1st Edition

US Covert Operations and Cold War Strategy Truman, Secret Warfare and the CIA, 1945-53

By Sarah-Jane Corke Copyright 2008
256 Pages
by Routledge

256 Pages
by Routledge

256 Pages
by Routledge

Based on recently declassified documents, this book provides the first examination of the Truman Administration’s decision to employ covert operations in the Cold War. Although covert operations were an integral part of America’s arsenal during the late 1940s and early 1950s, the majority of these operations were ill conceived, unrealistic and ultimately doomed to failure. In this volume, the... Read more

Introduction: Covert Operations and National Security  1. Dancing on the Roof of the St. Regis Hotel: The Donovan Tradition, 1942-45  2. A Strategic Monstrosity: The Search for a Cold War Policy, 1945-47  3. The Inauguration of Political Warfare: George Kennan and Political Warfare, 1947-48  4. An Elucidation of Imponderables that Defy Close Analysis: Negotiating Cold War Policy, 1948-49  5. A Few Martyrs: Penetrating the Soviet Bloc, 1950  6. The Psychological Strategy Board, 1951  7. The War of the Potomac: The Election, 1952.  Conclusion: Eisenhower a New National Cold War Strategy

Biography

Sarah-Jane Corke is Assistant Professor, Department of History, Dalhousie University, and has a PhD from the University of New Brunswick [2000].

'It is clear that Corke has done a great job marshalling documentation from many different sources—her research in this incredibly murky area adds tremendously to our knowledge, illuminating how departments responsible for psychological warfare during the conflict were reorganized or eliminated ... [Corke] has prepared a very important book that all scholars of the early cold war era must consult—especially those that are interested in the intelligence bureaucracy where the literature is quite thin.'Gregory Mitrovich, H-Diplo Roundtable Reviews, Vol. XI, No. 29 (2010), 14 

'Corke's work makes a valuable contribution to our understanding of Cold War policymaking, adding insightful depth as well as breadth.' - Mark Montesclaros, H-Net.org, April, 2010