The CIA is stopping publication of its World Factbook reference guide, without explaining why
CIA – Central Intelligence Agency, Photo: Shutterstock
The CIA, the US Intelligence Agency, has announced the discontinuation of its annual “State of the World” report (World Factbook), a very popular reference work that has been circulated continuously for more than 60 years.
“One of the CIA's oldest and most iconic intelligence publications, the World Factbook, has ceased publication,” the agency said on its website, according to AFP.
“For a long time, this guide has been for the intelligence community and the general public a unique and indispensable source of basic information about countries and communities around the world,” the CIA said, without explaining its decision.
CIA Director John Ratcliffe recently announced that he intends to end programs that do not contribute to the agency's core missions.
The original publication, then classified and titled “The National Basic Intelligence Factbook,” was released in 1962. The first unclassified version appeared in 1971.
The report, popular with journalists, researchers and students, provided a detailed and numerical picture of foreign nations, their economies, armed forces, resources and societies.
Ten years later, it was renamed “World Factbook”. In 1997, the “World Factbook” went digital and was made available to the world public on the CIA.gov website, where it recorded millions of views annually.
