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Digital National Security Archive (DNSA): CIA Covert Operations, Part IV: The Eisenhower Years, 1953-1961

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CIA Covert Operations, Part IV: The Eisenhower Years, 1953-1961  


This collection details the numerous clandestine programs authorized by the Eisenhower administration, including the 1953 Iranian coup, the 1956 Tibetan insurrection, the crisis in the Congo, and planning that led to the Bay of Pigs fiasco.

This collection focuses on a highly active, if checkered, period in the history of the CIA, during which President Dwight D. Eisenhower authorized numerous clandestine programs around the world. These include Iran 1953, Tibet 1956-57, and the Congo, beginning in 1960. A highlight is Eisenhower’s original decision and plans to mount operations against Castro’s Cuba that led to the Bay of Pigs. The set thus dovetails neatly with previous DNSA publications covering not only events in Cuba but also in Berlin, Guatemala, and Vietnam.