ABSTRACT
Like other topics, covert action has a broad range of meaning, depending on the time period referred to and the country involved. Sometimes it is called special measures, active measures, direct action, special operations, special activities, disruptive action, or even dirty tricks. It includes a number of clandestine activities extending influence and power deeply under the surface of everyday legitimacy: escape and evasion operations; technical penetration or bugging, used by intelligence agencies as auxiliary instruments of foreign policy and propaganda. It can involve the overthrow of governments and assassinations, depending on the jurisdiction and terminology at various times. All forms of covert action are intended to influence events through the creation and dissemination of black propaganda in psychological operations (PSYOPS), sabotage and resistance tactics, and lethal action. The psychology is also important in techniques used to influence a target audiences value systems, beliefs, emotions, motives, reasoning and behaviour through a variety of disinformation and propaganda techniques used in PSYOPS.
