Consider This from NPR Should the U.S. be in business of assassinating foreign leaders?
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Mar 12, 2026 
Ryan Lucas, an NPR reporter who traced America’s history with targeted killings. He walks through the 1970s assassination taboo and Ford’s ban. He outlines how military strikes and post‑9/11 drone policy blurred lines. He examines the Soleimani hit and the recent killing of Khamenei, and the moral and strategic questions they raise.
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Cold War Assassination As Contingency Policy
- The U.S. kept assassination as a Cold War contingency against Soviet influence.
- Luca Trenta explains the U.S. often set the stage while local allies executed removals like Rafael Trujillo in 1961.
Church Committee Revelation Prompted 1976 Ban
- Public investigations in the 1970s exposed CIA plots and shifted norms against assassination.
- The Church Committee called assassinations incompatible with American principles, prompting Gerald Ford's 1976 executive ban.
Targeting Palaces Versus Calling It Assassination
- Presidents avoided the assassination label by targeting military sites tied to leaders.
- Brent Scowcroft admitted targeting Saddam's likely locations in 1991 even while saying 'we don't do assassinations.'