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Spy Podcast Archives (The Vault)

Everyday Espionage Podcast

Mon, 25 Sep 2023 07:00:00 +0000

China on Track to OUTPACE USA in SPACE | EverydaySpy Podcast Ep. 16

You know what its like to work too hard, stay up too late, and push yourself a little too far. Burnout is not fun. But it is also predictable and preventable when you know what to look for. The signs arent as obvious as you might think! Sit with Jihi and me as we tell you how we learned to identify and avoid burnout in the field running multi-week and multi-month operations. And while you're at it, you can learn about Jihis super nerdy fascination with the US Space Force!

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Fri, 22 Sep 2023 07:00:00 +0000

Inside CIA's Game: Unraveling Hard Power vs Soft Power | EverydaySpy Podcast Ep. 15

Check out AURA digital security for yourself for 2-weeks absolutely FREE by clicking on my sponsor link here https://aura.com/everydayspy Today I got taken to SCHOOL on FEMINISM by my brilliant and beautiful wife! If youve always wondered what it really means to be feminist, if you grew up in a home with a bra-burning momma, or if you just want to hear a couple hilarious stories from two spies with feminist roots this is the episode to watch! We also get to share a pretty cool little spy lesson buried deep under all the talk about sexism and sex appeal, so stick with us till the end!

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Mon, 18 Sep 2023 07:00:00 +0000

CIA SPY Couple DECODE Marriage | EverydaySpy Podcast Ep. 14

here are two words that immediately strike hope and sadness into the heart of every married parent Date Night! Hope because we all remember what its like to fall in love and have uninterrupted romantic time together. And sadness because we know how impossibly difficult it is to relive those days once you have children. Jihi and I share your pain and are on our own path toward perfecting date night. If you want our recipe for great connection, romance, and mommy-daddy time, tune in! Well give you a few spy skills to win over the kids along the way

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Fri, 15 Sep 2023 07:00:00 +0000

HOW WE MET: Love, Espionage, and Family | EverydaySpy Podcast Ep. 13

Did you ever have a conversation with your significant other and realize they were actually kinda scary? Well, that just happened to me today! And you get to be part of my realization. In the face of her sheer-scariness, I had to come clean about a dirty little secret Id been keeping from her. Luckily, I have all of you as witnesses to keep me safe

Ready to join us in SkunkWorks? Apply FREE here: https://everydayspy.com/skunkworks

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Thu, 14 Sep 2023 03:45:00 +0000

The Day That CHANGED The World: Patriots' Day | EverydaySpy Podcast Ep. 12

This is not your average 9/11 conversation. Is it respectful - yes. Does it honor the lives lost that sad day - yes. But it is also an honest, open dialogue about the world before and after everything changed. Its full of laughter, love, and more than a few flirtatious exchanges because the 9/11 tragedy is what brought the two of us together. In many ways, it was the place where our love story started.

Want to read my lesson on what makes a person become a terrorist? Click here https://everydayspy.com/the-making-of-a-terrorist/

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Sat, 09 Sep 2023 07:00:00 +0000

Starlink EXPOSED: The Truth Behind Elon Musk's SpaceX | EverydaySpy Podcast Ep. 11

Check out AURA digital security for yourself for 2-weeks absolutely FREE by clicking on my sponsor link here https://aura.com/everydayspy

Sometimes you have to learn something all over again before you see it clearly. That's how I felt after spending two days studying space with my son at the Rocket Center in Huntsville, AL and learning how the US Rocket Program was built off of stolen Nazi technology! When you consider the global impact of technology for both war and peace, you cant help but wonder what the future holds. Tech leaders like Elon Musk may not be as crazy or as evil as people say they are

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Tue, 05 Sep 2023 07:00:00 +0000

EXPOSING Xi Jinping's DEADLY Masterplan | EverydaySpy Podcast Ep. 10

Like any other marriage, ours is a marriage of constant debate, arguments, and miscommunications. Youd think that CIA would have fixed all that, but in many ways they just made it worse! Lets dive right in and talk about why different types of communication exist and how they make life so much more complicated than it has to be. Since were stepping on each other's feelings, let's go ahead and talk about Chinas broken population policies and why Jihi and I both agree there is a scary future ahead for the forbidden kingdom. And if you want to hear about all of Andys bad business ideas BEFORE he started EverydaySpy, youll want to stay tuned to the end

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Sat, 02 Sep 2023 07:00:00 +0000

Term Limits: CONFRONTING Congress | EverydaySpy Podcast Ep. 9

We the people of the United States need to get serious about whether we want to keep the fools we have in congress! The statistics dont lie our leadership in the US is older than it's ever been, blocking the path for tomorrows leaders and keeping new, fresh ideas out of a government that has been deadlocked in partisan politics for over a decade. It is human nature to avoid what CIA calls Hard Conversations, but the time has come to have a hard conversation right now. And Jihi and I are willing to start it as long as you are willing to listen.

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Fri, 01 Sep 2023 21:40:00 +0000

IT'S OVER: The US Dollar Is Finally Collapsing | EverydaySpy Podcast Ep. 8

Happy Birthday Jihi! This is a bit of a surprise for the lady and love of my life, but thats what makes birthdays fun, right!? Aside from the fact that Im asking my poor wife to work on her special day, it's a great chance for us to talk about Ripple cryptocurrency, family traditions, and how we landed at CIA despite being such different people. And if youve ever wondered what the best college major is to become an intel officer, stick with us to the end and well answer that exact question!

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Sat, 26 Aug 2023 07:00:00 +0000

America's HIDDEN Agenda In Ukraine | EverydaySpy Podcast Ep. 7

Russia has pulled out of the Ukraine grain deal and offered to feed Africa on its own. 17 African leaders have tried to broker peace in Ukraine, visiting both Kyiv and St Petersburg but they are up against a whole lot more than they realize. Jihi and I are chomping at the bit to jump into this geopolitical mess with you right now! And if you stay to the end, well lift the skirt a bit about our own personal thoughts about aliens, UFOs and extraterrestrial visitors

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Thu, 24 Aug 2023 15:14:00 +0000

New World Order: BRICS Summit Threat | EMERGENCY Podcast

The BRICS leaders are meeting in South Africa and the world may never be the same. With multiple western allies considering joining the BRICS trading bloc, G7 countries (and the power they yield) could be gutted. At the most risk of losing influence is the US, and the opportunity for China to gain power has never been clearer. This is everything you need to know right now.

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Tue, 22 Aug 2023 07:00:00 +0000

Maui FIRES & CIA Evac Plans | EverydaySpy Podcast Ep. 6

Hawaii is experiencing the most lethal wildfires in all American history. The death toll keeps rising as the tragedy grows. In the Southeastern US, it's the middle of Hurricane season. Out West they are seeing record breaking heat waves that are leaving many stranded or dead. In the midst of whatever threat may be pressing on you, Jihi and I wanted to share our insights and training about Go Bag preparation and action. Not just for you, but for your family, pets, and loved ones. Safety has always been a top priority for us and we know it is for you, too.

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Sat, 19 Aug 2023 07:00:00 +0000

2 Navy Sailors Spying For China | EverydaySpy Ep. 5

Every veteran in America right now is asking themself the same question: Should I encourage the younger generation to sign up for military service, or not? And for any man or woman who has served in uniform, the question is a hard one to answer. With a military recruitment crisis in full swing and record-breaking foreign espionage infiltrating our US Military ranks, the heroes and soldiers of tomorrow are few and far between. If you want to know my answer to whether you should sign up or skip service, make sure you stay to the end of this conversation!

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Tue, 15 Aug 2023 22:13:00 +0000

Waterboarding DEBATE, Religion & Flat Earth | EverydaySpy Podcast Ep. 4

The Cold War didn't end for everyone when the Berlin Wall came down. While the US moved into an economic boom that ultimately dragged us into the 20-year global war on terrorism, other Cold War adversaries stayed locked in the fight. And now that we are coming out of our 20-year cave, we are waking up to realize that the fight is still on. And if that isn't crazy enough, some people still believe the earth is flat!

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Sat, 12 Aug 2023 07:00:00 +0000

Are ALL Men Created EQUAL? | EverydaySpy Podcast Ep. 3

Jihi and I are blown away by your positive feedback from our first two conversations! It's humbling and exciting to get to answer your questions and share our insights on the world. Now, let's jump in and talk spy stories, life stories, and geopolitical realities!

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Wed, 09 Aug 2023 16:57:00 +0000

Recession, Housing and Financial CRASH | EMERGENCY Podcast

The drop in credit rating for the US government by Fitch is another strong indicator that American financial health is struggling. Along with persistent inflation, a struggling tech sector, and the highest interest rates in decades, the inability of the federal government to maintain strong credit is a sign that Americans need to fight back against the kind of brinkmanship politics that have become common in Washington. Life is about to get much more difficult for you and me, all because our politicians fail to respect taxpayer dollars.

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Wed, 09 Aug 2023 16:52:00 +0000

Donald Trump's FAILED Indictment | EverydaySpy Podcast Ep. 2

You've heard it from your parents, grade school teachers, and even your first boss: " You only get one chance at a first impression." Well, CIA taught us something very different. And if you want to know whether your middle school counselor or my CIA instructor was more correct, all you have to do is consider former President Donald Trump his incredible ability to capture attention and keep support. Join us for a deep dive into 'impressions' and the Trump indictment, and what the future holds for both in today's conversation.

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Wed, 09 Aug 2023 16:45:00 +0000

2 Spies, 1 Podcast | EverydaySpy Podcast Ep. 1

Welcome to the brand new EverydaySpy Podcast! Join former CIA officers officers Andrew Bustamante and Jihi Bustamante to discuss and dissect everyday topics from news headline to lifehacks. Whether you are a student trying to make a career in intelligence, or a parent just trying to make it through the day, Andrew and Jihi are excited to give you spy tips, tactics and insights that give you an unfair advantage in everyday life. Get ready to boost your knowledge, mindset, and confidence!

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Tue, 30 May 2023 07:00:00 +0000

Using Leverage to Get What You Want

The Rolling Stones once famously sang, "You can't always get what you want," to a crowd of 1.5 million people in Rio de Janeiro in 2006. And while their lyric has become one of the most memorable musical verses of all time, it is not techincally correct. In today's episode, Andrew shares a CIA tactic that flies in the face of culture, self-help, and social norms. Get ready to learn how you can use leverage to get what you want now and and forever more.

Tue, 16 May 2023 10:00:00 +0000

How to Win Every Argument

Arguments are never fun, rarely productive, and always frustrating. Whether at home, at work, or out-and-about, the fastest way to end a good time is with an argument. That's why CIA uses a shockingly simple secret to not only end arguments, but win them at the same time! In this episode, Andrew lays out the process you can use to transform every argument into agreement for the rest of your life.

Tue, 02 May 2023 07:00:00 +0000

The Secret Shortcut to Winning Negotiations

How much easier would your life be if you never lost a negotiation? Well, today is the first day of that new life! There is a simple and powerful secret that spies use to win every negotiation. And that CIA HACK has incredible value in the everyday world. In this episode, Andrew gives you a bulletproof plan to make more money, close more business, and unlock the career success you've always wanted.

Tue, 18 Apr 2023 07:00:00 +0000

Skills That Can Kill

If you have been struggling to find the perfect job -- or pulling your hair out trying to find the right employee -- get ready to be shocked when you find out why! Employees and employers have a lot more in common here then you think. Join Andrew as he explains the flaw in the human brain that makes you feel these professional frustrations, and get a simple HACK you can use to start enjoying your career again.

Tue, 04 Apr 2023 07:00:00 +0000

The Secret to Becoming Popular

Having a healthy social life is a constant balancing act between being unknown and being known. But in business and career, being 'unknown' can ruin you; it can kill your career ambitions and end your business before they ever even start. In this episode, Andrew explains a little-known HACK he learned at CIA to grow popularity, reputation, and credibility even among people who have never met you! If you know the feeling of hitting a glass ceiling, getting stuck in a professional rut, or being 'blocked' from your personal goals, you don't want to miss this conversation...

Tue, 21 Mar 2023 08:00:00 +0000

The Undeniable Power of Positive Incentives

There is no super power more powerful than getting people to do what you want. Every comic book hero and villain struggled because at some point someone resisted them. In this episode, you learn how to use the one power most people never understand. Whether you use it to be a hero or a villain is up to you...

Tue, 07 Mar 2023 08:00:00 +0000

Consumers vs. Producers

Human beings have an inherent desire to be useful, but people are not all useful in the same way. Maximizing your success requires that you tap into the usefulness of others just as much as you lean on your own personal strengths. In this episode, Andrew shares a powerful hack that CIA uses to get the most out of every officer and human asset they recruit. WARNING: You cannot unlearn what you are about to learn...

Tue, 21 Feb 2023 08:00:00 +0000

Small Gift, Big HACK

We live in a society that gives gifts. Gifts were designed for two original purposes: 1) to show gratitude, or 2) to win favor. Since the dawn of mass marketing and hallmark holidays, however, gift-giving has mutated into something much less enjoyable and much less useful... until today. In this episode, Andrew gives you the 3 gift-giving HACKS that CIA uses to win favor, influence, and power. Whether you want to shortcut your next promotion or win over your lover, you are only 3 steps away from the perfect gift!

