After more than 60 years of circulation, the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) announced on Wednesday that it is shutting down the publication of the CIA World Factbook, a popular reference manual.
After more than 60 years of circulation, the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) announced on Wednesday that it is shutting down the publication of the CIA World Factbook, a popular reference manual. The intelligence body confirmed the news by releasing a
statement on its website, without offering any reason behind the decision.
The announcement follows a pledge from the agency’s Director
John Ratcliffe to end programs that don’t advance the agency’s core missions. The spy agency released the factbook back in 1962, as a printed, classified reference manual for intelligence officers that offered a detailed, by-the-numbers picture of foreign nations, their economies, militaries, resources and societies.
Over the years, the Factbook proved to be so useful that other federal agencies began using it, and within a decade. Not only this, but an unclassified version was released to the public. Soon after going online in 1997 for the public, the Factbook quickly became a popular reference site for journalists, trivia aficionados and the writers of college essays, racking up millions of visits per year.
The CIA marks dramatic changes
The closure of the CIA World Factbook came as the White House moved to cut staffing at the CIA and the National Security Agency early in Trump’s second term, forcing the agency to do more with less.
According to the Associated Press report published last year, the administration planned to reduce the CIA workforce by 1,200 over several years and cut thousands of positions at the NSA and other intelligence agencies. The reduction at the CIA includes several hundred people who have already opted for early retirement.
The rest of the cuts were reportedly achieved partly through reduced hirings and would not likely necessitate layoffs. When asked about the layoffs last year, the CIA issued a statement saying CIA Director John Ratcliffe is working to align the agency with Trump’s national security priorities.
Meanwhile, in its Wednesday statement, the CIA noted how the insiders of the agency also “donated some of their personal travel photos to The World Factbook, which hosted more than 5,000 photographs that were copyright-free for anyone to access and use.”
“Though the World Factbook is gone, in the spirit of its global reach and legacy, we hope you will stay curious about the world and find ways to explore it… in person or virtually,” the agency concluded.
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