Flagrant manipulation by the CIA of the nations political life, featuring stage-managed elections with extensive disinformation campaigns, heavy financing of candidates, writing their speeches, drugging the drinks of one of the opponents of the CIA candidate so he would appear incoherent, plotting the assassination of another candidate. The Agency covertly set up an organization called

National Movement for Free Elections, the better to promote its agenda, and trusting citizens joined up all over the country. The New York Times was also trusting. It praised the Philippines political and electoral development, declaring that It is not without reason that the Philippines has been called democracys showcase in Asia .2

Italy, 1948-1970s

See Interventions chapter.

Lebanon, 1950s

The CIA provided funds to support the campaigns of President Camille Chamoun and selected parliamentary candidates; other funds were targeted against candidates who had shown less than total enchantment with US interference in Lebanese politics.3

Indonesia, 1955

A million dollars were dispensed by the CIA to a centrist coalitions electoral campaign in a bid to cut into the support for President Sukarnos party and the Indonesian Communist Party. 4

Vietnam, 1955

The US was instrumental in South Vietnam canceling the elections scheduled to unify North and South because of the certainty that the North Vietnamese communist leader, Ho Chi Minh, would easily win.5

British Guiana/Guyana, 1953-64

For 11 years, two of the oldest democracies in the world, Great Britain and the United States, went to great lengths to prevent Cheddi Jagan-three times the democratically elected leader-from occupying his office. Using a wide variety of tactics-from general strikes and disinformation to terrorism and British legalisms, the US and Britain forced Jagan out of office twice during the period. 6

Japan, 1958-1970s

The CIA emptied the US treasury of millions to finance the conservative Liberal Democratic Party in parliamentary elections, on a seat-by-seat basis, while doing what it could to weaken and undermine its opposition, the Japanese Socialist Party. The result was 38 years in power for the Liberal Democratic Party, comparable to the reign of the Christian Democrats in Italy, also sponsored by the CIA; these tactics kept both Japan and Italy from developing a strong multi-party system.7

The 1961-63 edition of the State Departments annual Foreign Relations of the United States, published in 1996, includes an unpreced-ented disclaimer that, because of material left out, a committee of distinguished historians thinks this published compilation does not constitute a thorough, accurate and reliable documentary record of major United States foreign policy decisions, as required by law. The deleted material involved US actions from 1958-1960 in Japan, according to the State Departments historian.8

Nepal, 1959

By the CIAs own admission, it carried out an unspecified covert action on behalf of B.P. Koirala to help his Nepali Congress Party win the national parliamentary election. The NCP won a majority of seats in the new legislature and Koirala became prime minister. It was Nepals first national election ever, and the CIA was there to initiate them into the wonderful workings of democracy. 9

Laos, 1960

CIA agents stuffed ballot boxes to help a hand-picked strongman, Phoumi Nosavan, set up a pro-American government. 10

Brazil, 1962

The CIA and the Agency for International Development expended millions of dollars during federal and state elections in support of candidates opposed to President Joao Goulart. The Agency also dipped into its bag of dirty tricks to torment the campaigns of various candidates.11

Dominican Republic, 1962

In October 1962, two months before election day, US Ambassador John Bartlow Martin got together with the candidates of the two major parties and handed them a written notice, in Spanish and English, which he had prepared. It read in part: The loser in the

forthcoming election will, as soon as the election result is known, publicly congratulate the winner, publicly recognize him as the President of all the Dominican people, and publicly call upon his own supporters to so recognize him...Before taking office, the winner will offer Cabinet seats to members of the losers party. (They may decline). 12

The United States also worked with the Dominican government to deport some 125 people-supporters of the former dictator Trujillo as well as Castro/Communists -to the US and elsewhere, who were not allowed to return until after the election. This was to help maintain stability so elections could be held , as Martin put it. 13

As matters turned out, the winner, Juan Bosch, was ousted in a military coup seven months later, a slap in the face of democracy which neither Martin nor any other American official did anything about.

Guatemala, 1963

The US overthrew the regime of General Miguel Ydigoras because he was planning to step down in 1964, leaving the door open to an election; an election that Washington feared would be won by the former president, liberal reformer and critic of US foreign policy, Juan Jose Arevalo. Ydigorass replacement made no mention of elections. 14

Bolivia, 1966

The CIA bestowed $600,000 upon President Rene Barrientos and lesser sums to several right-wing parties in a successful effort to influence the outcome of national elections. Gulf Oil contributed two hundred thousand more to Barrientos.15

Chile, 1964-70

There were major US interventions into national elections in 1964 and 1970, and into congressional elections in the intervening years.

Socialist Salvador Allende fell victim in 1964, but won in 1970 despite a multimillion, multifaceted CIA operation against him. The Agency then orchestrated his downfall in a 1973 military coup. 16

Portugal, 1974-5

In the years following the coup in 1974 by military officers who talked like socialists, the CIA revved up its propaganda machine while tunneling many millions of dollars to support moderate candidates, in particular Mario Soares and his (so-called) Socialist Party. At the same time, the Agency enlisted social-democratic parties of Western Europe