Ray Close is a former CIA analyst in the Near East division. He is a member of Veteran Intelligence Professionals for Sanity (VIPS). The CIA Seal The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) is an American intelligence agency, responsible for obtaining and analyzing information about foreign governments, corporations, and individuals, and reporting such information to the various branches of the U.S. Government. ... Veteran Intelligence Professionals for Sanity (VIPS) is a non-partisan group of current and former intelligence officers, including some from the United States Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), who opposed the use of what they consider flawed intelligence to justify the 2003 invasion of Iraq. ... Veteran Intelligence Professionals for Sanity (VIPS) is a group of current and former intelligence officers from the United States Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) who were opposed to the 2003 invasion of Iraq and the use of what they consider flawed intelligence to justify that war. ...