Established by President Truman in 1947, the CIA has become a global agency for collecting and evaluating intelligence and undertaking covert action.
It has a fascinating history covering important areas of American influence including the U2 spy plane affair, the Cuban missile crisis and the Vietnam War. The CIA's modern role is to counter the spread of weapons of mass destruction, drug trafficking and international organised crime.
Based in Langley Virginia since 1961, no other agency in the history of intelligence has been as visible as the US Central Intelligence Agency.
This programme documents the complete history of the agency from its conception by General William "Wild Bill" Donovan to its success in defeating the communist regime in the 1990's. Along the way we meet the CIA and KGB agents and double agents who, through their clandestine work, have shaped the world as we know it.
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