Editing American International Group (AIG) (section)

==Regime Change and Coups==
AIG’s global reach and financial capabilities made it a potential asset in U.S.-led regime change efforts. The CIA’s history of orchestrating coups, detailed in United States Involvement in Regime Change, includes operations in Guatemala (1954), Iran (1953), and Chile (1973). AIG’s insurance and reinsurance operations in these regions provided a plausible cover for intelligence activities, though direct evidence is often classified.
===Guatemala 1954===
The CIA’s Operation PBSuccess ousted President Jacobo Árbenz, partly to protect United Fruit Company’s interests. AIG, through its Latin American operations, insured U.S. businesses in the region, potentially facilitating financial flows for covert operations. No declassified documents explicitly link AIG to PBSuccess, but its presence in Central America aligns with CIA needs.
===Chile 1973===
The CIA’s Project FUBELT, which culminated in Allende’s overthrow, involved $8 million in covert funding, as revealed in The Pinochet File. AIG’s operations in Chile, including insuring U.S.-owned copper mines, positioned it to support U.S. economic interests. Coral Reinsurance’s later ties to ADFA and Stephens, who had business dealings in South America, suggest AIG’s financial network could have channeled funds for Condor-related activities post-coup.
===Iran 1953===
The CIA’s Operation Ajax removed Prime Minister Mohammad Mossadegh to protect Western oil interests. AIG’s Middle Eastern operations, though nascent, provided a financial foothold that could have supported CIA logistics, though evidence is circumstantial.

AIG’s role in these coups would likely have been indirect, providing financial infrastructure rather than operational support. Its offshore banks and reinsurance companies, like Coral, were ideal for moving untraceable funds, a tactic the CIA used extensively in covert operations.