Science, Technology and the CIA: From Satellites to Psychics

Science, Technology and the CIA: From Satellites to Psychics

Jeffrey T. Richelson, Editor

From The National Security Archive, George WashingtonUniversity.

"Mention of the Central Intelligence Agency generally elicits visions of espionage and covert action operations. It may also produce images of the multitude of finished intelligence products the agency turns out – from the tightly controlled President’s Daily Brief, available only to the president and a select circle of advisers, to a number of less restricted intelligence assessments. The CIA’s role in the application of science and technology to the art of intelligence is far less appreciated. Even an 800-page history of the agency, published in 1986, John Ranelagh’s The Agency: The Rise and Decline of the CIA, included only a few references to the CIA’s Directorate of Science and Technology. However, the exploitation of science and technology has been a significant element of the CIA’s activities, almost since its creation. In 1962, it resulted in the creation of the Deputy Directorate of Research, which was succeeded in 1963 by the Deputy Directorate for Science and Technology (renamed the Directorate of Science and Technology in 1965)...[read more]"

Link to electronic briefing book (outside THF network).


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The Pentagon's Spies: Defense HUMINT

Defense HUMINT: The Pentagon's Spies

From The National Security Archives, George Washington University.

"A key part of the Central Intelligence Agency’s mission, since its creation in 1947, has been the conduct of human intelligence operations – which have included the recruitment of foreign nationals to conduct espionage as well the debriefing of defectors and other individuals with access to information of value. The primary focus of such HUMINT operations has been strategic – the collection of information relevant to national policymakers.
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The documents that make up this briefing book provide a window into the creation, evolution and (in some cases) abolition of a number of military service/DoD human intelligence organizations, the product of their activities, and the controversies that have occurred over the last several decades."

Link to electronic briefing book (outside THF network).

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U.S. Satellite Imagery, 1960-1999

U.S. Satellite Imagery, 1960-1999

A short illustrated history by Jeffrey T. Richelson from The National Security Archive, George Washington University.

Link to electronic briefing book (outside THF network).

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The Secret CIA History of the Iran Coup

The Secret CIA History of the Iran Coup:

From The National Security Archive, George Washington University.

"This extremely important document is one of the last major pieces of the puzzle explaining American and British roles in the August 1953 coup against Iranian Premier Mohammad Mossadeq. Written in March 1954 by Donald Wilber, one of the operation’s chief planners, the 200-page document is essentially an after-action report, apparently based in part on agency cable traffic and Wilber’s interviews with agents who had been on the ground in Iran as the operation lurched to its conclusion." 

Link to electronic briefing book (outside THF network).

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Operation Desert Storm

Operation Desert Storm

From The National Security Archive, George Washington University.

"During the early morning hours (Baghdad time) of January 17, 1991, the United States and its allies initiated Operation Desert Storm in accord with United Nations resolutions and U.S. government policy directives that authorized the use of force to expel Iraqi forces from Kuwait.  The National Security Archive ihas placed a collection of declassified and unclassified documents concerning Desert Storm on its web site.  The documents primarily focus on the intelligence, space support, Scud-hunting, and stealth (F-117A) elements of the conflict.

These documents provide information on:

possible Iraqi actions, including the attempted destruction of Kuwaiti oil fields, which a secret Presidential directive stipulated would lead the U.S. to seek and replace Saddam Hussein

lessons learned from the attempts to find and destroy Iraqi Scud missiles

the role of a variety of space systems, including the Defense Support Program launch detection satellites, in support of the ground and air wars

the debriefing of Iraqi emigres and defectors in support of targeting

how China's People's Liberation Army has responded to the lessons of Desert Storm."

 Link to electronic briefing book (outside THF network).

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The Nuclear Vault: Resources from the Nuclear Weapons Documentation Project

The Nuclear Vault: Resources from the Nuclear Weapons Documentation Project:

From The National Security Archive, George Washington University.

"The "Nuclear Vault" includes all previous and forthcoming Archive Electronic Briefing Books on nuclear weapons policy, cross-referenced with an index. It also includes newly-declassified documents that may be of interest to novices and experts alike.

For students of the field, the "Nuclear Vault" includes reading lists and other bibliographic information on key documents and significant contributions to the nuclear history and policy literature. The "Vault" will also provide links to valuable Web sites in the field, as well as occasional compilations of photos. The National Security Archive hopes that this material will help interested students and others to better their understanding of the grave problems raised by the nuclear age and its history."

Link to The Nuclear Vault (outside THF network).

A note on The National Security Archive:

"An independent non-governmental research institute and library located at The George Washington University, the Archive collects and publishes declassified documents obtained through the Freedom of Information Act. The Archive also serves as a repository of government records on a wide range of topics pertaining to the national security, foreign, intelligence, and economic policies of the United States. The Archive won the 1999 George Polk Award, one of U.S. journalism's most prestigious prizes, for--in the words of the citation--"piercing the self-serving veils of government secrecy, guiding journalists in the search for the truth and informing us all."

The Archive obtains its materials through a variety of methods, including the Freedom of Information act, Mandatory Declassification Review, presidential paper collections, congressional records, and court testimony. Archive staff members systematically track U.S. government agencies and federal records repositories for documents that either have never been released before, or that help to shed light on the decision-making process of the U.S. government and provide the historical context underlying those decisions.

The Archive regularly publishes portions of its collections on microfiche, the World Wide Web, CD-ROM, and in books. The Washington Journalism Review called these publications, collectively totaling more than 500,000 pages, "a state-of-the-art index to history." The Archive's World Wide Web site, www.nsarchive.org, has won numerous awards, including USA Today's "Hot Site" designation.

As a part of its mission to broaden access to the historical record, the Archive is also a leading advocate and user of the Freedom of Information Act. Precedent-setting Archive lawsuits have brought into the public domain new materials on the Cuban Missile Crisis, the Iran-Contra Affair, and other issues that have changed the way scholars interpret those events. The Archive spearheaded the groundbreaking legal effort to preserve millions of pages of White House e-mail records that were created during the Reagan, Bush, and Clinton administrations.

The Archive's mission of guaranteeing the public's right to know extends to other countries outside the United States. The organization is currently involved in efforts to sponsor freedom of information legislation in the nations of Central Europe, Central and South America and elsewhere, and is committed to finding ways to provide technical and other services that will allow archives and libraries overseas to introduce appropriate records management systems into their respective institutions.

The Archive's $2.5 million yearly budget comes from publication revenues, contributions from individuals and grants from foundations such as the Carnegie Corporation of New York, the Ford Foundation, the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, and the Open Society Institute. As a matter of policy, the Archive seeks no U.S. government funding."

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