CIA horror over the discovery of a hangman's noose

The head of the CIA has issued an unprecedented warning to his staff after the discovery of a noose , a symbol of racist hatred in the US, outside a secret agency facility. William Burns, CIA director, told the agency’s workforce that racism and racist symbols would not be tolerated. There remained some doubt over whether it was intended to be a racist protest or whether the person who planted it knew that the facility contained CIA staff. However, US intelligence sources said the bottom line was that it looked like a noose and that was “horrific” because of the involvement of this symbol in America’s history of racial violence by whites against African Americans, mostly in the south. The National Association for the Advancement of Coloured people (NAACP) has estimated that more than 4,700 people were lynched in the US between 1882 and 1968, of whom about 73 per cent were black. Many died with a noose around their neck hanging from a tree. The discovery of the noose outside a small facility used by the CIA in Virginia had real “impact” on the member of staff who found it, a source said. An investigation has been launched into the discovery, first reported by The New York Times. The facility has remained unidentified but sources said it was not within the perimeter of the CIA’s headquarters which is in Langley, Virginia. “CIA has zero tolerance for actions or symbols of hatred and treats any such incidents with the utmost seriousness,” Susan Miller, CIA press secretary, said in a statement. “Our values and our vital national security mission demand that we uphold nothing less than the highest standards of inclusiveness and safety,” she said. In recent years, both under the current director and his predecessor, Gina Haspell, efforts have been made to create a more diverse agency by expanding recruiting among black, Asian and other ethnic minority groups. A report last year by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence revealed that minorities represented 27 per cent of the intelligence community’s civilian workforce in 2020, of whom 12.3 per cent were identified as black or African American. There has never been a black CIA director. Before the appointment of Burns, a former diplomat, as President Biden’s choice for the job , the shortlist of candidates was believed to have included Darrell Blocker, a high-ranking African American intelligence officer who served in the CIA’s clandestine service. He retired in 2018 and now heads a multinational security firm. Blocker who worked for the CIA for nearly 30 years, praised the agency officer who reported seeing the noose, telling The New York Times it was vital for all employees to report possible racial incidents so they could be investigated. “The CIA is a microcosm of the populace from which it draws its workforce, so it should not surprise anyone who understands the deep-seated racism that has permeated all institutions throughout our history,” he said.