(October 17, 2019)

The Cold War and the emerging space race were in full swing in the late 1950s. CIA
kept President Eisenhower regularly apprised on the progress of the Soviet space
program, which became a subject of worldwide attention following the successful
1957 launch of Sputnik—the first artificial satellite and the first manmade object
to be placed into earth's orbit. The Soviets' achievement, which indicated that
they had intercontinental ballistic missiles capable of striking the United States,
stunned the American public and set off a debate in the United States about the
"Missile Gap," and America's competence in science and technology.

Animal PartnersArgentina Declassification Project - The "Dirty War" (1976-83)

(April 12, 2019)

During the Argentine government's seven year (1976-83) campaign against suspected
dissidents and subversives, often know as the "Dirty War", between 10,000 and
30,000 people were killed, including opponents of the government as well as
innocent victims. Responding to a White House directive, the CIA declassified and
is now releasing documents relating to the "Dirty War" period in Argentina.

Current/Central Intelligence Bulletin (1951-61)

(March 28, 2019)

Harry Truman was the first U.S. president to receive a daily intelligence digest.
At his direction, the Daily Summary began production in February 1946, and
continued until February 1951. President Truman was pleased with the product, but a
survey group commissioned by the National Security Council in 1949 was critical of
the Daily Summary and issued several recommendations to improve it. The "new and
improved" version, called the Current Intelligence Bulletin, began production on 28
February 1951. This remained the format of the president's daily digest through
Dwight Eisenhower's two terms, although it was titled the Central Intelligence
Bulletin from 1958-1961. The Current/Central Intelligence Bulletin grew longer than
its predecessor over time with the addition of more items and more analysis, and
would eventually contain more graphics as printing technology improved.

Daily Summary
(August 15, 2018)

You probably know that the CIA provides the President of the United States a
summary of critical intelligence issues every day. But did you know that this was
happening even before there was a CIA? The Central Intelligence Agency was not
formally established until 1947. In January 1946, however, President Harry Truman
directed the newly-formed Central Intelligence Group to provide him with a
coordinated intelligence report known as the Daily Summary. This report evolved
over the years and its name has changed --it’s now called the President’s Daily
Brief or PDB-- but the tradition begun in 1946 of informing the President with a
coordinated daily report continues to this day. Once “for the President’s eyes
only” --and those of his most senior advisors--, these reports can now be released
to the public.

Intelligence Warning of the 1957 Launch of Sputnik

(October 4, 2017)

On 4 October 1957, the USSR successfully launched the Sputnik-1 earth satellite
into space - an achievement that stunned the American public and press but not the
US policy and intelligence communities. CIA's Office of Scientific Intelligence
(OSI), which was responsible for analyzing the USSR's satellite and missile
programs, had reported on the advancements that would lead to this landmark event.
As early as 1955, OSI had alerted President Eisenhower to the Soviet program
through briefings and finished intelligence products. In June 1957, OSI reported
that a Soviet launch of an earth satellite was imminent, noting this capability
portended the USSR's production of intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs)
capable of reach the US.ments in this collection highlight the bloodless coup by a
group of Libyan military officers which removed King Idris I. The group, which
called itself the Revolutionary Command Council, was motivated by the ideology of
Arab socialism modeled by Egypt's Gamal Abdel Nasser. Within a short time, a young
officer named Muammar Qadhafi emerged as a leader of the group, and he would rule
Libya for the next 40 years. These documents cover major developments related to
the coup, including US reaction. The Nixon administration believed that Washington
need not be overly distressed by the coup and felt the US could have a working
relationship with the new regime. Also discussed in the documents is Libya's
intention to honor treaty obligations regarding Wheelus Air Base, a major US Air
Force installation in Libya that supported Mediterranean operations.