CIA ceremony for ex-spymasters sparks puzzlement

WASHINGTON - The CIA will honour nine former spymasters who served in the now-defunct position of director of central intelligence at a closed-door ceremony that has sparked puzzlement and surprise among some ex-spies.

The agency, which has been rocked by sweeping intelligence reform this year, has invited all of its employees to attend the closed presentation that will be hosted on Tuesday by CIA Director Porter Goss.

Nine former directors of central intelligence including former President George Bush are scheduled to attend the private event in the cafeteria of the agency's Langley, Virginia, headquarters.

But word of the ceremony has come as a surprise to former CIA officials who believe the premier spy agency's status has been eroded by post-September 11 intelligence reform.

From 1947 until this year, the head of the CIA was also the director of central intelligence.

"It's an event to celebrate the rich history of the office of the director of central intelligence and to look ahead understanding that our future's built on the best of our past," said CIA spokesman Paul Gimigliano.

Intelligence reforms enacted by Congress last year shifted the mantle of leadership from the CIA director to the new director of national intelligence, a post that career diplomat John Negroponte has held since April.

"It's hard to see a substantive peg to this event. I wonder if they're trying to do a morale boost because the agency feels it's now second-string," said Rick Russell, a former CIA analyst who teaches security studies at Georgetown University.

Added a former senior CIA clandestine officer, who spoke on condition of anonymity: "What are they thinking? It sounds like the dance of the dodos. The DCI post is extinct."

- REUTERS