Tue, 07 Feb 2023 11:00:00 +0000

How to Drive Like A Spy

One thing spy movies get right is that every covert field officer is trained to drive like a badass! Elite operators use advanced driving skills (aka: vehicle dynamics) to escape capture, crash through barriers, drive at high speeds and even survive hostile attack. In this episode, Andrew lays out the rules for advanced driving and gives you the core skills you need to practice and perfect the same vehicle dynamics elite operators use to keep themselves and their families safe.

Tue, 24 Jan 2023 08:00:00 +0000

How to Become Irresistible

Nobody likes being ignored, and yet we ignore most of the people we meet. Have you ever wondered why? In this episode, Andrew gives you the ultimate life HACK to capture and keep someone's attention any time you want it. This is your chance to get into the mind of every client, customer, and date you want to win-over now and for the rest of your life.

Tue, 10 Jan 2023 08:00:00 +0000

The Hidden Power of Average

Get ready to unlearn everything you were told by your parents, teachers, college professors and peers. Elite operators do not strive to be the best -- instead, they strive to be average. And you'll be shocked when you find out why. In this episode, Andrew breaks down how average goals can unlock elite performance in you today, through the new year, and for the rest of your life.

Tue, 31 May 2022 07:00:32 +0000

Fortune Telling to Build Fortunes

Learning from history means learning to predict the future. Massive changes in technology, economics, and world power have transformed mankind in unbelievable ways. Corporate and government leaders realize that; and they have a plan for the future. In this episode, Andrew explains what the world's elite are predicting and how you can use their knowledge to stay one-step ahead of your neighbor, your boss, and protect those you care the most about.

Tue, 17 May 2022 07:00:06 +0000

Your Human Instinct Working Against You

Every death in the field carries a cost and a lesson. The cost is paid in blood and tears, but the lessons are invaluable for saving the lives of others. In this episode, Andrew shares a powerful lesson in human instinct that was first discovered in the Vietnam War, trained into Special Operators, and even codified into State Law in Utah. This is science that saves lives, stops bad guys, and wins case law.

Tue, 03 May 2022 07:00:10 +0000

Razor Blades, Secret Clubs, and Billionaires

Some spy ops are just plain sexy. They have all the glitz, glamour, and glory you see on TV and in movies. And even better, you get to bring home your own stories. This story is one of those...

Tue, 19 Apr 2022 07:00:59 +0000

A Weekend with Millionaires

The wealthiest people in the world know that good news often comes out of bad news. And when you work with millionaires, you have to be ready for them to give you lots of bad news. Join Andrew as he shares a powerful lesson he learned from a room full of multimillionaires... even if you don't want to hear it.

Tue, 05 Apr 2022 07:00:24 +0000

How to Win the Perfect Mentor

Mentorship is one of the most important elements to your long-term success. But finding a good mentor willing to spend their time with you is not easy. In this episode, Andrew gives you the secret to find and win a great mentor. And even more important, he tells you what the wrong kind of mentor looks like, and why you may be working with the wrong mentor right now.

Tue, 22 Mar 2022 07:00:00 +0000

A Deathtrap in Disguise

The most skilled drivers in the world don't have their photos plastered on NASCAR, F1 or even Rallycross websites and magazines. Instead, they hide in the world of covert ops -- a world ruled by Tier 1 MARSOC Raiders. Join Andrew as he shares a lesson from his Tier 1 MARSOC friend and fellow EverydaySpy instructor about hard lessons learned off the track...

Want to experience it for yourself?...visit https://youtu.be/_puaVplCBi8

Tue, 08 Mar 2022 08:00:34 +0000

Warzone View From a First-Class Seat

The current conflict in Ukraine has topped headlines and commanded the attention of the world. And even as journalists dawn flak jackets in the streets and drones capture images overhead, the most inspiring stories aren't happening on the front line... they are happening in the shadows. Join Andrew as he share a story you haven't heard about heroes you don't know exist.

Tue, 22 Feb 2022 08:00:06 +0000

A Secret CIA Leadership Tool

Elite spy agencies need leaders just like every other corporate organization. But the way they find and cultivate their leaders is very different than what you read about in leadership books and see advertised on your LinkedIn feed. In this episode, Andrew explains the simple secret to how CIA develops and trains their leaders to do what others can't and go where other's won't.

Tue, 08 Feb 2022 08:00:49 +0000

How Elite Operators Change Their Life

The greatest lessons you need to learn often get lost. People are either too successful to share their secrets, or they fail too fast and their experience is lost forever to history. In today's episode, Andrew give's you a peek into how one elite UK Royal Navy SBS officer has changed his life on his own terms. And how he views money in a way that most people do not...

Tue, 25 Jan 2022 08:00:22 +0000

The Self-Discipline Lie

Human nature drives you whether you like it or not. And the secret sauce to success comes when you stop fighting nature and learn to make it work for you instead. In this episode, Andrew shares a secret known only to Tier 1 operators, athletes, and soldiers; a secret that you can use to master your everyday life to win massive success.

Tue, 11 Jan 2022 08:00:00 +0000

The Ultimate Brain Hack

Your brain does things without your permission. It is doing things right now that you did not choose; it's making choices you don't agree with... and it does it all without you even realizing it. In this episode, Andrew explains how your brain (and everyone else's brain) is a tool you can use to get an unfair advantage in your career, business, and social status.

Tue, 28 Dec 2021 08:00:00 +0000

How to Gamble Big and Win

The last week in December is a time when people everywhere stop and reflect on what they want to do differently in the new year. In this episode, Andrew shares a few success stories from the field and asks a different kind of question for you to consider. Whether you are in school or in business; raising a family or raising seed capital for a new venture, there is value in knowing one important answer before you ring in the new year...

Tue, 14 Dec 2021 08:00:00 +0000

An Ugly Kind of Justice

Justice isn't always simple, clear, or fair. Sometimes justice happens in ways nobody wants to admit or talk about. In this episode, Andrew shares a story where justice was delivered in a way nobody would expect, in a part of the world very few get to see. And with the right combination of pressure and patience, justice always prevails...

Tue, 30 Nov 2021 08:00:00 +0000

Making Advantage Out of Need

Human nature is slow to change. That makes it a powerful and predictable advantage for you to use in your career, relationships, and business. In this episode, Andrew shares two current examples of how human nature gave one person an unfair advantage while leaving another person behind in the game of success. When you learn how to transform your need into value for someone else, you unlock incredible power, money, and influence.

Tue, 16 Nov 2021 08:00:00 +0000

Realizations at Gun Point

Moments of clarity are easy to miss and even easier to forget. So when they happen, you have to grab them and hold on for the ride. In this episode, Andrew shares a recent and powerful moment of clarity that is about to change his life and his business in a big way. And you get to choose whether you will hold on for the ride or get off now.

Tue, 02 Nov 2021 07:00:00 +0000

Integrity of Purpose

There will always be people who laugh at your ambition, talk-down your talent, and try to convince you to give up. And its easy to feel like the easiest way to end the pain is to join them in their constant criticism of others. In this episode, Andrew explain the secret that holds those people back and why you have the opportunity to win bigger, greater, richer wealth than then can even imagine.

Tue, 31 Aug 2021 07:00:00 +0000

Where Your Ideal Customer is Hiding

To wrap-up Season 5, Andrew is taking you on a deep-dive into how his company uses CIA personality testing to find and identify the perfect customer for any business. If you run your own business, or have a career in sales, HR, customer service or senior management, DON'T MISS this incredible HACK to find the customers you've always dreamed of.

Tue, 17 Aug 2021 07:00:00 +0000

The Business of Making Opportunities

People think spying is the business of keeping secrets. But they're wrong. Spies make their living by finding secrets, and that takes a special kind of skill that you can use to build your career and grow your business. In this episode, Andrew introduces you to his private intel network and tells you exactly how you can work with them, too...

Tue, 03 Aug 2021 07:00:00 +0000

The CIA Secret to More Opportunity

CIA operations work a lot like your everyday job. You can spend a lot of time plotting, planning, and waiting like everyone else... or you can do something different. In this episode, Andrew tells you a story about one of his current undercover CIA colleagues and how he plans to short-cut success the day he leaves CIA. If you are looking for the ultimate CIA cheat-code to success... you just found it.

Tue, 20 Jul 2021 07:00:00 +0000

How Not to Hide in Plain Sight

There is incredible power in anonymity. When nobody knows who you are, what you are doing, and ignores you even being present, you have every advantage over them. You are hiding in plain sight. But sometimes, you don't want to disappear. Sometimes, you may want to be found. In this episode, Andrew explain how to ensure you are seen by the right people, and stay invisible to the wrong people.

Tue, 06 Jul 2021 07:00:00 +0000

Independence Day Secrets Nobody Told You

American independence was less about the birth of a nation and more about the survival of a people. But while history books skip the grittier details that led to the 4th of July, there is an awesome espionage lesson hidden between the pages. In this episode, Andrew explains the value and power that stress can have for making tomorrow better than today.

Tue, 22 Jun 2021 07:00:00 +0000

A Victory Worth Celebrating

Not every spy lesson is equal, and not every spy looks they way you might expect. In this episode, Andrew shares a spy story about a covert CIA operative that you should have been able to see a mile away. And a shop that you'd never think would come to the rescue.

Tue, 08 Jun 2021 07:00:00 +0000

The CIA Cheat Code to Never Getting Overwhelmed

Winning and losing in espionage relies as much on avoiding mistakes as it does being skilled. The same is true for you in your professional field. Top-tier competition is tight, and mastery is common. In this episode, Andrew explains the powerful CIA tool field operators use to keep from making mistakes in high-pressure situations. Now you can have the same secret solution in your hip pocket anytime you need it...

Tue, 25 May 2021 07:38:38 +0000

The Spy Mistake in Paris

Spying is a game as old as mankind. But the way to win isn't always about being the best and what you do. Sometimes the best way to win is to be the one who makes the fewest mistakes. In this episode, join Andrew as he shares one mistake in Paris that forever changed the course of history between two world powers. And learn how you can use mistakes to win in your own everyday life.

Tue, 11 May 2021 07:00:00 +0000

Spying Through a Mothers Eyes

The sacrifice and challenges of motherhood remains one of the best kept secrets in the world. There are stories, songs, and even holidays dedicated to the women we call 'mother,' but the truth of what they experience is hidden. In this episode, Andrew shares his own history with mothers and their impact on his life, as well as an interesting spy lesson you can learn by cracking the code that mothers around the world keep to themselves.

Tue, 27 Apr 2021 07:00:00 +0000

Desert Helicopters and Operational Efficiency

Everyone wants to do more with less, faster than before, and without any mistakes. So why doesn't it happen? Andrew found the answer while flying with a dozen blacked-out helicopters over a barren desert. And today, you get to learn the same truth.

Tue, 13 Apr 2021 07:00:00 +0000

How to Break Into Private Intelligence

More than 74k people every month apply for government jobs in the intel sector. 98% of them are rejected. But at the same time, a much smaller group is breaking into private intelligence, making more money, and doing the same impactful work. In this episode, Andrew breaks down what private intelligence is (and isn't) and explains the surprising connections between federal intelligence and the private intelligence sector.

Make sure to check out https://everydayspy.com/red to start building your own private intel skills!

Tue, 30 Mar 2021 07:00:00 +0000

The Master Spy Game You Never Knew

Operations do not run like everyday life... but you can make everyday life run like an operation. In this episode, Andrew talks about one of his CIA mentors and a secret game that mentor taught him about operational success. Learn the game for yourself and find out how you can use it to drive predictable outcomes for everything from your career to kids and family.

Tue, 16 Mar 2021 07:00:00 +0000

The Unexpected Ops Skill That Boosts Your Success

It is easy to get discouraged by the things you want that other people have. Smart marketers and sleazy salesman have been selling the lie that you can get more without giving anything up... even as they take your money. In this episode, Andrew explains how field operators accomplish incredible things with limited resources. And how you can do the same when you use one powerful tool.

Tue, 02 Mar 2021 08:00:00 +0000

Predator, Prey, and Not Playing Fair

Good surveillance can operate right under your nose without you even knowing they are there. And even though your tail may have all the advantages, you have one powerful tool that can flip the odds in your favor. In this episode, Andrew teaches you how spies beat surveillance in the field and how you can use the same skill to beat your opponents in everyday life.

Tue, 16 Feb 2021 08:00:00 +0000

The Covert Op Lifecycle Advantage

Intel operators do not see time the same way as everyone else. Some people think time is a resource. Others think it is a tool for trade. Operatives view time as something completely different. In this episode, Andrew walks you through the lifecycle of a covert op to give you a unique advantage that only field operators understand.

Tue, 02 Feb 2021 08:00:00 +0000

The Secrets of Sabotage

We all grow up loving spy movies and books for the action! Guns shooting, bombs going off, buildings being destroyed. And while the real thing is often just as exciting as a movie, it is very different in one powerful and important way. In this episode, Andrew shares a secret about intelligence operations that you can use to take control and gain leverage in any everyday situation.

Tue, 19 Jan 2021 08:00:00 +0000

Why Others Fail and You Dont Have to

Everyone loves to talk about opportunity, hope, and new beginnings at the start of a new year. But a conversation about Failure might be more productive. In this episode, Andrew breaks down how elite operatives view, process, and ultimately avoid failure even when the odds are against them. If you have felt the sting of failure, or worry that you may be failing, this is a conversation you don't want to miss...

