Cover (intelligence gathering)

When working in the CIA's Directorate of Operations, an officer may need to use a cover story. "Official" cover stories would state the officer was an employee of the State Department, Department of Defense or another seemingly benign U.S. government department. If a person using official cover is caught spying, they are deported from the country quietly and declared persona non grata. Nonofficial cover (NOC) stories includes businesses, journalism, or humanitarian organizations, although in the past, certain regulations have made it illegal for CIA officers to pose as members of certain aid organizations, or as members of the clergy. If a NOC is caught, they are trained to deny any connection with the U.S. government. NOCs who are caught face prison time, and sometimes even death. Often NOCs are hired in overseas businesses through connections to the CIA. They have to work a double shift, actually doing work for the company part of the day, and spying for the rest.