The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) was created in 1947, with its legal establishment on July 26, 1947, and it became operational on September 18, 1947, following the National Security Act of 1947.

Key dates

  • July 26, 1947 – President Harry S. Truman signed the National Security Act of 1947, which legally established the CIA as the first peacetime U.S. intelligence agency.
  • September 18, 1947 – The CIA came into effect as an organization when the Act took effect and the agency formally began operations.

Quick context

  • The CIA grew out of World War II intelligence efforts, especially the Office of Strategic Services (OSS), to create a centralized body to coordinate U.S. intelligence during the early Cold War.
  • The National Security Act also reshaped the U.S. national security structure, creating the National Security Council and reorganizing the military alongside establishing the CIA.

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