Part 6/14:
Incredibly, he admits that if ordered to launch a nuclear strike, he would have obeyed unquestioningly—a testament to the conditioning and loyalty required in such roles. Despite the potential for destruction, these stable redundancies of command, confirmation, and procedure dominate his mental landscape.
The Cold Recruitment Process and the Hidden Hand
His transition from the military to the CIA was initiated by subtle online recruitment triggers—like a pop-up on a government application site—aimed at identifying individuals with specific "spy superpowers" such as lie detection or negotiation skills. He was applying for the Peace Corps, seeking an altruistic change, but instead received a covert invitation into intelligence.