Declassification

CIA’s newly-declassified maps give rare insight into historic events (PHOTOS)

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.