CIA’s 90s Plot to Discredit Guatemalan Ambassador Over Dog’s Name

TIL that the CIA pulled some seriously wild moves back in the ’90s when they tried to take down the US Ambassador to Guatemala. They bugged her room and, instead of just listening in on some juicy political chatter, they caught her chatting sweetly to someone named Murphy. Naturally, they jumped straight to the assumption of a scandalous lesbian affair and reported it all the way back to Washington. The twist? Murphy was just her poodle. Like, really, folks?

This shocking little tidbit might have popped up in a few corners of Reddit or social media before, but it seems to h

ave really gained traction lately. Some nostalgia-fueled comments about the absurdity of it all started echoing through threads, and before anyone knew it, people were raving about how the cold war wasn’t just icy—it was downright nonsensical.

From that moment, folks couldn’t help but chime in. Comment sections exploded with disbelief over the CIA’s blunders, with many sharing their favorite part of the story: an ambassador lovingly conversing with her dog while spies were feverishly trying to weave a scandal. The cognitive dissonance of it all was just too delicious. Who knew a poodle could trigger such extreme paranoia?

And the emotional wave it kicked up was relatable. It’s baffling to think that in a time when there were undoubtedly bigger fish to fry, the agency zeroed in on something so innocent—or, at least, it should have been. There’s an ironic humor here—a kind of shared disbelief over how far a secretive government could go based on a little misunderstanding. Was there ever a bigger “Oops!” moment on the political stage? Makes you wonder how many other mishaps like this went unnoticed.

Everyone loves a good underdog story, but this is the opposite—a high-stakes farce starring a poodle. It’s hard not to laugh and simultan

eously feel a bit of sadness for how seriously they took it all. It may be just a quirky historical moment, but it sure has resonated, leaving people scratching their heads and wondering what else might be hiding in the shadows of history. What’s next?