Editing World Anti-Communist League (section)

==Paramilitary Groups==
The World Anti-Communist League (WACL) had documented ties to paramilitary groups, particularly during the Cold War. These connections were driven by its militant anti-communist agenda, which supported armed resistance against communist regimes and insurgencies. 

	•	Latin America: The WACL’s Latin American chapter, the Confederación Anticomunista Latinoamericana (CAL), included members linked to right-wing paramilitary groups and death squads. In the 1980s, CAL was associated with groups like the Nicaraguan Contras, whom the WACL supported through fundraising and logistics. The U.S. chapter, led by John Singlaub, was implicated in funneling arms to the Contras during the Iran-Contra affair. Guatemalan and Salvadoran anti-communist militias, tied to state-sponsored death squads, also attended WACL conferences.

	•	Southern Africa: The WACL backed anti-communist paramilitary movements like UNITA in Angola and RENAMO in Mozambique, providing propaganda and material support against Marxist governments, often in coordination with South Africa’s apartheid regime.

	•	Asia: The WACL supported anti-communist guerrillas in Southeast Asia, such as the Khmer People’s National Liberation Front in Cambodia and Hmong fighters in Laos, through training and resources. Taiwan’s Political Warfare Cadres Academy, a WACL hub, trained paramilitary operatives.

	•	Europe and Ukraine: The Anti-Bolshevik Bloc of Nations (ABN), a WACL affiliate, included former members of Ukrainian nationalist groups like the OUN-B, which had paramilitary wings during World War II. These groups maintained anti-Soviet activities during the Cold War, with WACL support.

The WACL’s ties to paramilitary groups were facilitated by its network of anti-communist regimes, intelligence operatives, and private donors, including CIA involvement. Conferences often featured paramilitary leaders alongside politicians, and the organization’s rhetoric endorsed “liberation” through armed struggle. Critics, including reports from the Anti-Defamation League and journalists like Scott and Jon Lee Anderson, highlighted these links as evidence of the WACL’s extremism. Data from declassified documents and investigations (e.g., Iran-Contra hearings) confirm these connections.