Tue, 05 Jan 2021 08:00:00 +0000

Covert Signals and the Business of Spying

Welcome to Season 5! The goal for this season is to start taking action on the skills we've mastered in the last 4 seasons. That means its time to talk about field tradecraft! And the best place to start studying tradecraft is with covert signals. In this episode, Andrew explains covert signals you've seen in movies and a few you've never heard of. You might be surprised to learn how many signals you aren't even aware you are missing...

Thu, 10 Dec 2020 23:50:19 +0000

Spying on Season 5

It's been an exciting and fun 4 seasons of growth! And I'm super pumped to give you a peak into what I am working on for season 5. If you've been thinking about jump-starting your plans for 2021, then you are in the right place. This is a community that serves you...

Wed, 18 Nov 2020 08:00:00 +0000

The Anatomy of a Conspiracy

It's never wise to laugh off a conspiracy too quickly. History has given us enough examples of conspiracies proven true that we would be wise to listen before we laugh. But what makes a conspiracy happen in the first place? In this episode, Andrew cuts to the heart of conspiracy too show you where conspiracy theories come from and how they grow. And if you are ready to take a conspiracy challenge, visit EverydaySpy.com/live to test your skills.

Tue, 10 Nov 2020 08:00:00 +0000

The Missing Link in the Info Chain

Spy movies and mainstream media always talk about the process of 'analysis'. Many of the world's top experts even carry the title of 'analyst.' But the value of analysis and the power of an analyst is based in a skill you rarely ever hear about. In this episode, Andrew gives you the skeleton key to unlocking information like a spy and puts the power of analysis into your hands... forever.

Tue, 03 Nov 2020 08:00:00 +0000

That Awkward Phase of High School and Presidential Elections

There is a pattern to information. You have seen the pattern in your everyday life, from high school to today, because it is human nature. And you are about to see the final phase of the pattern all over headlines and media. In this episode, Andrew describes the information phase know as 'information overload' and how it is used to deceive you to steal your attention.

Tue, 27 Oct 2020 07:00:00 +0000

What Librarians and CIA Agents Have in Common

People mistake information as something you have to personally have in your mind. They assume that If you know a lot of information, you are smart, if you don't, you are dumb. Nothing could be further from the truth. In this episode, Andrew explains why information doesn't have to be in your head to be of value to you, and he shares a few secret people that can help you gain access to information you never even dreamed possible.

Tue, 20 Oct 2020 10:00:00 +0000

Everyday Precision Without the Bullets

We all know what it's like to have our words misunderstood. We also know it's like to misunderstand what someone else is trying to say. Sometimes these errors are innocent... and sometimes they are not. In this episode, Andrew and Jihi share a few personal stories and a few current examples to show you exactly how specific words can help you or be used against you.

Tue, 13 Oct 2020 07:00:00 +0000

The Two Lies You Will Remember From This Day Forward

Spies are taught that not all lies are equal. The thing that separates lies is the intention behind the lie; was the lie intentional, or was the lie not intentional. In this episode, Andrew describes the relationship between lies, intent, and how the two impact the current political climate and your everyday life. For anyone out there feeling lied to... you will never forget this.

Wed, 07 Oct 2020 07:00:00 +0000

How to Dissect a News Article to Tell if it's Real News

The 24 hour news cycle is a constant grind on your senses, emotions, and patience. Every headline tries to grab your attention, but what happens when they do? What value is really in the article itself, and is it even real news? In this episode, Andrew will dissect a current headline news article and show you exactly how to tell if what you are reading is worth reading at all...

Tue, 29 Sep 2020 07:00:00 +0000

How to Stay Three Steps Ahead of the Next President

The 2020 Presidential debates begin tonight and both candidates are going to lie to your face without getting caught. How? Using a mental loophole that politicians, advertisers and dictators have used for generations. In this episode, Andrew prepares you to see through debate deceptions and distractions so you can see the truth that millions of other voters will miss.

Tue, 22 Sep 2020 07:00:00 +0000

The Dirty Truth About Polls The News Doesnt Want to Admit

To see the world, you must look through something - eyes, windows, glasses, screens. And while what we see seems real, we never stop to think that someone else could be looking at the same thing but seeing it very differently. In this episode, Andrew and Jihi discuss the way your brain interprets information differently than those around you. And how you can change the lens your using to view the world...

Tue, 15 Sep 2020 07:00:00 +0000

How to Decode News Headlines and Skip the Slant

News headlines work hard to capture your attention in a few simple words. But those same headlines also give away a lot of information about their truthfulness, intent, and purpose. In this episode, Andrew shows you how to break down any news headline and know right away whether you can trust the information in the article. Don't miss this chance to look at everyday news and know right away if you can trust it!

Tue, 08 Sep 2020 07:00:00 +0000

The Curious Case of Sharing Lies

Ever wonder why fake news and false information spreads so quickly? You see headlines and news pundits talking about fact and fiction all the time, but the truth behind how bad information spreads is simpler than you might think. In this episode, Andrew explains where research and espionage intersect and result in misinformation.

Tue, 01 Sep 2020 07:00:00 +0000

The Reason Kids Perform Better Than Adults

We all say that kids can absorb a ton of information quickly, like a sponge absorbing water. But what exactly is it about children that gives them that superpower? And can an adult have it? In this episode, Andrew explains the science behind how kids learn and gives you the secret to how you can get that magic back.

Tue, 25 Aug 2020 07:00:00 +0000

Fighting the 2 Pitfalls that Killed Modern Day Journalism

Journalism has been slowing dying under pressure from social media, 24 hour cable news, and internet-based competitors like blogs and podcasts. But it has also fallen prey to two very important shortcuts in the human mind. In this episode, Andrew and Jihi explain how your attention is being hijacked without you even realizing it and what you can do to take back control.

Tue, 18 Aug 2020 07:00:00 +0000

Separate Real Facts from Slant and Fiction Every Time

We all know that information can be helpful or hurtful. And when it hurts, we want to blame someone. But you may not know that sometimes your own brain is the reason that information works against you. Your mind can work against you by accident or on purpose... but you can beat it. In this episode, Andrew shares a few everyday stories that will make you question how much you trust your brain. And show you how you can train it to process information even better...

Tue, 11 Aug 2020 07:00:00 +0000

Find the Truth When Bad Info is Thrown at You

Information is thrown at you everyday - online, on TV, in your inbox, and in your ear. Even if you wanted to take it all in, information can get overwhelming during a significant world event. And right now, there are TWO major events in motion: the ongoing crisis from Coronavirus, and the 2020 US Presidential election. In this episode, Andrew lays the foundation for how you can handle massive information right now and how you can use espionage to master it.

Tue, 28 Jul 2020 07:00:00 +0000

BONUS: Spying on Season 4

Jihi and I recently had a conversation that we wanted to share with you about our marriage, the podcast, and what you can expect in Season 4! There is a lot more to come and we are excited to have you along for the ride! Here is a little bonus to make you smile and, hopefully, get you excited...

Tue, 14 Jul 2020 07:00:00 +0000

Mr. and Mrs. Spy PART V

To conclude our season exploring the Ground Truth of espionage, Andrew and Jihi revisit an old CIA training exercise that helped them learn more about each other and themselves. There is incredible value in knowing yourself, but there is even greater value in learning how to build the right team around you. And at CIA, the most successful teams start in the most unexpected way...

Tue, 30 Jun 2020 07:00:00 +0000

Mr. and Mrs. Spy PART IV

There is great power to be found in opposites. Opposites attract, complete cycles, and make championship teams. In this episode, Andrew and his wife - fellow ex-CIA covert officer Jihi - explore the power of opposites in espionage and everyday life. And they share a bit more about how leaving CIA was a choice they didnt want to make, but had to make...

Tue, 16 Jun 2020 07:00:00 +0000

Mr. and Mrs. Spy PART III

When it's time to build, destroy, or fix, everyone relies on having a good set of tools. The intelligence world is no different, even though the tools come with different names; targeter, analyst, operator. But unlike the tools in your toolbox, the tools of National Intelligence have lives, hopes, and aspirations. In this episode, Andrew and Jihi discuss how good - and bad - it can feel to be a tool for espionage.

Tue, 02 Jun 2020 07:00:00 +0000

Mr. and Mrs. Spy PART II

The human mind is at the center of all espionage. If you know your mind and the mind of your opponent, you will win. In this episode, Andrew and his wife, ex-CIA targeter Jihi, explore the power of cognitive training as a tool for spying, success, and countering anxiety. Jihi is a trained spy with a clinically diagnosed anxiety disorder. Here is how she uses her training to overcome anxiety and live the life she loves...

Tue, 19 May 2020 07:00:00 +0000

Mr. and Mrs. Spy PART I

No spy starts out as someone special. We are all just normal people until the day comes that we receive a phone call that changes our life. As we close this season about the Ground Truth of espionage, Andrew wanted to share a new and different voice with all of you. A normal voice, from a normal person, who received an extraordinary phone call that led to an extraordinary life.

Tue, 05 May 2020 07:00:00 +0000

EDSAVAGE Lethal Lady Part IV

In this final episode with EDSAVAGE, we explore the spy skills that make an operator successful in everyday life. Regardless of age, gender, or education, the tools of espionage are timeless and immensely powerful. Some of those tools are easy to guess - others are not. Let Andrew and EDSAVAGE share the tools that they value most when they work to win each new day.

Tue, 21 Apr 2020 07:00:00 +0000

EDSAVAGE Lethal Lady Part III

It's not easy to be friends with a spy. We are constantly pushing, striving, and working to take action. We thrive on action and control. In this episode, Andrew and EDSAVAGE explore how action and control define a person's legacy. And along the way, they compete to take control of the current conversation. Friends and competitors, Andrew and EDSAVAGE believe in legacy building. And they know you do too...

Tue, 07 Apr 2020 07:00:00 +0000

EDSAVAGE Lethal Lady Part II

In this episode, Andrew and EDSAVAGE share an important secret about espionage. A secret that defines the difference between a successful mission and a successful operation. Hollywood likes to focus on short-term objectives - individual missions. But the real benefit spies bring to national security is not short-term. It's in winning long-term objectives... winning the operation.

Tue, 24 Mar 2020 07:00:00 +0000

EDSAVAGE Lethal Lady Part I

Andrew continues to explore the 'Ground Truth' of espionage with intelligence operators from around the world. In this episode, Andrew introduces a foreign intel officer with an impressive history of successful capture/kill missions. You might be surprised to hear what a confirmed killer sounds like...and even more surprised to hear why they love espionage.

Tue, 10 Mar 2020 07:00:00 +0000

EDVIPER Spy Business Part II

Business is about people, whether your business is espionage or sales. Spies steal secrets and sell treason - its a niche service, but people are predictable. In this second half of Andrew's conversation with EDVIPER, hear how a few simple practices from espionage can boost and improve your career, business, and professional reputation.

Tue, 25 Feb 2020 08:00:00 +0000

EDVIPER Spy Business Part I

As we continue exploring the ground truth, let's turn our conversation toward how espionage skills benefit us in business. Let me introduce you to my good friend EDVIPER, a husband and business owner with a fantastic operational background. EDVIPER is an intel brother coming from the DIA (Defense Intelligence Agency), but don't let that fool you. He's one of the best in the business...

Tue, 11 Feb 2020 08:00:00 +0000

EDJACKAL Deep Cover Part V

In this final installment of our conversation with EDJACKAL we learn about captivity. What makes captivity so difficult, and what tools allow you to resist. Andrew and EDJACKAL talk about how espionage skills apply to the everyday world, and how those who understand and apply those skills have a powerful advantage over those who don't. This is the ground truth of espionage.

Tue, 28 Jan 2020 08:00:00 +0000

EDJACKAL Deep Cover Part IV

Fear is real. And we all experience it. But training is the reason a spy in the field can stand face-to-face with fear and win. In this episode, Andrew and EDJACKAL talk about fear, discouragement, and heartache. About the sacrifices spy's have to make to their health and their home. And how sacrificing for passion just makes the passion burn hotter. This is the ground truth of espionage.

Tue, 14 Jan 2020 08:00:00 +0000

EDJACKAL Deep Cover Part III

Reality looks different, depending on your point of view. For my friend CODENAME: EDJACKAL, reality looked like tracer bullets, land mines, and guerrilla fighters. And as he serves and trains with new generations of field operators, his experience and opinions can be surprising to hear. But hearing his reality gives you a new point of view. And each new perspective brings you closer to understanding the ground truth of espionage.

Tue, 31 Dec 2019 08:00:00 +0000

EDJACKAL Deep Cover Part II

Sometimes the truth is hard to share. It can be frustrating, embarrassing, and even downright discouraging. But it's still the truth. In this episode, Andrew and CODENAME: EDJACKAL discuss the truth that drove EDJACKAL to specialize in the impossible - to participate in operations that nearly left his family fatherless. This is the ground truth of spying.

Tue, 17 Dec 2019 08:00:00 +0000

EDJACKAL Deep Cover Part I

Welcome to Season 3 of the Everyday Espionage Podcast! This season is dedicated to exploring the 'Ground Truth' of espionage. Andrew is traveling the world to meet his peers and fellow operatives still living and working in the field. In this episode, we meet CODENAME: EDJACKAL - a former CIA deep cover operator willing to share his story only with you, #EverydaySpy.

