Top Secret America Top Secret America is a series of investigative articles published on the post - 9 / 11 growth of the United States Intelligence Community . The report was first published in " The Washington Post " on July 19 , 2010 , by Pulitzer Prize - winning author Dana Priest and William Arkin . The three - part series , which took nearly two years to research , was prepared with the assistance of more than a dozen journalists . It focuses on the expansion of secret intelligence departments within the government , and the outsourcing of services . An online database at TopSecretAmerica . com , as well as the articles to be published , were made available to government officials several months prior to the publications of the report . Each data point at the website was substantiated by at least two public records . The government was requested to advise of any specific concerns , but at that time , none were offered . The " Public Broadcasting System " featured Priest and Arkin ' s work on Top Secret America in a September 6 , 2011 broadcast of the news documentary series " Frontline " . That same month , the book " Top Secret America : The Rise of the New American Security State " was published by Little , Brown and Company . The report . Part 1 - A hidden world , growing beyond control . Published July 19 , 2010 , this first installment focuses on the U . S . intelligence system ' s growth and redundancies . It questions its manageability , as it has become " so large , so unwieldy , and so secretive that no one knows how much money it costs , how many people it employs , how many programs exist within it , or exactly how many agencies do the same work . " The report states that " An estimated 854 , 000 people , nearly 1 . 5 times as many people as live in Washington , D . C . , hold top - secret security clearances . " Part 2 - National Security Inc . . This segment , published on July 20 , 2010 , describes the widespread use by the U . S . of private contractors to fulfill essential intelligence functions , despite regulations prohibiting this . At present " close to 30 percent of the workforce in the intelligence agencies is contractors " : 265 , 000 out of 854 , 000 . " So great is the government ' s appetite for private contractors with top - secret clearances that there are now more than 300 companies , often nicknamed ' body shops , ' that specialize in finding candidates , often for a fee that approaches $ 50 , 000 a person . " Part 3 - The secrets next door . Published on July 21 , 2010 , the third part provides accounts of individuals working within the field and focuses on the National Security Agency . Methodology . Hundreds of thousands of public records from government organizations and private - sector companies were consulted for this report , including 45 government organizations ; these were broken down into 1 , 271 sub - units . Some 1 , 931 private companies were identified that engage in top - secret work for the government . For each company listed , employee data , revenue , and date of establishment were obtained from public filings , Dun & Bradstreet data , and original reporting . Reaction . The Director of National Intelligence ( ODNI ) issued a notice to " industry partners " prior to the publication of the report reminding " cleared employees " of their " responsibility to protect classified information and relationships , and to abide by contractual agreements regarding non - publicity . " The notice also states that : " Employees should be reminded that they must neither confirm nor deny information contained in this , or any , media publication , and that the publication of this website does not constitute a change in any current ODNI classifications . They should also be reminded that if approached and asked to discuss their work by media or unauthorized people , they should report the interactions to their appropriate security officer . " Pentagon spokesman Col . David Lapan stated on July 20 , 2010 , that redundancy within the U . S . intelligence community is a “ well - known ” problem . He told reporters : “ We ’ ve been fighting two wars since 9 / 11 , and a lot of that growth in the intelligence community has come as a result of needed increases in intelligence collection and those types of activities to support two wars . ” White House press secretary Robert Gibbs stated : " Well , look , I ' m not going to get into some of the discussions that we had , " Gibbs said . " Obviously there were some concerns . And I think the " Post " covered that there were some concerns , about certain data and the availability of some of that data . " Acting Director of National Intelligence , David C . Gompert about the report : " The reporting does not reflect the Intelligence Community we know . We accept that we operate in an environment that limits the amount of information we can share . however , the fact is , the men and women of the Intelligence Community have improved our operations , thwarted attacks , and are achieving untold successes every day . " Brendan Daly , Nancy Pelosi ' s spokesperson said : " The Speaker is working with the White House and her Congressional colleagues to ensure that Congress has strong , effective oversight of the intelligence community . " Senator Kit Bond ( R - Mo . ) , ranking member of the Senate Intelligence Committee remarked : " We can do more to keep our nation safe , and improving Congressional oversight and ensuring the top spy chief has the authority needed to streamline our intelligence community are the first steps . "