Each spring, hundreds of CIA officers display their handcrafted works of art for all to see. Well, at least all those with the top secret clearance required to walk the halls at headquarters.
"In some cases, our officers have very stressful jobs, and they do pretty amazing things, and it offers an opportunity for them to blow off some steam," said Chuck, a volunteer show curator and active-duty CIA officer whose last name must be kept secret. There were oil paintings, clay sculptures and photographs. Needlepoint and delicate blown glass were among those awarded best-in-show. Avant-garde furniture pieces and 3D art works are among the more eclectic submissions and conversation starters.
The culture of secrecy at the CIA prevents many employees from openly sharing details about their work outside the office, and, officials said, it also limits the sharing of details about their personal lives on the inside. CIA officers were the first U.S. forces on the ground in Afghanistan after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, and it was the CIA that discovered Osama bin Laden's hideout in Pakistan nine years later."9/11, for many people, but particularly folks within this building, in the agency, was a marker stone in time. A lot of folks were energized. We had a huge hiring boom," Chuck said.
Too bad they can't protect US from Russia interference in our elections.
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