Editing William Casey (section)

==Connection to Operation Gladio==
[[Operation Gladio]] was a covert NATO program, initiated in the late 1940s, to establish “stay-behind” networks in Western Europe to counter a potential Soviet invasion through guerrilla warfare and sabotage. Coordinated by NATO’s **Clandestine Planning Committee** and funded partly by the CIA, Gladio involved training anti-communist operatives, stockpiling weapons, and, in some cases, alleged ties to far-right groups implicated in “strategy of tension” attacks, like Italy’s 1980 Bologna bombing, per *NATO’s Secret Armies* by Daniele Ganser.

Casey’s connection to Gladio is indirect but plausible, rooted in his OSS background and DCI role. During World War II, Casey’s OSS work with European resistance groups, particularly in France and Italy, prefigured Gladio’s structure, as OSS veterans like **Allen Dulles** helped establish stay-behind networks post-war. As DCI (1981–1987), Casey oversaw CIA support for anti-communist operations in Europe, including funding for Gladio-linked groups, though no declassified documents explicitly name him in Gladio’s operations. A 1990 Italian parliamentary report on Gladio notes CIA involvement in Italy’s network, with funds channeled through the **Propaganda Due (P2)** Masonic lodge, which Casey likely monitored given his focus on Italian communism.

Casey’s broader anti-communist strategy aligned with Gladio’s objectives. His support for covert operations in Europe, such as backing Poland’s **Solidarity** movement and disinformation against the Soviet-aligned Italian Communist Party (PCI), complemented Gladio’s aim of countering leftist influence. The CIA’s **Radio Free Europe**, expanded under Casey, worked alongside Gladio’s psychological warfare efforts. However, claims by Ganser and X posts (@jimstewartson) of Casey directly managing Gladio or orchestrating false-flag attacks lack primary evidence, relying on his general oversight of covert programs.