John Kiriakou

And then in a year's time or six months or 24 months or however long it takes me, I'm going to make you my best friend.

I'm going to spend a ridiculous amount of money on you.

We're going to vacation together.

Our wives are going to be friends.

Our children are going to play together.

And eventually, when the time feels right in my gut,

I'm gonna ask you to commit espionage for me.

Treason, maybe, in some cases.

And you're gonna do it.

Maybe because you think I'm great and you love me and you love this friendship we've developed.

Maybe it's for the money.

Maybe it's because you've been passed over for promotion and you want to get revenge against your boss.

Maybe it's because you just love the United States because you love these Hollywood movies and you want a piece of it.

Or maybe you're an adrenaline junkie and you just love the excitement of the clandestinity.

But for one reason or another,

you're going to say yes to that pitch.

Nine times out of 10, you just go in cold and you have a pocket full of business cards and you just hand them out to everybody.

Once in a while, I can count twice in my career where headquarters sent me a cable and saying, there's this party at such and such an embassy.

We heard the North Koreans are going to be there or the Russians are going to be there.

And so I say, okay.