What prepares you for the job of being a spy? | Forensic Files

as a kid you know it never crossed my mind to be a spy I remember saying to my mother mom
you know uh when I grow up I think I'd like to be a magician and she said Son you can't do both my first serious job
was working in a steel mill in Pittsburgh where I grew up I remember walking into the steel
mill cuz I worked the night shift and looking through a a hazy Smoky night and off in the distance I saw shimmering
glowing environment this this coke oven this was 19th century technology and I saw inside of it in
silhouette people with little hammers chiseling away at the Old Brick and I remember thinking to myself geez I'm
glad I'm not doing that well guess what my first job was getting the getting the
coke oven metaphorically this was very good preparation for what I had to do later which was often remain calm in
120° heat metaphorically whether that was a tough decision about an operation or walking
into the Oval Office with a difficult message yeah that was uh I often think back on that and thankful I had the
opportunity hi John Gerald Kennedy and then John Kennedy came and spoke at my college during his campaign in 1960 I
was a freshman we all turned out for the talk let the word go forth that the torch has been passed to a new
generation of Americans and when he said in his inaugural that the torch has been
passed to a new generation a lot of us felt like we were the ones picking up the
torch on the day I finished graduate school there was a telegram waiting for me from my mother that said uh son guess
what you've gotten your draft notice so I ended up volunteering to go into the army getting a commission as a second l
at studying Vietnamese then deployed to Vietnam on one one occasion uh the Commanding General sent me up to a
special forces uh camp near the Cambodian border when you flew into it you had to be aware that uh North
vietnames or Viet Kong were on a mountain nearby and they would be mortaring the landing zone go
go the practice was to drop the helicopter in quickly Run for the bunker and dive into it before of that started
so as we're running for the bunker this old sergeant said to me as a joke I guess kid if you like this sort of thing
they have jobs like this at CIA I got back went to graduate school I got kind of bored with civilian life so I walked
down the street in Philadelphia to the federal building and it was Apparent from the sign in the lobby that if I
went up to the fourth floor I could see someone and talk to him about how to apply to the CIA and I did and you know
people often ask how does someone get to the CIA it's not much more complicated than that

John McLaughlin, former acting director of the CIA , describes his journey and the jobs he held before becoming a spy. McLaughlin worked for the CIA for more than 30 years. For the first time, hear from the 12 living CIA directors in "48 Hours Presents: The Spymasters - CIA in the Crosshairs" Saturday, May 21, 9-11 p.m. ET/PT on CBS.

Brief Summary

A former CIA officer shares his journey from childhood dreams to military service and recruitment into the CIA.

Key points

Inspiring Words from JFK. John F. Kennedy's speech ignited a sense of purpose in the audience.
The Call to Serve. After receiving his draft notice, he volunteered for the army and went to Vietnam.
A Shift to the CIA. Bored with civilian life, he decided to apply to the CIA.

Episode highlights

Episode quotes

Let the word go forth that the torch has been passed to a new generation.

Recalling John F. Kennedy's inspiring words during his college speech.

1:27WatchMay 17, 2016

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