The Central Intelligence Agency was created in 1947 with the signing of the National Security Act by President Harry S. Truman. The act also created a Director of Central Intelligence (DCI) to serve as head of the United States intelligence community; act as the principal adviser to the President for intelligence matters related to the national security; and serve as head of the Central Intelligence Agency. The Director's responsibilities include: Collecting intelligence through human sources and by other appropriate means; Correlating and evaluating intelligence related to the national security and providing appropriate dissemination of such intelligence; Providing overall direction for and coordination of the collection of national intelligence outside the United States through human sources.
The function of the Central Intelligence Agency is to assist the Director of the Central Intelligence Agency in carrying out the responsibilities outlined above. To accomplish its mission, the CIA engages in research, development, and deployment of high-leverage technology for intelligence purposes. As a separate agency, CIA serves as an independent source of analysis on topics of concern and also works closely with the other organizations in the Intelligence Community to ensure that the intelligence consumer—whether Washington policymaker or battlefield commander—receives the best intelligence possible.
Famous publications produced by the CIA include the World Factbook, the Studies in Intelligence journal, and the CIA historical series which provide a retrospective on the CIA's role in critical US foreign policy arenas.
