It was 69 years ago on September 18, 1947 when President Harry S. Truman signed the National Security Act into law. Since that time the agency has remained one of the principal members of the U.S. Intelligence Community, but it has also been the subject of as many myths as truths. Test your knowledge of the “Agency,” and see if you can determine the facts from the fiction.
Our quiz on CIA history explores everything from the reason behind the agency’s creation to its purpose today. A single (and very significant) intelligence failure led the government to say it was time for a single agency to take the helm of coordinating government intelligence efforts.
Through the years the mission of the CIA has been largely the same, but it hasn’t been without realignments, evolving missions and new adversaries. Intelligence reform came in the post 9/11 era. The Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act restructured the CIA, abolishing two high-level CIA positions and creating the Director of National Intelligence to oversee the broader intelligence community.