Tue, 03 Dec 2019 08:00:00 +0000

The Boy Snow Mountains

Living in Thailand means living among Buddhists. And while life in a country obsessed with 'karma' is convenient, it also comes with a requirement to learn a bit about Buddhism. In this episode, Andrew shares a Buddhist story that teaches a powerful truth about espionage - a lesson from the Lotus Sutra. Spies and Buddhists understand that knowledge takes sacrifice...

Tue, 19 Nov 2019 08:00:00 +0000

Assumption and Assessment

The most dangerous part of intelligence work doesn't come from outside threats. It comes from natural, internal mental processes that flaw our thinking process. In this Season 2 finale, Andrew describes the danger of assumptions and the value of assessment. HUMINT operators know the risks of assumption and use assessment to keep themselves safe. You can too...

Tue, 05 Nov 2019 08:00:00 +0000

Filters vs. Funnels

Surveillance detection is a core skill for any covert field officer. But even after you leave the world of espionage, the principles of surveillance detection still pay dividends. In this episode, Andrew explains how surveillance skills apply to growing your business and protecting yourself from digital marketing scams. Its the difference between filters and funnels...

Tue, 22 Oct 2019 07:00:00 +0000

Tribes and Tribulation

We live in a civilized world... except in those places where society is ruled by tribal law. In Pakistan, much of the culture is based in tribal history going back thousands of years. In this episode, Andrew shares a tribal story from Pakistan and looks at how the lessons of that story are still relevant in our civilized society today. Human beings are tribal and we can either learn from our history or repeat it.

Tue, 08 Oct 2019 07:00:00 +0000

Fighting Sales With Sales

Nobody enjoys dealing with salespeople. They have a terrible reputation earned from years of everyday people having equally terrible sales experiences. In this episode, Andrew shares 3 secrets that salespeople don't want you to know and gives 3 tactics you can use to beat salespeople every time you buy. Learn how to take control away from salespeople and beat them at their own game.

Tue, 24 Sep 2019 16:00:00 +0000

Bonfires and Islands

Some people are natural spies - building their influence and traveling the world on their own terms. One of those people is very special to Andrew... his baby sister. In this episode, Andrew explains how you can build bridges to places you never thought possible when you meet people where they are. Not where you want them to be.

To follow Andrew's sister on her journey around the world, visithttps://onegoodglobe.travel.blog/

Tue, 10 Sep 2019 07:00:00 +0000

Cover. Think. React.

Experts agree that 'Run, Hide, Fight' is not an effective response to modern day mass shootings. From police officers to special operators, fatality results show that individuals that run, hide, or fight are getting killed. And with mass shootings a clear and present danger in our society, we need a better solution. In this episode, Andrew describes how field operatives are trained to respond to mass shootings. The only way to beat a mass shooter is to recognize their weaknesses and our strengths. It is time to train everyday people to 'Cover. Think. React.'

Tue, 27 Aug 2019 07:00:00 +0000

What You Can Learn From an Osprey

Every bird has to build a nest.There are great truths to be found by comparing intelligence operations with nest building. In this episode, Andrew explores the benefits of building your business, your career, and your life the same way a bird builds a nest.

Tue, 13 Aug 2019 07:00:00 +0000

Why "Normal" Isn't Always Best

The norms that we share are what make us a collective. But are we choosing our norms or are they being chosen for us. In this episode, Andrew explores the norms that exist around us and how they impact our everyday decisions. Sometimes normal isn't always best.

Tue, 30 Jul 2019 07:00:00 +0000

A Summer Abroad

Let's take a journey to the desert. It may not be comfortable, and not everyone will agree, but it will be an adventure. In this episode, Andrew discusses how each of us can make the decision to change. And even though change can be difficult, it brings experience that helps us grow beyond the world around us. The only way to find something new - something better - is by choosing to embrace uncomfortable change.

Tue, 16 Jul 2019 07:00:00 +0000

Get Up. Get Out. And Try.

Lessons have a way of being learned. Sometimes teachers have doctorates, sometimes they have businesses, and sometimes they just give you a ride in their car. In this episode, Andrew shares an espionage lesson he learned from an series of unexpected teachers.

Tue, 02 Jul 2019 07:00:00 +0000

Talent and Passion

We live in a world that celebrates talent. We celebrate talent in sports, music, on screen, and on the job. But where does passion fit in to our world? In this episode, Andrew explores talent and highlights the benefits and limitations that come with it. He discusses passion and the partnership that can come when you put the right people together.

Tue, 18 Jun 2019 07:00:00 +0000

The Boundary Tax

Welcome to Season 2 of the Everyday Espionage Podcast!

The world wants you to set boundaries; at work, at home and in business, in relationships. We are taught that boundaries protect us and keep us safe. But that isn't the whole truth. In this episode, Andrew explains how modern day lessons about boundaries are deceiving you. They are only half-true. And the other half is a secret you deserve to know.

Fri, 24 May 2019 07:00:00 +0000

MISSION COMPLETE - Operation:Real-Time

Operation: Real-Time was a success! Congratulations to you, #EverydaySpy.

In this episode, Andrew recaps the lessons learned in Operation: Real-time. Many started, few finished, but learning occurred all around. If you haven't completed the mission yet, SPOILER ALERT! Put this episode aside and come back when you've completed the mission objectives. For everyone else, consider this your after action report.

#OperationRealTime

Tue, 21 May 2019 07:00:00 +0000

Simple and Dangerous

Everyone is hungry for information, but not all information is equal. And the gap between those who have it and those who want it is a dangerous divide. In this episode, Andrew takes a detour through common history to unveil some uncommon truths. A follow-up to season 1's R.I.C.E. episode, its time to dig into how our ideology can make us strong and leave us weak at the same time.

#EverydaySpy #OperationRealTime

Learn more from Andrew at:https://everydayspy.com/

Tue, 14 May 2019 07:00:00 +0000

Commitment Over Comfort

We are taught that comfort is the ultimate goal in life: to live comfortably, to seek comfort, to find our comfort zone. The truth is quite the opposite. In this bonus episode - part of the Operation: Real-Time series - Andrew explains how the message of comfort is actually preventing us from reaching our highest potential. The key to achievement rests in commitment rather than comfort. Come and learn why.

#OperationRealTime #EverydaySpy

Learn more about Andrew's mission at:https://everydayspy.com

Tue, 30 Apr 2019 07:00:00 +0000

Operation: Real-Time

Operation: Real-Time is the first ever immersive spy training scenario made available to the public. Join Andrew Bustamante as he takes you through an authentic spy training mission where you apply the skills you learned during season one of The Everyday Espionage Podcast. Many will start, few will finish, all will be challenged to think, plan, and execute like a trained field officer. Where will Operation: Real-Time take you, #EverydaySpy?

Don't miss a mission update!https://everydayspy.com/Operations/

Thu, 25 Apr 2019 13:00:00 +0000

Thanks with a Secret Mission

Elite operatives around the world use real-world application to solidify skills and learning. Season 1 has exceeded every my every ambition. And while saying 'thank you' is appropriate, my appreciation comes with a twist...

The time has come to test your skills. Here are the tools you need to complete your mission...

Website: www.EverydaySpy.com

Youtube @EverydaySpy: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXam0UQg9Xr0_OarTKNMFCQ

Instagram @EverydaySpy: https://www.instagram.com/everydayspy/

Twitter @EverydaySpy: https://twitter.com/EverydaySpy

Facebook @EverydaySpy: https://www.facebook.com/EverydaySpy/

Reddit @IMAndrewBustamante: https://www.reddit.com/user/imAndrewBustamante

Linkedin Andrew Bustamante: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrew-bustamante-mba-89812a10b/

Tue, 16 Apr 2019 08:00:00 +0000

When Spies (and You) Should Go Rogue

The time comes when we all must choose to obey or disobey. And while we claim to be a fair society, the truth is that we reward both obedience and disobedience. In the season finale episode, Andrew challenges listeners to decide whether the rewards are greater for those who follow the rules, or those who break the rules.

This season of The Everyday Espionage Podcast would not be possible if not for our dedicated sponsors. If you want to support the Podcast, support our sponsors - they are making change possible.

William Miller - Best Selling Author of the Jake Noble series
https://www.amazon.com/Noble-Man-Book...

Marone Law
http://www.maronelaw.com/

Triggermouth Tees
https://www.triggermouth.com/

All film and audio recording was made possible by The St. Petersburg City Theater. Humanity grows through the arts.
http://www.spcitytheatre.org/
#SaveCityTheatre

Tue, 02 Apr 2019 07:00:00 +0000

Courage vs. Confidence

You are being sold a lie... and the lie is called confidence. Elite performers, from athletes to operatives, recognize that confidence cannot be trained or taught. But authors, experts, and salesman are selling people the lie that it can. In this episode, Andrew explains how courage is not something inside us; it is something others project onto us. What we have within us is far more powerful than confidence, but it requires a choice...

This season of The Everyday Espionage Podcast would not be possible if not for our dedicated sponsors. If you want to support the Podcast, support our sponsors - they are making change possible.

William Miller - Best Selling Author of the Jake Noble series
https://www.amazon.com/Noble-Man-Book...

Marone Law
http://www.maronelaw.com/

Triggermouth Tees
https://www.triggermouth.com/

All film and audio recording was made possible by The St. Petersburg City Theater. Humanity grows through the arts.
http://www.spcitytheatre.org/
#SaveCityTheatre

Tue, 19 Mar 2019 08:00:00 +0000

The Only Goals the Matter

Goals are a part of everyday life, and they often become as simple, routine, and predictable as any other daily chore. Training seminars, social media influencers, and best selling books are telling you to set realistic goal that you can achieve. In this episode, Andrew challenges common opinion and makes the argument that realistic goals are not big enough. To do something nobody else can imagine, you have to set goals that everyone else considers unrealistic.

This season of The Everyday Espionage Podcast would not be possible if not for our dedicated sponsors. If you want to support the Podcast, support our sponsors - they are making change possible.

William Miller - Best Selling Author of the Jake Noble series
https://www.amazon.com/Noble-Man-Book...

Marone Law
http://www.maronelaw.com/

Triggermouth Tees
https://www.triggermouth.com/

All film and audio recording was made possible by The St. Petersburg City Theater. Humanity grows through the arts.
http://www.spcitytheatre.org/
#SaveCityTheatre

Tue, 05 Mar 2019 08:00:00 +0000

Outsider Advantage

We all want to belong to something. The need for acceptance is so great that we label ourselves and each other; we create insiders and outsiders. In this episode, Andrew explains the real advantage between insiders and outsiders. Spies make a career of breaking in; looking in; peeking in. We know that the way to win isn't by becoming an insider. It is by embracing the advantage you have as an outsider.

This season of The Everyday Espionage Podcast would not be possible if not for our dedicated sponsors. If you want to support the Podcast, support our sponsors - they are making change possible.

William Miller - Best Selling Author of the Jake Noble series
https://www.amazon.com/Noble-Man-Book...

Marone Law
http://www.maronelaw.com/

Triggermouth Tees
https://www.triggermouth.com/

All film and audio recording was made possible by The St. Petersburg City Theater. Humanity grows through the arts.
http://www.spcitytheatre.org/
#SaveCityTheatre

Tue, 19 Feb 2019 08:00:00 +0000

How to Infiltrate Your Opponent With Questions

We live in a world where everyone competes for attention. But in international intrigue, the advantage goes to those who remain anonymous. Talking about yourself, your skills, and your importance does little to protect your anonymity. Instead, you must learn to master a different skill altogether. In this episode, Andrew discusses why spies must master the art of asking questions before they can ever master the art of espionage. Questions bring information and influence; advantages often overlooked by those striving to be the smartest person in the room...

This season of The Everyday Espionage Podcast would not be possible if not for our dedicated sponsors. If you want to support the Podcast, support our sponsors - they are making change possible.

William Miller - Best Selling Author of the Jake Noble series
https://www.amazon.com/Noble-Man-Book...

Marone Law
http://www.maronelaw.com/

Triggermouth Tees
https://www.triggermouth.com/

All film and audio recording was made possible by The St. Petersburg City Theater. Humanity grows through the arts.
http://www.spcitytheatre.org/
#SaveCityTheatre

Tue, 05 Feb 2019 08:00:00 +0000

The Truth About Compromise

Our culture teaches us that compromise is the key to success: successful relationships, successful careers, successful lives. We learn compromise as children and become fundamentally programmed to compromise as adults in everything from dinner options to world leaders. In this episode, Andrew explains how the promise of compromise is a lie. Spies know that compromise is not the way to victory; it is the path to defeat. But where compromise brings us down, another option can lift us up to heights very few will ever reach...

This season of The Everyday Espionage Podcast would not be possible if not for our dedicated sponsors. If you want to support the Podcast, support our sponsors - they are making change possible.

William Miller - Best Selling Author of the Jake Noble series
https://www.amazon.com/Noble-Man-Book...

