Overview
The headquarters of one of the world's most powerful and secretive intelligence services can be found just outside of Washington, D.C. The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) serves a critical role in shaping American policies by providing foreign intelligence related to national security issues to the U.S. president and top policy makers. The process of gathering and analyzing intelligence involves spies and satellites, foreign agents, and researchers. From the days of "Wild Bill" Donovan and the Office of Strategic Services to the war against terrorism, intelligence has been a primary component in U.S. foreign policy successes and failures. Although the threats against the United States have changed since the CIA began in 1947, its mission remains the same: to provide the information that will keep Americans safe.Synopsis
The headquarters of one of the world's most powerful and secretive intelligence services can be found just outside of Washington, D.C. The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) serves a critical role in shaping American policies by providing foreign intelligence related to national security issues to the U.S. president and top policy makers. The process of gathering and analyzing intelligence involves spies and satellites, foreign agents, and researchers. From the days of "Wild Bill" Donovan and the Office of Strategic Services to the war against terrorism, intelligence has been a primary component in U.S. foreign policy successes and failures. Although the threats against the United States have changed since the CIA began in 1947, its mission remains the same: to provide the information that will keep Americans safe.