Created in the aftermath of Pearl Harbor and shaped by the Cold War, the CIA was supposed to gather intelligence and anticipate Soviet intentions. But it quickly became something far more powerful: the one American agency authorized to conduct covert action abroad. This episode traces that transformation across three decades of secret wars, from Iran and Guatemala to Congo, Cuba, Vietnam, Chile, and the scandals that finally forced Washington to confront what had been done in the shadows.
As presidents turned to covert operations to avoid open war, the CIA helped topple governments, backed dictators, supported assassination plots, manipulated internal politics, and took part in some of the darkest chapters of postwar American power.
Documentary: Cia Secret Wars EP:1 1947-1977 Undercover Operations
Directed by: William Karel
Production: Roche productions (2003)
