The US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) has launched its own Instagram account, with a single photo showing an office desk covered in mysterious items, Mirror reports.

The photo, which carries the caption “I spy with my little eye…” features a grey curly wig, a paper bag labelled “Top Secret Pulp”, some foreign bank notes and a rubber stamp.

An open notebook on the desk shows a message written in Arabic, which translates as “Share what we can, protect what we must.”

There’s also a coat slung over the back of the chair with an ID badge attached to the collar. This is actually the original agency badge CIA Director Gina Haspel wore when she joined in 1985.

The account’s bio reads: “We are the Nation’s first line of defense. We accomplish what others cannot accomplish and go where others cannot go.”

A CIA representative said the agency aims to use the account as a recruiting tool and to increase transparency about its activities.

“Joining Instagram is another way we’re sharing CIA’s stories and recruiting talented Americans to serve here,” CIA spokesperson Sara Lichterman said.

“Through the account, we’ll give a peek into agency life, but we can’t promise any selfies from secret locations.

“We’re looking to spark the curiosity of Instagram’s users about the many ways CIA’s global mission has us going where others cannot go and doing what others cannot do.”

The CIA already has a Twitter account, which has more than 2.5 million followers. It mostly used to recruit new agents and offer history on the agency and some of its key figures over the years.

At the time of writing, the Instagram account had already amassed 17,600 followers.