It Happened to Me: I Worked At The CIA In 1956 And I've Kept This Secret Ever Since

As part of our AJPT DEI program, our first ever (in 35 years!) It Happened To Me written by an older white male. Enjoy!*

By Lorin Cary

In the summer of 1956, I was a file clerk at the Central Intelligence Agency. As a dependent of an employee (my dad), I nonetheless underwent a security check.

There were other kids with a similar pedigree, and we had a formal orientation at Agency headquarters on E. Street in Washington, D.C. “Welcome aboard,” an official said. I felt grown up sitting in that auditorium, and I don’t recollect anything the man said except something about “need to know.”

This is a picture of me from the 1957 Annandale High School yearbook, at the time of my CIA job.