Few stories are as complex—or consequential—as the purported involvement of USAID, EcoHealth Alliance, and the CIA in the inception of COVID-19 in the complex web of international politics, where clandestine operations and public programs periodically intersect. The world’s downfall caused by a pandemic has now turned into a complex web of intrigue including decades of covert intelligence operations, gain-of-function research, and government monies from the United States. This tale is about more than simply a virus; it’s about secrecy, power, and the unforeseen results of taking risks.
How Will USAID and EcoHealth Alliance Spend $53 Million?
The United States Agency for International Development (USAID), which purports to offer humanitarian and economic aid all over the globe, is at the center of this debate. But the truth is more complicated than its selfless appearance suggests. The NGO EcoHealth Alliance received $53 million from USAID from 2009 to 2019, with the majority of that funding going toward pandemic prevention efforts. At first glance, this collaboration appeared altruistic: the PREDICT program, a worldwide effort to detect and fight new dangerous diseases. In its ten years of operation, PREDICT improved sixty research facilities across the globe, taught five thousand people to detect diseases, and discovered 1,200 new viruses.
The program’s seedier side, however, has now emerged. China’s Wuhan Institute of Virology was the site of EcoHealth Alliance’s gain-of-function coronavirus study. To supposedly better understand and prepare for possible epidemics, gain-of-function research entails modifying viruses to make them more contagious or lethal. Some think that this study, which was paid for by American taxpayers, may have accidentally or deliberately resulted in the development of COVID-19, the virus that has changed the world and killed millions of people.
USAID: An Overt Clutch for the CIA?
The CIA’s ties to USAID are not recent. An accusation that has persisted for decades against USAID is that it acts as a cover for intelligence operations. This accusation was further strengthened when former USAID Director John Gilligan said that the organization was “infiltrated from top to bottom with CIA people.” Gilligan claims that the plan all along was to subtly enhance American interests abroad by inserting agents into any foreign endeavors, whether they be government, volunteer, or religious.
Given this background, it’s reasonable to wonder why EcoHealth Alliance received financing from USAID in the first place. Was intelligence gathering going on behind the scenes of the PREDICT program? Was the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) a front for the CIA to plant assets in labs doing biological research around the world, using money and tech transfers to steal secrets? Despite appearances, the likelihood is not zero. An accusation was made public in 2022 by Dr. Andrew Huff, a former VP of EcoHealth Alliance, that the president of the organization, Dr. Peter Daszak, had connections to the CIA. If this is accurate, it implies that the CIA was involved in the research that could have led to the creation of COVID-19.
Cover-Up of COVID-19 by the CIA
Another intricate aspect of the narrative is the claimed participation of the CIA in the origins of COVID-19. In the early stages of the epidemic, the intelligence establishment rushed to deny the lab leak explanation and instead spread the story of the virus’s natural transition from animals to humans. Notable scientists and media organizations joined this position, leading to widespread agreement and minimal space for debate.
The CIA had to reevaluate its stance, though, when evidence started to pile up in support of the lab leak theory. The CDC acknowledged in 2021 that it had not been able to establish with certainty whether the COVID-19 virus had natural or laboratory origins. Because of this lack of clarity, some have speculated that the CIA tried to cover up its involvement in supporting the research that might have developed the virus by initially rejecting the lab leak explanation.
The CIA’s extreme measures to hide the truth beg the question: why? Consider the possible consequences to find the solution. Both the United States’ international standing and the secret biological research operations of the Central Intelligence Agency would take a hit if it were to admit that research supported by the United States might have caused the epidemic. Such an exposure would be disastrous for an organization whose foundation is secrecy.
The Global Playbook of USAID: Biotech Coups, Propaganda, and Research
Claims about USAID’s involvement in the COVID-19 pandemic are indicative of a larger trend of conduct. Several clandestine activities have been associated with USAID over the years, to undermine other governments and further American interests. “Isolating Chavez internationally,” “dividing Chavismo,” and “penetrating Chavez’s political base” were the stated goals of a 2013 leaked U.S. cable that detailed an effort to destabilize the Venezuelan government. A USAID-funded effort was revealed to the Associated Press in 2014 for the creation of a Twitter-like platform to incite revolt in Cuba.
USAID has been involved in coups and political changes outside of Latin America. Under the pretense of advancing democracy and development, the agency has been linked to political revolutions in several countries, including Haiti, Ukraine, and Egypt. Critics have claimed that the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is not so much a humanitarian agency as it is a weapon of U.S. foreign policy, used to accomplish strategic goals through whatever methods required.
A Two-Faced Sword: The PREDICT Program
Despite its stated goal of averting pandemics, the PREDICT program may have unwittingly paved the way for one. A perfect storm was brewing when USAID and EcoHealth Alliance funded gain-of-function research at the Wuhan lab: a potentially dangerous experiment in a nation with weak biosafety regulations, managed by a group with suspected links to US intelligence. Some scientists believe that this led to a virus that was able to break out of its laboratory and spread all over the world.
This scenario has enormous ramifications. If this turns out to be true, it means that research that caused one of the worst pandemics in history was funded by the United States government. It would also indicate that the CIA was directly involved in the development of COVID-19 through its purported penetration of USAID and EcoHealth Alliance. This would be extremely difficult for the millions of people who have suffered the devastating loss of loved ones due to the virus.
Next Steps: Being Open and Accountable
The world is still trying to figure out what caused COVID-19, but one thing is obvious: knowing where the virus came from is important. The consequences for international trust, security, and health would be severe if the epidemic was indeed caused by studies financed by the United States. Everyone on a global scale needs answers, and the guilty must face the consequences.
This necessitates a reassessment of USAID’s purpose and the prevention of program corruption for clandestine purposes. This requires the Central Intelligence Agency to be forthright about its engagement in biological research and its ties to the EcoHealth Alliance. Furthermore, the American people must demand openness and supervision to forestall a recurrence of this calamity.
A Warnant Story
The CIA, EcoHealth Alliance, and USAID’s tragic tale serves as a warning about the perils of unbridled authority and the unexpected results that might ensue when manipulating some of the most destructive forces in nature. The goal of scientific advancement and geopolitical power carries with it the danger of a razor’s edge between safety and disaster. The globe must face the pandemic’s lingering shadows as it works to rebuild from COVID-19, and make sure they never cast a shadow over our future.
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