Abstract
AbstractThis article broaches the thorny issue of how we may study the history of theCIAby utilizing oral history interviews. This article argues that while oral history interviews impose particular demands upon the researcher, they are particularly pronounced in relation to studying the history of intelligence services. This article, nevertheless, also argues that while intelligence history and oral history each harbour their own epistemological perils and biases, pitfalls which may in fact be pronounced when they are conjoined, the relationship between them may nevertheless be a productive one. Indeed, each field may enrich the other provided we have thought carefully about the linkages between them: this article's point of departure. The first part of this article outlines some of the problems encountered in studying theCIAby relating them to the author's own work. This involved researching theCIA's role inUSforeign policy towards Afghanistan since a landmark year in the history of the lateColdWar, 1979 (i.e. the year theSovietUnion invaded that country). The second part of this article then considers some of the issues historians must confront when applying oral history to the study of theCIA. To bring this within the sphere of cognition of the reader the author recounts some of his own experiences interviewingCIAofficers in and aroundWashingtonDC. The third part then looks at some of the contributions oral history in particular can make towards a better understanding of the history of intelligence services and theCIA.
Highlights
This article broaches the thorny issue of how we may study the history of the CIA by utilizing oral history interviews
This article argues that while oral history interviews impose particular demands upon the researcher, they are pronounced in relation to studying the history of intelligence services
This article, argues that while intelligence history and oral history each harbour their own epistemological perils and biases, pitfalls which may be pronounced when they are conjoined, the relationship between them may be a productive one
Summary
This article broaches the thorny issue of how we may study the history of the CIA by utilizing oral history interviews.
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