Annie Jacobsen

We would wait to absorb a nuclear attack. until we launched. So many Americans, experts will tell you that that's just posturing and propaganda, but that was their official position. And that changed just two years ago when Putin gave a speech and he said that their position had changed, that they will no longer wait to absorb an attack, that once they learn of, how did he phrase it?

He called it like the The trajectory of the missiles, right, which is a way of talking about parity, the same way we see the missile coming over in mid-course. Putin made that same statement and said we would launch.

He called it like the The trajectory of the missiles, right, which is a way of talking about parity, the same way we see the missile coming over in mid-course. Putin made that same statement and said we would launch.

He called it like the The trajectory of the missiles, right, which is a way of talking about parity, the same way we see the missile coming over in mid-course. Putin made that same statement and said we would launch.

I don't know, but if I had to guess, it would go like this. I would look at his background, and he comes from the intelligence world, right? So my experience in interviewing old-timers who've spent decades working for the CIA or even NRO or NSA— I know the way they think from having spent hundreds of hours interviewing them, right?

I don't know, but if I had to guess, it would go like this. I would look at his background, and he comes from the intelligence world, right? So my experience in interviewing old-timers who've spent decades working for the CIA or even NRO or NSA— I know the way they think from having spent hundreds of hours interviewing them, right?

I don't know, but if I had to guess, it would go like this. I would look at his background, and he comes from the intelligence world, right? So my experience in interviewing old-timers who've spent decades working for the CIA or even NRO or NSA— I know the way they think from having spent hundreds of hours interviewing them, right?

And then I know the way that military men think, and it's very different, right? So Putin's not a military person per se. He's an intelligence officer. So what would concern me there, if I had to guess about his mindset, has to do with paranoia, right? Most intelligence officers must have a degree of healthy paranoia or they're going to wind up dead, right?

And then I know the way that military men think, and it's very different, right? So Putin's not a military person per se. He's an intelligence officer. So what would concern me there, if I had to guess about his mindset, has to do with paranoia, right? Most intelligence officers must have a degree of healthy paranoia or they're going to wind up dead, right?

And then I know the way that military men think, and it's very different, right? So Putin's not a military person per se. He's an intelligence officer. So what would concern me there, if I had to guess about his mindset, has to do with paranoia, right? Most intelligence officers must have a degree of healthy paranoia or they're going to wind up dead, right?

And so that's not a great quality to have.

And so that's not a great quality to have.

And so that's not a great quality to have.

And you'd be suspicious, and you can see that now. There's such an incredible distrust and sort of real conflict between Russia, between its leader, and NATO, between its leader and all of the West. And then that is fueled by his closest advisors.

And you'd be suspicious, and you can see that now. There's such an incredible distrust and sort of real conflict between Russia, between its leader, and NATO, between its leader and all of the West. And then that is fueled by his closest advisors.

And you'd be suspicious, and you can see that now. There's such an incredible distrust and sort of real conflict between Russia, between its leader, and NATO, between its leader and all of the West. And then that is fueled by his closest advisors.

They seem to be, from the statements they have made that I've read in translation, they seem to be fostering that same idea that NATO really has it in for Russia. America really has it in. And that is so dangerous and disheartening.

They seem to be, from the statements they have made that I've read in translation, they seem to be fostering that same idea that NATO really has it in for Russia. America really has it in. And that is so dangerous and disheartening.

They seem to be, from the statements they have made that I've read in translation, they seem to be fostering that same idea that NATO really has it in for Russia. America really has it in. And that is so dangerous and disheartening.

And or that the close advisors near the president would make that happen.