Former CIA Officer Reveals How US Deliberately Ignored Pakistan's Nuclear Program During Cold War

Nov 07, 2025 09:36 pm CST

Former CIA intelligence officer Richard Barlow exposes how the United States deliberately overlooked Pakistan's nuclear weapons development in the 1980s to maintain Pakistani support against Soviet forces in Afghanistan. Despite substantial evidence of Pakistan's atomic weapons program led by AQ Khan, high-ranking US officials prioritized Cold War strategy over nuclear non-proliferation concerns, intentionally misleading Congress and creating lasting security implications.