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CIA launches a podcast, hoping to 'demystify' the agency and boost recruitment
- causality0 4y agoYou know if the CIA actually did what they say they do people would be chomping at the bit to join. As it stands, why would I want to work for Atrocities 'R' Us?
- galangalalgol 4y agoSo you can become a star?
- molticrystal 4y agoWhile this is 3rd hand from materials I have read over the years, it seems a lot of their human capital comes from referrals such as if you are a diplomat or their attaché and recruiting from such. It also might be relatively seamless to transfer from other agencies such as FBI, Military, NSA as you would have the background checks and clearance already done. Also there are a lot of roles, support staff and other personal various degrees removed from the core programs and their corrupt nature. And lastly, there are a few people I am sure that just want to take advantage of virtually unaccountable power and might even be in a position to profit from such.
- boomboomsubban 4y agohttps://www.cia.gov/stories/story/the-langley-files https://www.cia.gov/stories/story/the-langley-files There's almost no source I consider less trustworthy on CIA matters than the CIA.
- capableweb 4y agoIndeed. Here is a short list of top ~20 CIA controversies (with solid references), many of which officials said weren't true until hard evidence was put in their face and made public: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_CIA_controversies https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_CIA_controversies
- guerrilla 4y agoA longer list: https://github.com/binka/essays/blob/master/us_atrocities.md https://github.com/binka/essays/blob/master/us_atrocities.md
- Victerius 4y agoI see nothing wrong with several items on that list, especially the items related to modern foreign policy. > On February 15th, 2017, US-backed Saudi planes bombed a funeral in Yemen Not the U.S. > In 2010, President Obama directed the CIA to assassinate an American citizen in Yemen, Anwar al-Awlaki Good. Justified. The man was a terrorist. > Since 2013, The US has intervened militarily in the ongoing Syrian Civil War Good. Justified. Though civilian casualties are always deplorable. > From 2011 up to the present day, the US ousted Mummar Gaddafi in Libya, and began conducting an extensive bombing campaign in the Libyan Civil Wars of 2011 and 2014 Good. Justified. > From 2000 up to the present day, the US has been carrying out a campaign of drone strikes and asassinations in the Middle East and Africa Good. Justified. > The attacks precipitated the signing into law in 2001 of the Patriot Act Good. Justified. > The September 11th 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center in New York, provoked an international military campaign of middle east imperialism known as The War on Terror Good. Justified. > Since the 1960s, the US has given immense economic and military aid to Israel in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict Good. Justified. > In 1989, The U.S. invades Panama to overthrow a dictator of its own making, General Manuel Noriega Good. Justified. > In early 2017, ICE began a campaign of arrests and deportation of undocumented immigrants. 700 People have been arrested so far. Good. Justified. > In 2010, Chelsea Manning was imprisoned under the espionage act Good. Justified.
- usednet 4y agoWithout addressing anything else you said, calling the invasion of Panama and subsequent dictatorship “justified” is genuinely one of the dumbest things I have ever read on this site.
- voz_ 4y agoAgreed 100%. The western world's framing of placing high value on human life and freedom is paramount, and the preservation of American hegemony is a critical component of both that, and ensuring world peace. To all the salty tiers from oppressive regimes like russia, china, and iran, I say: vae victis.
- anonporridge 4y agoHonestly, this isn't for people like you who know that nothing the CIA says can be taken without a massive grain of salt. It's for the masses who don't question the word of authority.
- _8j50 4y agoFor clandenstine stuff yeah but they do stuff that isn't clandestine. The C is central not clandestine in CIA.
- boomboomsubban 4y agoReading the transcript now, why use pseudo anonymous hosts? You want to demystify the CIA but can't even name the employees tasked to do so?
- natvert 4y agoParty in the CIA https://youtu.be/C-CG5w4YwOI https://youtu.be/C-CG5w4YwOI
- natvert 4y agoOh and read the first comment
- jimlongton 4y ago
- kelseyfrog 4y agoWhere do I sign up to do stuff like this? https://www.cia.gov/readingroom/docs/CIA-RDP96-00788R001700210016-5.pdf https://www.cia.gov/readingroom/docs/CIA-RDP96-00788R0017002...
- deleted 4y ago[deleted]
- Retric 4y agoIt’s presumably about more than just recruitment. I have no idea what exactly has the CIA done in the last 30 years that’s worth even a small fraction of their budget. That’s not a great place for a government agency to be.
- code_duck 4y agoThe public not knowing what they do is precisely how an intelligence agency intends to operate.
- Retric 4y agoYet, they are also creating a podcast to publicize past success.
- code_duck 4y agoPretty sure they're not telling us everything.
- Retric 4y agoSure and that’s reasonable, but they should be able to point to stuff that’s no longer relevant. Ie if they played a role in discovering Saddam Hussein‘s hiding place then that’s something they could point to without jeopardizing any future intelligence operations. Not that a few individual successes alone represent or justifies a 30+ Billion annual budget, but it would help counter the more common narrative that the CIA failed to do X.
- xboxnolifes 4y agosure, but the point is that they are trying to tell people what they do. The existence of the podcast is proof of that. So, why can't they just put the podcast information in the normal information sources? It feels odd that an organization that is likely incredibly good at foreign propaganda, seemingly falls flat for personal PR.
- mooreds 4y agoSee also the comments on this post, which should probably be merged, as it covers the same topic: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32952021 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32952021 Probably the true link should be the cia.gov link here: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32957948 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32957948
- daxuak 4y agoListened about 10 minutes into the first episode, why do the speakers sound so nervous? Maybe it's because of a stubborn script or lack of prior preparation? It's just not very... podcast-like.
- kelseyfrog 4y agoYou would be nervous too if your guest could MKUltra you.
- boomboomsubban 4y agoIt's two people fairly low in the organization being tasked with interviewing the head honcho. Even outside of the CIA, that'd make the interviewers nervous.
- daxuak 4y agoAbsolutely. But I thought the production team could've find a combo that works better. Any combo. They don't even have to actually have someone that high up in the ladder to make an ok podcast imho... Right now it sounds straight PR and ingenue due to the tone & the scripting, even for a regular company's PR piece, let alone CIA's.
- logn 4y agoI started my own podcast as well. Follow me from twitter or soundcloud. Danbobhollins on both.
- jrmg 4y agoIn the 40s-50s the FBI had a radio show: https://archive.org/details/OTRR_This_Is_Your_FBI_Singles https://archive.org/details/OTRR_This_Is_Your_FBI_Singles
- photochemsyn 4y agoThe CIA is probably not a very necessary agency, and could be disbanded with no real impacts on national security. Most of the critical intelligence work - such as maintaining knowledge of the distribution of global nuclear weapon systems - could be done by dedicated agencies like the military DIA and the NRO (National Reconnaisance Office, i.e. satellites). As far as the propanganda programs, i.e the fomenting of coups and shady regime change efforts and attempts to manipulate public opinion, that's all very sleazy and eliminating it is a good idea.