Well, it took me three days, but, here's what I've got so far:
*side note, all references to "the agency" within this post are referring to the Central Intelligence Agency*
CIA Operations in Various Countries
Italy
After WWII, It turned out Italy was the most profound Communist country aside from the Soviet Union.
19 Dec 1947, the first National Security Council Meeting took place. CIA Director Admiral Roscoe Hillenkoetter delegated the resposibility of Italian
based operations over to the Office of Special Operations (OSO).
22 Dec 1947, OSO creates the Special Procedures Group (SPG).
The SPG pooled most of it's resources into advertising for the Christian Democrats (CD) and against the Italian Communist Party (PCI). At first the
operation was clean, but then, when the agency started to fail on some operation voting poll quotas, they started to get into what we know the CIA to
do today.
Disinform the Public...
Disinformation arose. Lies about the PCI's past. Forged Documents, and the deception went on.
In 1948, the CD beat the PCI in the election and one over half of the seats in Parliament.
Thus begins the CIA...
Korea (The plot thickens...)
After the CIA was charges with a "massive intelligence failure" for not predicting the North Korean attack on South Korea, they took matters into
their own hands...
Director Hillekoetter retired, and General Welter Beddel Smith stepped up to the plate. Beddel had served as Eisenhower's chief of staff during WWII,
along with being ambassador to the Soviet Union.
Smith massively reorganized the agency, foucsing on training, research, and security.
He created the Office of National Estimates (ONE), which was to predict and determine the future of America's foreign relations...
ONE=CFR?
The CIA did actively participate in Korea, however, they were far more active in Iran, Guatemala, Vietnam, and Laos...
I'll skip Iran and Guatemala as Laos and Vietnam seem to be more important at this time...
Laos
Another family fued...
If you will recall, the Secretary of State, John Foster Dulles, who's brother was Allen Dulles, Director of the CIA, had wanted to turn Laos into a
sort of Eastern version of the State's.
A place where democracy reigned and communism suffered.
Most of the American money went to General Phoumi, a right-winged anitcommunist. He was given a three million dollar monthly budget from the US.
Unfortunately, he was not a strong leader. He often retreated from battle when he could easily have turned the tides and won. He never used his air
forces. Worst of all, he was superstituos and consulted his astrologers more than his CIA advisors...
After retreating at a major battle against the communist forces, Phoumi lost American support...
The Agency now focused it's efforts on a Laotian tribe known as the Meu. The program trained, funded, and equipped over 30,000 Laotians in modern
tactical warfare.
Even with this army, and the hire of 4,800 Thai mercenaries, the US still lost Laos to the communists in 1972.
Vietnam
I've already outline Operation Phoenix in an earlier post, Here's some more information:
1954, Col. Edwards Lansdale (who attains the rank of general later) arrrives in Saigon to advise the CIA on what might be done to stabilize
Vietnam.
skip about five years of boring inactivity...
The CIA organized South Vietnamese Special Forces (the death squads)... Undergoing green beret training, these crack commandos executed Operation
Phoenix perfectly.
Along with the death squads, the CIA organized two police forces, the National Police Forces (NPF), which protected the countryside (equivelent of
American National Gaurd) with apporximately 15,000 members, and the Special Branch, which protected the cities and majorly populated areas (equivelent
of American FBI) numbering 17,000 officers.
Later on, The CIA relocated everyone in S. Vietnam into 10,500 strategically placed hamlets so the CIA would be able to better defend them...
In 1963, President Diem is murdered and South Vietnam falls apart, again...
A new division of the CIA was assigned to the Vietnam area, the Office of Special Assistance (OSA).
William Colby also served with the Agency during Operation Phoenix.
Everyone, please go ahead and check in and post any new leads or information you have...
This is looking better and better
-Tass