10 Most Insane CIA Covert Operations You Didn't Know About

The Infographics Show・2 minutes read

During the Cold War, the CIA used bizarre tactics like inflatable decoys to evade surveillance, collaborated with Hollywood specialists for operations, and engaged in controversial activities such as Operation Paperclip and the Phoenix Program that involved torture and assassination. The CIA's history includes using blow-up dolls as distractions, infiltrating anti-war groups, and distributing propaganda like banned novels and demon-faced action figures to influence public opinion against enemies.

Insights

  • CIA's history is marked by controversial and illegal activities, including torture, assassinations, and supporting paramilitary forces, revealing a dark side to the agency's operations.
  • The CIA employed unconventional espionage tactics during the Cold War, such as using inflatable rubber dolls as decoys to distract KGB counterspies, showcasing the agency's willingness to explore unusual methods to achieve its objectives.

Get key ideas from YouTube videos. It’s free

Recent questions

  • What are some controversial CIA activities?

    The CIA has engaged in torture, assassinations, and supporting paramilitary forces.

Related videos

Summary

00:00

CIA Cold War Decoy Tactics

  • A CIA Agent in St. Petersburg during the Cold War is being pursued by Soviet soldiers with Kalashnikovs.
  • The Agent uses a blow-up doll as a decoy to evade capture, surprising the soldiers.
  • The CIA has a history of controversial and illegal activities, including torture, assassinations, and supporting paramilitary forces.
  • Black sites, secret CIA-run prisons for suspected terrorists, were established post-9/11 for interrogation and torture.
  • Operation Paperclip relocated former Nazi scientists to the US for technological advancements.
  • Operation Bloodstone saw the CIA enlist former Nazi intelligence agents as operatives post-World War II.
  • Operation CHAOS, initiated by Nixon, involved CIA agents infiltrating anti-war groups in the US to investigate communist support.
  • CIA agents used inflatable rubber dolls, known as JIBs, as decoys to distract KGB counterspies in Moscow during the Cold War.
  • The JIBs were male rubber dolls dressed to resemble CIA agents and were deployed to create a diversion for escaping agents.
  • The CIA's espionage tactics during the Cold War included bizarre methods like using inflatable decoys to evade surveillance.

12:20

CIA's Covert Operations: Espionage, Sabotage, and Intrigue

  • CIA used rubber technology for airbags, and also planned to air-drop US-brand contraceptives labeled incorrectly into the USSR.
  • Hollywood costume specialists Les Smith and John Chambers assisted the CIA in various operations, including creating a fake movie to rescue Americans during the Iranian Hostage Crisis.
  • CIA attempted to discredit Indonesia's President Sukarno due to his communist leanings, leading to collaboration with MI6 to oust him.
  • CIA-backed rebel forces in Indonesia failed, leading to the creation of an explicit tape with a body double of Sukarno to undermine his reputation.
  • Operation Midnight Climax, a sub-project of Project MK Ultra, involved using LSD and intimate encounters to interrogate suspects in San Francisco and Greenwich Village.
  • Men were unknowingly dosed with LSD in brothels, monitored by CIA agents, and engaged in conversations to extract sensitive information.
  • The CIA's Operation Gold in Berlin involved digging a tunnel with MI6 to tap into Soviet communication lines, but was compromised by a Soviet mole.
  • The Phoenix Program during the Vietnam War saw the CIA using paramilitary teams to eliminate communist operatives through assassinations and torture.
  • The Phoenix Program aimed to destroy the Viet Cong infrastructure by any means necessary, including targeting civilians suspected of supporting the Viet Cong.
  • The Phoenix Program 'neutralized' 81,740 people, with over twenty-six thousand being civilians suspected of being Viet Cong members.

24:56

Controversial CIA programs and propaganda tactics disclosed.

  • Phoenix Program was criticized for civilian assassinations, leading to its shutdown after public backlash.
  • Despite closure, a similar program, Plan F6, continued under South Vietnam's government.
  • Doctor Zhivago, a critical Russian novel, was banned in the USSR due to anti-revolutionary sentiments.
  • CIA exploited Doctor Zhivago as propaganda against the Soviet Union, distributing copies to sway opinions.
  • CIA's 'Devil Eyes' project involved distributing demon-faced Osama Bin Laden action figures to terrify children in Afghanistan and Pakistan, aiming to influence public opinion against Bin Laden and al Qaeda.
Channel avatarChannel avatarChannel avatarChannel avatarChannel avatar

Try it yourself — It’s free.