Editing James Jesus Angleton (section)

==CIA Career==
(1947–1974) Angleton joined the **Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)** in 1947, initially in the **Office of Special Operations (OSO)**, focusing on counterintelligence. His 27-year tenure, particularly as **Chief of Counterintelligence** (1954–1974), established him as a legendary yet controversial figure, known for his brilliance, paranoia, and relentless pursuit of Soviet moles.

Early CIA Roles (1947–1954): Angleton worked in Washington, D.C., and Italy, leveraging OSS contacts to monitor communist activities. In 1949, he joined the **Office of Policy Coordination (OPC)**, handling covert operations, and by 1951, he was chief of the **Special Operations Group**, forging intelligence-sharing with Israel’s **Mossad**, a lifelong alliance. He analyzed Soviet defectors and countered KGB disinformation, setting the stage for his counterintelligence dominance.
  
Chief of Counterintelligence (1954–1974): Appointed by **Allen Dulles**, Angleton led the Counterintelligence Staff, protecting the CIA from foreign penetration. His tenure included:

Mole Hunts: Influenced by Philby’s 1951 defection and Soviet defector Golitsyn’s 1961 warnings of a Soviet “master plan,” Angleton launched extensive mole hunts, suspecting over 40 officers, including James Dunn and Pete Bagley. His fixation on a “Monster Plot” led to the wrongful detention of defector Yuri Nosenko (1964–1967), who claimed Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone in JFK’s assassination, a claim Angleton doubted, fueling conspiracy theories.

Operation CHAOS: From 1967, Angleton oversaw CHAOS, a domestic surveillance program targeting anti-Vietnam War activists, violating the CIA’s charter. Partnering with the FBI’s COINTELPRO, it monitored 10,000 Americans, including Martin Luther King Jr., prompting Church Committee scrutiny in 1975.

Israel Liaison: Angleton’s close ties with Mossad, particularly **Meir Amit**, facilitated intelligence exchanges but raised concerns about divided loyalties, as he reportedly shielded Israeli operations from U.S. oversight.

Philby Obsession: Philby’s 1963 defection to Moscow reinforced Angleton’s paranoia, shaping his distrust of defectors and allies, as detailed in *Wilderness of Mirrors* by David C. Martin.
HTLINGUAL: From 1955, Angleton ran a mail-interception program, opening 215,000 letters between the U.S. and Soviet bloc, violating privacy laws and complementing **NSA** surveillance.

[[MKULTRA]]: He peripherally supported the CIA’s mind-control experiments, though his focus remained counterintelligence.