CIA Loves ‘The Elements of Style’

It’s no secret that the Central Intelligence Agency values clarity, so it is no wonder that the federal agency relies on the writing tips from Strunk & White’s The Elements of Style. The CIA gives major props to the classic American writing guide in its own stylistic manual: Style Manual & Writers Guide for Intelligence Publications. The CIA also stresses in the 190-page guide how excessive and flowery language hinders the agency’s ability to protect the nation. "Good intelligence depends in large measure on clear, concise writing,” the foreword states. “The information CIA gathers and the analysis it produces mean little if we cannot convey them effectively.” Indeed.