The Center for the Study of Intelligence (CSI) was established as an organization within CIA to “think through the functions of intelligence and bring the best intellects available to bear on intelligence problems.” The center, comprising professional historians and experienced practitioners from throughout the Intelligence Community, attempts to document lessons learned from past activities, to explore the needs and expectations of intelligence consumers, and to stimulate serious debate about current and future intelligence challenges.
To carry out this mission, CSI publishes books and monographs addressing historical, operational, doctrinal and theoretical aspects of the intelligence profession. It also administers the CIA Museum and maintains the CIA’s Historical Intelligence Collection of published literature on intelligence. The center also houses the Emerging Trends Program, which seeks to identify the impact of future trends on the work of US intelligence.
CSI's mission areas include the following activities:
- Intelligence Research: Publish the quarterly Studies in Intelligence, the Journal of the American Intelligence Professional; Host independent research and publish books and monographs on intelligence topics.
- Intelligence History: Publish key documentary collections from the Cold War; Conduct oral history projects; Produce monographs on CIA history and the history of intelligence; Support the State Department's Foreign Relations of the United States (FRUS) series.
- Historical Records: Promote public understanding of intelligence; Conferences and Seminars; Provide a forum for practitioners and scholars; Make important research widely available; Commemorate major historical events in the intelligence world; Interact with academic specialists.
- University Programs: Encourage and improve the teaching of intelligence; Sponsor CIA Officers-in-Residence on campuses.