CIA

The Ford Administration Used a CIA Agent's Killing to Silence Sen. Frank Church

The assassination of Richard Welch in Athens in 1975 came as the Church Committee was beginning its final report; the White House and the CIA claimed, without proof, that the committee's investigation of CIA actions exposed Welch's identity. Welch's deputy in Athens now speaks out. 

For a Secretive Agency, the CIA Has a Long History of PR Stunts

Historian David S. McCarthy puts a new CIA-sponsored podcast in the context of decades-long efforts by the Agency to portray itself as the good guys in a dangerous world while obscuring their role in creating the danger. 

Killing of al-Zawahiri in Kabul Vindicates Strategic Separation of Counterterrorism and Military Occupation

by Brian Glyn Williams

On withdrawal from Afghanistan, the Biden administration touted its "over the horizon" capability to track and target terrorists from afar. If the strategy proves out, it should mean the ability to fully decouple antiterror operations from foreign military presence. 

At 75, the CIA is Back to Battling the Kremlin

The common objectives and concerns that engaged the Central Intelligence Agency at its 1947 founding are familiar to the intelligence community today, showing the continuity of American involvement in other nations' affairs. 

CIA Director John Deutch at Los Angeles Town Hall in 1996 Denies Agency Sold Cocaine in City

A town hall meeting in Los Angeles grew heated when the CIA director denied allegations published by reporter Gary Webb that the Agency was involved in importing and distributing drugs to South Central Los Angeles. 

How the Cold War Killed Cannabis as We Knew It

When Henry Kissinger sought to assert American control of Caribbean bauxite ore reserves, he set off a political dirty war that poisoned the Jamaican interior and destroyed prominent strains of cannabis in the name of marijuana interdiction. 

The Hidden Story of the West's Most Important Double Agent

by Tim Tate

How and why did the CIA turn on Michal Gleniewski, a Polish defector who was one of the most valuable intelligence assets of the Cold War? 

UFOs and the Boundaries of Science

by Greg Eghigian

The history of the UFO phenomenon is a lens on to the process by which scientists police the bounds of respectable inquiry. 

The Government's Report on Unidentified Aerial Phenomena Doesn't Answer Many Questions

by David Marks

The minimal and inconclusive US Government report on Unidentified Aerial Phenomena has not enlightened us about the nature of UFOs.

"A Drop of Treason": Philip Agee, CIA Whisteblower Gets a New Bio

Jonathan Stevenson's new book on Philip Agee, who left the CIA and exposed its operations in Latin America, struggles to portray the complex mix of principle and egotism that drove its subject. 

The 1954 US-Backed Coup in Guatemala

by Ben Tumin

Ben Tumin's "Skipped History" video series returns with a discussion of the 1954 Guatemala Coup, drawing on the work of Greg Grandin, Stephen Kinzer and Steven Schleshinger, and Vincent Bevins.

You Can Now Explore the CIA’s ‘Entire’ Collection of UFO Documents Online

If you want to read nearly 3,000 pages of CIA documents related to reports of UFOs, now you can. 

Dive Into John F. Kennedy’s Daily CIA Updates

Muckrock invites interested historians and history enthusiasts to participate in a project to make declassified Presidential intelligence briefings more widely accessible. 

Dwight Eisenhower Built up American Intelligence at a Crucial Moment

by Steve Vogel

Dwight Eisenhower oversaw an aggressive building of American intelligence capability toward the USSR, moving espionage to a more prominent role in Cold War foreign policy. This included ordering the CIA to tunnel into East Berlin to tap Soviet phone lines. 

I Danced in the Streets after Allende’s Victory in Chile 50 Years Ago. Now I See its Lessons for Today

by Ariel Dorfman

The Chilean author Ariel Dorfman warns that while his country elected a democratic socialist in a landmark election, it was unprepared to deal with violent and ruthless efforts to maintain the status quo. Joe Biden is no socialist, but if he wins, his administration and Americans at large must be similarly prepared. 

A Message from 'Queen Elizabeth' to the Shah Played Role in CIA 1953 Coup in Iran, Documentary Says

Historians who uncovered a message from "Queen Elizabeth" believe its misinterpretation helped persuade the shah not to flee Iran at a pivotal moment.

Venezuela Failed Raid: US Has a History of Using Mercenaries to Undermine Other Regimes

by Andrew Thomson

The arrest of Silvercorp mercenaries in Venezuela echoes a long history of the U.S. government supporting private troops to overthrow foreign governments. 

In 1933, two rebellious women bought a home in Virginia’s woods. Then the CIA moved in.

In the late 1950s, the CIA took over the land in Langley, Va., to build a headquarters that could accommodate its fast-growing operations. 

"No Boy Scout": William Rust Publishes Article on CIA Operations Officer Lucien Conein

by William J. Rust

“No Boy Scout: CIA Operations Officer Lucien Conein” tells the story of a polarizing French-American paramilitary specialist who served in the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) during World War II and in its postwar successor agencies.

Spies in the White House Have a History of Running Wild Without Congressional Oversight

A former congressional staffer says withholding damning evidence from Congress and using civilians to carry out presidential or intelligence agency agendas links the Ukraine crisis to other scandals.