Marone Law
http://www.maronelaw.com/

Triggermouth Tees
https://www.triggermouth.com/

All film and audio recording was made possible by The St. Petersburg City Theater. Humanity grows through the arts.
http://www.spcitytheatre.org/
#SaveCityTheatre

Grey Dynamics

Fri, 14 Jul 2023 16:00:00 GMT

Grey Dynamics Intelligence School: The Origins, Structure, and Vision for the Future

Welcome to the Grey Dynamics Intelligence School (GDIS). In this special podcast, we provide an all-encompassing look at our unique approach to intelligence training, discussing our origin story, course structure, and future vision.


Recognising a gap in existing intelligence training a disconnect between academic studies and on-the-job experiences we founded GDIS. Our mission? To bridge this gap and offer an effective transition from theoretical knowledge to practical intelligence work.


The heart of our intelligence training is a series of six crucial modules, each addressing a distinct phase of the intelligence cycle:



Our podcast also offers a glimpse into the future, revealing our plans for Phase 2 and Phase 3 of our intelligence training program. These upcoming phases will introduce specialised and advanced modules, deepening our intelligence training further. To ensure quality training, we limit our student intake to 100 per cohort (for the whole bundle and each 2/3 months), maintaining a focus on personalised attention and mentorship.


Despite the comprehensive nature of our intelligence training, the courses are around $200/$250 per course. While the bundle is economically priced between $1000 and $1250. We will continuously update and refine our courses to stay current with the industry's evolving landscape, ensuring our students receive up-to-date and relevant intelligence training.


Tune into our latest podcast episode for an exclusive look at how GDIS is reshaping intelligence training. Whether you're a prospective student, potential partner, or an intelligence enthusiast, join us to explore the innovative world of intelligence training.


Timestamps:


0:00 Why we made the course

9:22 The Fundamentals

15:35 Direction

19:24 Collection

21:05 Processing

25:38 Analysis

31:38 Dissemination

34:18 Caveats and FAQ

37:46 Instructors

38:24 Phase Two and Difficulty

40:40 Career prospects

42:57 External courses and instructors

45:37 Marcels thoughts

47:40 Who can take this course?


Grey Dynamic Intelligence


Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Fri, 07 Jul 2023 17:30:00 GMT

Episode 38: Career Advice from Intelligence Professionals

Today we are rounding up the best advice we have had so far in season 2 of the podcast! Advice from professionals from across the industry, whether it be corporate, government, or non-profit, it's all here. Be sure to check out the episodes featured. This is our last episode of season 2, but keep on the look out for bonus episodes over the summer.


Professionals Featured:



Register your interest in the Grey Dynamics Intelligence School!


The Grey Dynamics Podcast is available on all major platforms!



Subscribe to Grey Dynamics


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Fri, 23 Jun 2023 11:00:00 GMT

Episode 37: Information Insurgencies, Energy Security and Great Power Competition with Drew Biemer

Today, I spoke to Drew Biemer, a strategic management, and communications professional with over two decades of experience in governmental, public, and civil affairs. Currently serving as the administrator of the Site Evaluation Committee and agency director for Energy Facility Siting, Permitting, Investigation, and Enforcement in the US State of New Hampshire.


His political experience spans campaign management and legislative staffing at the local, state, and federal levels, working with notable figures such as members of Congress, governors, and presidential candidates.


As a frequent panellist and moderator at energy conferences in the US and Africa, Drew shares his expertise in resilience, energy security, stakeholder engagement, land use, politics, and local content. He also has additional experience in executive protection, public safety, information operations, geopolitical risk analysis, and crisis management.


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Fri, 16 Jun 2023 11:12:06 GMT

Episode 36: Warzone Extraction, China vs Taiwan and Project Dynamo with Bryan Stern

Today, I spoke to Bryan Stern, who has 25 years of service focused on intelligence and special operations with the US. He specializes in counter-terrorism, counter-proliferation, hostage rescue, personnel recovery, critical technology protection, and unconventional warfare against near-peer threats. He is a Purple Heart recipient and is credited with being a military first responder at the World Trade Center on the morning of the 9/11 attacks. Currently, he manages Project Dynamo, a non-profit international search, rescue, aid, and assistance organization. Initially established to aid individuals in leaving Afghanistan after the US withdrawal, Project Dynamo has since been involved in extracting people from Ukraine, Sudan, and various other perilous locations.


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Fri, 09 Jun 2023 11:49:43 GMT

Episode 35: Australian Intelligence, Demystifying HUMINT and Mental Health with D.

Today I spoke to D., a former Military Intelligence operator from Australia. He has also worked in law enforcement and is currently doing contracted work. We spoke about his experience transitioning from combat engineer to intelligence operator, his time in Afghanistan, mental health, demystifying HUMINT, getting into OSINT and more.


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Fri, 02 Jun 2023 11:00:00 GMT

Episode 34: Canadian Intelligence, the ICC and Career Development with Kelly Wong

Today I spoke to Kelly Wong, a security analyst in the Canadian Senate. She has previously worked for multiple private intelligence firms and has interned at the International Criminal Courts. We discussed the challenges and rewards of working in intelligence, the obstacles ethnic minorities face in the application process, and Kelly's advice for young professionals.


Apologies for the mic quality in this episode.


Disclaimer:


Any views, thoughts, and opinions expressed by the Interviewee are solely that of the Interviewee and do not reflect the views, opinions, policies, or position of any institution or organisation.


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Fri, 12 May 2023 11:00:00 GMT

Episode 33: ISKP, Taliban Response and Violent Non-State Actors with Lucas Webber

Today I spoke with Lucas Webber, co-founder of Militant Wire, an organization focused on providing independent analysis of militant activity and armed conflict around the world. We discussed Russia's "White Power Rangers", Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP), interviewing violent non-state actors, Lucas' writing process and more.


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Fri, 05 May 2023 10:51:45 GMT

Episode 32: Intelligence Tradecraft Week, Tools, Tips and Tricks

It is Intelligence Tradecraft Week here at Grey Dynamics, so for this week's episode we thought we'd round up the tools and tricks used by practitioners we've had on the podcast, in the real world. They cover social media tools, advanced search techniques, monitoring services, AI and more. Be sure to check out their full episodes, linked below.


Practitioners We Spoke To




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Fri, 28 Apr 2023 11:00:16 GMT

Episode 31: Russian Private Military Contractors in Ukraine with Alec Bertina

This week I spoke to Alec Bertina, a non-traditional security actor researcher, specialising on Russia security affairs. In this episode, we discussed the wild and confusing network of Russian private military contractors, the people behind them and their mission. From ex-special forces to far right to oil and gas companies, there are many actors at play here. Alec does a fantastic job of breaking down the key groups and their motivations.


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Fri, 07 Apr 2023 16:00:00 GMT

Episode 30: Finland in NATO, UGVs and ChatGPT for Intelligence Analysts with Marcel Plichta

This week I caught up again with Marcel Plichta. Marcel is a member of the Grey Dynamics team, he is also a PhD candidate at St. Andrews and an Ex-DIA Analyst. We discussed the context of Finland's NATO membership, the state of UGVs, the Great power competition in Africa, and how generative AI models like ChatGPT could be applied to intelligence in practice.


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Fri, 31 Mar 2023 11:00:38 GMT

Episode 29: Arms Tracking, Drone Supply Chains and Blow Back with Jonah Leff

Today I spoke with Jonah Leff, the director of operations at Conflict Armament Research (CAR). He has extensive experience investigating sanctions violations and advising policymakers on issues related to armed violence and conflict. We discussed the role of OSINT in his work, 3D printed guns, drones in Ukraine and much more.


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Fri, 24 Mar 2023 12:00:00 GMT

Episode 28: Drone Threat Intelligence, 3D Printing and Dark Networks with Mike Monnik

Today I spoke with Mike Monnik, CEO of DroneSec. They focus on drone threat intelligence, documenting the latest developments in the use of drones by malicious actors. We discussed the use of drones in bank robberies, drone innovation in Myanmar, Chinas role in the supply chain and much more.


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Sat, 18 Mar 2023 13:41:44 GMT

Episode 27: AI Arms Race, Drone Warfare and Cognitive Enhancement with Paul Scharre

Today I spoke with Paul Scharre, the vice president and director of studies at the Center for New American Security (CNAS). Previously he has worked for the Office of the Secretary of Defense as well as being a team leader in the US Army's 75th Ranger Regiment. Scharre's latest book "Four Battlegrounds: Power in the age of artificial intelligence" discusses some of the bleeding edge issues facing US national security. We discussed the use of drones in Ukraine, limiting China's access to cutting-edge chips, data advantages and much more.


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Fri, 10 Mar 2023 17:00:00 GMT

Episode 26: OSINT and SOCMINT for Threat Intelligence with Jordan Ponath

Today I spoke with Jordan Ponath, senior intelligence analyst at Lockheed Martin, ex-US Marine, and self-described 'data geek'. Jordan leads a team constantly on the lookout for threats to his organization using OSINT and SOCMINT techniques. In this episode, we get into the tools he and his team use as well as unconventional routes into the sector. 


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Fri, 03 Mar 2023 17:00:00 GMT

Episode 25: News in the Age of Social Media with The Rage X

Today I spoke with The Rage X again, now going by his real name, Carlos. He has been closely following breaking news on conflicts since the second Nagorno-Karabakh War in 2020. I spoke with him about his background, his process, and the importance of reading into both sides of conflicts.


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Fri, 24 Feb 2023 17:00:00 GMT

Episode 24: Sahel Security Week, French Exodus & Wagner COIN Efforts with Menastream

Today we spoke with Hni Nsaibia, the man behind Menastream. Hni is among the most knowledgeable people online regarding the Sahel, particularly in Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger. He is also a senior researcher at ACLED. We discussed his background, the situation in the region, and the key external actors.


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Mon, 20 Feb 2023 13:10:31 GMT

Episode 23: ChatGPT, The Intelligence Community & Career Advice with Mike Evans

Today I spoke with Mike Evans, head of intelligence at Securitas. Mike has been working in the private intelligence sector for nearly a decade, now leading an award-winning threat and intelligence service. He also has an intelligence background within the military. In this episode, we dive into topics such as the rise of AI, getting into the industry for young analysts, and what keeps us up at night.


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Fri, 10 Feb 2023 17:00:00 GMT

Episode 22: Wagner PMC, Spy Balloons & Spearfishing with Marcel Plichta

This week I caught up with Marcel Plichta. He is a PhD candidate at St. Andrews, Ex-DIA Analyst and a colleague. We discussed the details of the upcoming Grey Dynamics Intelligence course, some recent events, and what we have been into recently. 


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Fri, 03 Feb 2023 17:00:00 GMT

Episode 21: GEOINT, OSINT & Facing Vicarious Trauma with Benjamin Strick

This week I spoke to Benjamin Strick, director of investigations at the Centre for Information Resilience. He leads teams using open source intelligence to support civil society, media, government and accountability mechanisms. He is also a Bellingcat contributor and previously worked as an investigator at BBC Africa Eye.


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Fri, 27 Jan 2023 17:00:00 GMT

Episode 20: OSINT, Military Career Transition & Language Skills with Skip Schiphorst

Welcome back for season two of the Grey Dynamics Podcast! We're kicking things off by talking to Chinese and Arabic OSINT trainer, Skip Schiphorst. Skip is an ex-Dutch Royal Marine who went onto do Chinese studies and now teaches OSINT skills.


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Fri, 06 Jan 2023 17:00:00 GMT

Episode 19: Call of Duty Modern Warfare, an Intelligence Perspective (Pt. 3)

Part 3 of our series analyzing the Call of Duty series from an intelligence perspective. In this episode we look at 2011's Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3, the most extravagant game yet. Storming Wallstreet, assaulting a hotel in Dubai, shootouts on the London Underground, and a chase through the Catacombs of Paris. It has it all.


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Fri, 30 Dec 2022 18:15:46 GMT

Episode 18: Call of Duty Modern Warfare, an Intelligence Perspective (Pt. 2)

Part 2 of our series analysing the Call of Duty series from an intelligence perspective. This episode we look at 2009's Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2. We travel the world from Afghanistan, to Brazil to the Virginia suburbs. Encountering Far Right Terrorists, Gun Runners, Spetsnaz and PMCs.


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Fri, 23 Dec 2022 17:37:17 GMT

Episode 17: Call of Duty 4 Modern Warfare, an Intelligence perspective

When we're not with family, some of us at Grey Dynamics are spending the holiday break playing the new Modern Warfare! As a bonus for the holidays, we decided to record some episodes looking at the franchise's realism. In this first episode, we will take a look at the granddaddy of modern shooters, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare.


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Fri, 16 Dec 2022 17:06:17 GMT

Episode 16: Covert Action, The Royals, Coups & Espionage with Rory Cormac

Today I spoke with Rory Cormac, an international relations lecturer at the University of Nottingham. He specialises in UK covert action and has written six books on the matter. Including his latest "How To Stage A Coup and ten other lessons from the world of secret statecraft".


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Sat, 10 Dec 2022 15:00:00 GMT

Episode 15: Expert advice for getting into intelligence

Today I thought we would round up some of the best advice from our guests so far on the podcast. If you would like to check out further advice, here is Marcel Plichta's article on becoming an Intelligence Analyst. You can also find the links to the individual podcasts featured in this episode below.


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Fri, 25 Nov 2022 17:31:17 GMT

Episode 14: Tsunami Torpedoes, Ukrainian USVs & Narco Subs with HI Sutton

Today I spoke with HI Sutton a.k.a Covert Shores. He writes about the changing world of underwater and seabed warfare, covering secretive and unusual vessel technologies used to fight beneath the waves. Combining the latest open-source intelligence (OSINT) with traditional science of defense analysis.


