Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)

CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY (CIA) -  The CIA seal is one of the most recognizable images in the world. 

Section 2 of the Central Intelligence Agency Act of 1949 provided for a seal of office for the CIA. The seal’s design was approved on Feb. 17, 1950 in President Harry Truman's Executive Order 10111.  In this Order, the CIA seal is described in heraldic terms as follows:

•     SHIELD: Argent, a compass rose of sixteen points gules.
•     CREST: On a wreath argent and gules an American bald eagle's head erased proper.

    Below the shield on a gold color scroll the inscription "United States of  America" in red letters and encircling the shield and crest at the top 
    the inscription "Central Intelligence Agency" in white letters. All on a circular blue background with a narrow gold edge.

But the formal verbiage in President Truman’s Executive Order does not clearly explain what the various parts of the seal mean.  This is the most widely agreed upon meaning:

• The American Eagle is the national bird and is a symbol of strength and alertness.
• The radiating spokes of the compass rose depict the convergence of intelligence data from all areas of the world to a central point.
• The shield is the standard symbol of defense and the intelligence we gather for policymakers.