Introduction
	Image courtesy of Elonka Dunin As an enhancement to the Central Intelligence Agency's (CIA) New Headquarters Building, a small portion of its cost was reserved to commission original art that would be both pleasing to the eye and indicative of the agency's work. The CIA Fine Arts Commission recommended that the agency utilize the General Services Administration, a federal program which has managed the creation of contemporary art for government buildings for over 25 years.  The Administration led a team of experts from the National Endowment for the Arts, members of the CIA Fine Arts Council, and other agency employees. The Agency developed a statement of principles by which the art would be governed, noting that people are the principle resource of the CIA, and an esthetically pleasing work environment is an important stimulus to the efforts of their employees.  The art should reflect life in all its positive aspects, engender feelings of well-being and hope, be forceful in style and manner, and be worldly yet have identifiable American roots in concept, materials, and representation. In November of 1988 the team panel evaluated several entries as artists competed for the $250,000 commission.  Their first choice was local artist James Sanborn's conception of Kryptos (Greek for hidden).  The sculpture would be installed in the private courtyard between the New and Old Headquarters buildings where only privileged Agency employees would have access as no public tours in this area of the highly protected facility are allowed. > Overview: James Sanborn CIA Web Site: The Story Behind "Kryptos" http://www.cia.gov/cia/information/tour/kryptos_code.html Elonka's Kryptos Page: Images http://www.elonka.com/kryptos/pics/images1.html