US CIA operations in Latvia IV Soviet Occupation
US CIA program REDSOX operations on the territory of Latvia
At the beginning of the fifties of the 20th century, the US intelligence service CIA began to play an increasing role in intelligence operations against the USSR, which initially coordinated its activities with the British MI-6. At that time, the British positioned themselves as experts in activities on the territory of the USSR, having both infiltrated agents and information. They also shared general information about the USSR with the Americans. It is now clear that all of this information actually turns out to be Soviet counter-intelligence disinformation.
In 1949, the Soviet Russia (SR) branch of the CIA launched the REDSOX program with the aim of sending illegal agents into the territory of the USSR. Within the framework of REDSOX, six illegal agent deployment operations were carried out - in Latvia (projects AECOB / ZRLYNCH), Lithuania (projects AEGEAN / AECHAMP), Estonia (projects AEROOT / AEBASIN), Ukraine (project AERODYNAMIC), Belarus (project AEQUOR) and Russia (projects AESAURUS / AENOBLE). AE was the territory of the USSR. Accordingly, the cryptonyms of all agents sent to the territory of the USSR also began with the letters AE.
In total, at least 85 CIA agents were sent to the territory of the USSR, of which only three returned, one of whom was suspected by the CIA as a double agent.
The REDSOX program continued until 1954.
In fact, these were suicide missions, as there was no real possibility of return for these agents.
More information sources
https://www.lsm.lv/raksts/dzive--stils/vesture/kgb-slepenie-arhivi.-spiegu-speles-latvija-cia-agenti-psrs-dienesta.a261845/
Zigmārs Turčinskis is a researcher at the Institute of Latvian History of the University of Latvia. The material prepared by him is offered for publication under the author's title "Soviet counter-intelligence disinformation in the archives of the US Central Intelligence Agency" with the subtitle "Scientific comment on the lsm.lv publication "Mežabrāli in CIA secret archives"".
In his text, the author uses abbreviations in the original languages - KGB, CIA, etc.
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