Best Defense
Thomas E. Ricks' daily take on national security.

Now it can be told: The CIA-related history of a Washington canoeing club

Several CIA employees used to commute from Maryland to the CIA headquarters in Virginia by paddling across the Potomac. I used to do a lot of whitewater kayaking on the Potomac River, so I knew about this 20 years ago, but it was told to me off the record. Now the CIA has released an ...

By , a former contributing editor to Foreign Policy.
Via Flickr/bobcatnorth
Via Flickr/bobcatnorth
Via Flickr/bobcatnorth

Several CIA employees used to commute from Maryland to the CIA headquarters in Virginia by paddling across the Potomac. I used to do a lot of whitewater kayaking on the Potomac River, so I knew about this 20 years ago, but it was told to me off the record. Now the CIA has released an article about it.

Several CIA employees used to commute from Maryland to the CIA headquarters in Virginia by paddling across the Potomac. I used to do a lot of whitewater kayaking on the Potomac River, so I knew about this 20 years ago, but it was told to me off the record. Now the CIA has released an article about it.

Here’s the best sentence: "In spider season the first canoeist up the hill carries a branch which he waves in front of him. I am constantly reminded of the ‘simba’ rebels at the height of the Congo crisis who waved palm fronds to ward off bullets."

Thomas E. Ricks is a former contributing editor to Foreign Policy. Twitter: @tomricks1

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