Counter-espionage organization headquartered in Washington, DC whose primary purpose is fighting KAOS, an international organization of evil. [Episode #1: "Mr. Big".]
The exact date of CONTROL's founding is unknown but an approximate date of 1930 (the same year as Maxwell Smart's birthdate) can be inferred from the reference to the president by Admiral Hargrade, CONTROL's first chief, as "Herbert", suggesting that he had been used to working with President Herbert Hoover. [Episode #59: "A Man Called Smart, Part 2.]
CONTROL battled through war, cold war and numerous budget cuts before finally being deactivated in 1974 ["15 years ago", TV Movie: "Get Smart, Again!"] and its KAOS-fighting mission transferred to PITS until KAOS's perceived destruction in 1980. [Movie: "The Nude Bomb".]
In 1989, with KAOS again resurgent, CONTROL is reactivated, at first on an ad hoc basis ["Get Smart, Again!"] and later more permanently. [[[Get Smart (1995)]] series.]
The operations of CONTROL are run by an individual known as The Chief. Although reporting directly to the president, he does have a superior who can be called upon in times of emergency [Episode #33: "A Spy for a Spy"], the guy who's "over" him despite his office being downstairs [Episode #104: "Absorb the Greek"].
CONTROL is divided into three Sections - Agents, Lab and Administration - each with its own Head. ["A Spy for a Spy".]
The position of No. 2 Man of CONTROL appears to have been added in1966 [Episode #46: "It Takes One to Know One"], presumably to prevent squabbling among the three section heads over which of them takes over in the event of the chief's disappearance, such as had happened earlier between Smart, Carlson and Standish. ["A Spy for a Spy".] The No. 2 man also has complete say-so over when and how often CONTROL's secret code is changed. ["It Takes One to Know One".]
There is also the monthly rotating position of Internal Security Officer. [Episode #7: "KAOS in CONTROL".]
In addition to Washington, CONTROL maintains secret headquarters in New York, Baltimore, Los Angeles, Cleveland and Phoenix - and they had one in Las Vegas but they lost it ["Episode #63: "The Spy Who Met Himself"]. The Las Vegas base had been known as Control West [Episode #54: "Smart Fit the Battle of Jericho"].
CONTROL also has a number of overseas subsidiaries and affiliates including International Control, which has an Armenian branch [Episode #27: "Ship of Spies, Part 1"] and British CONTROL [Episode #70: "That Old Gang of Mine"]. Chiefs who appear to be from Japan and Africa are also seen at the 1967 CONTROL Chiefs Awards [Episode #55: "How to Succeed in the Spy Business Without Really Trying"].