Above and below: mass mobilisations in Portugal following the 25 April coup. Says Agee: The ClA must be in there We now hear from Kissinger that the threat to US interests does not merely exist in the third world, but abo in the capitalist countries of Western Europe. Does this mean chat the CIA will be actively invoand preparing to intervene in Well, yes. You must understand hat it in a corollary of Wilsonian arriga policy that any government, no matter how bad, is better than a communist government. It Tollows that anything which suggests the megence of an anti-capitalist govemment anywhere in the world (not with the United States security intmeste in other words the security of the ruline capitalist minority of the United States, because it certainly in't in the interests of the Chicanos | Mexican Americans, Puerto Ricans, Indians, most women, blacks or the workers to see capitalint rule extended or continued.
I would say that Portugal, Greece and Italy must be the top priorities of the CIA at the moment, Wher ever the legitimacy of capitalist democracy is challenged by the masses, the challenge posed by the CIA increases accordingly. In Porlagal, in particalar, given the impor tance of the Cape Verde Islunds and Angola, the CIA must be in there ant the third world), is 'incompatible ent movement, and the government, can't soive the problem -it can only make it much worse, This is what has happened in Chile, Uruguay, Paracuav. Bravil, Bolivia.
From your book one gets the impression that you were interested in any group which claimed to be working for socialism. whether it was the Cubans, the Chinese, the Trotskyists or the pro-Moscow groups. You didn't seem to distinguish very much between the different ideologies?
No, What we did in the stations was to distinguish between the different organisations relative to their respective strength and then concentrate on the ones that seemed strondous importance placed on ed ucation of a very varied kind for The entire people, and the elimin ation of racism, In spite of the blockade imposed by the United States and in spite of the noed to maintain a large army in a state of the Cubun people were better off than they had ever been before, In fact they were living rather well There were a whole series of reasons for this. I would like, if of Americans and try to bring thei along the same political trajectory as I experienced since I went into the CIA, quit and then decided to alert, all this had been acbeived and Why did you decide to write a book about what you'd done in the CIA?
nothing ee, to prick the conscience working very hard indeed." CIA is retreating. Only recently a bill to restrict its activities was defcated in Congress by a margin of 68 against 17.
We shouldn't be too surprised. That is the strength of the ClA in the US government, We can't expect very mich from the US congress. They're part of the ruling cians. They tealise that the CIA is necess ary to keep their prosperity, their power and their privileges going. It's only the American people the oppressed nationalities and the working class - who are going to bring about a change and they'!! only do it through a political pasey or a punitically-related org artisation.