Ex-CIA duo tells tales of secrecy

An IU professor and his wife, who are ex-CIA operatives, discussed their adventures Wednesday at the Student Alliance for National Security call-out meeting.

The CIA hired Professor Gene Coyle in 1976. After following her husband around the world, Jan Coyle decided to join the CIA, too, and they worked together in tandem.

“We are complete opposites, but we compliment each other really well,” she said.
The Coyles served in various locations throughout the world, including New Zealand, Russia, Brazil, Portugal and Greece.

The duo spoke about creating cover stories, the adrenaline of the job and fitting in with locals.

“There is a lot of fine details that go into disappearing into a local society,” Gene Coyle said. “We couldn’t take a shower for three to four days in Russia. The Russians are not known for bathing, so you didn’t want to go on a bus smelling like Irish Spring soap.”

Gene Coyle is the SANS faculty advisor. The club was started at IU in 2006 and was brought back this semester by senior Connor Caudill.“

Given the backdrop of what is going on in the world, I think it’s important to give students an opportunity to learn about national security and provide an open forum for discussion,” Caudill said.

One of SANA’s big goals is to serve as a non-partisan club that welcomes all
backgrounds.

“We want to foster a dialogue between everybody, not just one side or the other,” Caudill said.

The Coyles said there were many details of their time spent as CIA operatives that could not be discussed.

“Even after you retire, your secrecy oath continues until the day you die,” Gene Coyle said. “Anybody who is perfectly happy in life is not going to become a spy because if you get caught, you get shot.”