Мission Impossible
Reforming the CIA in the 1960s and 1970s
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.60053/GSU.IF.1.106.253-296Keywords:
United States, CIA, Congress, intelligence reformAbstract
The article aims to present why the efforts to reform the CIA in the 1960s and 1970s were largely unsuccessful. To do so, it traces the work of different investigative bodies into the agency’s inner workings and compares their proceedings and recommendations. Three distinct at tempts at reform are depicted in the study: the Bay of Pigs failure of 1961, the "Ramparts" exposé of 1967, and the public disclosure of the "Family Jewels" in 1974. The author proposes four main reasons for the failure of intelligence reform. First is the unwillingness to enact real change on the part of the authoritative bodies. Second is the information advantage the intelligence agencies hold over outside reformers. Third is the lack of consensus on the scope and direction of proposed reforms. And finally, the incompatibility between the secret nature of intelligence work and the accountability and openness required for the proper function of an established democracy.
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Annual of Sofia University "St. Kliment Ohridski" - Faculty of History (GSU-IF).
