An earlier post discussed the Department of State reaction to the publication of The Invisible Government by David Wise and Thomas Ross. That book was one of the first “exposés” of Central Intelligence Agency activities. As the 60s wore on, critical books appeared in ever greater numbers, some penned by former CIA officers. One of … Continue reading The Department of State Reacts to Public Revelations of Intelligence Activities, 1969
Today’s post is written by David Langbart, an Archivist in the Textual Records Division at the National Archives at College Park. Recently, I located the following 1951 Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) report analyzing Soviet nylon stockings: When I first saw this, I was amused that the CIA would spend time on what appears to be … Continue reading Window into the Soviet Union, 1951/Introduction to CREST
Today's post is written by Dr. Greg Bradsher. The National Archives of the United Kingdom has many interesting record series titles. One of my favorites is “Mussolini's personal files (the ‘Handbag’ files).” This series consists of the papers that Mussolini was carrying in two handbags when he was captured in April 1945. Likewise, the National … Continue reading What’s in a name? The story behind the series title “Ciano Papers: Rose Garden”
Today’s post is written by Dr. Greg Bradsher. Seventy-years ago, on November 9, 1942, forty-nine year old Allen W. Dulles arrived in Bern, Switzerland to head up the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) operations in Switzerland. Dulles was lucky to be in Switzerland. His train passed from Vichy France into Switzerland only minutes before the Germans … Continue reading Allen Dulles and No. 23 Herrengasse, Bern, Switzerland, 1942-1945
By Jason Clingerman In June 1954, Guatemalan president Jacobo Arbenz Guzmán was overthrown in a coup that was orchestrated by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and carried out by the Guatemalan exile Colonel Carlos Castillo Armas. Arbenz was targeted in large part because of his land reform policies that affected U.S. companies, namely the United … Continue reading The CIA in Guatemala
Today's post is written by James Rush, a supervisory archivist in the textual processing unit at Archives II. On June 8, 2011, the National Security Agency announced that it had declassified and released to the National Archives and Records Administration over 50,000 pages of historic records relating to cryptology and the history of intelligence gathering. … Continue reading After 200 years, a glimpse into The Art of Secret Writing
By Jason Clingerman In 2001, seemingly secretive government documents were “found in locked safes and filing cabinets in a barn near Culpeper, Virginia.” After investigation, the records were turned over to the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) for review. The files turned out to be the records of a highly secretive intelligence organization led by John … Continue reading The Pond in a barn