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Fri, 18 Nov 2022 17:00:00 GMT

Episode 13: WW3 Averted, Wagner in Mali and Reality TV With Marcel Plichta

Today I spoke with Marcel Plichta! He is at the moment doing his PhD at St. Andrews. And before that, he was an intelligence analyst for the DIA, which stands for Defence Intelligence Agency and is the Pentagons intelligence agency.


You can find Marcel on:


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Fri, 04 Nov 2022 17:00:00 GMT

Episode 12: Update on the Caucasus and the Future of Journalism With Mike Godwin

Today I spoke with Mike Godwin! Mike is a freelance journalist who focuses on defence and security matters in Eastern Europe and the caucuses as well as NATO. He's a combat veteran of the United States Army and currently lives in Tbilisi, Georgia, where he runs his own journalism and OSINT platform.


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Fri, 28 Oct 2022 16:00:00 GMT

Episode 11: SOCMINT, OSINT and Censorship with RageX

Today I spoke with RageX! he collects, processes and processes before turning that into analysis 2.0. He focuses on Social Media intelligence (SOCMINT) and open-source intelligence (OSINT). On all his platforms, he caters to an audience of around 500 thousand.


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Fri, 21 Oct 2022 16:00:00 GMT

Episode 10: Selling Terror Online and Information Warfare with Anna Kruglova

Today I spoke with Anna Kruglova! Anna is a Lecturer of Terrorism Studies and a Programme leader for MA Terrorism and Security at the School of Arts and Media at the University of Salford. 


She obtained her PhD in international studies from Queens University Belfast and her MA in international conflict studies from Kings College London and her MSc in Security Studies from UCL. 


Her research interests are focused on terrorist propaganda and she is particularly interested in exploring what role the Internet, media and social media play in the recruitment process and radicalisation. 

She recently published a book Terrorist Recruitment, Propaganda and Branding: Selling Terror Online.


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Fri, 07 Oct 2022 16:00:00 GMT

Episode 9: Drones, Robotics, AI and Hybrid Warfare in Ukraine with Samuel Bendett

Thank you for joining the Great Dynamics Podcast, today I spoke with Samuel Bendett! Samuel is an advisor with the CNA Strategy, Policy, Plan, and Program centre where he is a member of the Russia Studies program.

He's also an adjunct senior fellow at the Center for New American Security. His work involves research on Russian defense and technology developments, unmanned and autonomous military systems and artificial intelligence, as well as Russian military capabilities and decision-making during crises. 

And he's also an honorary Mad Scientist, which is very cool with the US Army TRADOC Math Scientist Initiative!


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You can find more out about Samuel's work via his Twitter 

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Fri, 30 Sep 2022 16:00:00 GMT

Episode 8: Corporate Intelligence, Global Risk and OSINT Tips with Gareth Westwood

In this episode of the Grey Dynamics Podcast, I spoke with Gareth Westwood. Garrett is an 11 year veteran of the intelligence community in the uk. He served in different roles in the military as well as in the foreign service. In the last two years, He spent his time building and running an internal global corporate intelligence team in a large pharmaceutical company as the head of Global Intelligence. 


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You find Gareth on LinkedIn: Gareth Westwood

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Fri, 23 Sep 2022 16:00:00 GMT

Episode 7: Intelligence Led Policing, OSINT and Facing PTSD With Julie Nel

In this episode of the Grey Dynamics Podcast, I spoke with my old mentor partner and friend Julie Nel! Julie is an experienced senior leader within the security industry, with a career spanning 30 years across UK Military and Law Enforcement. She specialises in Intelligence and Serious and Organised Crime and has served as Force Director of Intelligence and the National Lead for Intelligence in Her Majestys Inspectorate of Constabularies (HMIC).

Currently, she is the founder and managing director of the private intelligence and investigative firm B4secure 


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Fri, 16 Sep 2022 16:00:29 GMT

Episode 6: Humanitarian work, Exploration and the Art of Storytelling with Dave Luke

In this episode, I sat down with my friend and former British Army engineer, paratrooper turned humanitarian, adventurer, filmmaker and entrepreneur Dave Luke.

Dave is Artios Global's CEO and an Information and Strategy advisor who has led humanitarian relief, research assessments and media production in complex emergencies and transitional states for 15 years. He has worked in more than 50 countries.


We discussed:


  1. His journey from Northern Ireland to the highest peaks in the world.
  2. His love for humanitarian work
  3. The art of storytelling and its role in research and intelligence.
  4. How to lead with unconditional honesty and trust
  5. Building your own tribe
  6. Being fearless in approaching opportunities


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Fri, 02 Sep 2022 16:00:00 GMT

Episode 5: Illicit Nuclear Technology Procurement and Dark Networks With Jack Margolin

Thank you for joining the Grey Dynamics podcast. We have a very special guest, Jack Margolin! Jack is the program director of the Conflict-Affected States Program at C4ADS, which is a nonprofit organization that uses publicly available information and emerging technology to disrupt international crime and conflict. He has investigated corruption, arms trafficking, and nuclear proliferation from Russia to South Sudan.


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You can find Jack's work at https://c4ads.org/people/jack-margolin/ or via Twitter @Jack_Mrgln


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Fri, 26 Aug 2022 16:00:00 GMT

Episode 4: Punxsutawney Phil and FBI Insider Threat Detection With Kyle Cunliffe

Hello everybody! Thank you for joining the Grey Dynamics Podcast. I'm your host Ahmed Hassan.


We spoke with Kyle Cunliffe. Kyle is a lecturer at Salford's University Intelligence Programs. His research focuses on intelligence and Cyberspace, particularly where those two meet. 


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If you want to get in touch with Kyle: @Kyle_Cunliffe on Twitter.


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Fri, 12 Aug 2022 16:00:00 GMT

Episode 3: Former DIA intelligence Analyst Marcel Plichta

Marcel is at the moment doing his PhD at St. Andrews. And before that, he was an intelligence analyst for the DIA, which stands for Defence Intelligence Agency and is the Pentagon's intelligence agency. Right now he lives in beautiful Scotland working on other exciting problems that he will talk about with us today.

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Fri, 05 Aug 2022 16:00:00 GMT

Episode 2: Former Military Intelligence Analyst Alcon S2

Today we spoke with former military intelligence analyst and New Zealand native Alcon S2. We talked about the role of OSINT in social media discourse and taking the mystique out of intelligence analysis tradecraft on social platforms.

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Fri, 29 Jul 2022 16:00:10 GMT

Episode 1: Interview with former CIA Officer, Jason L.

Thank you for joining the Grey Dynamics podcast today! 

We have a very illustrious guest, Jason L. Jason served as a Marine for 12 years.

After that, he joined the Nuclear Security Industry. And from there on out, he was recruited by the CIA.

Today he has a different role in the Intelligence Community (IC).

The Podcast is available here and on most streaming platforms!


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Mon, 25 Jul 2022 12:54:59 GMT

Trailer Grey Dynamics Podcast

The Grey dynamics podcast offers insight into the often murky and hidden world of intelligence. Brought to you by current and former intelligence practitioners that know the routes through the grey zone. With your host Ahmed Hassan.



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Spy Talk

Fri, 22 Sep 2023 09:00:00 +0000

Can Anyone Stop Cyber Terrorism?

This week Jeff talks cybersecurity with Michael Mestrovich, the former director of the CIAs Technical Services Office; former Principal Deputy Chief Information Officer for the U.S. Department of State, and current Chief Information Security Officer at Rubrik.

Michael Mestrovich | LinkedIn

Rubrik Leadership

Rubrik a Multi-Cloud Data Control Company

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Thu, 14 Sep 2023 21:30:00 +0000

A CIA EPITAPH ON 9/11

Jeff talks with retired former CIA Al Qaeda expert Cindy Storer

Cynthia Storer | Johns Hopkins Advanced Academic Programs

Cynthia Storer | UTEP

Pre-Order the book Jeff mentioned

The Sisterhood: The Secret History of Women at the CIA - Kindle edition by Liza Mundy

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Fri, 25 Aug 2023 09:00:00 +0000

Sex, Lies and Women at the CIA

Jeff talks with CIA operations veteran Laura Thomas about the gains and losses for women at the spy agency.

Follow Laura Thomas

On Twitter - Laura Thomas (@laurae_thomas)

Substack The Action Line

Read Lauras piece Espionage is a Man's World - by Laura Thomas

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Fri, 11 Aug 2023 13:56:52 +0000

A CIA Family Drama

Jeff talks with John Hadden, author of Conversations with a Masked Man: My Father, the CIA, and Me."

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Fri, 28 Jul 2023 09:00:00 +0000

Oppenheimers Origin

Jeff Stein talks with Kai Bird, co-author of American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer.

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American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer

https://www.kaibird.com/book/book_details/1

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Thu, 13 Jul 2023 12:30:00 +0000

CIA-CHINA SPY WARS: Real and Imagined

David Ignatius talks about his new thriller The Tao of Deception.

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Fri, 30 Jun 2023 00:45:00 +0000

CIAs RUSSIA CHALLENGE

Jeff talks with top former CIA Russia hand John Sipher about spy agency ops and Moscows leadership crisis.

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Fri, 2 Jun 2023 09:00:00 +0000

The Forever Spies

Jeff talks with Calder Walton, author of Spies: The Epic Intelligence War Between East and West.

Calder Walton

https://twitter.com/calder_walton

Spies: The Epic Intelligence War Between East and West

https://www.amazon.com/Spies-Epic-Intelligence-Between-East-ebook/dp/B0BHTMFTLS/ref=sr_1_2?crid=2MI0

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Wed, 17 May 2023 21:00:00 +0000

The Senator Who Roped the CIA

Journalist James Risen speaks with Jeff Stein about his new book on Sen. Frank Churchs unprecedented investigation of CIA misdeeds, from assassination plots to LSD mind-control experiments to spying on Americans.


James Risen

https://twitter.com/JamesRisen1

The Last Honest Man

https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/james-risen/the-last-honest-man-senator/


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Thu, 20 Apr 2023 09:00:00 +0000

Behind the Bust of Chinas Brash New York Spy Base

Former CIA and DoD Chinese espionage expert Nicholas Eftimiades talks with Jeff about Beijings newly aggressive covert campaigns against pro-democracy activists in the US.


Nick Eftimiades

https://twitter.com/neftimiades

https://www.linkedin.com/in/eftimiades/


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Fri, 14 Apr 2023 09:00:00 +0000

That Monster Leak

Legendary retired CIA officer Jim Lawler talks with Jeff about the massive leak of highly classified Pentagon documents.


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Tue, 4 Apr 2023 09:00:00 +0000

JITTERS: Can FBI Stop Extremist Violence This Time?

Law enforcement and extremist reporter Ali Winston says the FBI is getting better, but radicals are metastasizing.

Ali Winston

https://twitter.com/awinston


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Fri, 17 Mar 2023 19:21:00 +0000

Ukraine Air War Heats Up

David Cenciotti, founding editor of The Aviationist, speaks with SpyTalk about the collision of a Russian warplane and a US MQ-9 reconnaissance drone and news that Poland istransferring four MiG-29s to Ukraine.


Our Guest:

David Cenciotti

https://twitter.com/cencio4

The Aviationist

https://twitter.com/TheAviationist

https://theaviationist.com/


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Sat, 25 Feb 2023 10:00:00 +0000

Intelligence Tricks, from Covert to Overt Covert Ops

Political scientist, author, and senior aide to the chair of the Church Committee Loch Johnson joins Jeff to talk about oversight of intel agencies; the political weaponization of intel; and more.

Loch Johnson

https://www.amazon.com/Third-Option-Covert-American-Foreign/dp/0197604412/ref=sr_1_2?qid=1677258335&refinements=p_27%3ALoch+K.+Johnson&s=books&sr=1-2


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Fri, 3 Feb 2023 10:00:00 +0000

YET ANOTHER SPY AGENCY SECURITY BREECH

The McGonigal scandal is just another chapter in a pathetic history of outrageous security lapses at the FBI, CIA and NSA, says investigative reporter James Bamford, author ofSPYFAIL: Foreign Spies, Moles, Saboteurs, and the Collapse ofAmericasCounterintelligence.

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James Bamford

https://mobile.twitter.com/washauthor

Spy Fail

https://www.amazon.com/Spyfail-Saboteurs-Collapse-Americas-Counterintelligence/dp/1538741156/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1673890947&sr=8-1


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Fri, 20 Jan 2023 10:00:00 +0000

Are Spies Sociopaths?

Former top CIA officer James Lawler says the manipulation practiced by agent handlers could be described as sociopathic. We talk about that and his latest thriller.

Thu, 8 Sep 2022 09:00:00 +0000

THE BORDER: INSECURITY AND INTEL

In part two of his interview with SpyTalk former DHS "border czar" Alan Bersin discusses with Jeanne Meserve obstacles to securing the southern border against human smugglers and traffickers.


Alan Bersin

https://twitter.com/AlanBersin

https://twitter.com/TheWilsonCenter

https://twitter.com/BelferCenter


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Thu, 1 Sep 2022 09:00:00 +0000

DATA AND THE DRUG WAR

Former DHS "border czar" @AlanBersin talks with @JeanneMeserve about how poor intelligence sharing is hampering the fight against transnational criminal organizations, and how new technologies could help conquer the problem.


