NOTE: Episode 100 is a follow-up of episode 99, so I kindly request you to first listen to episode 99 to connect with our discussion in episode 100.
In this episode, we delve into the covert world of espionage and intelligence operations. From the rigorous training and psychological conditioning that mold the minds of intelligence officers to the art of asset recruitment, listeners will gain an inside look at the secretive techniques used to gather information and outmaneuver adversaries. We’ll explore real-world case studies of recruitment operations, discuss the ethical dilemmas officers face, and examine how modern technology is transforming spycraft. Join us as we uncover the intricate web of deception, loyalty, and strategy that defines the intelligence community.
Questions covered in this episode:
- What are the ethical challenges intelligence officers face when recruiting assets in hostile or high-risk environments? What kind of risks do intelligence officers take when trying to turn a target into an asset?
- Can you discuss how modern technology, such as social media and digital communications, is influencing intelligence recruitment today?
- How does an intelligence officer maintain control and communication with recruited assets, especially in hostile or unstable regions?
- What are some real-world examples where the recruitment of a key asset significantly impacted the outcome of an intelligence mission?
About the guest speaker:
Mr. Lawler serves as a national security consultant and is the Senior Partner at MDO Group, which provides HUMINT training to the Intelligence Community and the commercial sector focused on WMD, CI, technical and cyber issues. Mr. Lawler is a noted speaker on the Insider Threat in government and industry and has been the guest on numerous national podcasts. Prior to this, Mr. Lawler served for 25 years as a CIA operations officer in various international posts and as Chief of the Counterproliferation Division’s Special Activities Unit. He had five overseas assignments from 1982 to 1994.
Mr. Lawler was a member of CIA’s Senior Intelligence Service (SIS-3) from 1998 until his retirement in 2005. He was a specialist in the recruitment of foreign spies, and he spent well over half of his CIA career battling the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. As Chief of the A.Q. Khan Nuclear Takedown Team, which resulted in the disruption of the most dangerous nuclear weapons network in history, Mr. Lawler was the recipient of one of the CIA’s Trailblazer Awards in 2007, marking the 60th anniversary of CIA. In 2004, former DCI George Tenet sent Mr. Lawler a note which stated, “Jim, what you and your team have achieved will rank up there as one of the most spectacular intelligence accomplishments in the history of the CIA. It occurred because of your exemplary leadership. Not only are we in the process of taking down a network, we are also in the process of disarming a country as a result of your fine work. With respect, George J. Tenet” And former DDCI John McLaughlin noted that the effort was “the closest thing I’ve ever seen to a perfect intelligence operation.”
Mr. Lawler also received the Director’s Award from DCI George Tenet, the U.S. Intelligence Community’s HUMINT Collector of the Year Award, and the Donovan Award from the CIA’s Deputy Director of Operations.
Prior to his career in intelligence, Mr. Lawler practiced law and was the president of a steel components company in Texas. He has written two novels: Living Lies, an espionage story of the Iranian nuclear weapons program, and In the Twinkling of an Eye, about recruiting a spy at the heart of a devastating covert Russian-North Korean genetic bioweapons program. Both have been cleared by the CIA’s Publication Review Board. Living Lies was published in August 2021, and In the Twinkling of an Eye was published in April 2022. In December 2022, Spyscape named Living Lies as #38 on its list of Fifty Best Spy Novels ever written, according to other intelligence officers. He is currently completing his third espionage novel, The Traitor’s Tale, about treachery and treason deep within the CIA.
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