NATO’s Secret Armies, Operation Gladio - TERROR on DEMAND / [Documentary]

Operation Gladio was a clandestine NATO-CIA network of "stay-behind" armies in Western Europe during the Cold War (1948–1990), designed to resist a potential Soviet invasion through guerrilla warfare and sabotage.
Setup: Initiated in the late 1940s by the Western Union and CIA, coordinated via NATO’s Allied Clandestine Committee. Operated in countries like Italy, Belgium, Denmark, Norway, and Switzerland, with secret arms caches and training for military and civilian recruits, including some right-wing extremists.
Controversies: Exposed in 1990 by Italian PM Giulio Andreotti, Gladio was linked to Italy’s "Strategy of Tension" (1969–1980), involving false-flag terrorism (e.g., 1980 Bologna bombing) to discredit communists and justify authoritarian measures. Similar allegations surfaced in Belgium and Turkey, though NATO denied internal subversion.
Aftermath: Disbanded in Italy in 1990; European Parliament condemned the lack of oversight. Debates persist over its role in terrorism, with evidence from declassified documents and historians like Daniele Ganser, though some claims remain contested.