This dissertation examines the U.S. government’s covert use of religion during the Cold War. The research investigates, “How and why did the U.S. government instrumentalize and operationalize religion in the Cold War as a part of its covert intelligence operations?” The inquiry utilizes an historical methodology interweaving the academic disciplines of history, religious studies, and international relations. Archival research from sixteen government, national security, university, religious and private archives, as well as personal interviews, provides the foundation for the narrative. Prior to this dissertation, no published work has attempted to present a comprehensive examination of covert operations and religion during the Cold War. Snippets and stories appear in the literature of the Cold War, as well as the memoirs of intelligence operatives. Studies on religion and missionary activity during the Cold War era reveal the involvement of religious leaders in clandestine activities. However, no previous work has attempted to consolidate the historical fragments into a comprehensive story. This dissertation begins with an overview of religion and spying leading up to World War II and the creation of the US Office of Strategic Services (OSS), where the US government first employed religion as a covert tool. At war’s end, former OSS agents entered the newly formed Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), bringing with them the expertise and networks necessary to operationalize religion in clandestine activities. CIA officials like Allen Dulles, Kermit Roosevelt, Miles Copeland, William Eddy and James Jesus Angleton did not hesitate to use religion as a transactional tool. In addition, American clergymen, missionaries, and evangelist Billy Graham covertly collaborated with the CIA. U.S. presidents, the National Security Council, the CIA and other intelligence agencies were actively involved in formulating policies that weaponized religion. The term “blowback” refers to the “unintended consequences” of covert operations. The term was first used by the CIA in its official history of Operation TPAJAX – the 1953 Iran coup d’état overthrowing Mossadegh – where religion was used by the CIA. During the Cold War, religion in covert operations produced for the US government and religious institutions both intended and unexpected consequences. / 2026-09-30T00:00:00Z

Historically unjust wars have never improved the standard of living for the American citizen and have served to suppress the inherent natural rights of the human beings involved. In conclusion, I combine contemporary and historical arguments to highlight the continuing stream of injustice that exists in American foreign policy.; The conceptual bases of this thesis include the philosophical constructs of Just War Theory, limited government, and natural rights as applied to foreign policy. Just War Theory was originally articulated by St. Augustine and represents the requirements a nation must satisfy to wage war justly. Building upon the basis of Just War Theory, I then split the discussion into two main categories. The first is a historical look at certain American thinkers and their reactions to what they saw as unjust wars based in their strong idealistic goals for humanity. The second is a critical examination of American foreign policy based upon the analytical model arising from these American thinkers. The thesis concludes with an examination of contemporary applications of this analysis with an examination of recent wars that have taken place in the Middle East and an assessment of their just or unjust nature. My historical research examines the arguments of Thomas Paine, Emma Goldman, Henry David Thoreau, and Martin Luther King, Jr. I will review each thinker to highlight their criticisms of the unjust wars in which America has been involved from the 18th Century to the 21st Century. A secondary goal of this research is to trace a pattern of idealistic thinking that is present in American Revolutionary thought. These ideals refer to notions of natural rights, social liberty, economic freedom, and the constant pursuit of justice. By using the established arguments put forth by these four American thinkers, I argue that another unjust war will only bring misery to America and any other nation involved. Finally, my contemporary research develops the CIA term "blowback" and its effect on American foreign policy. By applying the theory of blowback to the current military disputes in which the United States has been or could be involved, I attempt to persuade the reader to resist the notion of engaging in another war.

Environmental pollution is an important problem of our world. Governments are aware of this problem and emission regulations are continuously improved. One of the strictest regulations is about unburned and burned hydrocarbon emissions. In internal combustion engines the origin of the burned and unburned hydrocarbons is fuel and engine oil. As a result of the sanctions and the necessity of improved combustion performance of the engine, manufacturers work on manufacturing technology and engine tribology. With the improvement of these areas oil loss from internal combustion engine is reduced. Engine oil consumption mechanisms are specific research areas in the internal combustion engine development. Oil consumption occurs via to two main routes: &ldquo / Valve train&rdquo / and &ldquo / in cylinder components&rdquo / . In cylinder components have three sub mechanisms: evaporation, ring scraping and blowback. In this thesis, blowback oil loss mechanism is studied. 2D flow model of piston-cylinder mechanism is developed in Fluent. Land pressures and ring end gap flow data are taken from this model. An iterative computer program is developed to calculate backflow oil consumption. In this program, an empirical entrainment correlation compiled from literature is used. The calculated oil consumption values match with the range of the values in the literature.

Oil loss mechanisms in internal combustion engines have been subject to many researches. By the help of technological developments effects of several problems due to oil losses were examined and tried to be reduced. Environmental pollution and performance loss are important issues that oil consumption in internal combustion engines contribute. In this study the effects of individual parameters on the oil accumulation in 2nd land crevice of internal combustion engines, volume between top compression rings, were investigated. The study aimed to investigate the effects of oil film thickness and oil film temperature on the oil accumulation in the 2nd land which contributes to one of the mechanisms of oil consumption in internal combustion engines. Controlled experiments were performed on a modeled piston cylinder assembly. It was seen that oil accumulated in the 2nd land crevice by blow-by gases was affected by the film thickness of lubricating oil and the temperature of the lubricating oil. The amount of oil accumulated increased with increasing oil film thickness. The results also showed that below oil film thickness of 45 &amp / #956 / m / amount of oil accumulated increased with the increase of oil temperature.