USAID has been linked—sometimes controversially—to programs that involved the teaching or provision of interrogation and even torture tactics, particularly during the Cold War and in connection with anti-communist campaigns.
These activities were often carried out through sub-agencies or related programs designed to support police and security forces in allied countries, with collaboration (sometimes covert) from agencies like the CIA[1][2][3].
USAID’s dual-use as both a development agency and a tool of U.S. strategic interests, especially in collaboration with intelligence agencies like the CIA, remains one of the more controversial aspects of its Cold War legacy [1][2][3].