Photo:   At the presidential inauguration of Hashim al-Atassi in Parliament on December 31, 1936.

2/4  Damascus Station: A Novel, by David McCloskey.  Hardcover – October 5, 2021  #UNBOUND. The complete, forty-minute interview. December 2021.

https://www.amazon.com/Damascus-Station-Novel-David-McCloskey/dp/0393881040/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2T10VHP3CVOPA&keywords=Damascus+Station&qid=1642295489&s=books&sprefix=damascus+station%2Cstripbooks%2C101&sr=1-1

"Damascus Station is the best spy novel I have ever read." ―General David Petraeus, former director of the CIA

A CIA officer and his recruit arrive in war-ravaged Damascus to hunt for a killer in this page-turner that offers the "most authentic depiction of modern-day tradecraft in print." —The Navy SEAL sniper and New York Times bestselling author Jack Carr.

The CIA case officer Sam Joseph is dispatched to Paris to recruit a Syrian Palace official, Mariam Haddad. The two fall into a forbidden relationship, which supercharges Haddad’s recruitment and creates unspeakable danger when they enter Damascus to find the man responsible for the disappearance of an American spy.

But the cat-and-mouse chase for the killer soon leads to a trail of high-profile assassinations and the discovery of a dark secret at the heart of the Syrian regime, bringing the pair under the all-seeing eyes of Assad’s spy catcher, Ali Hassan, and his brother Rustum, the head of the feared Republican Guard. Set against the backdrop of a Syria pulsing with fear and rebellion, Damascus Station is a gripping thriller that offers a textured portrayal of espionage, love, loyalty, and betrayal in one of the most difficult CIA assignments on the planet.