CIA Headquarters

Located about eight miles from downtown Washington, the original CIA Headquarters building was completed in November 1963 and expanded in 1985.

Etched into the wall of the agency's central lobby is a verse from the Bible's book of John: "And ye shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free."

The lobby is in many ways a memorial to the CIA's past. It includes a sculpture of Allen Dulles, CIA director from 1953 to 1961. On the south wall is a memorial to the Office of Strategic Services (OSS), the precursor to the CIA, and its famed director "Wild Bill" Donovan.

On the north wall of the foyer, an inscription reads: "In Honor Of Those Members Of The Central Intelligence Agency Who Gave Their Lives In The Service Of Their Country". Under it are more than 70 stars, each representing a CIA officer. A glass-encased Book Of Honor is also part of the memorial -- displaying the names of those dead agents whose identities can now be revealed.

Outside the headquarters building, a half-mile away, is a privately maintained memorial to the two CIA analysts killed by a gunman in 1993 while on their way to work.