Background
In the late 1940s, tensions between the US and the Soviet Union were rising. The CIA and the Office of Policy Coordination (OPC) needed an intelligence network in Eastern Europe for espionage, propaganda, and preparing covert resistance.
Objectives
Operation Bloodstone was planned in 1948 to recruit former German intelligence officers, SS members, and Gestapo personnel who had knowledge of Soviet and Eastern European networks. The program aimed to:
- Gather intelligence on the Soviet Union and the Eastern bloc.
- Build a network of anti-communist agents.
- Prepare psychological and propaganda operations.
Execution
The program involved the US Army’s Counter Intelligence Corps (CIC), the CIA, and Reinhard Gehlen’s network, the former head of German military intelligence on the Eastern Front. Through Bloodstone, many former German intelligence officers were given protection and new jobs in exchange for serving Western interests.
Controversy
The operation drew criticism for recruiting individuals who had previously been involved in the Nazi regime and war crimes. Although the US government denied directly using problematic figures, documents revealed that some former SS and Gestapo members were helped to avoid prosecution.
Legacy
Bloodstone became an early example of how the Cold War blurred moral considerations in pursuit of intelligence superiority. The program laid the groundwork for various later anti-Soviet operations, including West Germany’s involvement in Western defense.