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Covert Action Definition

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During WWII the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) conducted itself as an independent intelligence agency that functioned to collect and analyze beneficial intelligence. The OSS conducted paramilitary, espionage and counterespionage operations. The strength of the OSS was the Research and Development branch that housed the best minds in the US. The OSS was thought to be the organization that should continue to carry out foreign field espionage, and special operations. With the onslaught of the Cold War the realization that a centralized intelligence agency such as the OSS was needed came to fruition. At this time the relationships between the Army and Navy was poor in terms of collaboration and efficiency. It was the National Security Act of …show more content…

Covert action is defined as an operation that is designed to influence foreign policy in a way that is not attributed to the promoter, concealing identity and allowing for plausible deniability. Covert action can be associated with political, economic, propaganda or paramilitary activities. It is asserted that counterterrorism intelligence activities within the DOD only conducts “clandestine activities” and are not regulated by law requiring the provision of presidential findings and notification of the intelligence committees in congress. Clandestine activity is defined as an activity that is a “preplanned secret intelligence collection activity or covert political economic propaganda or paramilitary action conducted so as to assure the secrecy of the operation”. The line between DOD covert activity and clandestine activity is certainly blurred and that the traditional role of the CIA and DOD are crossing. There are some that believe that DOD operations should be limited to clandestine activity so that if revealed there would less of a problem in acknowledging the activity and would have legal guidelines under the Geneva Convention that would protect the US …show more content…

Code 413b defining how covert action is approved and defines what covert action is and what actions could be considered as exceptions. The Department of Defense (DoD) legal framework for the U.S. military defines roles and missions under Title 10 U.S. Code 113. The purposes for these legal frameworks are to provide accountability of covert activity through presidential and congressional oversight and definition of the responsibility of the DCI and Secretary of

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616 Words | 3 Pages

Continuing his duties when Taus was required to biannually sign a written statement to the House and Senate Intelligence Oversight Committees stating that he as an agent knew of no unreported criminal activities or operations, he had refused several times causing controversyof retribution against him by his superiors - some of whom were involved in illegal activities of their own. The CIA had violated Mr. Taus Human Right according to article 19 “Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.” (Universal Delecration Of Human Rights, article 19). Due to the intense pressure he had to “to destroy my written reports, terminate my informants and make no reference to these criminal and subversive activities implicating high ranking government officials who controlled and manipulated government agencies and operations.” said Richard (David Deschesne,

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1036 Words | 5 Pages

We have fierce debates today concerning war tactics, drone strikes on Americans, torture, military tribunals, citizens’ rights during wartime, and how to reconcile the needs of the national defense with liberty and self-rule. Does the president have a constitutional power to torture foreign enemy combatants? Overrule Congress on war tactics? Deny formal trials to enemies?

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President Kennedy then ordered an “air-umbrella” at dawn. This plan demolished the U.S military. Because Kennedy was new in office, he wanted to do the “right thing” and make everyone proud that they voted for him. Unfortunately the CIA had created the plans before Kennedy was in office, and they did not share all of the information with him and manipulated him into approving it. The blame for this failure lies with both Kennedy and the CIA.

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687 Words | 3 Pages

Eventually, the US entered WWII during President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s administration. The U.S. Congress

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594 Words | 3 Pages

The laws in the military were changed many times through the years by the military, leading people to disagree with new regulations. In a way, the government manipulated the US military and molded

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1185 Words | 5 Pages

How 1984 handles their citizens, who go against the Party and how The United States government handle such situation is vastly different, but there are similarities in the ideas and the outcome. One of the past directors of the CIA, William E. Colby felt that the public had the public needed to know what the CIA had done to cover up scandals and spoke about his interactions with Congress. Colby was an active member of the CIA after World War II, and during the Vietnam War, he became the Director of the CIA. Colby was quick to adopt a policy of openness about U.S. intelligence activities to different committees within the government itself, and also, to the citizens of the United States. While Colby revealed the importance of the tasks done

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785 Words | 4 Pages

Concern over security issues FDR and his administration from disclosing some information to Congress. Nevertheless, Congress has the right to be informed as much a possible of the progress of the programs that were established to increase the nation’s military might. FDR went on to say: “New circumstances are constantly be getting new needs for our safety. I shall ask this Congress for greatly increased new appropriations and authorizations to carry on what we have begun. I also ask this Congress for authority and for funds sufficient to manufacture additional munitions and war supplies of many kinds, to be turned over to those nations which are now an actual war with aggressor nations.”

