Cold War Deceptions: The Asia Foundation and the CIA

The CIA created funding fronts to support work that aligned with its goals during the early Cold War, including clandestine operations and research. Cold War Deceptions examines the Asia Foundation, a covert operation that tried to shape Asian political, economic, intellectual, and cultural developments during the early years of the Cold War. David H. Price explores how unwitting scholars were used to support pro-American and anticommunist positions and how political forces shaped disciplinary knowledge.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 358 pages
Publication date: 20 February 2024
Publisher: University of Washington Press

The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) played a significant role in shaping the political, economic, intellectual, and cultural landscape of Asia during the early Cold War years. To achieve its objectives, the CIA established numerous funding fronts, ranging from covert operations and research to liberal anticommunist programs. While investigative journalists and congressional inquiries exposed many of these fronts, little is known about their daily internal workings. In his book, "Cold War Deceptions: The CIA's Influence on Scholars and Governments in the 1950s and 1960s," David H. Price delves into the bureaucratic functioning of a covert operation in which most employees were unaware of their affiliation with the CIA. Drawing on the extensive surviving archival records and thousands of pages of declassified CIA documents, Price examines how the Asia Foundation, a covertly created and funded CIA front, sought to shape Asian political, economic, intellectual, and cultural developments during the early years of the Cold War. Through his analysis, Price uncovers how unwitting scholars were used to support pro-American and anticommunist positions, and how political forces shaped disciplinary knowledge. He also explores how these past events connect to the present, highlighting the enduring impact of the CIA's influence on the region.

Weight: 572g
Dimension: 234 x 156 x 26 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780295752242