From glittering capitals to active warzones, CIA operations officers work across the world to uncover the information needed to keep Americans safe -- and ultimately, they’re all overseen by the Agency’s Deputy Director for Operations at CIA Headquarters. It’s a position traditionally shrouded in secrecy, but on this premiere of The Langley Files Season 3, Dee and Walter sit down with the CIA official who recently assumed that mantle, a veteran CIA operations officer who played a central role in CIA’s efforts to help Ukraine defend itself as Russia’s full-scale invasion commenced. In his first-ever public remarks, you’ll learn what CIA operations officers actually do, what the Agency is looking for in its next generation of them, and why human intelligence remains vital in the era of AI—all straight from the spymaster-in-chief of the world’s premiere foreign intelligence organization.

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Want to dive deeper into today’s episode? Here's a look into more of Langley's (unclassified) files:

Want to become one of the CIA operations officers gathering intelligence across the globe to keep Americans and others around the world safe? Follow in Tom’s footsteps and apply here. 

Interested in the other high-impact Directorate of Operations roles Tom mentioned? Check out the Collection Management Officer, Targeting Officer, Staff Operations Officer, Directorate of Operations Language Officer positions.

Read an overview of CIA’s Directorate of Operations, which conducts human intelligence (or HUMINT) operations and—as directed by the President—covert action, here.

*Nothing in this podcast should be construed to be an endorsement by the CIA or the US Government of any particular company, product, or service.*

PART TWO: EXFILTRATION. In this conclusion to the two-part finale of The Langley Files Season Two, Dee and Walter follow the thread of the “Argo” operation to rescue six Americans stranded in post-1979 Iran to its final moments—because for CIA master of disguise Tony Mendez and the previously-unidentified second CIA officer who undertook this daring mission with him, getting into Iran was just the beginning. Once in Tehran, they’ll have to train six Americans with no background in clandestine operations to impersonate a film crew convincingly enough to get past revolutionary Iranian security forces at the border. An additional twist: they’ll have just one night to do it. Tune in to learn how, and hear about the conclusion of this legendary CIA operation from a perspective that’s never been public until now.

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For an overview of the ARGO operation, check out this story.

Want to see some of the artifacts from ARGO operation for yourself? Watch The Debrief: Behind the Artifact - ARGO.

For additional details on these unique ARGO artifacts, check out what the CIA Museum showcases on our website.

Can you find the references to ‘Julio’? Now you know the identity of the previously unidentified second CIA officer who joined Tony Mendez on the Argo operation, chronicled here by Tony himself.

The skills of the CIA officers who worked to exfiltrate those six Americans continue to live on in today’s CIA. Check out FILE 012 for an exclusive conversation with two currently serving CIA disguise specialists.

Interested in the art of disguise? See a piece of CIA disguise history with this disguise kit. 

Curious about some of the occupations CIA has to offer? Check out our website CIA.gov for more information. 

PART ONE: INFILTRATION. In this two-part finale of the second season of The Langley Files, Dee and Walter open up the Agency’s vault on one of the most famous declassified CIA operations in history: the plan to rescue six Americans stranded in hostile post-1979 Iran, under the cover of scouting for a film called “Argo.” The first twist: the most commonly understood version of these events is missing a key piece of the picture. When CIA master of disguise Tony Mendez snuck into Iran to exfiltrate the six Americans, he didn’t go in alone: a second CIA officer went in with him. The officer’s identity and role have never been revealed—until now. On this episode of The Langley Files, you’ll hear the inside story of this mission from a CIA historian, from the director of the CIA museum—and, for the first time ever, from that previously-unknown hero of the Argo operation himself.
 
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Want to dive deeper into this two-part episode? Here's a look into more of Langley's (unclassified) files:

For an overview of the ARGO operation, check out this story.

Want to see some of the artifacts from ARGO operation for yourself? Watch The Debrief: Behind the Artifact - ARGO.

For additional details on these unique ARGO artifacts, check out what the CIA Museum showcases on our website.

Can you find the references to ‘Julio’? Now you know the identity of the previously unidentified second CIA officer who joined Tony Mendez on the Argo operation, chronicled here by Tony himself.

The skills of the CIA officers who worked to exfiltrate those six Americans continue to live on in today’s CIA. Check out FILE 012 for an exclusive conversation with two currently serving CIA disguise specialists.

Interested in the art of disguise? See a piece of CIA disguise history with this disguise kit. 

Curious about some of the occupations CIA has to offer? Check out our website CIA.gov for more information. 

