Frequently Asked Questions

The Central Intelligence Agency's primary mission is to collect, evaluate, analyze, and disseminate foreign intelligence to assist the president and senior US government policymakers in making decisions relating to the national security. CIA does not make policy; it is an independent source of foreign intelligence information for those who do. CIA may also engage in covert action at the president's direction in accordance with applicable law.

CIA carefully selects well-qualified people in nearly all fields. Scientists, engineers, economists, linguists, mathematicians, administrative professionals, accountants, and computer specialists are but a few of the professionals continually in demand. Much of the Agency’s work requires research, careful evaluation, and writing of intelligence reports that end up on the desks of this nation’s policymakers. To carry out our mission and our work, all CIA professionals must live up to the highest standards of integrity. With this in mind, we carefully vet every candidate who hopes to join CIA. For us to consider you for a job at CIA, you must be:

The Agency endorses equal employment opportunity for all employees. For further information, see CIA's Careers page.

Neither the number of employees nor the size of the Agency's budget can, at present, be publicly disclosed. A common misconception is that the Agency has an unlimited budget, which is far from true. While classified, the budget and size of CIA are known in detail and examined by the Office of Management and Budget and by the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, and the Defense Subcommittees of the Appropriations Committees in both houses of Congress. The resources allocated to CIA are subject to the same rigorous examination and approval process that applies to all other government organizations.

No. Security considerations prevent such tours. CIA provides an extremely limited number of visits annually for approved academic and civic groups. A brief virtual tour is available on this website.

Yes. CIA releases millions of pages of documents each year. Much of this is material of historical significance or personal interest that has been declassified under Executive Order 12958 (a presidential order outlining a uniform system for handling national security information) or the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and Privacy Act (statutes that give US citizens access to US government information or US government information about themselves, respectively). The Agency handles thousands of FOIA cases each year and maintains CIA’s FOIA Electronic Reading Room to release this information to the public and to provide guidance for requesting information. Some released information of significant public interest or historical value is also available at the National Archives and Records Administration. Specific copies of any previously declassified records are available directly from CIA's FOIA office.

The Agency frequently releases items of more general public interest on this Web site. The site includes general information about CIA, unclassified current publications, speeches and congressional testimony, press releases and statements, information about careers, and basic references, including the CIA World Factbook. Many documents, including the CIA World Factbook, report on foreign economic or political matters, maps, and directories of foreign officials are also available in hard copy; these are listed in CIA Maps and Publications Released to the Public which is also posted available from the Office of Public Affairs. Publications on this list may be purchased from the Government Printing Office, the National Technical Information Service, and the Library of Congress. Most CIA publications are classified, however, and are not publicly available.

For more information, contact CIA's Information and Privacy Coordinator at (703) 613-1287 or the Office of Public Affairs at (703) 482-0623.

By law, CIA is specifically prohibited from collecting foreign intelligence concerning the domestic activities of US citizens. Its mission is to collect information related to foreign intelligence and foreign counterintelligence. By direction of the President in Executive Order 12333 of 1981 and in accordance with procedures approved by the Attorney General, CIA is restricted in the collection of intelligence information directed against US citizens. Collection is allowed only for an authorized intelligence purpose; for example, if there is a reason to believe that an individual is involved in espionage or international terrorist activities. CIA's procedures require senior approval for any such collection that is allowed, and, depending on the collection technique employed, the sanction of the Director of National Intelligence and Attorney General may be required. These restrictions on CIA have been in effect since the 1970s.

Only the President can direct CIA to undertake a covert action. Such actions usually are recommended by the National Security Council (NSC). Covert actions are considered when the NSC judges that US foreign policy objectives may not be fully realized by normal diplomatic means and when military action is deemed to be too extreme an option. Therefore, the Agency may be directed to conduct a special activity abroad in support of foreign policy where the role of the US government is neither apparent nor publicly acknowledged. Once tasked, the intelligence oversight committees of the Congress must be notified.

CIA supports the overall US government effort to combat international terrorism by collecting, analyzing, and disseminating intelligence on foreign terrorist groups and individuals. CIA also works with friendly foreign governments and shares pertinent information with them.

Internally, the CIA Office of Inspector General performs independent audits, inspections, investigations, reviews of CIA programs and operations, and seeks to detect and deter fraud, waste, abuse, and mismanagement. External to CIA, both the executive branch and Congress oversee CIA’s activities. In addition, CIA is responsible to the American people through their elected representatives, and, like other government agencies, acts in accordance with U.S. laws and executive orders. In the Executive Branch, the National Security Council—including the president, the vice president, the secretary of state, and the secretary of defense—provides guidance and direction for national foreign intelligence and counterintelligence activities. In Congress, the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence and the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, as well as other committees, closely monitor the Agency’s reporting and programs. CIA is not a policy-making organization; it advises the Director of National Intelligence on matters of foreign intelligence, and it conducts covert actions at the direction of the President.

Technically, you could say CIA headquarters is in both. "Langley" is the name of the McLean neighborhood in which CIA resides.

The town of McLean was founded in 1910, but before then, the area where CIA Headquarters is located was known as Langley.

In 1719, Thomas Lee purchased a tract of land from the sixth Lord Fairfax (for whom Fairfax County, the county in which McLean is located, was named), and he named it "Langley" after his ancestral home in England. Though Lee never lived on the land, the Langley area soon became home to many European settlers. A few were wealthy people whom England had granted land, and they established large plantations in the area.

