Step 1 : Introduction to the question "What was the original name of the organization that later became the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)?"
...The CIA traces its roots to the Office of Strategic Services (OSS), a wartime intelligence agency created during World War II in 1942 under President Franklin D. Roosevelt. Led by William J. Donovan, the OSS conducted espionage, sabotage, and intelligence-gathering operations behind enemy lines. After the war, the OSS was dissolved, but its functions and personnel helped form the CIA in 1947 following passage of the National Security Act of 1947. Because of its pioneering role in American intelligence operations, the OSS is often considered the direct predecessor of the CIA.