A couple holds hands standing in front of the place where they met. Another couple sits on a bench in the sunlight, snuggled next to each other. No, this isn’t an advertisement for a dating app—it’s the CIA’s Instagram account.
Through its recent “Love at Langley” series on Instagram, the CIA is publishing the stories of three couples who work together at the Agency. Two met and fell in love while working at the agency, while the other couple met prior to their start at Langley. The series is part of the Agency’s broader “Humans of CIA” series, inspired by the famous Humans of New York Instagram account.
As it turns out, a place that’s responsible for gathering and analyzing foreign intelligence is a good place to fall in love. “Couples are pretty common here,” says CIA spokesperson Nicole de Haay. “There’s a variety of jobs, but they’re all centered around the same passion to serve. Plus, if your spouse or partner also works at the Agency, they especially understand the secrecy that sometimes accompanies the question, ‘How was your day?’”
The advantages of dating someone at the CIA extend beyond a shared understanding of the job—you can also be sure they’ve gone through a serious background check. One of the faceless participants in the series mentions this in her post: “I laugh about this, but it’s kind of nice to know that the person you’re dating (and future spouse, in my case) has been through a thorough background investigation,” she says. “It was good to know that everything with this guy was above board.”
For those looking to head to Langley to find love, the road to joining the Agency might be tricky. But, hey, anything for love.
