1948
Brennan said the CIA started in 1948 and had worked in a certain way for more than 60 years before his reorganization.
“the agency, you know, St started in 1948, so there was a long period of time, over 60 years”
Topic
Central Intelligence Agency
27 facts from 7 episodes, in date order. These are what speakers said on the shows, each linked to the moment it was said. They aren't independently verified.
1953
The CIA specified that Skunk Works' U-2 spy plane must fly at 70,000 feet.
“So the CIA's spec for Skunk Works for the U-2 is to fly at 70,000 feet.”
1960s
The A-12 Oxcart was a CIA stealth spy plane capable of Mach 3, flown in the early 1960s.
“and that was the CIA's stealth Mach 3 spy plane. You know, think about that in the early 1960s, it's astonishing.”
1970s-1980s
David Bray says a smartphone gives its owner capabilities comparable to the CIA of the late 1970s and early 1980s, and about 2 billion people have one.
“You have the CIA in your pocket, circa the late nineteen seventies, early nineteen eighties, and 2 billion people on the planet have it.”
1980-2005
John Brennan worked as a CIA employee from 1980 to 2005 in different parts of the agency.
“from 1980 to 2005, I was a CIA employee serving in different parts of the agency”
1980
When John Brennan joined the CIA in 1980, the agency had no personal computers and relied on hard-copy documents.
“When I started out in the agency in 1980, we didn't have personal computers, everything was, you know, hard copy it.”
1990s
Brennan said the digital domain exploded in the 1990s with the internet and has profoundly changed intelligence work.
“the digital domain basically exploded in the 1990s, you know, with the internet and and everything that's out there now.”
2007
A program designed by Bush administration lawyers in 2007 was used to take new statements because earlier CIA statements were considered coerced.
“Statements were obtained through a program designed by the Bush administration lawyers in 2007 because the defendant's previous statements to the CIA were considered coerced”
2011
Jacobsen says the bin Laden raid was run as a CIA operation because the US was not at war with Pakistan, so the military could not legally carry it out.
“We were not at war with Pakistan, so Title 50 doesn't apply.”
2013-2014
Brennan spent his first year as CIA director assessing the agency and concluded change was needed because its structure had stayed largely the same for 50 to 60 years.
“for the 1st year, I basically assessed and my impressions, uh, reinforced my view that change was needed because the agency structure basically had stayed the same over the last 50, 60 years.”
Undated
Area 51 began as a CIA site for building and testing the U-2 spy plane out of public view.
“And it began as a place to test the U-2 spy plane, um, and literally the CIA set up shop there to build this plane away from the public eye.”
Undated
As deputy executive director, John Brennan helped spearhead a pay-for-performance system for CIA employees.
“I was heavily involved in spearheading a change in how agency employees are compensated. It's called the pay for performance system.”
Undated
Brennan assembled a group of respected officers from across the CIA and took them off their regular jobs to assess the agency's structure.
“I decided to pull together a group of people who I respected from different parts of the agency and took them off their full-time positions.”
Undated
The CIA task force presented three reorganization proposals, low, medium and high, and Brennan chose the high option.
“The task force came up with 3 proposals, a low, a medium and a high.”
Undated
The CIA modernization created mission centers that combined analysis, operations, science, technology, cyber and digital expertise.
“that's when we put together what's called mission centers, where we would bring together the different expertise and capabilities of the agency analysis, operations, science, technology, cyber, digital.”
Undated
Under Brennan, the CIA created a new Directorate of Digital Innovation for the first time.
“but we created a new directorate of digital innovation. It was one of the things that I recognized that this digital domain i is so profoundly impactful on all our lives.”
Undated
The CIA set up ten mission centers and Brennan had to choose ten people to lead them.
“we set up 10 mission centers, and so I we had to tap 10 people to head up these organization, these mission centers”
Undated
Brennan removed his close friend, the head of the directorate of operations, from his post because he opposed the transformation.
“I was going to be relieving him of that command position”
Undated
Brennan said the CIA lacked change-management expertise and brought in outside private-sector help to design and carry out the transformation.
“we do not have the expertise in change management that was necessary, either coming up with ideas about how to change an organization”
Undated
The CIA uses a building called Scattergood for conferences and offsites, where Brennan held step-back sessions during the transformation.
“at the agency, we have a, a building's called Scattergood, and it's been reported in the in the press that this is a place where you have conferences.”
Undated
Brennan said much of the criticism of his reorganization came from retired CIA officers outside the agency.
“a lot of the criticism came from the retiree community, the ones who were outside”
Undated
Brennan said a large portion of the CIA workforce joined after the modernization began and knows only the new structure.
“a large portion of the agency workforce has joined since the modernization process began.”
Undated
Jacqueline Acker said she had worked at the Central Intelligence Agency for over eleven years, having joined after working at a law firm in Oklahoma.
“I've been at CIA for over eleven years now, and I think that's, you know, I when I started there, I didn't know how long I'd be there.”
Undated
Intelligence oversight includes cleared members of Congress, the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board, and the CIA's own privacy office.
“there's cleared members of Congress, there is the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board, there's even my office, so we have our own internal oversight requirements.”
Undated
The military judge ruled that Walid Ben Attash's earlier confessions to the CIA were coerced and could not be admitted.
“The judge, Lieutenant Colonel Michael Schramra, ruled that Ben Attaash's previous confessions to the CIA were coerced and therefore not admissible.”
Undated
In Wild Horse Nine, the two main characters are CIA agents sent to destabilize Chile's democracy after Salvador Allende's election.
“They're CIA agents who have been sent to destabilize Chile's democracy after President Allende was elected.”
Undated
Martin McDonagh says the CIA helped overthrow Chile's democratically elected government, leading to 15 years of fascist torture.
“to, um, destabilize and help overthrow a democratically elected government, which ended up in fascist tortures for 15 years.”
Episodes
- 30 May 2023Lockheed Martin3h 38m
- 22 Mar 2024#420 – Annie Jacobsen: Nuclear War, CIA, KGB, Aliens, Area 51, Roswell & Secrecy3h 12m
- 31 Oct 2026Martin McDonagh Has a Vision for Hope. It's Not for the Faint of Heart.51m
- 9 Oct 20261066. Andy & DJ CTI: Dell CEO's Wife Susan Dell's Appearance At White House, Trump Admin Cuts Off Microsoft From Visa Program & 9/11 Confessions Thrown Out1h 33m
- 3 Mar 2026SANS Institute: AI Agents Are an Attack Surface. Does your CISO know? | CXOTalk #91055m
- 16 Dec 2024AI Ethics, Governance, Responsible AI: Views from the CIA's Deputy Privacy Officer | #86353m
- 28 Nov 2024227. Retired CIA Director John Brennan: Why modernization is ‘never over’48m