CHAPTER THREE

Hiring to Support Your Mission

“In a democracy such as the United States, egalitarian sentiment runs strong and deep, and elitism in almost any form is suspect. For those who grew up believing that anyone could be president, it’s not a big leap of logic to conclude that anyone should be able to become a case officer in the CIA.”

—Former senior CIA operations officer Duane “Dewey” Clarridge, A Spy for All Seasons

The Agency historically has gotten a lot of applicants because many people find the CIA and its mission alluring. They have visions of travel, intrigue, and meeting interesting people in the most unique work environment in the world. When I was at Headquarters in the early 1990s, we were averaging 150,000 applicants a year. ...

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