International Affairs Agency

Not to be confused with the Internal Affairs Division (I.A.D.)
For the purchasable properties in Grand Theft Auto Online, see Agencies.

“

We all know you Agency boys are balls deep in a plot to drive up your funding by any means necessary.

— Steve Haines

The International Affairs Agency (IAA) is an intelligence agency featured in Grand Theft Auto IV (as the U.L. Paper), The Ballad of Gay Tony, Grand Theft Auto V and Grand Theft Auto Online.

Description[]

The agency appears to be based on both the Central Intelligence Agency and the National Security Agency.

The IAA makes its first appearance in Grand Theft Auto IV, using the name of "United Liberty Paper Merchants" name as cover. The agency's name is never explicitly revealed; however, interior props found inside the United Liberty Paper contact's office with the real-life CIA logo, alongside the character's cutscene model file name "cscia", indirectly reveals which agency he and Karen Daniels are from.

In Grand Theft Auto: Episodes from Liberty City, men-in-black pedestrian models identified as "CIA" agents in the game files are introduced. These characters, however, are used for other unrelated law enforcement organizations (including NOOSE and FIB). The character models are only seen as actual "CIA" agents during The Ballad of Gay Tony introductory mission cutscene in I Luv LC, featuring agent Aleks Thornton.

The agency was later given a proper in-universe name in Grand Theft Auto V, where it is confirmed that the United Liberty Paper is a front for the IAA, with both the United Liberty Paper contact and Karen Daniels being identified as IAA agents.

According to Steve Haines, the IAA is apparently heavily corrupted and abducts public funding for their own benefits - the IAA's moral flexibility is further confirmed by Karen at the end of The Humane Labs Raid, where she comments about how the IAA can get anyone to do their dirty work by paying them.

In 2013, the IAA began to lose funding as terrorist activity had calmed down. This caused the IAA and the FIB to be involved in a bureaucratic fight over which agency will receive more government funding. In 2013, the IAA kidnapped Ferdinand Kerimov, an alleged terrorist, and faked his death to "remove him from the record". The IAA then moved him to their headquarters for torture and interrogation. Michael De Santa, on Steve Haines' order, abducted Kerimov in the middle of a torture session, with the help of Trevor Philips and Franklin Clinton. Michael along with Trevor and Franklin hijack an IAA funding truck which, as Haines says, are corruption-related fundings from drugs.

Steve Haines would make the claim that the agency had tasked Humane Labs and Research to develop a strong neurotoxin. When it was finished, the IAA would then release the same neurotoxin in a major metropolitan area and pass it off as a terrorist attack to hopefully re-instate their budget due to the demand by the public to stop terrorism. The alleged plan was foiled, however, by Steve Haines and Dave Norton, along with Michael De Santa, in an infiltration through the facility. Said operation ended up with Haines captured, but failed to intercept the helicopter that was carrying out the refrigeration unit with the neurotoxin.

Another heist on Humane Labs and Research by a different party would seemingly reveal that the neurotoxin was being developed by Merryweather and not the IAA.

Later, the IAA managed to intercept Michael, Dave, and Steve while they were confronting each other at the Kortz Center. Led by their undercover agent, the IAA team managed to corner the three men, up until rogue FIB agents and Merryweather Security ambush the entire group. It led to a huge firefight, and the IAA agents were killed.

In 2017, during the events of GTA Online: The Doomsday Heist, the IAA was involved in stopping a plot by Avon Hertz to destroy the surface world with nuclear weapons. The event included working with some rogue russian agents and a group of operatives working for Agent 14.

In the summer of 2022, the IAA hires the GTA Online Protagonist as a special IAA field agent to investigate a budding criminal conspiracy in Southern San Andreas.

Characterization[]

While the IAA do work to protect America, their methods in doing so can be highly pragmatic and morally gray, such as using extreme interrogation techniques and threats of forcing objects into their detainees' orifices.

