And...yep. The cross-examination of Colonel Jessup, and the observation that "I think he WANTS to say it" (that he ordered the code red) was not made up. It's how people (mostly men) like him operate.
I've examined witnesses like him - and yeah, that often happens. Get them going, and they will give you the "fuck yeah we did" answer of some sort (it's usually not as dramatic as Jessup's, but sometimes just as meaningful). And yeah....I've also defended a couple of witnesses like that. And there is no controlling them or "training that tendency out of them." They are who they are, and no piss-ant lawyer's gonna tell 'em what to do. Occasionally, the smarter ones will later sheepishly acknowledge "well, I guess I made a pretty big mess for you to clean up." The only proper answer is "yes you did. But that's what you're paying me for." If you bill by the hour....those can be good clients/witnesses to have.
There are some interesting observations here that I do wish more of the general population actually knew and understood (e.g., how the rich and powerful don't conceal their shitbaggery). There's probably a good list of "shit we have learned about people over the years" that we should compile. Lawyers have a lot of such lessons/perspectives, but I know that engineers, managers, and the like, have their own observed truths to share too.