Richelson, Jeffrey T. The Wizards of Langley: Inside the CIA's Directorate
of Science and Technology. Boulder CO: Westview Press, 2001. 386 pages.
This is the first book to focus on the Directorate of Science and
Technology (DST) at the CIA. The DST story begins in the 1950s with
high-altitude photography and the U-2 spy plane, which gave way to spy
satellites such as the KH-11 by the end of the 1970s. One problem with a
book like this is that an author's access is always best for those topics
that are least controversial, which means that the successes and gee-whiz
gadgets get the most ink. The failures (remote viewing) and morally
repugnant programs (mind control) are barely mentioned. The book can
end up reading like a recruiting poster for the CIA.
The future for high-tech at the CIA does not look bright. There have
been bureaucratic problems, and today the National Reconnaissance Office
controls most of the resources for spy satellite programs. By 2000 there
was even some doubt whether DST could survive as a separate entity. The
biggest problem now is finding ways to sort through all the information
that is available, by developing software that can sift, translate,
search and visualize the data. The CIA has a hard time keeping current
with information technology, and formed a venture capital firm called
In-Q-Tel to invest in certain smaller companies that are likely to be
more innovative than the big defense contractors.
ISBN 0-8133-6699-2
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