History of the U.S. Intelligence Community

Running Head : US INTELLIGENCE COMMUNITY

US Intelligence Community : From Past to Present

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US Intelligence Community : From Past to Present

The US Intelligence Community can be traced back to the days of the 1776 Revolution . The nation 's first spyhead , General George Washington used spies to accurately pinpoint the movements of the British Army during the Revolutionary War . The British Army also employed spies to identify potential dissidents in the mostly loyalist South . The Revolution also produced the country 's first cryptanalyst , Dr . Benjamin Church . Dr

. Church posed as a member of the Boston `school ' while providing essential intelligence about rebel activities to General Gage the British commander of Boston . After his appointment as chief surgeon of the Continental Army , he continued to provide necessary information to the British . Dr . Church position was compromised after Samuel West deciphered a letter the former sent to the British . Dr . Church was sent into exile

What generally struck me was the participation of Benjamin Franklin in spy games . Franklin became the chief of the country 's first formal intelligence-gathering agency - the so-called `Committee of Secret Correspondence ' This agency was formed in 1775 with the primary goal of gathering information about sentiments towards the Revolutionary War in Europe . However , the agency extended its authority . It authorized its `employees ' to use necessary methods in `influencing support for the Revolution in Europe ' Franklin , through a secret negotiation , asked France to provide French troops . France offered both its army and navy to support the American...