{"product_id":"debriefing-the-president-john-nixon-9780399575839","title":"Debriefing the President: The Interrogation of Saddam Hussein | John Nixon","description":"\u003cdiv style=\"font-family: inherit; color: #333; line-height: 1.6;\"\u003e\n  \u003csection style=\"margin-bottom: 25px;\"\u003e\n    \u003cp style=\"font-size: 1.1em; font-weight: 500; margin-bottom: 20px; line-height: 1.5; color: #2c3e50;\"\u003e“Debriefing the President presents an astounding, candid portrait of one of our era’s most notorious strongmen, offering expert insight into the history and mind of America’s most enigmatic enemy.” — \u003cem\u003eJohn Nixon\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n    \n    \u003ch2 style=\"color: #2c3e50; font-size: 1.5em; border-bottom: 1px solid #eaeaea; padding-bottom: 5px; margin-top: 20px;\"\u003eBook Overview\u003c\/h2\u003e\n    \u003cp style=\"margin-bottom: 15px;\"\u003eIn December 2003, after one of the largest, most aggressive manhunts in history, US military forces captured Iraqi president Saddam Hussein near his hometown of Tikrit. Beset by body-double rumors and false alarms during a nine-month search, the Bush administration needed positive identification of the prisoner before it could make the announcement that would rocket around the world. At the time, John Nixon was a senior CIA leadership analyst who had spent years studying the Iraqi dictator.\u003c\/p\u003e\n    \u003cp style=\"margin-bottom: 15px;\"\u003eCalled upon to make the official ID, Nixon looked for telltale scars and tribal tattoos and asked Hussein a list of questions only he could answer. The man was indeed Saddam Hussein, but as Nixon learned in the ensuing weeks, both he and America had greatly misunderstood just who Saddam Hussein really was. After years of parsing Hussein’s leadership from afar, Nixon faithfully recounts his debriefing sessions and subsequently strips away the mythology surrounding an equally brutal and complex man. His account is a sobering examination of how preconceived ideas led Washington policymakers—and the Bush White House—astray.\u003c\/p\u003e\n  \u003c\/section\u003e\n\n  \u003csection style=\"margin-bottom: 25px;\"\u003e\n    \u003ch2 style=\"color: #2c3e50; font-size: 1.5em; border-bottom: 1px solid #eaeaea; padding-bottom: 5px;\"\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/h2\u003e\n    \u003cp style=\"margin-bottom: 15px;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eJohn Nixon\u003c\/strong\u003e is a former senior leadership analyst for the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). Having spent years tracking Saddam’s profile, health, and writing style from Langley, Nixon was flown directly to Iraq in December 2003 to officially identify the captured dictator and lead his initial, high-stakes debriefing sessions.\u003c\/p\u003e\n  \u003c\/section\u003e\n\n  \u003csection style=\"margin-bottom: 25px;\"\u003e\n    \u003ch2 style=\"color: #2c3e50; font-size: 1.5em; border-bottom: 1px solid #eaeaea; padding-bottom: 5px;\"\u003eCore Audience \u0026amp; Intended Use\u003c\/h2\u003e\n    \u003cul style=\"padding-left: 20px; margin-bottom: 15px;\"\u003e\n      \u003cli style=\"margin-bottom: 8px;\"\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePolitical Intelligence \u0026amp; History Scholars:\u003c\/strong\u003e Readers seeking granular insights into post-9\/11 Middle Eastern geopolitics, intelligence analysis, and executive decision-making.\u003c\/li\u003e\n      \u003cli style=\"margin-bottom: 8px;\"\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eTrue Crime \u0026amp; Investigative Non-Fiction Enthusiasts:\u003c\/strong\u003e Fans of high-stakes interrogation accounts, biographical critiques, and secret detention chronicles.\u003c\/li\u003e\n      \u003cli style=\"margin-bottom: 8px;\"\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eForeign Policy \u0026amp; National Security Readers:\u003c\/strong\u003e Individuals evaluating how administrative pressure and intelligence filters shape modern wartime policies and outcomes.