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Thu, 25 Aug 2022 09:00:00 +0000

The Threat Matrix

In the aftermath of the Salman Rushdie attack Colin Clarke of the Soufan Group gives his assessment of Iran's capability to strike within the US.Jeanne Meserve also talks with FBI veteran J.J. Klaver about the impact ongoing attacks may be having on the bureau and its work.


Colin Clarke

https://twitter.com/ColinPClarke

https://twitter.com/TheSoufanGroup


J.J. Klaver

https://mobile.twitter.com/FBI


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Thu, 18 Aug 2022 09:00:00 +0000

Rage on the Right

Expert analysis of the online and real life fallout from the Mar-a-Lago search with Heidi Beirich of the Global Project Against Hate and Extremism.And Rita Katz of the SITE Intelligence Group tells Jeanne Meserve the internet has rewritten the terrorist playbook for both domestic extremists and jihadis.


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Heidi Beirich

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https://twitter.com/globalextremism


Rita Katz

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https://twitter.com/siteintelgroup


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Thu, 11 Aug 2022 09:00:00 +0000

Eyes in the Sky and on the Ground

How will a new Iranian spy satellite change dynamics in the Middle East? Jeanne Meserve discusses with Iran expert John Krzyzaniak of the Wisconsin Project for Nuclear Arms Control. And Jill Dougherty, former CNN Moscow bureau chief, looks at how Russia's clampdown on information is impacting intelligence agencies.


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John Krzyzaniak

https://twitter.com/john_krzyzaniak

https://twitter.com/WisconsinProj


Jill Dougherty

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https://twitter.com/TheWilsonCenter


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Thu, 4 Aug 2022 09:00:00 +0000

Getting the Bout

With a possible prisoner swap in the offing, SpyTalk explores the suspected intelligence ties of Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout with Stephen Braun, co-author of Merchant of Death: Money, Guns, Planes, and the Man Who Makes War Possible. Jeanne also talks with journalist Jill Dougherty, who met Bout face to face.


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Stephen Braun

Merchant of Death: Money, Guns, Planes, and the Man Who Makes War Possible

https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/1033695.Merchant_of_Death


Jill Dougherty

https://mobile.twitter.com/jillrussia/


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Thu, 28 Jul 2022 09:00:00 +0000

Internal Upheaval in Ukraine

Are Russian collaborators undermining Ukraine's war effort? Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has sacked two top officials who he says failed to root out Russian sympathizers and spies within their agencies. Jeanne discusses the problem and its impact with Olga Lautman, senior fellow at the Center for European Policy Analysis and co-host of the Kremlin File podcast.


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Olga Lautman

https://twitter.com/OlgaNYC1211

Kremlin File podcast

https://twitter.com/Kremlinfile

Center for European Policy Analysis

https://twitter.com/CEPA


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Thu, 21 Jul 2022 12:00:00 +0000

Trust and Theft

John Taylor, co-author of The Psychology of Spies and Spying, tells Jeanne Meserve how important trust is in a profession that is all about treachery and deceit.August Cole of the Atlantic Council talks to Jeff Stein about Chinas theft of military technology.


Guests:


John Taylor -

The Psychology of Spies and Spying

https://www.afandjt.com/


August Cole -

https://twitter.com/august_cole

https://www.augustcole.com/



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Thu, 14 Jul 2022 09:00:00 +0000

Neo-Nazi Spy; Blindspots in Space

The USA and China are in a new space race. Astrophysicist at Rhea Space Activity, Shawn Usman, talks about securing cislunar space with Jeanne Meserve.

Leigh Baldwin co-wrote Follow The Leader in The Atavist which tells the tale of a German Neo-Nazi spy who worked for Putin. Jeff Stein talks with him about the piece.


Guests:

Leigh Baldwin -

https://twitter.com/LeighBa1

Read Follow the Leader -

https://magazine.atavist.com/follow-the-leader-nazi-putin-sonntag-cold-war/


Shawn Usman -

https://www.linkedin.com/in/shawn-usman-8b4169169/

Rhea Space Activity

https://www.rheaspaceactivity.com/


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Fri, 8 Jul 2022 12:00:00 +0000

Shape Changes: Right-Wing Extremists and the US-Russia Cold War (originally aired 1/6/2022)

Originally released on January 6, 2022

This week: Jeanne Meserve talks with the Atlantic Councils Jared Holt about the evolving face of right-wing extremism. Joe Weisberg, creator of the hit spy drama The Americans, defends his argument on ending the Cold War with Russia with Jeff Stein.


Jared Holt

https://twitter.com/jaredlholt

https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/expert/jared-holt/


Joe Weisberg

https://twitter.com/joeweisberg

https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/2021/12/17/russia-united-states-cold-war/


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Thu, 30 Jun 2022 09:00:00 +0000

Best Estimates and Underground Nukes

Former CIA intelligence analyst Gail Helt discusses US intelligence strengths and weaknesses with Jeff Stein. Deputy Director, Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security Matthew Kroenig talks about North Koreas nuclear capabilities and ambitions with Jeanne Meserve


Guests:

Matthew Kroenig

twitter.com/MatthewKroenig

The Atlantic Council

twitter.com/AtlanticCouncil


Gail Helt

https://twitter.com/ghelt


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Thu, 23 Jun 2022 09:00:00 +0000

Of Spies and Dirty Wars

Former Deputy CIA Director John McLaughlin andJeanne Meserve discuss the case of a deep cover Russian spy rolled up in Holland. Mossads war on Iran gets scrutinized by Middle East expert Jonathan Broder and Jeff Stein.


Guests:

Jonathan Broder

twitter.com/BroderJonathan


John McLaughlin

https://twitter.com/jmclaughlinSAIS


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Thu, 16 Jun 2022 09:00:00 +0000

Broken

Former top CIA, Pentagon, and State Department intelligence official Carl Ford tells Jeff Stein US intelligence is broken. Domestic extremism expert Jon Lewis discusses the uptick in white supremacist violence with Jeanne Meserve


Guests:

Carl Ford

twitter.com/CarlWFord1

The Footnote

https://fordc.substack.com/


Jon Lewis

https://twitter.com/Jon_Lewis27

The Program on Extremism at George Washington University

https://twitter.com/gwupoe


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Thu, 9 Jun 2022 09:00:00 +0000

Behind the Masks

Is Putin really sick? Former CIA medical officer Leslie Pyenson assesses signs of Putins failing health with Jeanne Meserve, and author Jefferson Morley discusses his new book, Scorpions Dance: The President, the Spymaster, and Watergate, with Jeff Stein.


Guests:


Leslie Pyenson


Jefferson Morley

https://twitter.com/jeffersonmorley


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Thu, 2 Jun 2022 09:10:00 +0000

Afghanistan Relations; Domestic Terrorism

Former President of the FBI Agents Association and retired FBI Special Agent, Tom OConnor talks about the need for a domestic terrorism law in the United States. Also, political scientist at Rand, Andrew Radin discusses options the US has with future relations with Afghanistan. With Jeff Stein and Jeanne Meserve.

Guests:


Tom O'Connor

https://twitter.com/tfoconnor83


Andrew Radin

https://twitter.com/andrewmradin

https://twitter.com/RANDCorporation

Read the Report Andrew Co-authored:

Engage, Isolate, or Oppose

American Policy Toward the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan

https://www.rand.org/pubs/perspectives/PEA1540-1.html


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Thu, 26 May 2022 09:00:00 +0000

Treachery

Former CIA officer Robert Baer talks about the CIAs unresolved search for another Russian mole in its ranks, while diplomatic historian Kelly McFarland addresses the ramifications of Russias blockade of Ukrainian wheat exports. With Jeff Stein and Jeanne Meserve.


Guests:

Robert Baer

Robert Baer: Books, Biography, Blog, Audiobooks


Kelly McFarland

https://twitter.com/McFarlandKellyM


Sound Off - Supporting Veterans on Their Terms

https://sound-off.com/

https://twitter.com/Soundoff


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Thu, 19 May 2022 09:00:00 +0000

Going Mental

Cult expert Steven Hassan talks with Jeanne Meserve about deprogramming racist murderers and ex-CIA officer Marc Polymeropoulos tells Jeff Stein about a new mobile app to reduce suicides among counterterrorism veterans.


Guests:

Steven Hassan, PhD

https://twitter.com/CultExpert


Marc Polymeropoulos

https://twitter.com/Mpolymer


Sound Off - Supporting Veterans on Their Terms

https://sound-off.com/


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Thu, 12 May 2022 09:00:00 +0000

Revelations

Newly declassified FBI and UK documents on Saudi intrigues in the 9/11 attacks are discussed by former FBI Supervisory Agent Mark Rossini, and reporter Haley Britzky talks about her expos of brutal harassment at the Marine Corps Intelligence School. With Jeff Stein and Jeanne Meserve.

Guests:

Haley Britzky

https://twitter.com/halbritz


Mark Rossini

https://twitter.com/MarkRossini


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Thu, 5 May 2022 09:00:00 +0000

Deep Dive

Christopher Drew, author of the definitive book on submarine espionage past and present, talks with Jeff Stein.And we dig into the new bestseller The Bin Laden Papers with author and New America Senior Fellow Nelly Lahoud.


Guests:

Christopher Drew

https://www.facebook.com/chris.drew.9250

https://twitter.com/nytdrew

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/23829.Christopher_Drew


Nelly Lahoud

https://www.newamerica.org/our-people/nelly-lahoud/

https://yalebooks.co.uk/display.asp?K=9780300260632


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Thu, 28 Apr 2022 09:00:00 +0000

Space Spies and Chinas New Move

Robert Cardillo, former head of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, talks anti-satellite warfare and Oval Office briefings, while Chinas stealth move into the Solomon Islands is analyzed by The Soufan Groups Mollie Saltskog. With Jeanne Meserve and Jeff Stein.


Guests:

Robert Cardillo

https://twitter.com/cardillogroup


Mollie Saltskog

https://twitter.com/msaltskog

https://twitter.com/TheSoufanGroup

https://twitter.com/TheSoufanCenter


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Thu, 21 Apr 2022 09:00:00 +0000

THE NEW COLD WAR

Robert Cardillo, former head of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, discusses the role of spy satellites in Ukraine and how images can be spoofed, while investigative reporter and author Scott Anderson dissects the differences between the old Cold War with Russia and the emerging new one. With Jeanne Meserve and Jeff Stein.


Guests:

Robert Cardillo

https://twitter.com/cardillogroup


Scott Anderson

https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/authors/633/scott-anderson/



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Thu, 14 Apr 2022 09:00:00 +0000

Russian Killers, American Plotters

Jeanne Meserve talks with retired Army Gen. Kevin Ryan about the Russian militarys chaos in Ukraine, while journalist Janet Reitman dissects the FBIs mishaps in the Michigan Wolverine Watchmen trial with Jeff Stein.

Guests:


Brigadier General Kevin Ryan (U.S. Army retired)

https://twitter.com/Kennedy_School

https://twitter.com/BelferCenter


Janet Reitman, Journalist Covering National Security and Extremism

https://twitter.com/janetreitman

https://twitter.com/NewAmerica


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Thu, 7 Apr 2022 12:00:00 +0000

Covert Actions: Russia and China

Intelligence historian Tim Weiner talks with Jeff Stein about CIA ops against Russia from the Cold War onward, and Chinese espionage expert Nick Eftimiades discusses Beijings covert campaigns against US-based dissidents with Jeanne Meserve.


Guests:

Tim Weiner

https://twitter.com/Folly_and_Glory


Nicholas Eftimiades:

https://twitter.com/neftimiades

https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/expert/nicholas-eftimiades/


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Thu, 31 Mar 2022 12:00:00 +0000

SPIES AND NEO-NAZIS

Veteran former CIA operations officer Lucy Kirk talks with Jeff Stein about changes in the spy game since Russias invasion of Ukraine, and leading extremism scholar Daveed Gartenstein-Ross goes deep on Ukraines neo-Nazi problem with Jeanne Meserve.


Guests:

Daveed Gartenstein-Ross

https://twitter.com/daveedgr

https://valensglobal.com/


Lucy Kirk:

https://twitter.com/Decktora

https://www.lucykirkauthor.com/


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Thu, 24 Mar 2022 09:00:00 +0000

Jamming up the Russians

Former Navy electronic warfare expert Bryan Clark talks about techniques the US can use to spoof Russian troops, and Adam M. Smith, who focused on sanctions in the Obama administration, details the challenges of separating oligarchs from their hidden stashes. With cohosts Jeff Stein and Jeanne Meserve.


Guests:

Bryan Clark:

https://twitter.com/HudsonInstitute


Adam M. Smith

Former Senior Advisor to the Director of the U.S. Treasury Departments Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC)

https://www.gibsondunn.com/lawyer/smith-adam-m/


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Thu, 17 Mar 2022 09:39:33 +0000

Nuclear Risks and Putin's Quest for Glory

Former CIA officer and former head of Department of Energy intelligence Rolf Mowatt-Larssen assesses the risks in Vladimir Putin's takeover of Ukraine's nuclear power stations in a conversation with Jeanne Meserve.And Lawrence Wilkerson, retired US Army Colonel and former chief of staff to General Colin Powell, tells Jeff Stein that this brutal war is Putin's attempt to secure a revered place in Russian history.


