The Soviet Union was ahead of the US in spying in Africa during the Cold War – CIA report reveals

There was a time when the Cold War was going on between the US and the Soviet Union (USSR) Russia. The whole world was divided into pros and cons. In 1957, there was a conflict between the two superpowers to establish influence in the African continent. In the confrontation between the US and the USSR, the US lagged behind. After so many years, the CIA itself has accepted such an explanation. Declassified documents of the CIA reveal that despite being a global power, the US lagged behind the USSR in Africa.

The Soviet Union had greatly expanded its influence on the African continent; Russian agencies were not eliminated until the dissolution of the USSR. The CIA was challenged in every region except the North American continent. On August 14, 1957, a meeting was held at the Main Geographic Research Area Office, which revealed that the CIA did not have the information it needed to learn about Africa.

In particular, there was a lack of information on Africa's physical geography, indigenous tribes, urban areas and commodities. In addition, the intelligence agency CIA faced difficulties due to the large size of the continent; the United States' policies and operational strategies in Africa were also in their development stage at the time.

The Soviet Union adopted a special approach to understand the various tribes of Africa. The Russians also ran anthropological (ethnographic) programs. Social engineering was also done with some communities. The terminology of Russia's related program also indicated this.