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 In a 20-page report prepared in 2012 and stamped "secret,"
the spy agency's Inspector General said that CIA employees who
had contact with Hollywood representatives had "not always
complied" with agency regulations intended to stop leaks of
classified information.
The report was made public on Wednesday by Judicial Watch, a
conservative group which said it obtained the document under the
Freedom of Information Act.
CIA spokesman Ryan Trapani said the agency had “completely
overhauled its procedures for interaction with the entertainment
industry” since 2012. The agency set up new training procedures
for officials who deal with Hollywood and strengthened protocols
for guarding agency secrets and classified information, he said.
Questions about whether agency officers properly protected
secrets and undercover spies' identities are among the inspector
general's concerns.
On some occasions, the report said, undercover CIA spies, whose
true identities are officially secret and protected by law from
public disclosure, met for hours with entertainment industry
representatives, though other industry representatives were only
allowed to meet with spies whose identities are publicly
acknowledged.
The report also complained that the agency's public affairs
office did not maintain a comprehensive list of entertainment
projects that the agency was supporting as well as a list of
projects that it declined to support.
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The report also alleged the CIA was not been reimbursed for "costs
incurred in supporting entertainment industry projects" and had even
claimed legal authority to absorb some costs "without
reimbursement."
To address these issues, the Inspector General recommended that the
CIA set up a much more rigorous system for keeping records on
entertainment industry contacts.
The report also recommended that the agency issue guidance to its
workforce about keeping secrets away from Hollywood contacts, and
that it write new policies for determining if and when the CIA
should charge entertainment producers fees to compensate the agency
for its cooperation.
While its engagement with Hollywood goes back years, the agency's
involvement with the entertainment industry became particularly
controversial in 2012 following its cooperation with the makers of
"Zero Dark Thirty," a film about the ultimately successful hunt for
al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden. The movie included scenes depicting
the agency's use of torture to interrogate suspects.
(Reporting by Mark Hosenball; Editing by Cynthia Osterman)
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