Intelligence and Ethics: The Cia’s Covert Operations

This paper will examine the CIA’s role in the international power struggle by briefly outlining the formation and early history of the CIA, then by discussing the developments of the last twenty years that led to the crisis, and next by examining the early attempts at control and reform. Finally I will outline and assess the various policy options: from the cold warriors who want to return to the old Allen Dulles CIA to the humanists who believe that any covert activity is immoral and must be outlawed. After evaluating the trade-offs that inherently exist in such a complex issue, I will recommend the alternative that I believe to be in the best interest of the United States as a part of the world community

Volume 4, Number 2 (1980)