United States
Hayden, Vickers: spymasters lift the lid
Before the US presidential elections, some ex-intelligence chiefs are poised to publish their memoirs.
The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) was the successor to the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) after the Second World War. Its heyday was during the Cold War. CIA considers itself as the senior intelligence service among the US Intelligence Community. Before the establishment of the Defense Clandestine Service (DCS), it was the only agency able to carry out clandestine operations, through its National Clandestine Service (NCS).