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by nsajko 1109 days ago
That's nitpicky, seeing as CIA was created as a consolidation of several preexisting organizations.
1 comments

Eh, not really, seeing as those pre-existing organizations were themselves relatively recent wartime creations. The Office of Strategic Services was created in '42, the CIA in '47. "Intelligence" in the American sphere existed in an ad hoc manner up until that point - during WW1 the US mostly relied on the Brits, and the personal insights and observations of ambassadors or military attaches.
Ad hoc groups of a few dozen competent folks each could easily start up such a program.