The IAA are known to use criminals for off-the-book missions and will use blackmail, threats, or simple payment to motivate them. As stated above, Steve Haines claims they are corrupt and they have indeed proven to be morally flexible when needed, but it should be noted that Haines himself was highly corrupt, and his career was apparently threatened.

In an apparent contradiction to Haines' accusations that the IAA created a chemical weapon at the Humane Labs, an IAA agent known as Agent 14 would organize a similar raid on the Humane Labs himself, claiming that the nerve agent there is being developed by Merryweather. While either of them could potentially be lying, 14 would ultimately prove to be more trustworthy than Haines, as the IAA seems to retain assets rather than kill off loose ends, as Haines would try to do with those that he conscripted. Subsequent operations at the Humane Labs would lend further credence to Agent 14's claims as both a gunrunning operation, a casino heist and a security contract show that the lab is operated by Merryweather and not the IAA.

The IAA is also involved in the gunrunning business. Though this may also be off-the-books, they are known to use motorcycle gangs and organizations to do sales and resupplies, as well as stop unsanctioned sales. It is also known that there may be rogue agents within the agency, as seen in the mission Work Dispute.

In addition to their apparent rivalry with the FIB, the IAA seem to dislike Merryweather, as Agent 14 can be quoted as saying that while Merryweather may work government contracts, it doesn't even remotely make them the "good" guys, which the IAA seem to consider themselves. They also seem to have a far more openly hostile interaction with Merryweather compared to the FIB, as IAA agents have been kidnapped by the mercenaries while the IAA frequently attempts to stop Merryweather operations such as their weapon sales.

According to Mrs. Rackman, there seems to be a system in place that acts as an insurance against potential infighting, as checks won't cash if a number of agents are dead. Apparently it is to prevent agents from killing each other if they have a conflict with one another.

Uniform[]

IAA agents can be seen wearing various tops, of different colors. They can wear either a tucked-in polo, a jacket, or a sweater. They sometimes may wear a lanyard around their necks with an ID on it, a badge and gun holster made for a Glock on their belts, a communication device on their right ear, sometimes a police-like tool belt, and a watch on their left wrist.

Employees and Associates[]

Employees[]

United Liberty Paper contact - a senior member of United Liberty Paper.
Agent Johnson - IAA Special Agent.
Karen Daniels - ULP undercover agent in 2008 (under the alias of Michelle) and later working as a lead interrogator in 2013.
Aleks Thornton - IAA Director.
Agent 14 - prominent IAA agent (initially believed to be affiliated with an unknown organization).
GTA Online Protagonist - IAA field agent, temporarily hired in 2022.
Phoenicia Rackman - IAA supervisor.

Associates[]

Niko Bellic - hired assassin, not a full employee.
Little Jacob - hired assassin, not a full employee.
GTA Online Protagonist - hired gun, gunrunner and owner of IAA bunker and facilities.
Lester Crest - hired consultant, not a full employee.
Lucinda Jacob - spokeswoman.

Gallery[]

Equipment[]

Vehicles[]

Grand Theft Auto IV[]

Grand Theft Auto V and Grand Theft Auto Online[]

Weapons[]

Grand Theft Auto V and Grand Theft Auto Online[]

Stations[]

IAA Headquarters – Downtown, Los Santos
Satellite Relay Station – Grand Senora Desert, Blaine County
ULP Headquarters – The Triangle, Algonquin (front company)

Mission Appearances[]

Grand Theft Auto IV[]

The Ballad of Gay Tony[]

I Luv LC

Grand Theft Auto V[]

Grand Theft Auto Online[]

Heists[]

Gunrunning[]

Work Dispute

The Doomsday Heist[]

