This collection of around 150 pages of once-classified material
sheds light on the ideological and operational origins of the now-infamous
Operation Gladio. 'Gladio' is an umbrella name used by commentators and
historians to refer to a series of small-scale covert armies active across
Europe throughout the Cold War (1945-1990).
These secret armies were
originally set up at the end of World War 2 in most NATO countries as a means of
resisting Soviet military invasion. Their design was based on the resistance
movements who fought against the Nazis in continental Europe during the Second
World War. The Office of Strategic Services (OSS - later the CIA) and the
Special Operations Executive (SOE - later MI6) were instrumental in establishing
them. They consisted of a mixture of volunteers, ex-military men, paid-up spies
of various state intelligence organisations and, ultimately, terrorists.
Starting in the 1960s, Western Europe was for two decades the main
target of terrorist attacks. What these documents show is not only that the
governments of senior NATO countries (primarily the US and UK) were the main
instigator of this violence, but also why.
You can download the collection via the link beneath the document viewer, or directly from this link.
