During the Korean War, CIA officers Frank Wisner, Hans Tofte, and Albert Haney continuously sent operators on airborne drop missions into North Korean territory. The issue with this is that it was difficult to know who was an anti-communist partisan and who was a North Korean informant. Additionally if there was a traitor, then the entire group dropped in would all be killed or sent to die in a POW camp. As early as 8 months into the Korean War these three men knew about this major problem that was nearly impossible to solve, yet throughout the war they continued to send hundreds of operators out onto missions with little intelligence gathering for the planning process. So my question is why did they keep doing this and sending hundreds to their deaths? Furthermore Wisner, Tofte, and Haney were sketchy guys before the Korean War so why would they be given such high positions?
Regarding other missions on the “ineffectiveness” side of things, one wild one was where they sent a Native American operative named “Buffalo” into Pyongyang to assassinate Kim Il-Sung. Why would anyone believe a Native American could blend in and walk about through North Korea? Needless to say Buffalo wasn’t heard from again.
Thank you, and keep up the great work Indy and Korean War Team! Also I love the name “Out of the Dugouts” it’s perfect.