mask decisions of the President and his senior staff members.

Allen Welsh Dulles, Director

of CIA from 1953 to 1961, first used the term publicly

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Blowback

Story that is planted in a media outlet overseas by the CIA is reported back in the US and violates rule that CIA should not operate inside U.S.

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Responsibility for Paramilitary Operations Traditionally under control of CIA

No international sanction for covert action, thus the target may consider the use of military personnel in such an activity to be an act of war

Involvement of DoD may undercut the effort to achieve plausible deniability

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Responsibility for Paramilitary Operations DoD has greater experience to conduct

military operations and has a greater infrastructure to carry them out

Removing paramilitary operations from CIA might save the IC from some internal strains caused by having responsibility for both analysis and operations

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Assassination

In 1600s and 1700s Europe, statesmen occasionally used assassination as a foreign policy tool

Wet affairs – referred to assassinations

Church Committee found in 1976 that the US was involved in several assassination plots in the 1960s and 1970s –the most famous being that against Fidel Castro

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Assassination

In 1976 the US formally banned the use of assassination, either directly by the US or through a third party

After Sept. 11, 2001 attacks, bin Laden and other terrorists seen as legitimate combatant targets, as US is at war against them

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OVERSIGHT OF COVERT ACTION

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Hughes-Ryan Amendment to the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961

Prohibited the expenditure of any funds by any U.S. government agency for covert actions operations unless the President “found” that the operations were in the national security interest of the U.S. and reported to Congress, in writing (1974)

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Hughes-Ryan Amendment to the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (cont.)

Two immediate effects:

(1) Eliminated the ability of the President to disclaim any knowledge of covert operations as finding goes to:▪ Appropriations (HoR) (S)▪ Armed Services (HoR) (S)▪ Foreign Affairs (HoR) (S)▪ House Permanent Select Committee on

Intelligence▪ Senate Select Committee on Intelligence

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Hughes-Ryan Amendment to the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (cont.)

Two immediate effects:

(2) Gave Congress constitutional as well as informal means to halt covert action operations in progress and prevent new programs from commencing

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Intelligence Authorization Act (1991) President is final approving authority on covert

actions

No Findings may be signed retroactively

No part of program can violate Constitution or federal laws

President must list all agencies that have a role to play in the program, as well as any foreign countries

No program can be used to influence U.S. political processes, media, policies, or public opinion

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PUBLIC EXPOSURE AND EMBARRASSMENT

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Level of Risk

Policy makers examine at least two levels of risk before approving a covert action Risk of exposure Risk of failure

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Iran-Contra Scandal

Click picture for video on Iran –

Contra Hearings

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TRANSFER OF CA FUNCTIONS TO OVERT ORGANIZATIONS

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National Endowment for Democracy

Created in 1983 by Reagan to promote democracy worldwide

Four subsidiary organizations International Republican Institute National Democratic Institute Free Trade Union Institute Center for International Private Enterprise

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State Department’s Role

Involved in political and paramilitary action in Iraq

Iraq Liberation Act of 1998: Congress authorized $97 million to overthrow Hussein under control of State Department

Parallel CIA covert action as well

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Contracts with the Private Sector Outsourcing of what used to

be covert actions to private entities

Dyncorp monitoring and surveilling drug shipments and growing areas in South America

MPRI provision of military/paramilitary training in Croatia and Angola in the 1990s

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Further reading/viewing/listeningRoy Godson, Dirty Tricks or Trump

Cards: U.S. Covert Action and Counterintelligence

Spy Museum Interviews: http://spymuseum.org/from-spy/spycast August 1, 2009 features Richard Cummings,

who discusses Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty propaganda operations during the Cold War and Soviet operations against the stations