Where SIS preferred placid conditions in which it could gather intelligence and work through influential persons or authorities, SOE was intended to create unrest and turbulence, and often backed anti-establishment organisations, such as the Communists, in several countries.
Hvor SIS foretrak fredelige forhold, hvor det kunne indsamle efterretninger og arbejde gennem indflydelsesrige personer eller organer, betød SOE turbulens, og den støttede ofte oppositionelle kræfter såsom kommunister i adskillige lande.