Office of Policy Coordination

The Office of Policy Coordination was a U.S. covert group (1948-1952). "Established in June 1948 by the National Security Council (NSC), the Office of Policy Coordination was staffed by reckless adventurers. Many agents in OPC were former OSS agents and thrived on outlandish missions, the more impossible the better. One of the first covert operations conducted by OPC was to spread unrest in Communist countries. To that end, OPC agents went into Albania where they tried to start a revolution. Their operation was a dismal failure and most of the agents were captured. It was later claimed that the British intelligence agent turned double spy for Moscow, Kim Philby, was responsible for identifying many of the OPC agents to the Albanian secret service.

"Critical of OPC were CIA agents in that agency's Office of Special Operations who planned dirty tricks, assassinations, and about the same thing that OPC was attempting to accomplish. When OPC was dismantled in 1952, many of its agents were absorbed by the CIA's Special Operations department, which acted in the same kind of irresponsible manner. Most of these agents were fired for creating the disaster that became known as the Bay of Pigs, a covert operation designed to unseat Cuban Communist dictator Fidel Castro, but one that completely backfired and cost CIA director Allen Dulles his job."  - "... the Office of Policy Coordination, the branch of OWI (Office of War Information) that oversaw the propaganda war that was waged in Europe, Asia, and Africa. From August 1942 to December 1945, this office generated countless propaganda directives in its effort to undermine enemy morale and cultivate a pro-American postwar climate.

"These directives took many forms. The Central Directives were sent weekly to all OWI offices worldwide and contained the general propaganda themes that OWI wished to see included in radio broadcasts, leaflets, and, where possible, newspaper articles and editorials. The Regional Directives, which constitute the largest component of Part II, were targeted primarily at enemy, occupied, and neutral countries; were tailored specifically for the target country; and contained discussions of the major propaganda themes to be exploited. A third category, Special Directives, were issued as a response to events that required immediate attention. A fourth category, Long-Range Directives, laid the groundwork for the postwar U.S. propaganda apparatus in such key nations as China, the Philippines, Syria, Lebanon, and India."  - "The Office of Policy Coordination, established September 16, 1944, succeeded to the functions of the former Chief of Liaison. It was responsible for all liaison with Government agencies and other governments on matters of propaganda policy and intelligence. On behalf of the Deputy Directors, it drafted the weekly Overseas Central Directive and performed related functions such as the coordination, clearance, interpretation, and issuance of directives for the deputies, the Review Board, and the San Francisco and New York Offices."  ---

SourceWatch Resources

 * Intelligence Community
 * National Security State
 * Operation Mockingbird
 * psychological warfare
 * psyops
 * war propaganda