Intelligence Service in Costa Rica: historical background and development (1923-1963)

Abstract

The Directorate of National Security and Intelligence (DIS) emerged amid a political crisis in Costa Rica within a complex international framework. Both processes have been overlooked in the history of the institution due to limited knowledge about its origins and development. Consequently, this article analyzes the initial historical trajectory of the DIS to identify its background and origins and, fundamentally, to explain its activities within the context of the early stage of the Cold War in Central America. Thus, the period under review corresponds to the beginnings of intelligence professionalization in Costa Rica and culminates with the first response to the new regional dynamics triggered by the Cuban Revolution.