The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) is one of the most fascinating yet least understood intelligence gathering organizations in the world, and much of their inner workings remains classified. The mere mention of the CIA evokes images of covert agents operating under a veil of secrecy in remote regions of the world. However, only a small fraction of the thousands of CIA employees serve at the agency's clandestine tip of the spear. Encyclopedia of the Central Intelligence Agency is the first single-volume A-to-Z reference to this mysterious, complex, and often misunderstood branch of the U.S. government. The ultimate resource for both casual readers and researchers, this comprehensive encyclopedia provides detailed descriptions and definitions of key CIA terms, players, equipment, operations, and parallel organizations. It also discusses perceptions of the agency in popular culture, including its portrayal in film, television, and fiction. A one-stop resource, it contains an introduction that surveys the history of the American intelligence community from the colonial era to the present, four informative appendixes, and an extensive bibliography. More than 520 A-to-Z entries cover such topics as: Air America Bay of Pigs IMINT (Imagery Intelligence and Geospatial Information) National Security Act of 1947 "The Pentagon Papers" Task Force W George John Tenet Zenith Technical Enterprises.