Director of the Central Intelligence Agency
Director of the Central Intelligence Agency (
D/CIA) serves as the head of the
Central Intelligence Agency, which is part of the
United States Intelligence Community. He reports to the
Director of National Intelligence (DNI).
The Director is assisted by the
Deputy Director of the Central Intelligence Agency.
Before
April 21,
2005, the Director headed both the
Intelligence Community and the Central Intelligence Agency as the
Director of Central Intelligence (DCI). In addition he served as an advisor to the
President of the United States on intelligence matters and was the statutory intelligence advisor to the
National Security Council (NSC). On
April 21,
2005, the Director of National Intelligence (DNI) took on the roles as head of the Intelligence Community and principal intelligence advisor to the President and the NSC.
The post of DCI was established in
1946 by
President Truman; it thus predates the establishment of the Central Intelligence Agency (created by the
National Security Act of 1947). After the end of
World War II, the
Office of Strategic Services was dismantled and its functions were split between the Departments of State and War (now Defense). President Truman soon recognized the inefficiency of this arrangement and created the
Central Intelligence Group, which could be considered a smaller precursor to the National Security Council. The following year the
National Security Act of 1947 created the Central Intelligence Agency and
National Security Council, while formally defining the duties of the Director of Central Intelligence. The duties of the DCI had been further defined over the years by tradition, congressional acts, and
Executive Orders.
A list of Directors of the Central Intelligence Agency (in chronological order):
Note: After
April 21,
2005, the Director of the CIA is no longer the
Director of Central Intelligence, and thus is referred to as the Director of the CIA only.
Note: According to the CIA website on the D/CIA's, Porter Goss did not leave office until May 26, 2006.