Central Intelligence Agency
The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) is a department of the United States government that is responsible for intelligence. Its headquarters are at the George Bush Center for Intelligence in Langley, Virginia.
 Seal of the Central Intelligence Agency | |
 Flag of the Central Intelligence Agency | |
 George Bush Center for Intelligence in Langley, Virginia | |
| Agency overview | |
|---|---|
| Formed | September 18, 1947 |
| Preceding agency | |
| Type | Independent (component of the Intelligence Community) |
| Headquarters | George Bush Center for Intelligence, Langley, Virginia, U.S. 38°57′07″N 77°08′46″W / 38.95194°N 77.14611°W |
| Motto | (Official): The Work of a Nation. The Center of Intelligence. (Unofficial): And ye shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free. (John 8:32)[2] |
| Employees | 21,575 (estimate)[3] |
| Annual budget | $15 billion (as of 2013[update])[3][4][5] |
| Agency executives |
|
| Parent department | Office of the President of the United States |
| Parent agency | Office of the Director of National Intelligence |
| Child agencies | |
| Website | cia |
History
[change | change source]The United States has a history in intelligence services dating back to its origins. During the American Revolution, George Washington and other Founding Fathers of the United States such as Benjamin Franklin, Robert Morris, and Patrick Henry used espionage networks. [6]
The CIA was formed in 1947, after World War II.[7] Many of the people who started the CIA, including General John K. Singlaub, had been part of the Office of Strategic Services. This was the United States' main spy agency during the war.
In 1992, Saddam Hussein tried to kill former United States President George H. W. Bush, who was once Director of the CIA, during a visit to Kuwait. The assassination plot failed. President Bill Clinton reacted by firing cruise missiles at Iraq's main intelligence headquarters. However, the missiles were fired at night, so the people who had planned the assassination were not killed; the building's cleaners were.
Since March 19, 2021, William Joseph Burns has been Director of the CIA.
Operations
[change | change source]CIA has many clandestine, (secret) operations. Some CIA employees have been killed during their work. Their names are on a CIA memorial with a star for them, but some of the names are still secret. The number of stars is deliberately inaccurate.
The CIA also uses open sources to gather information. Analysts read foreign newspapers and watch foreign news broadcasts to learn information, which can be pieced together to make a conclusion.
The CIA used to report to the President. After the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks in the United States, a reorganization made the CIA and other intelligence agencies report to a Director of National Intelligence.
Portrayals
[change | change source]The CIA has been featured in many television and film productions, including:
- The American television show "The Agency"
- The American television mini-series "The Company"
- The film "Spy Game" (starring Robert Redford and Brad Pitt)
- "Night Flight to Moscow" (starring Yul Brenner)
- "Scorpio" (starring Burt Lancaster)
- "Clear and Present Danger" (starring Harrison Ford)
- "The Recruit" (starring Colin Farrell and Al Pacino)
- "Ice Station Zebra"
- Several James Bond films (featuring the CIA agent Felix Leiter)
References
[change | change source]- ↑ "History of the CIA". Central Intelligence Agency. Archived from the original on June 12, 2007. Retrieved March 28, 2014.
- ↑ "CIA Observes 50th Anniversary of Original Headquarters Building Cornerstone Laying". Central Intelligence Agency. Archived from the original on March 24, 2010. Retrieved September 18, 2012.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Gellman, Barton; Miller, Greg (August 29, 2013). "U.S. spy network's successes, failures and objectives detailed in 'black budget' summary". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on September 1, 2013. Retrieved August 29, 2013.
- ↑ Kopel, Dave (July 28, 1997). "CIA Budget: An Unnecessary Secret". Cato Institute. Archived from the original on February 14, 2021. Retrieved April 15, 2007.
- ↑ "Cloak Over the CIA Budget". The Washington Post. November 29, 1999. Archived from the original on September 16, 2018. Retrieved July 4, 2008 – via Federation of American Scientists.
- ↑ Cazorla, Frank, G. Baena, Polo, David, Reder Gadow, Marion (2019) The Governor Louis de Unzaga (1717-1793) Pioneer in the birth of the United States. Foundation. Malaga. pp. 77-84
- ↑ "History of the CIA". CIA's Family Tree. 2007-04-10. Archived from the original on 2020-10-28. Retrieved 2020-10-27.