TOP SECRET AMERICA - AMERICAN SECRET AGENCY

It is the top-secret world created by the American government in response to the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001,

It has become so large, so unwieldy and so secretive that no one knows how much money it costs, people it employs, programs exist within it or exactly how many agencies do the same work.

Approximately 1,271 government organizations and 1,931 private companies work on programs related to counter terrorism. Nearly 854,000 people, which is 1.5 times as many people as live in Washington, D.C., hold top-secret security clearances. Nearly 33 building complexes for top-secret intelligence work are under construction or have been built in Washington and the surrounding area since September 2001. Together they occupy the equivalent of almost three Pentagons or 22 U.S. Capitol buildings - about 17 million square feet of space

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