"'They wanted to make sure you were the right sort"
A sad and kind of shocking commentary. An echo of the attitude of Britain's MI6 service, which explains why Kim Philby ("the right sort") rose to such prominence despite being a mole for the KGB for 25-30 years.
I think there is more nuance to this, and I say this hoping I've established a reputation for being overtly egalitarian.
The more I learn about spy agencies, the more I realize that it's very important that most spies are both quite successful and quite wealthy. Firstly, wealth an success, on it's own, gives people a legitimate reason to be in any room and plausible deniability. It also helps these folks be in those rooms under natural pretenses, as subtle shibboleths could easily give you away -- knowing that the 13th is an Eden hole, and what an Eden hole is, for better or worse, is likely important cultural information that will get you into conversations with people who would otherwise be inaccessible.
My favorite example of this is Ian Fleming -- who was an actual spy -- and had every reason to openly discuss spycraft with literally everyone he encountered, including members of spy agencies who probably thought they were just talking to an author of fanciful spy novels.
That isn't to say that working for the CIA in general should require that sort of ridiculous pedigree, but if his intention was being an actual spy, the question makes sense to me.