American Notes CIA

The CIA is expanding its headquarters in Langley, Va., and, like many civic- minded builders, will dedicate one-half of 1% of its construction costs to works of art. Since ordinary taxpayers are not allowed into the intelligence agency's headquarters, none of them will ever see the CIA art. The amount of money involved is similarly secret, because that would reveal the extent of the construction plans. But the CIA wants to make sure that no bad choices are made. So it has asked the General Services Administration to select its art.

The ever careful GSA turned to the National Endowment for the Arts, and the NEA duly selected half a dozen candidates. As for what the CIA actually wanted of them, the agency proposed these specifications: "This art should reflect | life in all its positive aspects (e.g., truth, justice, courage, liberty, etc.). It should engender feelings of well-being, hope, promise and such. It should not produce or reflect negative attitudes, political expressions, or feelings of futility. The art should respect sensitivities against sexual, sexist, race, ethnic or other related slurs . . . It should be forceful in style and manner; and be breathtaking in its beauty."

Could anyone in Moscow do better?