Book
The Manchurian Candidate
The Manchurian Candidate by Richard Condon, John Lahr has been mentioned in 5 episodes across 4 podcasts (0 episodes recommend it and 5 episodes discuss it), through . Most frequently brought up by Robert Evans (2 episodes), Ben Bowlin (1 episode) and John Kiriakou (1 episode) on Behind the Bastards (2 episodes), Modern Wisdom (1 episode) and Stuff They Don't Want You To Know (1 episode).
- episodes
- 5
- podcasts
- 4
- people
- 4
- episodes recommend it
- 0
But it's the classic thing of it's the the brainwashed assassin, the person who doesn't know they're an assassin, where you can literally program someone, I I guess like Arnold Schwarzenegger and Total Recall to like go assassinate somebody.
Questions about The Manchurian Candidate by Richard Condon, John Lahr
Who has discussed The Manchurian Candidate by Richard Condon, John Lahr on podcasts?
No speaker in our archive has explicitly recommended The Manchurian Candidate by Richard Condon, John Lahr; Robert Evans (2 episodes), Ben Bowlin (1 episode), John Kiriakou (1 episode) and John Sweeney (1 episode) have discussed it across 4 podcasts (4 people in all).
Which podcasts mention The Manchurian Candidate the most?
Behind the Bastards (2 episodes), Modern Wisdom (1 episode), Stuff They Don't Want You To Know (1 episode) and The Megyn Kelly Show (1 episode).
Is The Manchurian Candidate recommended, or only discussed?
The Manchurian Candidate by Richard Condon, John Lahr was recommended in 0 episodes and discussed without a recommendation in 5 episodes, as of 2026-04-02.
What do people say about The Manchurian Candidate?
Robert Evans on Behind the Bastards (2022-10-20): "But it's the classic thing of it's the the brainwashed assassin, the person who doesn't know they're an assassin, where you can literally program someone, I I guess like Arnold Schwarzenegger and Total Recall to like go assassinate somebody."
When was The Manchurian Candidate last mentioned on a podcast?
The Manchurian Candidate by Richard Condon, John Lahr was last discussed on The Megyn Kelly Show by John Kiriakou on 2026-04-02.
What they say about it
- Origin of the brainwashed assassin concept3
The best things said about it
That's where the the idea of the Manurion candidate came out which led to a popular movie in the late 19 1950s starring Frank Sinatra.
John Kiriakou The Megyn Kelly Show · Apr 2026 Uh it comes from a fiction novel right it's not it's not like a super secret real Soviet program but in this novel a son of a political Dynasty is brainwashed into becoming an assassin for the Communist.
So the the book, The Manurion Candidate, is about a bunch of like Americans who get captured by the Chinese and then sent back to the United States having been secretly programmed to do, you know, damage the United States. In reality, the CIA read that book.
The thing as it exists in the Manchurian Candidate or whatever.
He wrote a book which became the origin of the Manchurian Candidate the novel was based on this guy's research.
Where and when it comes up
Most episodes, by podcast
4 people who brought it up
Why people recommend it
The Manchurian Candidate by Richard Condon is a classic political thriller and fiction novel that popularized the concept of brainwashed assassins and psychological programming during the Cold War. John Kiriakou discussed the book on The Megyn Kelly Show, tracing how its title became a cultural touchstone linked to historical CIA mind control experiments like MKUltra. Ben Bowlin also mentioned the novel on Stuff They Don't Want You To Know to explain its fictional origins as a story about a political dynasty's son brainwashed to serve communist interests. Robert Evans explored the book in depth across multiple episodes of Behind the Bastards, explaining how the CIA actually drew inspiration from the premise when considering whether operatives could be covertly programmed to commit acts abroad. Evans connected the fictional trope of the unwitting assassin to real-world government ambitions regarding free will and behavioral modification. Additionally, John Sweeney referenced the novel on Modern Wisdom, noting its connection to historical research into psychological manipulation. Across these podcasts, speakers utilized the book as a defining cultural symbol for the fears surrounding espionage, mind control, and government conspiracies.
Every mention
Robert Evans But it's the classic thing of it's the the brainwashed assassin, the person who doesn't know they're an ass… 2
“But it's the classic thing of it's the the brainwashed assassin, the person who doesn't know they're an assassin, where you can literally program someone, I I guess like Arnold Schwarzenegger and Total Recall to like go assassinate somebody”
“So the the book, The Manurion Candidate, is about a bunch of like Americans who get captured by the Chinese and then sent back to the United States having been secretly programmed to do, you know, damage the United States. In reality, the CIA read that book”
“But it's just that what he's talking about was like, well, if you could do the thing where you wave a watch in front of somebody and then now using a keyword later, you can make them your slave. The thing as it exists in the Manchurian Candidate or whatever”
Ben Bowlin uh it comes from a fiction novel right it's not it's not like a super secret real Soviet program but in thi… 1
“uh it comes from a fiction novel right it's not it's not like a super secret real Soviet program but in this novel a son of a political Dynasty is brainwashed into becoming an assassin for the Communist”
John Kiriakou That's where the the idea of the Manurion candidate came out which led to a popular movie in the late 19 19… 1
“That's where the the idea of the Manurion candidate came out which led to a popular movie in the late 19 1950s starring Frank Sinatra.”
John Sweeney He wrote a book which became the origin of um the manchurian candidate the novel was based on this guy's re… 1
“He wrote a book which became the origin of um the manchurian candidate the novel was based on this guy's research”
Other mentions (5: passing, ad reads, own books)
“We're talking about the possible remote control steering of a living body. Manchurian candidates finally come true.”
“a great conspiracy theory if not a science fiction Thriller akin to The Manchurian Candidate”
“and we know just like you've seen or heard of or read The Manchurian Candidate”
“you had films like The Manchurian Candidate you had books like the hidden persuaders and there was a widespread paranoia about manipulation”
“popularly known as Manchurian candidates after a book that was written 1962 and later became a movie and then a movie again the people would be through drugs and hypnotism”