ABSTRACT
Covert action operations, essentially absent from public view since the large operations of the 1980s in Afghanistan and Central America, again began generating news early in the twenty-first century as the Central Intelligence Agency quickly assumed a major responsibility for prosecuting America’s war against terrorism. By the end of 2005 news media were reporting on numerous CIA activities, including identifying, capturing, and interrogating (or sometimes killing) members of Al-Qaeda and other terrorist elements threatening US interests worldwide. Once again, an American president had turned to covert action to further American national security objectives through programs intended to remain hidden from public view. In doing so, President George W. Bush followed precedents set by chief executives going back to George Washington and the origins of our nation. Yet, as always, legitimate disputes over the appropriateness and legality of covert action programs are complicated by a lack of knowledge about covert action in general and its role in supporting American foreign policy.
