FILE 016: PART I - 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.