Introduction
Editor’s Note (January 2023): This article is drawn from the draft of a historical study prepared by the John Helgerson entitled Getting to Know the President: CIA Briefings of Presidential Candidates From 1952 to 1992. Mr. Helgerson wrote three updated editions. The latest, released in 2021, can be found in CSI’s Books and Monographs on this site. This fourth edition includes treatment of the presidencies of Barack Obama and Donald J. Trump.