The CIA has declassified a number of its maps dating from the
1940s to the current decade. Until now, the maps, created by the
agency’s Cartography Center, were seen only by those within the
intelligence community.
The maps were released to celebrate the Cartography Center’s 75th anniversary. “Geographers
and cartographers amassed what would be the largest collection of maps
in the world and produced strategic maps and 3D plaster terrain models
in support of strategic studies and military operational plans,” the CIA said in a statement.
The
release includes a photograph taken on September, 29, 2001, shortly
after the 9/11 terrorist attacks. It shows George W Bush, chief of staff
Andrew Card, National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice and Director of
Central Intelligence George Tenet at Camp David, poring over a map of
Afghanistan.
The collection also features a
3D map of the Konar Valley in Afghanistan from 2001, while another map
from 2012 includes a full country profile, with geographic information
and a timeline of various influential groups in the region, including
the Taliban and military of the Soviet Union.
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