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303 Words | 2 Pages

Collaborative Intelligence Operations Won the War in the Pacific December 7, 1941 will forever be remember by Americans as the day the Japanese launched a devastating surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. It shocked the American people and was the direct cause for the declaration of war against Japan issued by President Roosevelt the next day. Among the losses were 18 warships sunk or damaged, 174 aircraft destroyed, 2335 military personnel killed with 1143 wounded, and 68 civilians killed with 35 wounded (Dowswell 29). The worst part, however, was knowing that all these losses could have been avoided. Roosevelt proclaimed December 7 “a date which will live in infamy,” because Japan launched an attack without a declaration of war.

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During the Cold War, the United States was caught several times in trying to interfere with the spread of communism through covert means. President John F. Kennedy was looking to rid communism from Cuba, through secret actions leading to the Bay of Pigs incident. President Ronald Regan administration utilized covert operations referred to as the Iran-Contra affair, which the operation helped arm a sworn enemy in Iran, and provide funding for anti-communist rebels in Nicaragua (Clark 2007, 2-5, 11-12).

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592 Words | 3 Pages

Espionage (spying) during the Revolutionary War Espionage was a very interesting part of the Revolutionary War. Espionage was used on both sides. Espionage was important because without it they wouldn’t always be prepared.

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832 Words | 4 Pages

The FISA and the USA Patriot Act The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) and the United and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act (USA Patriot Act) are two actions taken to aid in the efforts against terrorism in the United States. FISA was enacted in 1978 and the U.S. Patriot Act was enacted in 2001 (McAdams III, no date). Both Acts have been and will continue to be critical instruments to combat terrorism. However, the media has exploited these Acts in terms of civil liberties and has demoralized the truth behind them.

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In 2003 the US military relied on the confession taken from Sheikh al-Libi in which it was claimed that Iraq supplied both chemical and biological weapons to Al Qaeda. This testimony was used in the month leading up to the invasion of Iraq. Later al-Libi retracted his statement saying that he did so in order to make the torture stop. This is a clear example of the ineffectiveness of torture and the bad consequences it can often produce. The CIA had forgotten its own conclusion, sent to congress in 1989, that ‘inhumane physical or psychological techniques are counterproductive because they do not produce intelligence and will probably result in false answers.’

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2080 Words | 9 Pages

While the United States’ general policy of extracting various highly-skilled professionals from postwar Germany was a wise one, the lack of oversight and controls enabled an element of the United States government to pursue its own vision of strategic interests at the cost of justice and America’s own values. The case study I will be examining is Operation Paperclip, the classified intelligence program that imported about 1600 German scientists and doctors, many of whom were laundered Nazis, into the United States for the purpose of assimilating the technology of the Third Reich. Hitler’s regime was known during the war to have had a distinct technological advantage over the Allies, particularly evidenced by the V-2 rocket. It was described

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930 Words | 4 Pages

“A strategy … in the past U.S. counterterrorism … dramatically ramped up its intelligence capabilities,” (Monaco). By creating organizations with the goal of taking care of these types of situations allow us to take the stance and to not panic (as much) while feeling safe. The disappearances that the Symbionese Liberation Army is responsible for and the events and the overall result of the Witch Trails are similar by having a huge effect on

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798 Words | 4 Pages

Many advocate government supervision because they believe that it will ensure National Security. Others strongly oppose this preferring to have personal privacy. Espionage has been beneficial in the past and has potential to be helpful in the future but when misused, it becomes more of a hazard. The freedom of speech also should not be sacrificed in the name of National Security. In addition, there should be limit on the kind of information the government receives and the manner in which it receives it.

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