The CIA and the Soviet Bloc: Political Warfare, the Origins of the CIA and Countering Communism in Europe Contributor(s): Long, Stephen (Author) |
|
ISBN: 178076393X ISBN-13: 9781780763934 Publisher: I. B. Tauris & Company OUR PRICE: $173.25 Product Type: Hardcover - Other Formats Published: March 2014 |
Additional Information |
BISAC Categories: - History | Modern - 20th Century - Political Science | International Relations - General - True Crime | Espionage |
Dewey: 327.127 |
Series: Library of Modern American History |
Physical Information: 1.6" H x 5.6" W x 8.5" (1.35 lbs) 376 pages |
Themes: - Chronological Period - 20th Century |
Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
Publisher Description: The Central Intelligence Agency was established by Harry S. Truman after World War II and it soon provided covert political and paramilitary support to further US foreign policy. Strengthened by President Eisenhower, by the early 1950s, under the command of Allen Dulles, the CIA was actively overthrowing governments-notably Prime Minister Mossadegh in Iran in 1953 and President Arbenz Guzman in Guatemala in 1954. The Agency was less effective in Eastern Europe, however, where the Soviet Union had established control- despite opportunities for US intereference such as the East German riots in 1953 and the Hungarian Revolution of 1956. Here, Stephen Long challenges the accepted view that the US believed in a post- World War II ordering of Europe which placed the East outside an American 'sphere of influence'. He argues instead that 'disorder prevailed over design' in the planning and organization of intelligence operations during the early stages of the Cold War, and that the period represents a missed opportunity for the US during the Cold War. |