CIA employee calls for objective views
It is essential to have a balanced view of the CIA, CIA staff historian Nicholas Dujmovic said to USU students attending his lecture series Friday afternoon.
The lecture series topics were the good shepherd CIA vs. the real CIA of Downey-Fecteau and scholarship vs. bias: Tim Weiner’s Legacy of Ashes.
The first lecture compared the video ‘The Good Shepherd”s CIA characters and events to those in real life, showing its inaccuracies.
“‘The Good Shepherd’ is among the greater injustices of the portrayal of the CIA,” Dujmovic said.
In the second lecture, Dujmovic said Weiner’s book on the history of the CIA was a combination of made-up conversations and specific pieces of information taken out of context. The CIA appeared completely incompetent and idiotic, Dujmovic said.
Larry Boothe, adjunct professor of political science at USU and former CIA employee, said understanding underlying issues and staying in context are relevant problems that happen a lot more than one would think. It’s just a part of today’s society, he said.
Dujmovic said this lecture can help those that may be interested in a career with the CIA and those simply interested in its history and functions.
Most people that first come to the CIA have a James Bond view of it, Boothe said. He said teaching courses about the CIA helps new employees realize what the CIA actually does.
“It’s very important that USU students know how the government works, most don’t have that full understanding,” Boothe said. “Opportunities like this lecture give students a chance to see the purpose and goals of the CIA and understand the government in general.”
Dujmovic said knowing what is going with the federal government and why is of great interest. He said the balanced truth is important in putting away distrust and confusion.
The primary function of the CIA history staff is to serve the agency internally, improving the conduct of current and future operations, Dujmovic said.
“We need to have secrecy, but we can be open with our secrecy at the CIA,” Dujmovic said. “We are blessed that our nation has the most open intelligence organization in the world. Nowhere will you get such an outpouring of information.”
There are two extreme views of the CIA, Dujmovic said: either that they are ruthless and unfeeling or that they are incompetent idiots. The CIA is actually somewhere in the middle of these two extremes. They do make mistakes and they do care about people, but they do so in a discrete and professional manner, Dujmovic said.
He said, “I hope to help people gain a better academic balance or, in other words, a more balanced view of the federal government’s activities.”-monica.swapp@aggiemail.usu.edu