\u003c\/li\u003e\n    \u003c\/ul\u003e\n  \u003c\/section\u003e\n\n  \u003csection style=\"margin-bottom: 25px;\"\u003e\n    \u003ch2 style=\"color: #2c3e50; font-size: 1.5em; border-bottom: 1px solid #eaeaea; padding-bottom: 5px;\"\u003eProduct Specifications\u003c\/h2\u003e\n    \u003ctable style=\"width: 100%; border-collapse: collapse; margin-top: 15px; font-size: 0.95em;\"\u003e\n      \u003ctbody\u003e\n        \u003ctr\u003e\n          \u003cth style=\"border: 1px solid #ddd; padding: 10px; background-color: #f9f9f9; text-align: left; width: 35%;\"\u003eFull Title\u003c\/th\u003e\n          \u003ctd style=\"border: 1px solid #ddd; padding: 10px;\"\u003eDebriefing the President: The Interrogation of Saddam Hussein\u003c\/td\u003e\n        \u003c\/tr\u003e\n        \u003ctr\u003e\n          \u003cth style=\"border: 1px solid #ddd; padding: 10px; background-color: #f9f9f9; text-align: left;\"\u003eAuthor(s)\u003c\/th\u003e\n          \u003ctd style=\"border: 1px solid #ddd; padding: 10px;\"\u003eJohn Nixon\u003c\/td\u003e\n        \u003c\/tr\u003e\n        \u003ctr\u003e\n          \u003cth style=\"border: 1px solid #ddd; padding: 10px; background-color: #f9f9f9; text-align: left;\"\u003ePublisher \u0026amp; Imprint\u003c\/th\u003e\n          \u003ctd style=\"border: 1px solid #ddd; padding: 10px;\"\u003eBlue Rider Press (An imprint of Penguin Books \/ Penguin Random House)\u003c\/td\u003e\n        \u003c\/tr\u003e\n        \u003ctr\u003e\n          \u003cth style=\"border: 1px solid #ddd; padding: 10px; background-color: #f9f9f9; text-align: left;\"\u003ePublication Date\u003c\/th\u003e\n          \u003ctd style=\"border: 1px solid #ddd; padding: 10px;\"\u003eAugust 22, 2017\u003c\/td\u003e\n        \u003c\/tr\u003e\n        \u003ctr\u003e\n          \u003cth style=\"border: 1px solid #ddd; padding: 10px; background-color: #f9f9f9; text-align: left;\"\u003eBinding Format\u003c\/th\u003e\n          \u003ctd style=\"border: 1px solid #ddd; padding: 10px;\"\u003eTrade Paperback (PB)\u003c\/td\u003e\n        \u003c\/tr\u003e\n        \u003ctr\u003e\n          \u003cth style=\"border: 1px solid #ddd; padding: 10px; background-color: #f9f9f9; text-align: left;\"\u003ePrint Length\u003c\/th\u003e\n          \u003ctd style=\"border: 1px solid #ddd; padding: 10px;\"\u003e256 Pages\u003c\/td\u003e\n        \u003c\/tr\u003e\n        \u003ctr\u003e\n          \u003cth style=\"border: 1px solid #ddd; padding: 10px; background-color: #f9f9f9; text-align: left;\"\u003eLanguage\u003c\/th\u003e\n          \u003ctd style=\"border: 1px solid #ddd; padding: 10px;\"\u003eEnglish\u003c\/td\u003e\n        \u003c\/tr\u003e\n        \u003ctr\u003e\n          \u003cth style=\"border: 1px solid #ddd; padding: 10px; background-color: #f9f9f9; text-align: left;\"\u003eISBN-13 \/ ISBN-10\u003c\/th\u003e\n          \u003ctd style=\"border: 1px solid #ddd; padding: 10px;\"\u003e9780399575839 \/ 0399575830\u003c\/td\u003e\n        \u003c\/tr\u003e\n        \u003ctr\u003e\n          \u003cth style=\"border: 1px solid #ddd; padding: 10px; background-color: #f9f9f9; text-align: left;\"\u003ePrimary Genre (BISAC)\u003c\/th\u003e\n          \u003ctd style=\"border: 1px solid #ddd; padding: 10px;\"\u003eHIS019000 \/ HISTORY \/ Middle East \/ Iraq\u003c\/td\u003e\n        \u003c\/tr\u003e\n        \u003ctr\u003e\n          \u003cth style=\"border: 1px solid #ddd; padding: 10px; background-color: #f9f9f9; text-align: left;\"\u003eSub-Genres (BISAC)\u003c\/th\u003e\n          \u003ctd style=\"border: 1px solid #ddd; padding: 10px;\"\u003eBIOGRAPHY \u0026amp; AUTOBIOGRAPHY \/ Political; POLITICAL SCIENCE \/ Intelligence \u0026amp; Espionage\u003c\/td\u003e\n        \u003c\/tr\u003e\n        \u003ctr\u003e\n          \u003cth style=\"border: 1px solid #ddd; padding: 10px; background-color: #f9f9f9; text-align: left;\"\u003eItem Condition\u003c\/th\u003e\n          \u003ctd style=\"border: 1px solid #ddd; padding: 10px;\"\u003ePre-Owned \/ Very Good\u003c\/td\u003e\n        \u003c\/tr\u003e\n        \u003ctr\u003e\n          \u003cth style=\"border: 1px solid #ddd; padding: 10px; background-color: #f9f9f9; text-align: left;\"\u003eDimensions \u0026amp; Weight\u003c\/th\u003e\n          \u003ctd style=\"border: 1px solid #ddd; padding: 10px;\"\u003e5.15 x 0.60 x 8.00 inches | 8.0 oz (approx. 0.50 lbs)\u003c\/td\u003e\n        \u003c\/tr\u003e\n      \u003c\/tbody\u003e\n    \u003c\/table\u003e\n  \u003c\/section\u003e\n\n  \u003csection style=\"margin-bottom: 30px;\"\u003e\n    \u003ch2 style=\"color: #2c3e50; font-size: 1.5em; border-bottom: 1px solid #eaeaea; padding-bottom: 5px;\"\u003eFrequently Asked Questions About Debriefing the President\u003c\/h2\u003e\n    \n    \u003cdetails style=\"margin-bottom: 10px; border: 1px solid #eaeaea; padding: 10px; border-radius: 4px; background-color: #fcfcfc;\"\u003e\n      \u003csummary style=\"font-weight: bold; cursor: pointer; color: #2c3e50; outline: none;\"\u003eIs this book an abstract academic essay or a first-hand account?