They used the art.  The difference here is that the CIA is actually painting the pictures.<p>While rare for a group like the CIA to actually create content, a great many movies have been influenced.  The US military supports many productions, from StarTrek to Battleship, reducing costs and increasing accuracy.  But when asked they have failed to support others, notably Independence Day.  Influence and persuasion has always been there in hollywood.  Zero-Dark is just that much closer to the line between legitimate art and propaganda.<p><i></i> ok, TopGun was pure propaganda, but USN wasn&#x27;t actually writing the scripts.