Covert and Overt Influence Operations in Asia

In 1964 and again in 1967, public reports revealed that the Asia Foundation (TAF), a reputable nonprofit that had supported intellectual and cultural activities since 1951, was secretly funded by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). Yet despite controversy then, and despite wide-ranging historical research on CIA front group tactics since, the Asia Foundation’s covert activities have been known mostly in general terms. David H. Price’s detailed and exhaustive history of the foundation thus makes a valuable contribution to Cold War history. Cold War Deceptions reveals that the Asia Foundation had a significant impact on academic scholarship, cultural life, political expression, and economic development not only within Asia, but also in the United States and beyond. In addition, it provides remarkable detail about how TAF contributed to intelligence gathering and covert operations in Asia. It was not just a conduit for CIA funds; it was an operational intelligence asset of enormous consequence. This Price convincingly demonstrates through mind-boggling research in a mountain of documents from CIA and TAF (including a huge and neglected collection of over 400 boxes at the Hoover Institution). It is an exceptionally well-documented work of intelligence history that fills significant gaps in historical knowledge about US covert action programs from Indonesia to Afghanistan.