CBM, Edward Carbine's mission president, had actually served in the CIA, reports CBM.
"Charles Burdell Merrell" [Obituary], Daily Herald [Provo], August 24, 2011, accessed April 1, 2021
[H]e was called to serve in the Army and was sent to Salzburg, Austria where Nyal soon followed. He returned to Utah after military service and entered BYU. After receiving his Masters degree he was recruited to the CIA, and the family moved to Virginia. He worked for the "Company" for 23 years, which included assignments that took him and his family to South America for six years.