(U) MESSAGE FROM THE DIRECTOR: CIA'S 70TH ANNIVERSARY

• Document Type: FOIA
• Collection: FOIA Collection
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 06865798
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: U
• Document Page Count: 2
• Document Creation Date: January 30, 2024
• Document Release Date: October 16, 2023
• Case Number: F-2018-00585
• Publication Date: August 30, 2017

Message from the Director: CIA's 70th Anniversary
Approved for Release: 2023/10/13 C06865798
(b)(3)
(U) Message from the Director: CIA's 70th
Anniversary
UNCLASSIFIED
Team,
Seven decades ago, as the Iron Curtain descended on Europe, our government formed a new kind of intelligence
service: an independent agency charged with ensuring that our senior policymakers have a comprehensive picture of the
threats and opportunities facing our country in times of war and peace. Since then, CIA has been a pillar of our national
security enterprise. We have helped 13 presidents confront key foreign challenges, including the Cuban missile crisis,
the war in Vietnam, the fall of the Berlin Wall, the tragedy of 9/11, the campaigns in Iraq and Afghanistan, the spread of
nuclear weapons, and so many more. Ours is a remarkable legacy, one in which all of us at CIA should take enormous
pride.
CIA will celebrate its 70th anniversary next month on 18 September. To mark the occasion, we will hold a ceremony in
the main lobby and add a new name to our list of CIA Trailblazers a distinction reserved for those who have
profoundly shaped our Agency and our mission. We'll also unveil a new museum exhibit in the upper lobby near the
main staircase, detailing the achievements of some of the most influential figures in CIA history.
Anniversaries do more than mark the passage of time. They're also an opportunity to reflect on who we are, what we
stand for, and where we're going. Perhaps most importantly, they're a time to draw strength and inspiration from those
who came before us. Our predecessors have placed in our hands an extraordinary institution. We must protect it. And
we must challenge ourselves to not only build on their legacy, but to bring to our own work�each and every day�the
same energy and creative spirit that they invested in theirs.
Mike
(b)(3)
Approved for Release: 2023/10/13 C06865798
Message from the Director: CIA's 70th Anniversary
Approved for Release: 2023/10/13 C06865798
(b)(3)
Approved for Release: 2023/10/13 C06865798