CIA Terrorism Exposed in Shocking 1985 Debate

This PBS television show ran in 1985, including CIA Director Admiral Stansfield Turner and was titled "Did the American CIA practice terrorism?" A debate on whether the United States CIA engaged in actions that could be defined as or compared to terrorism (specifically analyzing covert actions, support for various proxy groups, and the agency's operational boundaries during and after Turner's tenure). Admiral Stansfield Turner, who served as the Director of Central Intelligence (DCI) under President Jimmy Carter from 1977 to 1981. During his tenure, Turner was known for reshaping the CIA, shifting emphasis toward technical collection (such as satellites) and bringing greater oversight and reform to covert operations following the mid-1970s Congressional Committee investigations. Where the line is drawn when a state intelligence agency funds, trains, or assists armed groups or conducts sabotage abroad to protect its national security. How Turner’s efforts to reform the "cowboy" era of the agency’s Directorate of Operations changed the way the U.S. handled secret operations. The mid-1980s security landscape, including how the U.S. responded to foreign hostage crises, international hijacking, and the rising threat of state-sponsored terrorism from adversaries.