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The Debrief - Memorial Wall

Set just inside the main entrance of CIA Headquarters is a white marble wall with a collection of stars etched into the stone in honor of CIA officers who paid the ultimate sacrifice. Learn more about the most sacred space on our compound and what it means to our workforce.

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The Debrief - Cornerstone

On November 3, 1959, President Dwight Eisenhower joined Director of Central Intelligence Allen Dulles to lay the cornerstone of CIA’s Original Headquarters Building, which was completed in 1961 and opened to the workforce in 1962. Learn more about why the Langley location was chosen as well as a few of the building’s touted amenities.

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The Debrief - Pneumatic Tubes

Ever wonder how CIA sent intra-Agency messages before email? Well, we had a pneumatic tube system to transport small items through tubes using air pressure to move carriers throughout our building.

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The Debrief - World Trade Center Beam

This episode highlights a steel column retrieved from the World Trade Center after the attacks of September 11th. The outdoor memorial on CIA’s compound serves as a solemn reminder of the lives lost that day and how CIA takes the fight to the enemy to help protect our country.

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The Debrief - Scattergood-Thorne

Did you know that on CIA’s compound sits a four-story Georgian Revival house built in 1926? Well, today it is known as the Scattergood-Thorne Conferencing Center, named after the private owners who found themselves living alongside their new CIA neighbors for many years. Learn more about Florence Thorne and Margaret Scattergood, their home, and their forever bond to CIA.