The past six months have been a high point for the CIA and Hollywood. Together, they created two of the most highly acclaimed films ever to depict the CIA: “Zero Dark Thirty,” about the hunt for Osama bin Laden…and “Argo,” about the rescue of Americans during the Iran hostage crisis.
But while the films celebrate the top-secret work of the CIA officers, it seems that the CIA officers in real life might have revealed too much to the filmmakers; specifically to “Zero Dark Thirty” screenwriter Mark Boal and director Kathryn Bigelow.
According to a report from the defense department that was made public on Wednesday, the CIA disclosed the names of two special operations troops involved in the killing of Osama Bin Laden, and even arranged lunch with one of them.
Is the CIA getting too cozy with Hollywood? And how did the CIA come to work with Hollywood in the first place?
Bill Harlow is a former CIA director of public affairs who worked closely with Hollywood projects.