The US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) announced on Wednesday that it will stop publishing the CIA World Factbook. The agency shared the update on its website. It did not give any reason for the decision.
The move follows a pledge by CIA Director John Ratcliffe. He had said the agency would end programs that do not support its core missions.
From Secret Tool to Public Guide
The CIA first released the World Factbook in 1962. It was a printed and classified manual. Intelligence officers used it as a reference. It gave detailed facts about countries. It covered economies, militaries, resources, and societies.
Soon, other US government agencies also started using it. Within a decade, the CIA released a public version.
In 1997, the Factbook went online. It quickly became popular. Journalists, students, and writers used it often. It received millions of visits every year.
Part of Bigger Changes
The closure comes as the US government cuts staff in intelligence agencies. These changes started early in Donald Trump’s second term. The CIA and the National Security Agency had to work with fewer people.
An Associated Press report last year said the administration planned to cut about 1,200 jobs at the CIA over several years. It also planned to reduce thousands of posts at the NSA and other agencies. Many CIA employees chose early retirement.
Officials said they achieved the remaining cuts by slowing down hiring. They did not expect major layoffs. Earlier, the CIA said Director John Ratcliffe was aligning the agency with Trump’s national security priorities.
A Lasting Legacy
The CIA said many staff members helped build the Factbook over the years. Some even “donated some of their personal travel photos to The World Factbook, which hosted more than 5,000 photographs that were copyright-free for anyone to access and use.”
The agency ended with a message to readers. “Though the World Factbook is gone, in the spirit of its global reach and legacy, we hope you will stay curious about the world and find ways to explore it… in person or virtually.”