• Privacy
  • Terms of Use
  • About
  • Contact

Cold War

Before, During, and After the Cold War

  • Podcast
  • Red Scare
  • Cuba
  • Iran
  • Urbanization
  • Spy
  • Afghanistan
  • Taiwan
  • Vietnam
  • Timelines

SPYING YEAR BY YEAR: 1955

February 27, 2014 by Lisa Reynolds Wolfe

Kishi and the CIA

1955 was a slow year for espionage activity. But because so much of what happened that year centers on Japan, it was also an extremely important year. Before I list the timeline, here’s a little backstory on the year’s events and their impact.

As we’ve seen in the case of Italy, the CIA was good at using American money to buy the political outcomes it desired. It was also good at using cold cash to buy the services of foreign politicians. The first place it bought the future leader of a world power was Japan.

In 1957, with the CIA’s help, Nobusuke Mishi, a former American war criminal, became the prime minister of Japan. Kishi won his first postwar Diet (Japanese Parliament) seat in 1953. He gained American support and solidified his access to power in 1955.

Kishi became the leader of the rising conservative movement in Japan. Within a year of his election to the Diet, he controlled the largest faction among Japan’s elected representatives. Once in office, he built the ruling party that led Japan for nearly half a century.

Spying Year by Year: 1955

1955: President Eisenhower creates the Special Group — 3 designated representatives of the White House, State Department, and Department of Defense. He charges them with reviewing the secret operations of the CIA, but they have no ability to approve covert action in advance. The CIA director, Allen Dulles, believed the group had no need to know about covert action. They were in no position to judge him or the agency.

Dulles felt that “no policy approval was required” for his decisions. The director, his deputies, and the station chiefs abroad remained free to set their own policies, plot their own operations, and judge the results for themselves, in secret. Dulles advised the White House as he saw fit.

May 14, 1955: The Warsaw Pact is signed.

July 18, 1955: The leaders of the USSR, the United States, England, and France convene in Geneva to start the Big Four Conference. 

August 1955: John Foster Dulles meets with Nobusuke Kishi and tells him that he can expect the support of the American government so long as Japan’s conservatives unify to help the United States fight communism. One of the stronger relationships the CIA ever cultivates with a foreign leader is born.

November 1955: Kishi unifies Japan’s conservatives under the banner of the Liberal Democratic Party. As the party’s leader, he allows the CIA to recruit and run his political followers on a seat-by-seat basis in the Japanese parliament. He pledges to work with the CIA in reshaping a new security treaty between the United States and Japan. Kishi’s case officer, Clyde McAvoy, is able to report on (and influence) the emerging foreign policy of postwar Japan.

December 28, 1955: President Eisenhower changes the CIA’s marching orders. He recognizes that covert action isn’t going to undermine the Kremlin, so he revises the “rules” written at the beginning of the Cold War. The new order, NSC  5412/2, remains in effect for 15 years. The new goals are to “create and exploit troublesome problems for International Communism,” to “counter any threat of a party or individuals directly or indirectly responsive to Communist control,” and to “strengthen the orientation to the United States of the people of the free world.”

For more Cold War Spying Year By Year go to:

1954

1956

Filed Under: Spy

Stay Up to Date: Join Cold War Studies

Sign up to receive email updates and our latest blog posts.

About Lisa Reynolds Wolfe

Widely published, Lisa holds a Ph.D. in Politics from New York University and a Master of Science in Policy Analysis and Public Management from the State University of New York at Stony Brook. Areas of particular interest and expertise include Cold War Studies, sustainable development, heritage, and the environment.

How Much Do You Know?

Want to find out how much you really know about the Cold War. Click here to take our quiz. 

Disappointed with your results. Join Cold War Studies and Download our free ebook  Cold War History A to Z. You’ll get a quick and easy pathway to instant expertise.

Join Cold War Studies and Get Our Free E-Book

Want a quick deep dive into the Cold War? Join Cold War Studies and get Cold War History A to Z for free. You'll also receive occasional email updates and our latest blog posts.

We respect your privacy and will never share your information

Most Popular Posts

Cold War Chile

Egypt Transfers Loyalty From The USSR To The US In The Middle Of The Cold War

Cold War Argentina: The Dirty War

Dr. Seuss and the Cold War

The First Red Scare: A Timeline

Follow Us On Twitter

Cold War StudiesFollow

A Cold War historian, Lisa holds a Ph.D. in Politics from New York University and a MS in Policy Analysis and Public Management from SUNY Stony Brook.

Avatar
AvatarCold War Studies@coldwarstudies·
6h

Read or watch - take your pick: 7 John Le Carré Novels That Inspired Great Spy Thriller Movies and Series https://collider.com/john-le-carre-novels-that-inspired-best-spy-thriller-movies-and-shows/

Reply on Twitter 1528386202931429378Retweet on Twitter 1528386202931429378Like on Twitter 15283862029314293781Twitter 1528386202931429378
AvatarCold War Studies@coldwarstudies·
18 May

It's almost time for some beach reading: Writing History When the Crime Is Stranger Than Fiction https://crimereads.com/writing-history-espionage-alger-hiss/ via @CrimeReads

Reply on Twitter 1526931675305082881Retweet on Twitter 1526931675305082881Like on Twitter 1526931675305082881Twitter 1526931675305082881
Load More...

Check Out Our Red Scare White Paper

Read all about the Red Scare. Just click on the cover below.

Read a Cold War Studies White Paper on Cuban Agriculture

Read all about Cuban Agriculture. Just click on the image for easy access.

Read a Cold War Studies White Paper on Cold War FACTS

Get the inside scoop on the Cold War.  Just click on the image to get started.

Copyright © 2022 · Metro Pro Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in