AMST 149History of the CIA

3 credits · American Studies · Penn State

This course provides a chronological survey of the creation, evolution, and impact of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). The CIA's origins begin with its World War II forerunner, the Office of Strategic Services (OSS), followed by the Agency's formal creation in 1947, at the commencement of the Cold War. In subsequent decades, American presidents deployed the CIA to bolster the cause of containment. Like its predecessor, the OSS, the CIA embraced the dual missions of conducting espionage and engaging in covert actions to promote America's Cold War priorities. The Agency's secret efforts to secure U.S. global interests often conflicted with the country's stated democratic ideals and students will learn how this history fostered negative perceptions of American power in many areas of the world. During the Cold War, the CIA's clandestine campaigns in other countries included covert payments to political parties, labor unions and front groups. In some non-western countries, it also utilized violent methods, supporting efforts to overthrow left-wing governments and at times even sponsoring assassination attempts. Revelations of these activities spurred efforts to limit the agency's activities in the 1970s, but renewed controversy emerged after 9/11 and in response to the CIA's role in the War on Terror.