As I understand the situation, the agents that are placed this way have only the shallowest cover and their job is to interface with the agents and sources that are actually secret.
The overt description of covert operations, made by the CIA, in their career description, is that agents handle sources and sources do whatever dirty deeds the agency really wants done. Of course, the CIA has entirely different sections with military or hacking capability but basic "game" of embassy based agents interfacing with covert agents interfacing with actual sources remains.
The overt description of covert operations, made by the CIA, in their career description, is that agents handle sources and sources do whatever dirty deeds the agency really wants done. Of course, the CIA has entirely different sections with military or hacking capability but basic "game" of embassy based agents interfacing with covert agents interfacing with actual sources remains.