The third option: covert action and American foreign policy

Abstract

Covert action, often called the Third Option, refers to efforts by the United States to secretly influence international affairs through propaganda as well as political, economic, and paramilitary operations. It is a dimly lit world of secret agents; poison-dart guns; vials of curare, cobra venom, and shellfish toxins; barrels of ink for propaganda tracts; weaponry of all makes and calibers; heavily armed drones and high-powered missiles; speed boats, bombers, and explosives; masks and fake prosthetics; CIA crafted political campaign buttons, bumper stickers, and TV ads written in foreign tongues for use in elections overseas; counterfeit foreign currencies—a largely invisible realm of clandestine activities governed by the best of intentions, yet sometimes yielding the worst of results; a world that merits the thoughtful attention and judgment of every citizen. The purpose here is to offer a frank assessment of this obscure but vital component of America’s foreign policy.