U.S. Intelligence: History and Controversies | Hillsdale College CCA

Intelligence gathering has been an essential part of U.S. defense and foreign policy since the American Revolution. There has always been a tension between the secrecy involved in intelligence gathering and the openness required for the people to remain sovereign as our Constitution requires. This tension intensified during the Cold War and has reached new highs since the expansion and increased power of the intelligence state following 9/11. This first CCA of the 2023-2024 academic year will consider the history, importance, use, and misuse of U.S. intelligence.

Schedule
October 1
4:00 p.m.
“Intelligence in the Revolutionary War”
Alexander Rose
Author, Washington's Spies

October 1
8:00 p.m.
“Wild Bill Donovan, the OSS, and the Early CIA”
Patrick K. O’Donnell
Author, Operatives, Spies, and Saboteurs: The Unknown Story of the Men and Women of World War II's OSS

October 2
4:00 p.m.
“The Art of Disguise”
Jonna Mendez
Former Chief of Disguise, U.S. Central Intelligence Agency

October 2
8:00 p.m.
“Cold War Espionage: The Golitsyn–Nosenko Controversy”
Edward Jay Epstein
Author, Assume Nothing: Encounters with Assassins, Spies, Presidents, and Would-Be Masters of the Universe

October 3
4:00 p.m.
“The Importance of Good Intelligence”
Fred Fleitz
America First Policy Institute

October 3
8:00 p.m.
“The Rise and Fall of the CIA”
Sam Faddis
Author, Beyond Repair: The Decline and Fall of The CIA