Heist Prep: Paramedic Equipment (Semi-Bosses)
Heist Prep: Deluxos (Semi-Bosses)
Heist Prep: Akula (Semi-Bosses)
Setup: Dead Courier (Semi-Bosses)
Setup: Signal Intercepts (Semi-Bosses)
Setup: Server Farm (Semi-Bosses)
The Data Breaches (Semi-Bosses)
Heist Prep: Keycards (Semi-Bosses)
Heist Prep: ULP Intel (Semi-Bosses)
Heist Prep: Riot Control Van (Semi-Bosses)
Heist Prep: Strombergs (Semi-Bosses)
Heist Prep: Torpedo ECU (Semi-Bosses)
Setup: Avenger (Semi-Bosses)
Setup: Rescue ULP (Semi-Bosses)
Setup: Salvage Hard Drives (Semi-Bosses)
Setup: Submarine Recon (Semi-Bosses)
The Bogdan Problem (Semi-Bosses)
Heist Prep: Marked Cash (Semi-Bosses)
Heist Prep: Recon (Semi-Bosses)
Heist Prep: Chernobog (Semi-Bosses)
Heist Prep: Flight Path (Semi-Bosses)
Heist Prep: Test Site Intel (Semi-Bosses)
Heist Prep: Onboard Computer (Semi-Bosses)
Setup: Rescue Agent 14 (Semi-Bosses)
Setup: Escort ULP (Semi-Bosses)
Setup: Barrage (Semi-Bosses)
Setup: Khanjali (Semi-Bosses)
Setup: Air Defenses (Semi-Bosses)
The Doomsday Scenario (Semi-Bosses)

Los Santos Tuners[]

The Criminal Enterprises[]

Operation Paper Trail (Bosses)
- ULP - Intelligence (Bosses)
- ULP - Counterintelligence (Bosses)
- ULP - Extraction (Bosses)
- ULP - Asset Seizure (Bosses)
- ULP - Operation Paper Trail (Bosses)
- ULP - Cleanup (Bosses)

The Chop Shop[]

Planning Work: Tactical Gear

Trivia[]

Prior to the release of Grand Theft Auto V, IAA used the name of its real-life counterpart "CIA" in the ULP offices interior props in Grand Theft Auto IV and on the card given by IAA agent Aleks Thornton to Luis Fernando Lopez during I Luv LC.
The symbol of the IAA features what appears to be an eye, along with arrows that resemble missiles. This could be a reference to how the CIA (and to an extent the NSA) is notorious for spying on people and sending drone strikes.
According to Karen, its standard procedure is to sodomise suspects during interrogation without lube. This is likely an exaggeration intended for intimidation.
- It is possible that it is a reference to the CIA's enhanced interrogation techniques which included sodomizing the interrogated.
- A flashlight can be found in the desk where Mr. K is sitting at in Three's Company. They can also be found in each desk in the Act 1 Finale of the Doomsday Heist, where the IAA's "relatively-innocent agents" are being held. Agent ULP mentions taking a flashlight over Cliffford any day of the week.
In the game files, the character file for the agent has "cia" in the file name.
In GTA Online, IAA agents can rarely be seen standing in the plaza between FIB and IAA building.
In GTA Online, as of 1.17, players are now able to place IAA agents down in the Content Creator.
Though IAA agents mostly appear in missions, the player can encounter one accompanied by San Andreas Highway Patrol state troopers in Raton Canyon at around 7 pm on a ledge south of the Altruist Camp. The agent can be seen approaching the vehicle likely in an attempt to reason with the two women until the two women drive off the cliff.
- The IAA agent seems to be a reference to Detective Hal Slocumb from the 1991 film Thelma & Louise, who ran after the vehicle in an attempt to stop Thelma & Louise from driving off the cliff.
FIB agents can be seen using IAA agents's model during The Bureau Raid (Roof).
The IAA necklace/lanyard says "Special Agent" following a signature that looks like "Michael Abc" or Michael Abe".
In Heist Prep: Hacking Device (NOOSE HQ mission variant) Lester Crest refers to an IAA ped model as a NOOSE agent.