The documents included a lengthy 2008 form that Brennan filled out as part of a security review before returning to government in the Obama White House, as well as papers describing his views on issues including intelligence reform and Iran.
The files were apparently stolen from Brennan's personal AOL e-mail account by a computer hacker who has claimed that he gained access to the CIA director's materials by tricking Verizon and AOL customer service and technical support personnel. The CIA has said it is aware of the reported breach, and U.S. officials have said that the FBI is investigating.
"The hacking of the Brennan family account is a crime and the Brennan family is the victim," according to a CIA statement. "The private electronic holdings of the Brennan family were plundered with malicious intent and are now being distributed across the web. This attack is something that could happen to anyone and should be condemned, not promoted."
The most detailed document is a draft of a security clearance questionnaire, known as Standard Form 86, on which Brennan listed close associates, including former CIA director George J. Tenet, and provided his wife's Social Security number and other details about family members.
The file also includes comprehensive information about Brennan's career in the CIA, showing, for example, that he served as the agency's station chief in Saudi Arabia from November 1996 to July 1999. His assignment in Riyadh, however, has been cited in numerous news stories about his experience in the Middle East.
Another document appears to be a paper on the foreign policy challenges posed by Iran. The author describes "numerous hurdles" to improved U.S.-Iran relations, including lingering resentment over the "CIA-engineered overthrow of Prime Minister [Mohammad] Mossadegh in 1953."
The author describes Iran as a sponsor of terrorism but also laments the "gratuitous labeling of Iran as part of a worldwide 'axis of evil' by President Bush."
Since taking office, President Obama has repeatedly written letters to Iranian leaders in an effort to thaw relations. The administration also sees a nuclear weapons accord reached with Iran earlier this year as a signature piece of Obama's foreign policy legacy.
The material apparently stolen from Brennan's e-mail account so far appears to be more embarrassing than damaging to national security. But the breach has heightened concern over U.S. officials' use of private Internet accounts amid an ongoing FBI inquiry into whether classified information appeared on a private computer server used by Hillary Rodham Clinton when she was secretary of state.