During the War of 1812, President James Madison and his wife Dolley fled the British siege of Washington to the safety of family and friends in Langley. Langley was a Union stronghold in Virginia, a southern state, during the Civil War and had two forts, Camp Griffin and Camp Pierpont, which housed soldiers who helped protect Washington.

With the building of the Great Falls & Old Dominion Railroad, 1903 was a defining year for Langley. John McLean, president of Washington Gas Light Company and, later, editor of the Washington Post, and Senator Stephen B. Elkins of West Virginia collaborated on construction of a railroad which would bring vacationing Washingtonians to nearby Great Falls and provide people who worked in Washington the choice of living outside of the city. In 1906, the railroad began operating, and the population of Langley and nearby Lewinsville quickly grew. In 1910, the post offices of these towns closed and, named for the man who helped the area grow, a new post office named "McLean" was opened. In 1959, the Federal government broke ground for the Central Intelligence Agency headquarters. Construction was completed in 1961, adding another chapter to McLean's long history.

Despite the name change in 1910, the name "Langley" still lingers to describe the McLean neighborhood where CIA is located.

Source:
Ellis, Rafaela "A Community Called McLean"

There are many different styles for citing sources in a school paper. Various academic communities prefer one style to another, so consult with your instructor to find out which one is preferred.

One of the most popular styles is the following:

Central Intelligence Agency.
The World Factbook.
/the-world-factbook
(date accessed)¹

Heuer, Richards J. Jr.
1999
Psychology of Intelligence Analysis
/resources/csi/books-and-monographs/psychology-of-intelligence-analysis/
(date accessed)¹

¹Turabian, Kate L. A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses, and Dissertations (Chicago Guides to Writing, Editing and Publishing). Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1996.

A spy is someone who provides classified information about his country to another country. To clarify, CIA operations officers recruit foreign agents (you could also call them spies) who pass information to CIA. CIA operations officers do use some nifty "spy gadgets," and, while their jobs do occasionally present risks and challenges equal to the most exciting movies, for the most part, they are not nearly as glamorous or thrilling.

To carry out our mission and our work, all CIA professionals must live up to the highest standards of integrity. With this in mind, we carefully vet every candidate who hopes to join CIA.

For us to consider you for a job at CIA, you must be:

Visit our CIA Requirements page at https://www.cia.gov/careers/cia-requirements/ for more information about qualifying for employment at CIA.

Because the Agency's personnel needs span such a broad spectrum, we do not recommend any one academic track over another. Visit https://www.cia.gov/careers/jobs to explore our careers and express your interest via MyLink.

CIA offers several programs for students considering a career in the intelligence field. Each program offers valuable educational and practical work experience that enhances the students chosen field of study and prepares them for the future. These positions are extremely competitive and students are given a salary and excellent benefits.

CIA's student programs are outstanding opportunities for current and future undergraduate and graduate students to attain real-world experience while preparing for possible long-term employment at the CIA after graduation. Additionally, the CIA provides undergraduate and graduate scholarship opportunities for qualified students.

Learn more by visiting cia.gov/careers/student-programs.

Officers hired to work at CIA relocate to the Washington, DC area. However, there are many opportunities to live and work overseas to support CIA’s global mission.

There are many CIA jobs in a wide variety of specialties. The variety of careers here is similar to that of a major corporation. CIA officers work as analysts, scientists, engineers, economists, linguists, mathematicians, administrative professionals, accountants, computer specialists, targeting officers, data engineers, IT technicians, human resources, auditors, psychologists, nurses, physicians, cyber security officers, security protective service (federal police) officers, polygraph examiners, attorneys, paralegals, logistics officers, and more!

Learn more by visiting cia.gov/careers/jobs.

CIA does not require employees/contractors to obtain assurances of money or any personal information (such as your social security number, driver's license, or banking information) to initiate a relationship. Malicious attempts made via dating websites and other online forums are scams and should be reported to the dating website administrator and/or law enforcement.

However, individuals who express interest in employment via www.cia.gov/careers will be asked to provide proof of U.S. citizenship and are given an option to provide their Social Security Number as a legitimate step in the hiring process.

CIA provides both an Internet-based website at https://www.cia.gov and a Dark Web Portal on the Tor Network located at:

http://ciadotgov4sjwlzihbbgxnqg3xiyrg7so2r2o3lt5wz5ypk4sxyjstad.onion

To gain access to CIA’s Dark Web Portal on the Tor Network you will need to utilize the Tor Browser which can be found at https://torproject.org. If you are unable to use the Tor Browser you can also use a commercial VPN service which will mask your originating Internet Protocol (IP) address.

You will need to download the Tor Browser from https://torproject.org. Do not download the Tor Browser from any other source on the Internet, as those sources may not be trustworthy. Please follow all details within the site to securely download and install the browser on your computer. Once downloaded and installed you can visit CIA's site at:

http://ciadotgov4sjwlzihbbgxnqg3xiyrg7so2r2o3lt5wz5ypk4sxyjstad.onion

Yes, CIA launched a Telegram channel in May of 2023 to extend its reach to areas where access is blocked to our public website or Tor Portal. In June of 2023 our Telegram channel was verified and received the Telegram blue checkmark designating https://t.me/s/SecurelyContactingCIA as the official Telegram channel belonging to and operated by the United States Central Intelligence Agency.

Yes, CIA is committed to evaluating every message received. The evaluation process of each message may take time. Based upon our assessment of your security situation, CIA may not reply. It is advised to check your “spam” message folder as well for any possible reply from the Agency.