The CIA Files - Part 5

The CIA Files - Part 5

From Kontrarian Korner by Ben Kelleran

June 2, 2026 · 52 min

About this episode

The episode features Colonel Towner-Watkins discussing Operation Gladio and its implications for modern intelligence operations.

Today I had Colonel Towner-Watkins back on the podcast for part 5 of our CIA Files series. We followed up last week’s episode on Italy with a deep dive on Operation Gladio and how it is the ancestor of the intelligence programs you see in today’s society. The history of these operations and their purpose is important to understand if you want to understand what is going on today. You can find Colonel Towner-Watkins on Twitter and Rumble . “It’s an orchestrated terror campaign to manipulate the people in your country.” Podcast Summary * The stay behind units across Europe and the early history of the A-Team. * The secret agreement to have a stay behind network in all countries that joined NATO. * The ties between Gladio, Italian political officials, and the Vatican. * How Gladio is the paramilitary operation under the umbrella of the CIA, and how these operations aren’t just isolated to a specific country. * The Bologna train bombing in 1980 as the most deadly example of Gladio’s handiwork. * What happened when Gladio was revealed in Italy and how long it took to deal with it. * Why operations like Gladio are an orchestrated terror campaign to manipulate the people of a country…

People in this episode

Host: Ben Kelleran

Guest: Colonel Towner-Watkins

Topics covered

  • CIA operations
  • Operation Gladio
  • intelligence programs
  • political manipulation
  • European history
  • terror campaigns

Keywords

  • CIA
  • Operation Gladio
  • terror campaign
  • Italy
  • NATO
  • Bologna train bombing
  • political manipulation

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: CIA, NATO, Vatican

Places: Italy

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