Open Book with Anthony Scaramucci CIA Analyst David McCloskey: How People Are Really Recruited, Manipulated, and Broken
Jan 29, 2026
David McCloskey, former CIA analyst and bestselling novelist, blends real intelligence tradecraft with fiction. He talks about how handlers find and exploit personal vulnerabilities, the MICE motivations that drive recruitment, and the research behind creating authentic espionage characters. Short, sharp stories on interrogation, regime resilience, and the moral knots of betrayal and redemption.
AI Snips
Chapters
Books
Transcript
Episode notes
Recruitment Exploits Human Vulnerabilities
- Effective recruiters exploit personal "cracks and seams" to draw people toward betrayal rather than relying on a single motive.
- Case officers often foster needs the target didn't know they had to build long-term dependency and recruitment.
What-If Framing Reveals Shadow War Dynamics
- Flipping real-world dynamics can reveal new perspectives on asymmetric intelligence conflicts.
- McCloskey imagined Iran developing Mossad-like capabilities to explore the cat-and-mouse of shadow warfare.
Editor Inspired A Chilling Interrogator
- The novel's "general" was partly inspired by McCloskey's editor, who was ruthlessly critical and demanding.
- He made the interrogator a chilling, meticulous figure who revels in control and editing captives' confessions.
