• Recently declassified records outline the psychological warfare aspect of D-Day

    Recently declassified records outline the psychological warfare aspect of D-Day

    Formerly TOP SECRET records in Central Intelligence Agency’s archives, only declassified in 2013, outline the Office of Strategic Services plan to wage psychological warfare against Nazi Germany ahead of the D-Day invasion.

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  • CIA internal history blamed interagency conflicts on the National Security Act being "purposefully vague"

    CIA internal history blamed interagency conflicts on the National Security Act being “purposefully vague”

    As part of MuckRock’s ongoing project to declassify and collect internal Central Intelligence Agency histories, the Agency recently released a copy of the history on coordination between inbetween intelligence agencies in the aftermath of World War II. The history outlines various “turf wars,” some which predate the Agency itself, which were the result of disagreements about what the law said and who had what responsibilities. According to the history, many of these disagreements and differing interpretations stemmed directly or indirectly from the language of the National Security Act of 1947, which both established and empowered the CIA, as being “purposefully vague.”

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  • After retiring, CIA’s first director warned J. Edgar Hoover of Agency’s "corruption"

    After retiring, CIA’s first director warned J. Edgar Hoover of Agency’s “corruption”

    A recently released copy of the Federal Bureau of Investigation file for Central Intelligence Agency Director Admiral Roscoe Hillenkoetter reveals that shortly after his retirement, Hillenkoetter admitted to FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover that elements of the Agency were corrupt.

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  • The CIA's dogs of war

    The CIA’s dogs of war

    MuckRock has previously written about some of the surprising photographic finds in the Central Intelligence Agency’s archives, including a stray cat that was considered a state secret for 50 years. Proving that they’re equal opportunity creature classifiers, records recently uncovered in CREST show photos of World War II military working dogs which weren’t made public until 2013 - nearly 70 years after they were taken.

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  • CIA archives offer a B-26-eye's view of D-Day

    CIA archives offer a B-26-eye’s view of D-Day

    A pair of stunning photographs unearthed in the Central Intelligence Agency’s archives depict the D-Day invasion from the perspective of the planes buzzing overhead. Remarkably, these photos were only declassified in 2013, just a year shy of the 70th anniversary of the Normandy landings.

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  • Read the comic the CIA kept classified for over 50 years

    Read the comic the CIA kept classified for over 50 years

    As we’ve written about before, the Central Intelligence Agency’s declassified archives contain a treasure trove of comics. Recently, we discovered “Donovan of Central Intelligence,” a seven-page story from a 1950 issue of Atomic Spy Cases that allegedly tells the true story of our titular hero’s mission to smuggle missile plans out of an unnamed Middle Eastern country.

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  • On Pearl Harbor Day, browse the archives of the agency it helped create

    On Pearl Harbor Day, browse the archives of the agency it helped create

    After the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, the country set out on a trajectory that would bring it to drop an atomic weapon, become the global superpower, and firmly embed itself in the domestic affairs of foreign countries, often through the use of a new organization: the Central Intelligence Agency.

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  • The Asia Foundation's public distancing of its relation with the CIA didn't end Agency's ties

    The Asia Foundation’s public distancing of its relation with the CIA didn’t end Agency’s ties

    While some outlets did briefly describe the Asia Foundation as being an alleged Central Intelligence Agency conduit, the charges were typically vague and largely circumstantial. None of the archived reports specifically tied it to Agency funds until March 21, 1967 when TAF announced it in a limited hangout”, a technique used when the Agency “can no longer rely on a phony cover story to misinform the public, they resort to admitting some of the truth while still managing to withhold the key and damaging facts in the case.”

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  • The stolen history of the CIA and the Asian Foundation

    The stolen history of the CIA and the Asian Foundation

    The Asia Foundation is, on the surface, a private non-profit that contributes to the development of Asia, including donating millions of books. In reality, since it was created by Central Intelligence Agency in 1951, TAF has engaged in a decades long campaign to misrepresent its origins, purpose and funding.

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  • Winston Churchill’s simple rules for naming your covert operation

    Winston Churchill’s simple rules for naming your covert operation

    In 1952, Allen Dulles, then Deputy Director of Central Intelligence, provided a copy of Winston Churchill’s recently-published World War II memo to establish some naming guiding conventions for his covert staff.

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