Allied Clandestine Committee
 Allied Clandestine Committee  | |
|---|---|
| Formation | 1 Jan 1957 |
| Parent organization | NATO |
| Type | • secret •  “terrorist” |
| Together with the Clandestine Planning Committee, the ACC coordinates the stay behind groups collectively referred to as "Operation Gladio". | |
The Allied Clandestine Committee, together with the Clandestine Planning Committee, is a secret command center to coordinate the stay behind groups of Operation Gladio.
Origins
It was set up in France on the orders of NATO's Supreme Allied Commander in Europe.
Activities
This group provided for significant US leverage over the secret stay-behind networks in Western Europe as the SACEUR is a US General who although based in NATO’s Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE) in Belgium, nevertheless reports to the Pentagon. The ACC’s duties included elaborating on the directives for the network, developing its clandestine capability, and organizing bases in Britain and the United States. In wartime, it was to plan stay-behind operations in conjunction with SHAPE. According to former CIA director William Colby, it was "a major program."[1]
When NATO establishes new European headquarters in Brussels the ACC under the code name SDRA 11 is hidden within the Belgian military secret service SGR who has its headquarters next to NATO.[2]
References
- ↑ Terrorism in Western Europe: An Approach to NATO’s Secret Stay-Behind Armies. Whitehead Journal of Diplomacy, 2005, Daniele Ganser
- ↑ Operation Gladio and NATO's Stay-Behind Armies: Chronology (Parallel History Project on Cooperative Security / PHP)
