On Company Business
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On Company Business is a three-part documentary Film by Allan Francovich about the activities of the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency. It won the award for best documentary at the 1980 Berlin International Film Festival. It is considered a classic work in the field of intelligence studies.[citation needed]
On Company Business is largely told through the effort of former CIA Agent turned critic and whistleblower Philip Agee. Through the 1980's and 1990's, Agee would become a fixture of local access cable programs about the CIA and current affairs. Although the film is highly critical of the CIA, it was made with the tacit approval of former CIA director William Colby much as Doug Valentine was allowed to research and publish his book about The Phoenix Program. The Film also reflect cultural elements of the 1970's such as a soundtrack drawn from Steve Reich's Music for 18 Musicians.
A particular strength of the film is its explanation of the overall US economy and how this was built around Truman's rearmament plan. The film explains the CIA's role in retaining soft power allowing the US to consume resources extracted from its sphere of influence. A weakness of the film is how it avoids completely issues of Zionist impulses within the CIA as well as its integration with U.S. Domestic organized crime networks, and in that sense, the film may be considered an extended limited hangout.
Angolan Civil War
On Company Business remains the definitive account of the CIA's intervention in Angola in 1975. It also features a remarkable interview by Congressman and later Oakland Mayor Ron Dellums about the initial ineffectiveness of the 1970's reforms to improve oversight such as the House Select Committee on Intelligence.
