Policing the Past: The CIA and the Landscape of Secrecy

Since the creation of the CIA, its history has constituted something of a battleground. This lecture will explore the CIA and its relationship to history, the media, and the secret state, a journey that has involved both cooperation and extreme skepticism. It will argue that historians have a crucial role to play not only in the curating of national memory but also in mediating between the public and the more shadowy parts of government.

Richard J. Aldrich is Professor of International Security at the University of Warwick, UK. His main research interests lie in the area of intelligence and security communities. He is leading a research project entitled Landscapes of Secrecy: The Central Intelligence Agency and the Contested Record of U.S. Foreign Policy, 1947–2001. His most recent book is The Black Door: Spies, Secret Intelligence and British Prime Ministers.

The event is free and open to the public, but registration is required. Cannot attend this lecture? Watch live via www.ias.edu/livestream.