On this episode, Dee and Walter sit down with an Agency recruitment leader to learn what characteristics CIA is looking for when selecting candidates, how CIA differs from the private sector, and the number of occupations that the Agency has to offer—which may surprise you. 


*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.

Episode 3 - The Recruiter: What Does it Take to Join CIA?

You might have heard a thing or two about the CIA, but have you ever heard from the CIA? In the Central Intelligence Agency's first public podcast, you will. Let us be your guides around the corridors of CIA Headquarters in Langley, as you step beyond the Hollywood scripts and shadowed whispers to hear directly from the people serving each day as America's first line of defense. These are their stories. This is The Langley Files.

Education

Training

Language Courses

Higher Education

K-12

Educational Technology

Government

PART TWO: CIA OPERATIONS. In Part One of this special two-part episode, George E. Hocker, Jr.—the trailblazing Black CIA operations officer who joined the Agency in the 1950s and ultimately rose to its seniormost ranks—shared with Dee and Walter the trials and triumphs of undergoing CIA operations, paramilitary, and survival training—and doing so as the only Black officer in his class. But George’s career with the Agency was just getting started—and only going to get more intense. In Part Two, you’ll hear about the CIA operations George led overseas—directly from this legendary CIA officer himself. Tune in to learn how George ended up on the wrong end of an AK-47 rifle, in the middle of a mystery that had beguiled the local CIA station for years, and tasked with getting a key Soviet officer sharing information with CIA to safety under cover of darkness. It’s a journey that’ll see George overcome discrimination and break down barriers at Langley, serve as a trusted advisor to not one but two Directors of Central Intelligence, and ultimately achieve a feat still considered a Cold War espionage first.    
Look Inside FILE 016:

 Want to dive deeper into today’s episode? Here's a look into more of Langley's (unclassified) files:
 
Read more about George E. Hocker, Jr.’s remarkable career—and see photos from his time at CIA, including his original Agency job offer letter—here. Want to follow in George’s footsteps and become one of the CIA operations officers gathering intelligence across the globe to keep Americans and others around the world safe? Apply here.   Interested in the other high-impact CIA Directorate of Operations jobs? Check out the Collection Management Officer, Targeting Officer, Staff Operations Officer, Directorate of Operations Language Officer positions. 
 Does this episode’s trivia have you curious about the adventures of Mischief the Fox and Secret Squirrel? Check out this article.



FILE 016: PART II - Meet the Legendary Black CIA Officer who Made Cold War History

PART ONE: CIA TRAINING. George E. Hocker, Jr. joined CIA in the 1950s, as one of just a few Black employees in the Agency’s records office. Over three decades later, he retired from CIA’s senior ranks as a veteran clandestine operations officer with a series of intelligence successes to his name—including a Cold War espionage history first. Now, for the first time ever, hear about those espionage feats—and the barriers George broke as he rose through the Agency’s ranks back home—directly from the CIA officer who lived them. In part one of this special two-part episode, George returns to Langley to share with Dee and Walter the path that led him from a childhood in a still-segregated Washington, DC, to the CIA; what inspired him to apply for the Agency’s clandestine service; and the challenges and triumphs he experienced as the only Black officer in his CIA operations training class. From a moment of revelation watching Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech to overcoming the elements in some of CIA’s toughest trainings, this is a story you won’t want to miss. 
Look Inside FILE 016:

 Want to dive deeper into today’s episode? Here's a look into more of Langley's (unclassified) files:
 
Read more about George E. Hocker, Jr.’s remarkable career—and see photos from his time at CIA, including his original Agency job offer letter—here. Want to follow in George’s footsteps and become one of the CIA operations officers gathering intelligence across the globe to keep Americans and others around the world safe? Apply here.   Interested in the other high-impact CIA Directorate of Operations jobs? Check out the Collection Management Officer, Targeting Officer, Staff Operations Officer, Directorate of Operations Language Officer positions. 
 



FILE 016: PART I - Meet the Legendary Black CIA Officer who Made Cold War History

As part of The Langley Files’ ongoing focus on tech at CIA, Dee and Walter sit down with CIA’s Deputy Director for Digital Innovation, Juliane Gallina, and CIA’s Chief Artificial Intelligence Officer, Lakshmi Raman, to talk about the ones and zeros of spycraft in the 21st century, and how CIA is applying the latest in digital technology to help protect America from threats around the world. 
Want to dive deeper into today’s episode? Here's a look into more of Langley's (unclassified) files: CIA Names Juliane Gallina as Deputy Director for Digital Innovation
 
 For more about the trivia answer:   Want to know a little more about Nathan Hale – American patriot, Army Ranger, spy? Check out this article.    Read more about the Nathan Hale statue here.    Do you think you have what it takes to join a team of world-class experts in digital innovation and artificial intelligence? Check out CIA’s career offerings here.   In the private sector and have a tech idea to share with CIA? https://www.cia.gov/tech/

FILE 015 - Spies Supercharged: Talking AI and Digital Innovation at CIA

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. 
Look Inside FILE 014:
 
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.*

FILE 014 - A Conversation with CIA's Spymaster in Chief

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.  
Look Inside FILE 013 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.   

Episode 3 - The Recruiter: What Does it Take to Join CIA?

Download our free app to listen on your phone