Black Budget: The Entire History of the CIA
The CIA didn’t just grow into a powerful institution — it was built from the start to operate in the dark. The black budget wasn’t an accident or a side feature. It was the foundation. It gave the agency money with no public oversight, no real limits, and no requirement to explain what it was doing. That structure shaped everything that came after.
From the 1950s onward, the CIA used this hidden funding to interfere in governments around the world. Iran, Guatemala, Congo, Chile — the pattern was the same. Money moved quietly, local actors were paid off, and entire countries were pushed in…
The skinny
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