U.S. INTEL
The CIA is born
The National Security Act of 1947 creates the Central Intelligence Agency.
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The CIA in the 21st century.
From the founding of the agency to the war in Ukraine — 38 moments that shaped American intelligence.
George Tenet takes charge
Tenet becomes Director of Central Intelligence, leading the CIA into the new century.
Warnings to Congress
Tenet tells the Senate the terrorist threat is real, immediate and evolving.
September 11 attacks
Al Qaeda attacks New York and Washington; nearly 3,000 people are killed.
First in: CIA team enters Afghanistan
A CIA team links up with the Northern Alliance, weeks before U.S. troops arrive.
Taliban government falls
With CIA teams, special forces and air power, the Taliban lose Kabul and Kandahar.
Black sites and "enhanced interrogation"
The CIA opens secret prisons abroad and begins harsh interrogations of al Qaeda suspects.
The Iraq weapons estimate
A National Intelligence Estimate judges Iraq has chemical and biological weapons.
Invasion of Iraq
U.S.-led forces invade Iraq; no weapons of mass destruction are found.
A.Q. Khan network collapses
Pakistan's nuclear smuggling ring is exposed after a long CIA-British operation.
Abu Ghraib photographs
Pictures of prisoner abuse in Iraq deepen the debate over interrogation.
Intelligence reform
Congress creates the Director of National Intelligence to lead all 18 agencies.
Interrogation tapes destroyed
Videotapes of CIA interrogations are destroyed; it becomes public in 2007.
Michael Hayden becomes director
The former NSA chief takes over the CIA.
Mughniyeh killed in Damascus
Hezbollah's military commander is killed by a car bomb in Syria.
Interrogation programme ends
President Obama orders an end to CIA detention and harsh interrogation.
Attack at Khost
A double agent kills seven CIA officers and contractors at a base in Afghanistan.
WikiLeaks era begins
WikiLeaks starts publishing military and diplomatic files leaked by Chelsea Manning.
Osama bin Laden killed
U.S. Navy SEALs, under CIA authority, raid the Abbottabad compound in Pakistan.
David Petraeus becomes director
The general who led the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan takes over the CIA.
Benghazi attack
Militants attack the U.S. compound and CIA annex in Libya; four Americans die.
John Brennan becomes director
The counter-terrorism veteran leads the CIA through the Obama second term.
Snowden disclosures
An NSA contractor reveals mass-surveillance programmes.
Russia seizes Crimea
Russian forces take Ukraine's Crimean peninsula.
Senate interrogation report
The Senate intelligence committee publishes the summary of its study of CIA interrogation.
Assessment on the 2016 election
Intelligence agencies conclude Russia ran a campaign to interfere in the U.S. election.
"Vault 7"
WikiLeaks publishes the CIA's stolen hacking tools.
Gina Haspel becomes director
The first woman to lead the CIA, a career clandestine officer.
Soleimani killed
A U.S. strike in Baghdad kills Iran's Quds Force commander Qassem Soleimani.
Doha agreement
The United States and the Taliban sign a deal on the withdrawal of U.S. forces.
William Burns becomes director
The veteran diplomat and former ambassador to Moscow leads the CIA.
Fall of Kabul
The Taliban take Kabul as the last U.S. forces leave Afghanistan.
Warning to the Kremlin
Burns travels to Moscow to warn against an invasion of Ukraine.
Burns in Kyiv
The CIA director briefs Ukraine's leaders on Russia's war plans.
Russia invades Ukraine
The full-scale invasion begins; U.S. warnings had been declassified and published in advance.
Brittney Griner freed
A prisoner exchange with Russia brings the U.S. basketball star home.
Largest exchange since the Cold War
A multi-country swap frees Evan Gershkovich, Paul Whelan and others.
John Ratcliffe becomes director
The former Director of National Intelligence takes over the CIA.
Sources. The public record and reporting in Tim Weiner, The Mission: The CIA in the 21st Century (2025). Questions? See the intelligence FAQ.
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