Editing Tracy Barnes (section)

==CIA Career==
(1947–1966)
In 1947, Barnes joined the newly formed Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), recruited by Dulles and Frank Wisner for the Office of Policy Coordination (OPC), the agency’s covert action arm. His 19-year CIA tenure, culminating in senior roles, made him a key figure in Cold War operations, though his legacy is mixed due to high-profile failures.

Early Covert Operations (1947–1953): As a case officer, Barnes worked on anti-communist operations in Europe, including propaganda and labor union infiltration to counter perceived communist influence. His tenure in Europe was during the setting up, funding, training of Operation Gladio cells throughout Europe. These cells were used to to infiltrate labor union activities that demanded better wages from Western oligarchs primarily United States owned businesses. 

In 1950, he was assigned to the Directorate of Plans, overseeing covert actions in Eastern Europe. This included setting up Operation Gladio stay behind units in Eastern Europe. His role in Operation Valuable (1949–1952), an attempt to destabilize communist Albania, was a failure, with Soviet moles compromising the mission, as noted in The Agency by John Ranelagh.

[[Operation PBSuccess]] (1954): Barnes served as chief of the political action division for Operation PBSuccess, the CIA’s coup to overthrow Guatemala’s President Jacobo Árbenz, authorized by President Dwight D. Eisenhower in August 1953. Working under Allen Dulles and alongside E. Howard Hunt and David Atlee Phillips, Barnes coordinated psychological warfare, paramilitary training, and diplomatic pressure. He oversaw the recruitment of Carlos Castillo Armas and the operation’s $2.7 million budget, ensuring its execution from Opa-locka, Florida. The coup, detailed in declassified CIA documents (1997) and Secret History by Nick Cullather, succeeded in June 1954, but sparked Guatemala’s civil war (1960–1996). Barnes’s role, managing propaganda and rebel coordination, earned him praise, though critics highlight the operation’s long-term human cost.

Bay of Pigs Invasion (1961): As deputy director for plans under Richard M. Bissell Jr., Barnes was a lead planner for the Bay of Pigs invasion, the CIA’s failed attempt to overthrow Fidel Castro. He managed logistics, training Cuban exiles at Camp Trax in Guatemala, and coordinating with the Cuban Revolutionary Council. The invasion’s collapse in April 1961, due to poor planning, and was a major embarrassment. Barnes, alongside Bissell, faced blame, with President John F. Kennedy reportedly considering firing him, per The Brilliant Disaster by Jim Rasenberger. The failure led to Bissell’s resignation, but Barnes retained his position, reflecting his entrenched status.

Chile and Other Operations (1962–1966): Barnes served as chief of the Western Hemisphere Division (1962–1966), overseeing operations in Latin America. He played a role in early efforts to destabilize Chile’s Salvador Allende, funding groups before the 1970 election, as detailed in The Pinochet File by Peter Kornbluh. His tenure included covert actions in Brazil, supporting the 1964 military coup against João Goulart (Operation Brother Sam). Barnes also managed anti-Castro plots, including assassination attempts, though declassified Church Committee records (1975).

Retirement (1966): Barnes retired from the CIA in 1966, disillusioned by bureaucratic constraints and the agency’s post-Bay of Pigs scrutiny. His departure coincided with the CIA’s shift toward technical intelligence, reducing the influence of OSS-era operatives. He joined Time Inc. as a consultant, leveraging his establishment connections, and later worked in public relations in New York. Time Inc was part of the CIA's propaganda arm with Operation Mockingbird. As a result, its difficult to know whether his tenure at Time Inc was another assignment or he did, in fact, retire.