Central intelligence agency cia the cia was established on september 18, 1947, and was created under the national security act of 1947, signed july 26, 1947. The united states central intelligence agency cia was created on july 26, when harry s. The current director of the central intelligence agency is gina haspel since april 26, 2018. Cia, central intelligence agency, cia history, history, histories. The defense intelligence agency dia became operational on 1 october 1961 as the nations primary producer of foreign military intelligence. They have been chosen as highlights of a particular topic, but do not represent the full range of images that are available on commons. The central intelligence agency cia went through many changes before it became the information empire that it is today. Truman signed the national security act of 1947 into law.
Eisenhower ordered lyman kirkpatrick, the central intelligence. The central intelligence agency is a civilian foreign intelligence service of the federal. This was the single most important external factor in shaping the agencys development. Central intelligence agency may 25, 2018 the cias female spy question new cia head gina haspel comes from a small, but proud cadre of highranking female intelligence officers. After years of having a 4 cdrom set archived, one researcher by the name of oscar diggs, went through and painstakingly put together a list of missing documents that were said to be on the cds, but wereread more. Cia data collection and analysis was important for arms control negotiations. It was the single largest loss of life in dias history until the terrorist attacks of september 11. Formally created in 1947, the central intelligence agency cia grew out of the world war ii office of strategic services oss. The history of cias office of strategic research, 196781.
As one of the principal members of the united states intelligence community ic, the cia reports to the. It was established on 1 july 1967 to bring together analysts responsible for military analysis in cias directorate of intelligence. Central intelligence agency history sources on the front lines of the cold war. Central intelligence agency the united states government manual. The history staff in the cia center for the study of intelligence fosters understanding of the agencys history and its relationship to todays intelligence. Central intelligence agency electronic frontier foundation. Central intelligence agency cia, principal foreign intelligence and counterintelligence agency of the u. Intelligence has compiled a set of key declassified laws, executive orders, nscids. Nearly all shared a common reverse that includes a space for engraving a name and a date before final finishing. Intelligence in the civil war by central intelligence agency. After a look at the cias originsincluding the agencys most obvious predecessor, the office of strategic services, or ossand the organizations evolution from a strict intelligence agency to the united statess premier covertaction unit, youll delve into some of the most remarkable and fascinating successes, including. Clayton laurie is a historian serving in the cia history staff.
The publication of postcold war memoirs by former agents and the release of declassified documents by the united states and russia have provided a fairly complete account of the cias activities, including both its successes and its failures. Awards and decorations of the central intelligence agency. The influence of the central intelligence agency in the formation. Alternative analysis of intelligence by the intelligence community. It also administers the cia museum and maintains the agencys historical intelligence. The documents, historical works, essays, interviews, photographs, and video offer an unprecedented wideranging look at the man and his career as the united states top intelligence. Under it was the newly formed office of special activities. Proposals for intelligence reorganization, 19492004. The central intelligence agency cia is a civilian foreign intelligence service of the federal government of the united states, tasked with gathering, processing, and analyzing national security information from around the world, primarily through the use of human intelligence humint. The cias heidquarters is in langley, virginie, a few miles wast o washington, d. The attack on pearl harbor in 1941 had demonstrated the need to gather and coordinate intelligence information. The best book about americas first modern secret service.
Role of director of national intelligence in appointment of certain officials responsible for intelligencerelated activities. Central intelligence agency synonyms, central intelligence agency pronunciation, central intelligence agency translation, english dictionary definition of central intelligence agency. The history of sigint in the central intelligence agency, 194770. Free download of intelligence in the civil war by central intelligence agency. The statute replaced the nia with a national security council.
In fact, there were various renditions of an intelligence agency for 6 years prior to the formal establishment of the central intelligence agency. Book description this collection of material by and about richard helms as director of central intelligence dci and ambassador to iran comprises the largest single release of helmsrelated information to date. General and the cia oral history program on subjects that lie at the heart of the. The central intelligence agency is one organization in that establishment. Central intelligence agency cia established 18 september 1947, duration. The office of public affairs opa is the single point of contact for all inquiries about the central intelligence agency cia. The correspondence includes congratulatory letters upon bushs appointment as director of the central intelligence agency by president gerald r. The berlin tunnel operation, 19521956 written in 1967. The primary mission of the central intelligence agency cia is to develop and disseminate intelligence, counterintelligence, and foreign intelligence information to assist the president and senior u. Central intelligence agency in oxford encyclopedia of the modern world. For a wider selection of images connected with central intelligence agency, see category. Nov 27, 2018 background the below archive is connected with years worth or research in connection with the mkultra cia collection.
