The 5 Most Infamous CIA Operations (That We Know Of)

Covert missions, global manipulation, and classified files – these real CIA operations are as shocking as any theory.

When it comes to conspiracy theories, few institutions are at the centre of more speculation than the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). But not everything involving the CIA is a theory. Over the decades, a number of once classified operations have been revealed – and they paint a picture of an agency willing to operate in the shadows, manipulate public perception, and shape world events from behind the scenes.

This article explores five of the most infamous CIA operations that have been confirmed through declassified documents and historical investigation. These aren’t rumours. They’re history. But what else might still lie behind the curtain?

1. Operation Mockingbird

Controlling the narrative, one headline at a time.

Operation Mockingbird was a covert CIA initiative aimed at influencing domestic and foreign media during the Cold War. While its full scope remains debated, declassified testimony from the 1970s Church Committee hearings confirmed that the CIA maintained relationships with dozens of journalists and media organizations.

Key findings include:

• Direct funding of journalists to promote pro-American, anti-communist messaging.
• CIA operatives embedded within major newsrooms.
• Covert support for foreign news agencies to spread propaganda in developing countries.

At one point, the agency reportedly had assets in media giants like CBS, Time and The New York Times. While many of these relationships were later scaled back, Operation Mockingbird raised profound concerns about press freedom, transparency, and the line between journalism and government influence.

Critics argue that its legacy still lingers today, citing examples of state-aligned narratives in modern media. However, others caution against seeing a single Cold War-era operation as proof of ongoing manipulation, warning that retrospective exaggeration can feed disinformation as much as it critiques it.

2. MK-Ultra

The CIA’s mind control experiment that became real.

Few revelations have shocked the public more than Project MK-Ultra – a CIA program that experimented with mind control, chemical interrogation, and psychological manipulation from the 1950s through the early 1970s.

Documents declassified in the mid-1970s show that the program:

• Conducted clandestine drug experiments (most notably with LSD).
• Used hypnosis, sensory deprivation, and electroshock therapy.
• Targeted unwitting participants, including mental hospital patients, prisoners, and even civilians.

One of the most infamous examples was the case of Frank Olson, a U.S. Army scientist who was allegedly dosed with LSD without his knowledge and later died under mysterious circumstances – initially ruled as a suicide, though suspicions of foul play persist.

The program’s aim was to develop tools for interrogation and behavioural control, especially in the context of Cold War espionage. However, much of MK-Ultra’s documentation was intentionally destroyed in 1973, leaving major gaps in the historical record.

To this day, MK-Ultra is frequently cited in discussions about ethics in intelligence work, government secrecy, and the boundary between national security and human rights. It also serves as a chilling reminder that once-dismissed “conspiracies” can turn out to be grounded in reality.

3. Operation Northwoods

A plan to stage attacks… on Americans.

Operation Northwoods was a 1962 proposal drafted by the U.S. Department of Defense and signed by the Joint Chiefs of Staff. It suggested a series of false flag operations to be carried out on U.S. soil – with the goal of framing Cuba and building public support for a military intervention.

Among the proposed tactics:

• Hijacking or shooting down American Planes, to be blamed on Cuba.
• Sinking U.S. ships near Guantanamo Bay.
• Orchestrating fake terror attacks in Miami and Washington D.C.
• Staging funerals and fake victims using fabricated media coverage.

Although the plan never came to fruition – President John F. Kennedy rejected it – the document was declassified in the 1990s, shocking many who had never imagined such proposals were ever seriously considered.

Supporters of transparency argue that Northwoods illustrates the extend to which government actors might manipulate public sentiment, especially in times of geopolitical tension. Critics warn against overinterpreting the plan, noting it was never implemented – and that internal rejection of such ideas is part of a functioning democracy.

Still, the mere existence of Northwoods continues to fuel debate about state-sponsored deception and the psychological mechanics of manufactured consent.

4. Operation CHAOS

Spying on Americans, despite the rules.

Officially, the CIA is prohibited from conducting domestic surveillance. But during the Vietnam War era, the agency launched Operation CHAOS, a secret initiative to monitor anti-war movements, civil rights leaders, and suspected radicals — all under the guise of rooting out foreign influence.

Launched in 1967, CHAOS:

• Maintained files on over 7,000 American individuals and groups.
• Infiltrated activist organizations, including peace protests and black power movements.
• Shared intelligence with other agencies like the FBI and NSA.

While the CIA claimed the program aimed to identify potential Soviet infiltration of domestic movements, subsequent investigations — including the Church Committee — found no credible evidence of widespread foreign manipulation.

Instead, Operation CHAOS revealed a disturbing trend: the use of national security justifications to suppress political dissent and surveil U.S. citizens — far beyond the agency’s charter.

Supporters of robust counterintelligence argue that the Cold War was a complex time, requiring aggressive surveillance. Others view CHAOS as a dangerous overreach, one that laid the groundwork for modern concerns around digital privacy and intelligence overreach.

5. Operation Ajax (Iran, 1953)

Regime change, brought to you by the CIA.

Perhaps the most consequential CIA operation of the 20th century, Operation Ajax was a joint U.S.-British effort to overthrow Iran’s democratically elected Prime Minister Mohammad Mossadegh in 1953.

Mossadegh’s crime? Seeking to nationalize Iran’s oil industry, which had long been under British control via the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company (later BP). Western powers feared both the loss of oil profits and a possible tilt toward Soviet influence.

The CIA and MI6 responded by:

• Funding opposition groups and protests to destabilize Mossadegh’s government.
• Distributing anti-Mossadegh propaganda in newspapers and radio broadcasts.
• Bribing Iranian military leaders and parliamentarians.
• Coordinating violent demonstrations and encouraging chaos.

The operation succeeded. Mossadegh was arrested, and the pro-Western Shah was reinstated, ruling autocratically until the 1979 Iranian Revolution.

The long-term consequences of Ajax were profound:

• It seeded deep mistrust of the West in Iran.
• It fueled the rise of anti-American sentiment that persists to this day.
• It’s often cited as a textbook case of foreign interference in sovereign nations.

For some, Operation Ajax represents Cold War pragmatism. For others, it was a catastrophic mistake that destabilized an entire region for decades to come.

What Else Don’t We Know?

These five operations are not speculation — they’re documented history. Once classified, now public, they serve as reminders that governments don’t always tell the full story — and that real conspiracies often start with official silence.

So when we hear theories about cover-ups, psychological operations, or foreign interference, it’s worth remembering:
We’ve seen it happen before.

But how much remains in the shadows?
That’s for you to decide.

At The Midnight Briefing, we believe in presenting the claims, the evidence, and the criticism – and letting you make up your own mind.
We present the mystery, you decide the meaning.