You might’ve seen spies use disguises in movies, but for real-life CIA officers, masks, wigs, makeup, and clothing are just the beginning. So what else do Agency officers need to transform themselves into someone else? How do they pull off such sleight of hand under pressure—and under surveillance? And most of all, who makes their disguises and how? On this episode of The Langley Files, Dee and Walter sit down with two of CIA’s disguise specialists to pull back the curtain on those questions and more. Tune in to learn some of the tricks of the disguise trade—and hear how they’ve made all the difference in real-world CIA operations. 

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Want to dive deeper into today’s episode? Here's a look into more of Langley's (unclassified) files:

Want to read about the life—and surprising second career—of another CIA master of disguise? Check out this profile.
 

CIA’s disguise technology has had an impact on more than national security—it has also benefitted the world of custom prosthetics. Read about that and other CIA contributions to modern technology.

How does CIA test applicants to its disguise team? One way has been to ask them to sculpt an ear.

See a piece of CIA disguise history with this disguise kit. 

Did the CIA really create a fake Hollywood production company to exfiltrate six State Department employees from Tehran? Watch The Debrief: Behind the Artifact - ARGO.

For more information about ARGO, check out this story.

Are you curious about some of the occupations CIA has to offer? Check out our website CIA.gov for more information. 

CIA’s workforce has a mission unlike any other, where mental and physical resiliency are often put to the test. So how does an organization like CIA best take care of its people? On this episode, Dee and Walter sit down with the surprising duo who helped drive a change in how CIA answers that critical question: Paul, a former CIA operations officer who survived a terrorist attack overseas, and Dr. Jennifer Posa, an industry expert in workplace health who in 2022 became CIA’s first Chief Wellbeing Officer. They’ll discuss how wellbeing is changing at the world’s premiere intelligence organization—and how anyone can build a bit more of it in their lives, too.

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CIA Announces Chief Wellbeing Officer Dr. Jennifer Posa

To learn more about recent efforts to increase accessible fitness at CIA, check out this story about The Langley Field House.

For more about today’s trivia answer, check out The CIA World Factbook page all about the world.  

How do CIA officers stay safe while traveling to some of the most dangerous places in the world? And how can you apply the CIA’s best practices to help stay safe during your own travels? On this episode of The Langley Files, a CIA security expert talks Dee and Walter through a notional trip abroad to reveal how he watches his back on the go—and shares how you can, too. 

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Looking for a handy checklist of CIA’s travel safety tips? Check out the “Ask Molly” column on the topic .

Going abroad? U.S. citizens can establish comms with their home base by registering with the State Department’s Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP). 

Put CIA’s world knowledge to work for you—check out the CIA World Factbook’s travel facts before you go, for key information on everything from climate to local tipping practices. 

CIA is known as America's first line of defense - but who protects CIA? On this episode, Dee and Walter sit down with a member of CIA's protective service - the unit charged with keeping CIA personnel and facilities safe. They'll discuss what it takes to qualify for that team, the training its officers undergo, and the importance of not calling a day "quiet" until it's over.

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Where did David learn to master a controlled vehicular spin? Check out the FLETC website.

Interested to joining CIA's protective service cadre? See the requirements and desired qualifications.

Looking for more on today’s trivia answer? Your friends at the CIA World Factbook have you covered. 

In this episode of The Langley Files, Deputy Director of CIA for Analysis, Linda Weissgold, joins Dee and Walter to discuss what makes a good CIA analyst, the unusual working hours required to be the President's briefer, and the importance of the Agency's apolitical assessments. Along the way, she shares lessons from her decades-long career with CIA - and what it's like delivering bad news to the most powerful person on the planet.

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Overview of CIA’s Directorate of Analysis and the analytic positions available at the Agency

Is perhaps the most exclusive publication in the world still delivered on paper? Check out the evolution of the President’s Daily Brief (PDB)

Curious about the women OSS members Linda mentioned? Read stories from the “Sisterhood of Spies”

See the iconic words inside the final President’s Intelligence Checklist (PICL) ever produced by CIA

Want to try your hand at searching out the answer to today’s trivia question? Head over to the CIA World Factbook—where that information, and much more, awaits.

In 2022, CIA announced its first-ever Chief Technology Officer: Nand Mulchandani, a Silicon Valley executive with 25 years of industry experience. Since then, he’s been charting CIA’s course on technology—and now, on the Season 2 premiere of The Langley Files, he sits down with Dee and Walter for his first interview on being CTO of the world’s premiere foreign intelligence agency. Tune in to hear him discuss accelerating technological innovation at CIA—and whether his habit of wearing jeans to work is catching on at Langley.

CIA Files on FILE 007:
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CIA Announces CTO Nand Mulchandani

In the private sector and have an idea to share with CIA? https://www.cia.gov/tech/

For more about today's trivia answer:
From the CIA Museum
Argo Artist Concept
The Debrief: Behind the Artifact on Argo