Significantly, the cia was created the year president harry s. The influence of the central intelligence agency in the. Intelligence in the civil war, by central intelligence agency. Documents on the intelligence war in berlin, 1946 to 1961, ed. Central intelligence agency simple english wikipedia. Records of the central intelligence agency cia national. A major impetus that has been cited over the years for the creation of the cia was the unforeseen attack on pearl harbor, but whatever pearl harbors role, in the twilight of world war ii it was considered clear in government circles that there was. The agency was designed to gather intelligence, which meant stealing the soviet unions secrets, and to counteract the plots of soviet spies. The central intelligence agency, was created by congress in the national security act of 1947, recognizing strategic intelligence as a first line of defense and a crucial instrument in warfare. Its creation in 1947 was intended to address problems of duplication, competition, and lack of coordination that had characterized previous u. Washington post book worldin the months before world war ii, fdr prepared the country for conflict with germany and japan by reshuffling various government agencies to create the office of strategic servicesamericas first intelligence agency and the direct precursor to the cia. To free itself, cig became an independent department and was renamed the central intelligence agency. The central intelligence agency cia is ane o the principal intelligence gatherin agencies o the unitit states federal govrenment. History of the central intelligence agency wikipedia.
The central intelligence agency was created in 1947 with the signing of the national security act by president harry s. At the beginning of world war ii americas first peacetime, nondepartmental intelligence organization was created. Central intelligence agency central intelligence agency activities. Jul 11, 2018 records of the central intelligence agency cia introduction.
The history of americas intelligence community during world war ii and the establishment of the central intelligence agency charles river editors. Partly censored version of the cia report of illegal actions between 1950s and 1970 also know as the family jewels of the central intelligence agency revealed by seymour hersh deutsch. The predecessor to the central intelligence agency cia was the office of strategic services oss, created by president franklin roosevelt in 1942 to help the military garner intelligence in its battles against german, italian and japanese forces in world war ii. Central intelligence agency history 20th century clandestine service history. Many of the people who started the cia were previously in the office of strategic services, the main american spy agency during the war. Arguing that the cia represented an historical anachronism that had outlived its usefulness to american foreign policy. The korean war and the central intelligence agency pdf. Singlaub was one of the people who helped create the cia. We read every letter, fax, or email we receive, and we will convey your comments to cia officials outside opa as appropriate. Us intelligence community reform studies since 1947. The act also created a director of central intelligence dci to serve as head of the united states intelligence community. The central intelligence agency was formed in 1947 and supplanted the oss, the office of strategic services, which had served the united states during world war ii.
Central intelligence agency simple english wikipedia, the. Nsc and the cig with the central intelligence agency cia. It filled a critically important need for a central intelligence manager for the department of defense dod to support the requirements of the secretary of defense, the joint. Ford, as well as letters of support after bush announced his plans to resign from the agency following president fords defeat in the 1976 presidential elections by james earl carter. Central intelligence agency cia, independent executive bureau of the u. The central intelligence agency cia is a part of the federal government of the united states located at the george bush center for intelligence in langley, virginia. Central intelligence agency directorate of science. The office began as the wartime, office of strategic services oss 19421945, and was briefly known as the central intelligence group cig 19461947, before the creation of the cia with the national security act of 1947.
Proposals for intelligence reorganization, 19492004 introduction the national security act of 1947 p. The central intelligence agency cia is an independent civilian agency that provides national security intelligence. On december 31, 1948, the cia formed the office of scientific intelligence osi, by merging the scientific branch in the office of reports and estimates with the nuclear energy group of the office of special operations in 1962, the cia formed the deputy directorate of research ddr, headed by herbert scoville. Central intelligence agency wikisource, the free online.
The central intelligence agency in the oxford companion to american military history. An experiment in collaboration on an intelligence problem in defense of honeyman the origins of modern intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance studies volume 53, number 4 the james angleton phenomenon oss training in national parks the accidental guerrilla intelligence officers bookshelf vietnam declassified u robargepassages17nov09. Central intelligence agency in the oxford companion to the politics of the world 2 ed. Awards and decorations of the central intelligence agency cia medals are 3 inches in diameter.
However, with limited staff and resources, we simply cannot respond to all who write to us. The establishment of the central intelligence agency coincided with the emergence of the soviet union as the antagonist of the united states. The cia was created by the national security act of 1947, signed by president harry truman. Michael warner of the cia history staff in the center for the study of. Search the history of over 424 billion web pages on the internet.
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