International Affairs Agency (IAA)

Overview

The International Affairs Agency is a US government intelligence service modeled on the CIA and the NSA. In the Liberty City games it never goes by its own name; it works through the United Liberty Paper company in The Triangle, Algonquin, as a cover. Its two visible operatives are the United Liberty Paper contact and Karen, who first meets Niko Bellic under the name Michelle. The agency is happy to use criminals for off-the-books work and keeps them in line with blackmail, threats or payment.

History

In GTA IV, Karen is assigned to watch Niko soon after he arrives in Liberty City, posing as "Michelle" and dating him while the agency gathers intelligence on local criminals. After Niko and Little Jacob recover stolen cocaine for Elizabeta Torres, Karen reveals her real identity, demands the drugs and tells Niko that her superiors want to use his abilities. She then sends him to the United Liberty Paper building, where the contact threatens to pass his file to the FIB unless he works for them. The jobs include killing a suspected conspirator and two men who fund terrorism. The contact also introduces Niko to Jon Gravelli of the Gambetti Crime Family. As the final payoff, the agency tracks down Darko Brevic in Bucharest, Romania, and brings him to Liberty City, then cuts all ties with Niko.

In The Ballad of Gay Tony, agents in dark suits, labeled "CIA" in the game files, appear in the opening cutscene of I Luv LC alongside agent Aleks Thornton.

Territory and activities

The agency's remit is national security across the United States. In Liberty City it operates from the U.L. Paper headquarters, uses Maverick helicopters and relies on hired criminals instead of its own field teams. Related missions: First Date, Three's a Crowd, The Snow Storm, Dust Off, Paper Trail, Portrait of a Killer, Wrong is Right, Liquidize the Assets and That Special Someone.

Trivia

• The International Affairs Agency name is only confirmed in Grand Theft Auto V, which identifies United Liberty Paper as its front.
• In GTA IV, CIA-style props in the contact's office and his model file name "cscia" hint at his employer.