From a civilian's standpoint, the CIA is largely shrouded in mystery, but that doesn't mean all of their operating procedures are top secret. These are some of the more strict regulations governing CIA officers and employees.
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00:00From a civilian standpoint, the CIA is largely shrouded in mystery, but that doesn't mean
00:05all of their operating procedures are top secret. These are some of the more strict
00:08regulations governing CIA officers and employees.
00:12Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the CIA.
00:18President Harry S. Truman signed the National Security Act into law in 1947, establishing
00:22the CIA. The same year, he also signed an executive order creating a loyalty program
00:26for federal employees. Truman's order required the head of each agency in the government's
00:30executive branch to organize a loyalty board to root out and dispense with anyone who wasn't
00:35loyal.
00:36If you're thinking that sounds more like 50s-era commie spy stuff, not when it comes to the
00:40CIA. Even today, the CIA lists unwavering loyalty to the United States among its list
00:45of non-negotiable qualifications for a job. It's also the most common element to the job
00:50employees hear every day.
00:51After Edward Snowden famously leaked classified information in 2013, then-CIA Director John
00:57Brennan sought to reinforce the dire consequences awaiting any employee who did the same. It
01:01doesn't even matter that Snowden wasn't even part of the CIA. Practically every element
01:05to the job reminds employees of the potential risks, to the point of creating a culture
01:09of paranoia around security violations.
01:13CIA officers must take several oaths when they join the nation's premier intelligence
01:17organization. The oath of office requires those who take it to zealously defend the
01:20Constitution of the United States from all enemies, foreign and domestic. Most government
01:25officials take that constitutional pledge, but those concerned with intelligence also
01:29take an oath of secrecy.
01:31The first oath of secrecy policy entered the CIA in 1953. The spirit of the original secrecy
01:36agreement remains intact, but the CIA published a more modern iteration of the oath in 2002.
01:42The oath of secrecy requires CIA officers to swear to never discuss or divulge any classified,
01:48quote, communications intelligence, or any source from which they retrieved it. It goes
01:52on to stipulate that no change in employment will ever free the officer from the oath.
01:56In other words, just because you quit or retired, you're still tied to your oath.
02:00In its final paragraph, the one you've been waiting for, the document states that violators
02:04of any related statutes could even face criminal penalties. So you're in the CIA for life.
02:10The CIA's headquarters is the George Bush Center for Intelligence in Langley, Virginia.
02:14While the campus does not offer tours to the public, we do know some eye-opening details
02:19of at least one area — the on-site Starbucks.
02:22The Langley Coffee Shop might be the most well-guarded Starbucks in the United States,
02:26and potential employees undergo several background checks before they can take a job there. While
02:31plenty of regulations govern the baristas, the CIA officers who use the Starbucks can't
02:36just merrily order their coffee with abandon.
02:39Officers are barred from offering any identifying information to the baristas at the Langley
02:42Starbucks, so you can forget about your name being written on a cup. And if you think you're
02:47just going to use your Starbucks name, sorry, Spartacus, that's a no-no, too. Indeed, ex-CIA
02:53operative Tracy Walder told Spyscapes podcast True Spies, even a random number could be
02:58linked to your true identity.
02:59The CIA's Starbucks also forgoes their typical frequent customer card system, as the list
03:04could fall into the wrong hands and compromise countless employees.
03:08In addition to Starbucks, employees at the CIA have another small bubble of normalcy
03:12in their workplace by way of a gift shop.
03:15Gift shop? Mmm.
03:17The shop peddles multiple pieces of branded merchandise, including luggage bearing the
03:21CIA logo. However, not everyone is allowed to swing by and pick up a postcard or bag
03:26of novelty candy. Covert CIA officers are forbidden from accessing the gift shop at
03:31the agency's Virginia headquarters.
03:33And given that most of the available products proudly feature the logo of the notoriously
03:37secretive organization, agency officers just can't purchase most of the items on sale.
03:42In addition, not all of the products are branded. The store features a selection of
03:46items like hot sauce, fudge, and stamps. However, most of the branded items apparently fly off
03:52the shelf on the shop's annual family day.
03:54CIA officers are not barred from using social media, but there are rules on how they should
03:59use it. The CIA's official careers website considers social media such a hot topic that
04:04it made,
04:05"'You can't use social media if you work for the CIA,' the second of 12 myths they sought
04:09to dispel."
04:10As you've probably guessed, they're both prohibited from using social media while at work and
04:14from mentioning or even following the CIA in their postings. This can be a minefield
04:19for new recruits, many of whom may have grown up surrounded by social media.
04:23In a 2015 interview with CNN Business, CIA hiring chief Ron Patrick shed some light on
04:28how the agency approaches its officers' online habits. For starters, posting about a successful
04:33interview online can really hurt an applicant's chances at a job. And while potential officers
04:38are asked to avoid engaging with official accounts, newcomers shouldn't immediately
04:42cease posting, either. Staying engaged can reveal too much, but disappearing suddenly
04:47also raises suspicion.
04:49Violating these guidelines can cost both potential and active officers the opportunity to work
04:53for the CIA. If applicants do get the job, Patrick also warns against tagging co-workers
04:58or dropping locations. Even maintaining a friends list of fellow CIA officers can be
05:02a problem.
