The Third Option: Covert Action and American Foreign Policy - Paperbackby Loch K. Johnson (Author) Loch Johnson explores the subject of covert action, often referred to as a "Third Option" between America's use of diplomacy and warfare a shadowy approach to international affairs based on the controversial use of secret propaganda, political activities, economic sabotage, and paramilitary operations (whether clandestine warfare or assassinations). The three major instruments that guide United States foreign policy are the