[Steven W.]

Pickle Factory (Central Intelligence Agency or CIA nickname)

The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) is the successor to World War II’s Office of Strategic Services (OSS). The CIA is extremely secretive and has developed many nicknames, such as “The Agency,” “The Company,” “Christians In Action,” “Crooks In Action,” “Cocaine Importing Agency,” “Capitalism’s International Army,” “Capitalism’s Invisible Army” (by R. Buckminster Fuller in 1981), “Certified Idiots of America” and “Virginia Farm Boys” (after its headquarters in Langley, Virginia).

The CIA has been nicknamed the “Pickle Factory” since at least 1965, when that name was cited in print. The precise meaning of “Pickle Factory” is not known. The CIA’s intelligence briefings sent to the president were called “pickles,” but it’s not known if this term preceded the “Pickle Factory” nickname.

The State Department has been called the “Fudge Factory” since 1965-1966.

[mairdie]

Those are wonderful. Thanks for that. Very funny.

[hoosiermama]

Am thinking this is one of those multiple choice questions.
Your explanation with the baseball term meaning caught between two bases. They certainly are “in a pickle”!
Maybe more with the Heinz connection.
And....

[bagster]

The CIA’s intelligence briefings sent to the president were called “pickles,”

This one is interesting.

Bagster

The Lesser Oracle