CIA encourages secrecy to potential employees?

I was just rolling on thru the CIA website, and for sh*ts and giggles, I decided to take a gander at their careers section.
Went thru a couple, halfway read the requirments, blah-blah.
But then I noticed something on the bottom of one application...

Important Notice: Friends, family, individuals, or organizations may be interested to learn that you are an applicant for or an employee of the CIA. Their interest, however, may not be benign or in your best interest. You cannot control whom they would tell. We therefore ask you to exercise discretion and good judgment in disclosing your interest in a position with the Agency. You will receive further guidance on this topic as you proceed through your CIA employment processing.

Altho someone may have come across this before, it was news to me.
Ive been having issues with the new search, so I couldnt really check, so mods, feel free to delete if its been covered.

Link

Anyone got any comments?

Pretty standard stuff every intel agency I know has similar comments. Mostly to avoid you becoming a target for any people that have bad intentions.

I think you may be basing your reaction to this on some misconception about the CIA, but I'm not sure what it is. The only way I can figure is if you think the CIA hides the fact that it's an espionage agency, and is somehow revealing that by asking people not to tell everyone they might become an agent. But they don't hide that fact, so I can't work out what about this is concerning you -- I might just be missing something, though, my brain isn't always fully operational.

reply to post by cheddartoes


I see absolultely no issue with this. Based on what the CIA is and does, it is only logical they would have this clause.

Plus, this is nothing new. They have had this clause forever (so to speak)

I retired after working more than 30 years for several agencies in the intelligence community. When CIA recruits a person, they want to preserve the possibility for the recruit to work under cover in clandestine assignments.....not all CIA employees do. Early in the recruitment process the recruit has to decide which path they want to pursue - "open" system or "closed" system. If the applicant has broadcast the fact that they are being recruited by CIA it makes it more difficult for that applicant to ever work on the "dark" side. So it is only logical for the agency to warn applicants early in the process to keep their mouths shut.

Because the CIA are TRAITORS. Would you want your friends and
family to know you work for the very organization that has brought
so much death and destruction first on other countries, now upon
your own? Of course they don't want your friends and family to know
your applying to work for the CIA. If they have one inkling of the truth
they will try to talk you out of it. Who wouldn't? What could be more
insane than working for the CIA? What higher act of betrayal?
What kind of incredible lies must you have to tell yourself to
work for those traitors? No sir. The CIA is a mad dog that needs
to be put down. Of course they don't want your friends and family
to know. Those are the people that care about you. And are more likely
to care about the truth for your sake.

reply to post by cheddartoes


Yeah I saw that too. I believe they call it "don't ask don't tell"