Editing Projekt-26 (section)

==Controversies and Ethical Issues==
	•	Breach of Neutrality: P-26’s ties to MI6 and potential NATO connections raised concerns about violating Switzerland’s neutrality, a cornerstone of its foreign policy. Coordination with SHAPE or SACEUR (NATO’s European commander) would have been particularly contentious, though the Cornu Report’s redacted sections obscure definitive evidence. 

	•	Lack of Oversight: P-26 operated “outside political or legal legitimacy,” as per the Cornu Report, with no parliamentary or governmental control. This autonomy, also characteristic of Gladio, fueled public outrage, leading to Defense Minister Kaspar Villiger’s resignation in 1990.
 
	•	Domestic Subversion: The mandate to counter left-wing political gains, as noted by parliamentarian Carlo Schmid, suggested P-26 could undermine Swiss democracy, paralleling Gladio’s alleged role in Italy’s political violence. However, no evidence links P-26 to terrorism or assassinations, unlike Italian Gladio. 

	•	Cornu Report Secrecy: The 100-page Cornu Report, released in truncated form in 2018, remains partially classified until 2048. A 1991 summary claimed P-26 was “not part of an international network,” but redactions, especially on CIA/MI6 ties, limit transparency. In 2018, 27 related files were reported missing from Swiss archives, deepening suspicion. 

	•	Fichenaffäre Fallout: The 1989 secret files scandal, revealing surveillance of nearly one-seventh of Switzerland’s population, contextualized P-26’s exposure. The parliamentary probe into P-26, triggered by this scandal, shocked figures like Schmid, who described a “conspirational atmosphere.”