To counter the machinations of the Comintern and subsequently the Eastern Bloc, the Anglo-Saxon powers developed a highly effective culture of information warfare. British author Frances Stonor Saunders’ book “Who Paid the Piper? The CIA and the Cultural Cold War” (published in 2003 by Denoël and now largely out of print) exposes the system orchestrated by the Central Intelligence Agency from its inception in the late 1950s. For over 20 years, the American espionage institution managed a complex and richly funded cultural front. Notably, it reveals the role of the International Organizations Division (IOD), a branch of the CIA led by Tom Braden, which was responsible for the creation of the Congress for Cultural Freedom.
