Wagner Heather L. The Central Intelligence Agency

Chelsea House Publications, 2007. — 105 p.After a brief chapter discussing how intelligence gathering was performed in the American Revolution and Civil War, this book in The U.S. Government: How It Works series chronicles how the Central Intelligence Agency evolved from the Office of Strategic Services (OSS), created during World War II to collect and analyze intelligence, as well as to conduct espionage and counterespionage activities. Due attention is paid to William J. "Wild Bill" Donovan, the architect of the OSS (also known as "the father of American Intelligence"), as well as to his protégé Allen Dulles, the first CIA director. Other chapters discuss the history of the CIA, its role in shaping government policies, a description of what one would find at CIA headquarters, the organization of the agency, and the many different kinds of jobs employees of the CIA perform. This straightforward, useful introduction includes sidebars, a glossary, a bibliography, and suggestions for further research.