25-year CIA case officer and author Jim Lawler on the ten qualities of a top recruiter, the A.Q. Khan takedown, the Hanssen case, and why speaking truth to power matters more than ever.
In this episode, host Lauren Anderson turns the tables on co-host Jim Lawler, a 25-year veteran of the CIA's clandestine service and the officer who led the takedown of the A.Q. Khan nuclear smuggling network, an operation that former deputy CIA director John McLaughlin called "the closest thing to a perfect intelligence operation."
Lawler shares how a chance interview with a CIA recruiter in 1976 led him to a career he loved. He reveals the qualities of a top recruiter — curiosity, listening, extreme empathy, patience, persistence, creativity, ruthlessness, and even what he calls "the metaphysics" — and tells the story of his first recruitment: a deputy chief of mission who initially rejected him, then came back days later to say yes and provided stack of sensitive information.
Lawler reflects on the Robert Hanssen case (which he calls "a sacred vow" broken), the erosion of trust inside intelligence agencies under the current administration, and why he still encourages young people to serve.
Guest info: Jim Lawler served for over 25 years as a case officer with the CIA, including as a member of the Senior Intelligence Service. He led the team that dismantled the A.Q. Khan nuclear smuggling network — the world's largest and most dangerous black market for nuclear weapons technology. Former deputy CIA director John McLaughlin called this operation "the closest thing I have ever seen to a perfect intelligence operation." Since retiring, Lawler has taught at CIA, FBI, and DIA, and is the author of three spy novels: Living Lies, In the Twinkling of an Eye, and The Traitor's Tale.
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