Franklin, Gladio, and Human Nature

This is my latest at the Partial Observer. Excerpt:

It may be hard to believe that a child sex ring involving several famous and powerful people could exist without the press exposing it. But governments have long been effective in covering up even greater crimes.

During the Cold War, the CIA and Britain's MI-6 recruited far-right ideologues in Western European countries to serve as a resistance force in case of a communist coup. Now known as Gladio, this effort was shrouded in secrecy. As time passed, it was often the case that a prime minister was unaware of this secret army in his own country. Gladio was responsible for terrorist attacks in Italy, and a spree of murderous armed robberies in Belgium. Gladio's strategy was to blame the communists, turn the frightened public against communist parties, and build public support for a stronger police-state apparatus. Elected governments were unable to control or contain Gladio, though for the sake of the Cold War they were obliged to hide Gladio's existence and cover up its crimes. Gladio's existence remained unknown to the public until after the Cold War ended.