Editing “Years of Lead” (section)

==Establishment and Transformation==
Gladio was initiated in Italy under the Italian Military Secret Service (SIFAR), later SID, with CIA funding and NATO oversight. Its original purpose was to train covert operatives and stockpile weapons in secret caches (NASCO) for guerrilla resistance. This was justified among those involve using the threat of an impending Soviet invasion despite a lack of any intelligence indicating such a threat existed. By the late 1960s, amid rising activist movements and PCI electoral gains, Gladio’s mission focused on internal or domestic 'threats.' Directed by CIA strategists like [[Allen Dulles]] (CIA Director, 1953–1961), Gladio partnered with fascist groups and elements within Italy’s military and intelligence to execute domestic terrorist acts, falsely blaming groups labeled as communists. This was used to discredit the PCI and justify repressive measures. This “strategy of tension” exploited Italy’s social unrest, including student protests (1968) and labor strikes (Hot Autumn, 1969).