05:04So I'm not your friend, then?
05:07Contrary to what many may think, employees of the CIA are not officially called agents.
05:12That term refers to foreign nationals who offer intelligence on their home country.
05:16The proper term for a CIA employee is officer, and the work of preparing, engaging, and consistently
05:21drawing information from an agent belongs to a case officer.
05:24Naturally, these people follow many guidelines and a few hard rules to guarantee the successful
05:29gathering of useful intelligence. Spyscape spoke to former case officer Ryan Hillsberg
05:34about the process of developing a foreign agent. Hillsberg firmly establishes that case
05:38officers are forbidden from gathering agents or assets from United States corporations.
05:43Instead, he claimed to target foreign industries that help potentially harmful data.
05:47Hillsberg notes people skills as the most important skill a case officer can bring to
05:51the table. It is critical that handlers and agents meet unobserved before they begin swapping
05:56Case officers often make deals with their agents, paying or manipulating them for intelligence.
06:01Hillsberg also noted the importance of leaving former agents on amicable terms, even in cases
06:06that ended in firing. They are a critical part of the CIA's network, so case officers
06:11abide by tried-and-true methods.
06:13It's about protecting our sources, protecting our methods, and a lot of the training that
06:18we do do, it's clandestine. It's secret.
06:21The CIA is not a law enforcement organization, and it is highly restricted in its use of
06:25resources to spy on American citizens or businesses. Additionally, no identifying information gathered
06:31by the CIA that is related to U.S. persons can be spread beyond the intelligence community.
06:36They're also obliged to use the least invasive methods of gathering intelligence possible
06:40when they interact with U.S. persons.
06:42Of course, that doesn't mean the CIA doesn't come across identifying information about
06:46Americans in the course of their efforts. When this happens, there is a process that
06:50CIA officers must use to report violations of U.S. federal law. For example, the CIA
06:54must report any evidence of federal crimes involving U.S. citizens to the Department
06:58of Justice. The CIA can incidentally capture evidence of potential violations, but their
07:03lack of law enforcement power prevents them from taking action.
07:07Most intelligence operatives work under what is called legal cover. This means they infiltrate
07:12a target nation by operating as an agent of their own government, such as a U.S. diplomat
07:16or a member of an embassy staff. But some of the spy world's most devious officers live
07:20as civilians or otherwise trusted staff privy to potential intelligence. This undercover
07:25spy craft is the CIA's bread and butter, but even with its decades of experience, there
07:29are a few guidelines that the organization needs to follow on this front. Namely, don't
07:34send a spy into deep cover to do a job that a regular officer can do from a safer position,
07:38and make sure the objective is clear.
07:41In 1961, the paper Principles of Deep Cover was secretly published in the CIA's journal
07:46Studies and Intelligence. It advises those who assign officers to dangerous undercover
07:50operations to perfectly fit operatives with their new identities, and provide them a clear
07:55intelligence goal. Keyword, clear. The paper cites a violation of this rule in the form
08:00of an officer who sought a deep cover assignment without a specific goal in mind. The officer
08:05spent four years attending a university undercover, and established himself as a salesman in the
08:10region. After four years of operating as a deep cover operative, he provided no useful
08:15information. Eventually, he, quote, "...lost interest in the intelligence objective and
08:19resigned." But he did get a degree out of it.
08:23CIA officers have a full list of rules that govern their behavior on agency installations.
08:28This includes any property that the CIA owns, leases, or controls, as well as any property
08:33under the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. One of the strangest rules has
08:37to do with weapons. Only a person with explicit authorization from the CIA Director of Security
08:42can carry or use a weapon on an agency installation. That's right — no guns. Government agents
08:48in the act of enforcing laws can carry weapons, but all other employees are restricted. However,
08:53in 2023, an exception was made for irritant gas, such as mace or pepper spray. Cameras
08:58and recording equipment were similarly regulated. Even handing out pamphlets on agency property
09:03is a violation without the CIA Director's acceptance.
09:07The FBI and the CIA have a long history of competition and disagreement. Though both
09:12are members of the United States intelligence infrastructure, the FBI exists as a law enforcement
09:17organization, while the CIA is solely devoted to gathering information. The real difference
09:22between the CIA and the FBI governs their jurisdiction. The CIA is strictly forbidden
09:26from using its resources to spy on U.S. citizens, leaving the FBI to handle any domestic intelligence
09:32tasks. Unsurprisingly, this restriction can sometimes come into conflict with CIA tasks.
09:37In some cases, the CIA's only recourse is to reach out to the FBI, and there is a strict
09:42framework for doing so. Generally, the two agencies are free to work together toward
09:46specific shared goals, but the restriction on the CIA's interactions with U.S. persons
09:51requires the CIA to reach out. The CIA may also need to request the FBI's police powers
09:56in matters such as filing subpoenas.
09:58There are a series of specific steps the CIA must take to enlist the FBI, including
10:03a list of instructions for crafting a formal request for collection assistance. The proposing
10:07person has to provide the reasons the FBI should handle the gig, the purpose of the
10:11activity, and the shared strategy for accomplishing the mission. The director of the CIA or a
10:16designee then needs to submit this request to the FBI. Generally speaking, the FBI and
10:20CIA work together frequently — probably more frequently than you ever imagined.