\u003c\/summary\u003e\n      \u003cp style=\"margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 0;\"\u003eThis is a gripping, highly detailed first-person memoir and intelligence chronicle. It stands as the absolute first and most authoritative eyewitness account of the extensive, post-capture interrogations of Saddam Hussein, written by the specific operative tasked with breaking down his psychology.\u003c\/p\u003e\n    \u003c\/details\u003e\n\n    \u003cdetails style=\"margin-bottom: 10px; border: 1px solid #eaeaea; padding: 10px; border-radius: 4px; background-color: #fcfcfc;\"\u003e\n      \u003csummary style=\"font-weight: bold; cursor: pointer; color: #2c3e50; outline: none;\"\u003eWho is the author and what unique credential does he bring to this text?\u003c\/summary\u003e\n      \u003cp style=\"margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 0;\"\u003eThe book is written by John Nixon, a former senior leadership analyst for the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). Having spent years tracking Saddam’s profile, health, and writing style from Langley, Nixon was flown directly to Iraq in December 2003 to officially identify the captured dictator and lead his initial, high-stakes debriefing sessions.\u003c\/p\u003e\n    \u003c\/details\u003e\n\n    \u003cdetails style=\"margin-bottom: 10px; border: 1px solid #eaeaea; padding: 10px; border-radius: 4px; background-color: #fcfcfc;\"\u003e\n      \u003csummary style=\"font-weight: bold; cursor: pointer; color: #2c3e50; outline: none;\"\u003eWhat is the main narrative hook and setting driving the plot?\u003c\/summary\u003e\n      \u003cp style=\"margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 0;\"\u003eThe story is set inside a heavily fortified, secret underground U.S. military detention facility in Baghdad. The plot shifts into a high-stakes psychological game as Nixon attempts to untangle the truth about Iraq’s governance, while a surprisingly charismatic, arrogant, and unrepentant Saddam challenges his captors and completely upends established Western intelligence assumptions.\u003c\/p\u003e\n    \u003c\/details\u003e\n\n    \u003cdetails style=\"margin-bottom: 10px; border: 1px solid #eaeaea; padding: 10px; border-radius: 4px; background-color: #fcfcfc;\"\u003e\n      \u003csummary style=\"font-weight: bold; cursor: pointer; color: #2c3e50; outline: none;\"\u003eWhat major intelligence failures and misconceptions are exposed in the book?\u003c\/summary\u003e\n      \u003cp style=\"margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 0;\"\u003eThe most explosive revelations in the book detail how profoundly the U.S. government misunderstood the inner workings of Iraq. Saddam explicitly confirms to Nixon that Iraq possessed no weapons of mass destruction (WMDs) and had zero ties to Al-Qaeda. Furthermore, Nixon uncovers that by 2003, Saddam had largely stepped away from daily government operations to focus entirely on writing novels, leaving a chaotic state machinery he no longer strictly managed.\u003c\/p\u003e\n    \u003c\/details\u003e\n\n    \u003cdetails style=\"margin-bottom: 10px; border: 1px solid #eaeaea; padding: 10px; border-radius: 4px; background-color: #fcfcfc;\"\u003e\n      \u003csummary style=\"font-weight: bold; cursor: pointer; color: #2c3e50; outline: none;\"\u003eHow does the author critique the Bush administration's handling of the war?\u003c\/summary\u003e\n      \u003cp style=\"margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 0;\"\u003eNixon delivers a blistering, clinical critique of the White House and executive intelligence filters. He documents how the George W. Bush administration desperately pressured the CIA to confirm pre-existing political narratives rather than listening to the raw, objective psychological data coming out of the interrogation room, warning that the dynamic of forced regime change systematically paved the way for the subsequent rise of sectarian violence and ISIS.\u003c\/p\u003e\n    \u003c\/details\u003e\n\n    \u003c!