The strategy of tension is a theory that Western governments during the Cold War used tactics that aimed to divide, manipulate, and control public opinion using fear, propaganda, disinformation, psychological warfare, agents provocateurs, and false flag terrorist actions in order to achieve their strategic aims. The theory began with the cold-war Soviet hoax document US Army Field Manual 30-31B where the term first appeared. It was made more broadly dispersed by an Italian parliamentary committee, and later popularized by Daniele Ganser a Swiss academic.