Allied Clandestine Committee
 Allied Clandestine Committee  | |
|---|---|
| Abbreviation | ACC |
| Formation | 1 Jan 1957 |
| Founder |  Lauris Norstad |
| Parent organization | NATO |
| Headquarters | Brussels |
| Type | • secret society •  “terrorist” |
| Together with the Clandestine Planning Committee, the ACC coordinates the stay behind groups collectively referred to as "Operation Gladio". | |
The Allied Clandestine Committee is a highly secretive group set up within NATO, also known as the 'Allied Coordination Committee'. Together with the Clandestine Planning Committee, it is a secret command center to coordinate the stay behind groups of Operation Gladio. It is unknown whether the same groups have a similar function with respect to Operation Gladio/B.
Official narrative
There was no official narrative until the exposure of Gladio in Italy. Allan Francovich's film was important in raising awareness of the group. The US State Department issued a statement claiming that the stay-behind networks were "designed to form the nucleus of resistance movements if the Soviet Union invaded and occupied Western Europe.":
- During World War II, anti-Nazi resistance movements had sprung up throughout Europe, but supplying them by airdrops and other risky measures had been difficult and uncertain. The “stay behind” networks sought to avoid such problems by stockpiling weapons in secret caches ahead of time, and recruiting volunteers who would form the core of resistance movements, if needed. The program remained one of the Cold War’s best-kept secrets until it was revealed in late 1990, first in Italy and then in other West European countries.[1]
The Committee's last confirmed meeting took place on 24 October 1990 in Brussels.[2] In the late 1990s, Daniele Ganser submitted a request to NATO Archives for any material relating to the ACC and they denied having any relevant material.[3]
Concerns
In Francovich's film, Italian participants in Gladio aired the opinion that at least in Italy the main purpose of the Gladio operation was to prepare for and prevent a possible electoral victory of the Italian communist party, rather than an invasion by Soviet forces.[4] Such covert undermining of the electoral system is known to have been carried out by the similarly secretive deep state milieu, Le Cercle, some of whose attendees are believed linked to Gladio.
Origins
The ACC was set up in France on the orders of Lauris Norstad, 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."[5]
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.[6]
References
- ↑ Misinformation about "Gladio/Stay Behind" Networks Resurfaces, America.Gov, 20 January 2006.
- ↑ Daniele Ganser, NATO's Secret Armies: Operation Gladio and Terrorism in Western Europe, Frank Cass, 2005, p.1.
- ↑ http://www.danieleganser.ch/assets/files/Inhalte/Interviews/Zeitungsinterviews/pdf_05/EIR_Interview_Gladio_and_911_08.04.05.pdf
- ↑ http://www.unwelcomeguests.net/725
- ↑ 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)
