Most of you will know about Operation Gladio and the strategy of tension. CIA operations in NATO countries which included the use of terrorism to manipulate public opinion against communism.

There is a new book out that describes how a slightly different operation was used to prop up anti-Soviet public opinion in Sweden:

Following the stranding of a Soviet Whiskey-class submarine in 1981 on the Swedish archipelago, a series of massive submarine intrusions took place within Swedish waters.

However, the evidence for these appears to have been manipulated or simply invented. Classified documents and interviews point to covert Western, rather than Soviet activity. This is backed up by former US Secretary of Defense Caspar Weinberger, who stated that Western ‘testing’ operations were carried out regularly in Swedish waters. Royal Navy submarine captains have also admitted to top-secret operations.

Ola Tunander’s revelations make it clear that the United States and Britain ran a ‘secret war’ in Swedish waters. The number of Swedes perceiving the Soviet Union as a direct threat increased from 5-10 per cent in 1980 to 45 per cent in 1983. This Anglo-American ‘secret war’ was aimed at exerting political influence over Sweden. It was a risky enterprise, but perhaps the most successful covert operation of the entire Cold War.

There is no reason to believe that operations like these have stopped or are restricted to those countries you are not living in.

Depending on the ‘favorite enemy of the day’ such operations might be used to induce anti-Islam, anti-Russian, anti-Chinese public opinion. The best defense against these manipulation is to stay informed and to process all ‘news’ with a healthy dose of salt.