-- DISCLAIMER BDB --\u003e\n    \u003cdetails style=\"margin-bottom: 10px; border: 1px solid #eaeaea; padding: 10px; border-radius: 4px; background-color: #f4f6f8; border-left: 3px solid #2c3e50;\"\u003e\n      \u003csummary style=\"font-weight: bold; cursor: pointer; color: #2c3e50; outline: none;\"\u003eCondition Notice: Pre-Owned \/ Second-Hand Product\u003c\/summary\u003e\n      \u003cp style=\"margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAll books, box sets, and multi-volume collections\u003c\/strong\u003e offered by Bust-Down Books are sold in pre-owned, used, and second-hand condition, unless explicitly designated as new in the individual product listing.\u003c\/p\u003e\n      \n      \u003cp style=\"margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 5px;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCondition Details \u0026amp; Grading:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n      \u003cul style=\"padding-left: 20px; margin-bottom: 10px;\"\u003e\n        \u003cli style=\"margin-bottom: 6px;\"\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePrevious Ownership:\u003c\/strong\u003e These items have been previously owned, handled, and read. As such, copies may exhibit typical signs of shelf wear, including but not limited to minor creasing, scuffing, edge wear, bent page corners, remainder marks, or spine softening. Hardcover editions with dust jackets may show minor shelf rubbing, edge chipping, or laminate wear.\u003c\/li\u003e\n        \u003cli style=\"margin-bottom: 6px;\"\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eMarkings \u0026amp; Personalization:\u003c\/strong\u003e Items may occasionally contain inscriptions, library stamps, owner names, marginalia, or highlighting. Individual item descriptions reflect significant deviations from standard acceptable condition.\u003c\/li\u003e\n        \u003cli style=\"margin-bottom: 6px;\"\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eSupplemental Materials:\u003c\/strong\u003e Secondary and digital components—such as publisher access codes, CD-ROMs, bonus inserts, registration keys, or workbook activity pages—are not guaranteed to be included, active, or unredeemed unless specifically stated in the product description.\u003c\/li\u003e\n      \u003c\/ul\u003e\n\n      \u003cp style=\"margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 5px;\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFirst Sale Doctrine \u0026amp; Non-Affiliation Statement:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n      \u003cp style=\"margin-top: 5px; margin-bottom: 10px;\"\u003eAll items sold on this platform are original, lawfully acquired copies being resold under the protection of the First Sale Doctrine (codified under U.S. copyright law, 17 U.S.C. § 109, and applicable international equivalents permitting the secondary resale of lawfully manufactured goods).\u003c\/p\u003e\n      \u003cp style=\"margin-top: 5px; margin-bottom: 0;\"\u003eBust-Down Books, LTD. is an independent, secondary-market bookseller. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, authorized by, or sponsored by the original authors, copyright holders, publishers, or trademark owners of the titles offered for sale. All registered trademarks, author names, book titles, and publisher imprints remain the sole property of their respective owners and are used strictly for nominative identification and descriptive purposes.\u003c\/p\u003e\n    \u003c\/details\u003e\n  \u003c\/section\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\n\u003cscript type=\"application\/ld+json\"\u003e\n{\n  \"@context\": \"https:\/\/schema.org\",\n  \"@graph\": [\n    {\n      \"@type\": [\"Product\", \"Book\"],\n      \"name\": \"Debriefing the President: The Interrogation of Saddam Hussein\",\n      \"author\": {\n        \"@type\": \"Person\",\n        \"name\": \"John Nixon\"\n      },\n      \"isbn\": \"9780399575839\",\n      \"sameAs\": \"0399575830\",\n      \"bookFormat\": \"https:\/\/schema.org\/Paperback\",\n      \"numberOfPages\": 256,\n      \"publisher\": {\n        \"@type\": \"Organization\",\n        \"name\": \"Blue Rider Press\"\n      },\n      \"datePublished\": \"2017-08-22\",\n      \"inLanguage\": \"en\",\n      \"image\": \"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0855\/2077\/7531\/files\/9780399575839.jpg?v=1789636023\",\n      \"url\": \"https:\/\/bustdownbooks.com\/products\/debriefing-the-president-john-nixon-9780399575839\",\n      \"offers\": {\n        \"@type\": \"Offer\",\n        \"priceCurrency\": \"USD\",\n        \"price\": \"15.99\",\n        \"availability\": \"https:\/\/schema.org\/InStock\",\n        \"itemCondition\": \"https:\/\/schema.org\/UsedCondition\"\n      },\n      \"about\": [\n        {\n          \"@type\": \"Thing\",\n          \"name\": \"HIS019000 \/ HISTORY \/ Middle East \/ Iraq\"\n        },\n        {\n          \"@type\": \"Thing\",\n          \"name\": \"BIOGRAPHY \u0026 AUTOBIOGRAPHY \/ Political\"\n        },\n        {\n          \"@type\": \"Thing\",\n          \"name\": \"POLITICAL SCIENCE \/ Intelligence \u0026 Espionage\"\n        },\n        {\n          \"@type\": \"Thing\",\n          \"name\": \"TRUE CRIME \/ Historical Crime \u0026 Criminals\"\n        }\n      ]\n    },\n    {\n      \"@type\": \"FAQPage\",\n      \"mainEntity\": [\n        {\n          \"@type\": \"Question\",\n          \"name\": \"Is this book an abstract academic essay or a first-hand account?\",\n          \"acceptedAnswer\": {\n            \"@type\": \"Answer\",\n            \"text\": \"This is a gripping, highly detailed first-person memoir and intelligence chronicle. It stands as the absolute first and most authoritative eyewitness account of the extensive, post-capture interrogations of Saddam Hussein, written by the specific operative tasked with breaking down his psychology.\"\n          }\n        },\n        {\n          \"@type\": \"Question\",\n          \"name\": \"Who is the author and what unique credential does he bring to this text?\",\n          \"acceptedAnswer\": {\n            \"@type\": \"Answer\",\n            \"text\": \"The book is written by John Nixon, a former senior leadership analyst for the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). Having spent years tracking Saddam's profile, health, and writing style from Langley, Nixon was flown directly to Iraq in December 2003 to officially identify the captured dictator and lead his initial, high-stakes debriefing sessions.\"\n          }\n        },\n        {\n          \"@type\": \"Question\",\n          \"name\": \"What is the main narrative hook and setting driving the plot?\",\n          \"acceptedAnswer\": {\n            \"@type\": \"Answer\",\n            \"text\": \"The story is set inside a heavily fortified, secret underground U.S. military detention facility in Baghdad. The plot shifts into a high-stakes psychological game as Nixon attempts to untangle the truth about Iraq's governance, while a surprisingly charismatic, arrogant, and unrepentant Saddam challenges his captors and completely upended established Western intelligence assumptions.\"\n          }\n        },\n        {\n          \"@type\": \"Question\",\n          \"name\": \"What major intelligence failures and misconceptions are exposed in the book?\",\n          \"acceptedAnswer\": {\n            \"@type\": \"Answer\",\n            \"text\": \"The most explosive revelations in the book detail how profoundly the U.S. government misunderstood the inner workings of Iraq. Saddam explicitly confirms to Nixon that Iraq possessed no weapons of mass destruction (WMDs) and had zero ties to Al-Qaeda. Furthermore, Nixon uncovers that by 2003, Saddam had largely stepped away from daily government operations to focus entirely on writing novels, leaving a chaotic state machinery he no longer strictly managed.\"\n          }\n        },\n        {\n          \"@type\": \"Question\",\n          \"name\": \"How does the author critique the Bush administration's handling of the war?\",\n          \"acceptedAnswer\": {\n            \"@type\": \"Answer\",\n            \"text\": \"Nixon delivers a blistering, clinical critique of the White House and executive intelligence filters. He documents how the George W. Bush administration desperately pressured the CIA to confirm pre-existing political narratives rather than listening to the raw, objective psychological data coming out of the interrogation room, warning that the dynamic of forced regime change systematically paved the way for the subsequent rise of sectarian violence and ISIS.\"\n          }\n        }\n      ]\n    }\n  ]\n}\n\u003c\/script\u003e","brand":"Bust-Down Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":49806567211323,"sku":"0399575839","price":15.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0855\/2077\/7531\/files\/9780399575839.jpg?v=1789636023","url":"https:\/\/bustdownbooks.com\/products\/debriefing-the-president-john-nixon-9780399575839","provider":"Bust-Down Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}