Guests:

Rolf Mowatt-Larssen:

https://www.belfercenter.org/person/rolf-mowatt-larssen


Lawrence Wilkerson

https://www.belfercenter.org/person/rolf-mowatt-larssen



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Thu, 10 Mar 2022 10:00:00 +0000

Russias Dirty Tricks

Maverick strategist Sean McFate, a former private mercenary, talks about the Ukraine deployment of Russias paramilitary Wagner Group, while ex-senior CIA ops officer Gregory Sims says US security officials should expect the unexpected not to be caught flat-footed by a cornered Vladimir Putin, including big surprises" like 9/11 and Pearl Harbor.


Guests:

Sean McFate:

https://twitter.com/seanmcfate

https://www.seanmcfate.com/


Gregory Sims

https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregory-sims-b39a1115a?trk=pulse-article_main-author-card

https://www.thecipherbrief.com/experts/gregory-sims


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Thu, 3 Mar 2022 10:00:00 +0000

Options for Fighting Russians in Ukraine

Former CIA officer Douglas London talks about covert possibilities against the Russians with Jeff Stein. Former Cyber Command and NSA Chief Mike Rogers talks about the cyber side of the war with Jeanne Meserve.


Guests:


Douglas London:

https://mobile.twitter.com/douglaslondon5


Admiral Michael S. Rogers, USN, Ret.


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Thu, 24 Feb 2022 17:23:00 +0000

Russian Spy Chiefs, Ukraine Hit Squads

Russian intelligence expert Filip Kovacevic profiles Putins spy bosses with Jeff Stein, andForeign Policymagazine correspondentAmy Mackinnon detailsRussian plans for Ukraine roundups and assassinations

with Jeanne Meserve.


Filip Kovacevic

https://twitter.com/ChekistMonitor


Amy Mackinnon

https://twitter.com/ak_mack

https://twitter.com/foreignpolicy


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Thu, 17 Feb 2022 16:28:51 +0000

Inside Putins Brainand the Soul of an Intel Warrior

Jeanne Meserve talks with Angela Stent, author ofPutins World, and Jeff Stein catches up with former US Army Lt. Col. Ron Capps, whos capturing the pain of war in his beautiful songs and stories.


Angela Stent

https://twitter.com/AngelaStent

Putin's World

https://www.twelvebooks.com/titles/angela-stent/putins-world/9781455533015/


Lt. Col. Ron Capps

https://twitter.com/ron_capps

https://roncappsmusic.com/


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Thu, 10 Feb 2022 10:00:00 +0000

A Spys Soul and a Pipe Bomb Mystery

Jeanne Meserve talks with The Soufan Groups Colin Clarke about the unsolved mystery of the Jan. 6pipe bombs case, and Jeff Stein plumbs a spys 'sociopathic soul' with acclaimed CIA case officer Jim Lawler.


Colin Clarke on Twitter

@TheSoufanGroup

@ColinPClarke


Jim Lawler's book:

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/living-lies-james-lawler/1140040320


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Thu, 3 Feb 2022 10:00:00 +0000

Spy Wars Over Ukraine

John Sipher, who once ran CIA operations against the Russians, talks about US options for dealing with an invasion of Ukraine, while BrianMurphy, a former top DHS intelligence official, deconstructs the Kremlin's disinformation campaign against us. With cohosts Jeff Stein and Jeanne Meserve.


John Sipher

https://twitter.com/john_sipher

https://twitter.com/AtlanticCouncil


Brian Murphy

https://twitter.com/NatSecBrian

https://twitter.com/LogicallyAI


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Thu, 27 Jan 2022 10:00:00 +0000

Disconcerting Developments

The FBIs explanations for its Jan. 6 failures don't add up, reporter Jason Paladino tells Jeff Stein. And Jeanne Meserve dives deep into the creepy Metaverse with terrorism researchers at the National Counterterrorism Innovation, Technology, and Education Center.


Our guests:


Jason Paladino

https://twitter.com/jason_paladino

https://twitter.com/gridnews


The National Counterterrorism, Innovation, Technology, and Education Center

@NCITE_COE


Austin C. Doctor

https://twitter.com/austincdoctor

@UNOmaha


Sam Hunter

https://twitter.com/dr_samhunter


Joel Elson


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Thu, 20 Jan 2022 10:00:00 +0000

There Will Be Blood

Retired Green Beret Col. David Maxwell discusses paramilitary options against Russian invaders in Ukraine, while former US-Iran nuclear deal negotiator Ernest Moniz offers perspective on new talks with hardliners. With Jeff Stein and Jeanne Meserve.


David Maxwell*

https://twitter.com/DavidMaxwell161

http://maxoki161.blogspot.com/

*A previous version of this episode placed David Maxwell with Georgetown. This corrected version notes that he is a Senior Fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies.


Ernest Moniz

https://twitter.com/ErnestMoniz


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Thu, 13 Jan 2022 10:00:00 +0000

How Foreign Spies Infiltrate US Policeand more

Former top FBI counterspy Frank Figliuzzi tells Jeff Stein how foreign agents woo state and local US police, and Jeanne Meserve learns how satellite sleuths track Chinas Uighur genocide from RAND Corp expert Scott Harold.


Our Guests:


Frank Figliuzzi

https://twitter.com/FrankFigliuzzi1


Scott Harold

https://twitter.com/ScottWHarold


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Thu, 6 Jan 2022 10:00:00 +0000

Shape Changes: Right-Wing Extremists and the US-Russia Cold War

This week: Jeanne Meserve talks with the Atlantic Councils Jared Holt about the evolving face of right-wing extremism. Joe Weisberg, creator of the hit spy drama The Americans, defends his argument on ending the Cold War with Russia with Jeff Stein.


Jared Holt

https://twitter.com/jaredlholt

https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/expert/jared-holt/


Joe Weisberg

https://twitter.com/joeweisberg

https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/2021/12/17/russia-united-states-cold-war/


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Thu, 30 Dec 2021 10:00:00 +0000

Possible Incursions and Future Insurrections

This week: Jeff Stein talks with contributing editor for Spytalk Jonathan Broder about Russia, Ukraine, NATO, and the United States; retired Major General Paul Eaton talks with Jeanne Meserve about the growing problem of members of the US military believing the Big Lie.


Jonathan Broder

https://twitter.com/BroderJonathan

https://www.spytalk.co/p/temperatures-rising-in-us-russia


Major General (ret) Paul Eaton

https://twitter.com/PaulDEaton52

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/12/17/eaton-taguba-anderson-generals-military/


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Thu, 23 Dec 2021 10:00:00 +0000

Military Spies and Military Subversives

Former DIA deputy director Doug Wise talks with Jeff Stein about the role of US military intelligence in Ukraine, and WRC-TV investigative reporter Scott MacFarlane updates Jeanne Meserve on the Jan. 6 probes.

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Scott MacFarlane

https://twitter.com/MacFarlaneNews


Doug Wise

https://twitter.com/DHWise007


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Thu, 16 Dec 2021 10:00:00 +0000

Smashed Plots and Then Some

This week: Jeff talks with former counterterrorism analyst at the CIA Aki Peritz about the largest counterterrorism investigation in history that foiled a truly wild terror plot; and Jeanne talks with Anna Puglisi, Senior Fellow at Georgetown's Center for Security and Emerging Technology, and Michael German, Fellow at the Brennan Center for Justice, about the unfair and unproductive targeting by the FBI of scholars in the United States with ties to China.


For more from our guests:

Aki Peritz https://twitter.com/AkiPeritz


Anna Puglisi

https://twitter.com/AnnaPuglisi838

Michael German

https://twitter.com/RethinkIntel


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Thu, 9 Dec 2021 11:01:00 +0000

Warm Water, Cold Threats

Retired NCIS senior agent Mark Fallon discusses censorship of his exposs on Guantnamo & torture with Jeff Stein, and distinguished Jamaican futurist Anthony Clayton lays out a scenario for terrorist attacks in the Caribbean.


For more about our guests:

Mark Fallon:

Twitter.com/glynco

http://markfallon.us/


Professor Anthony Clayton:

Twitter.com/Prof_A_Clayton

https://jamaica-gleaner.com/article/focus/20211023/anthony-clayton-jamaica-2050-part-1-turbulent-years-ahead


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Thu, 2 Dec 2021 09:30:00 +0000

Connecting All the Dots

Hoover Institution cybersecurity expert Amy Zegart talks with Jeanne Meserve about the urgent need for US spy agencies to better exploit open source intelligence, and Mindhunter coauthor Mark Olshaker discusses with Jeff Stein how two sex predators in the CIA got away with it.


Follow:

Amy Zegart

https://twitter.com/amyzegart

https://www.hoover.org/profiles/amy-zegart


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Thu, 25 Nov 2021 10:00:00 +0000

Hiding In Plain Sight

The CIAs former chief of disguises tells Jeff Stein about some of her greatest capers, and Jeanne Meserve talks with author Garrett Graff about a top secret search for an Al Qaeda nuclear bomb.

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Garrett Graff

https://twitter.com/vermontgmg


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Thu, 18 Nov 2021 10:00:00 +0000

SLINKING AROUND

Former senior CIA officer Duyane Norman talks with Jeanne Meserve about deep cover ops in the digital age, and extremism expert Jason Blazakis discusses Qanon as a national security threat with Jeff Stein.

For more from our guests:

Duyane Norman

https://twitter.com/durayno


Jason Blazakis

https://twitter.com/Jason_Blazakis

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Thu, 11 Nov 2021 10:00:00 +0000

Assassins and Infiltrators

JFK assassination expert Jefferson Morley discusses Joe Bidens continued suppression of Kennedy assassination documents with Jeff Stein, and Jeanne Meserve talks with former FBI agent and homeland security official Erroll Southers about extremist inroads in police forces.


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Thu, 4 Nov 2021 09:00:00 +0000

Spymasters and Crypto Cash

This week: Jeff talks with Chris Whipple, author of The Spymasters: How the CIA Directors Shape History and the Future; plus Jeanne speaks with Juan Zarate, former Treasury Assistant Secretary for Terrorist Financing, about the bad guys use of cryptocurrencies.


For more from our guests:

Chris Whipple

https://twitter.com/ccwhip


Juan Zarate

https://twitter.com/JCZarate1

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https://www.jeannemeserve.com/


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Thu, 28 Oct 2021 09:00:00 +0000

Conspiracies of Dunces

Jeff Stein explores crazy coup plots andspydefectors in Venezuela with Latin America expert David Smilde, and Jeanne Meserve talks with ABC News investigative reporter James Meek about his disturbing new documentary about the deaths of Green Beret operatives in Niger.


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https://www.jeannemeserve.com/

Thu, 21 Oct 2021 04:00:00 +0000

Spy World Frenemies

Mossads got a killer new boss and the US is buying China-made drones. Jeff Stein and Jeanne Meserve drill down on both.

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Thu, 14 Oct 2021 04:00:00 +0000

The Peanut Butter Spies, CIAs China Initiative & Secret Service Burnout

Washington Post intelligence reporter Shane Harris discusses odd happenings in the spook world with Jeff Stein, and former Secret Service Special Agent Jonathan Wackrow analyses a new report on tanking morale in the uniformed division with Jeanne Meserve.

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Thu, 7 Oct 2021 04:00:19 +0000

For Your Eyes Only

Legendary Condor author James Grady discusses James Bonds evolving cinematic villains with Jeff Stein, and Jeanne Meserve digs into the massive hack of a far-right server with extremist expert Heidi Beirich.

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Thu, 30 Sep 2021 04:00:43 +0000

Head Case

From Vietnam to Vienna, reported cases of Havana Syndrome are on the rise.Diplomats, intelligence officials and their families are experiencing debilitating symptoms including headaches, dizziness, nausea and memory loss.Dr. James Giordano, Professor of Neurology and Biochemistry at Georgetown University Medical Center, has been investigating Havana Syndrome since the first cases were reported and discusses what we know, and what we still need to learn, with Jeanne Meserve.

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Thu, 23 Sep 2021 04:00:57 +0000

Accidents Will Happen

Chinese espionage expert Matthew Brazil and Jeff Stein break down the controversy about Joint Chiefs Chairman Mark Milleys backchannel contact with his Chinese counterpart, and Jeanne Meserve and transnational crime expert Tom Sanderson discuss the emergence of Talibani Afghanistan as a terrorist state.

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Thu, 16 Sep 2021 04:00:52 +0000

Girding for New and Old Threats

Extremism expert Kathleen Belew talks with Jeanne Meserve about new factors raising the potential for violence at Sept.18 Capitol protests, while former senior CIA ops official Dan Hoffman tells Jeff Stein that the Kabul collapse has given Al Qaeda and ISIS new life.

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Thu, 9 Sep 2021 04:00:58 +0000

The Man Who Loved Spying

In a riveting new memoir, former senior CIA officer Doug London celebrates a career in espionage, but in a lengthy conversation with host Jeff Stein, he offer candid, even brutal observations on how 20 years of counterterrorism warped the agencys priorities and managers.

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Thu, 2 Sep 2021 04:00:45 +0000

Kabuls loss and a new 9/11 terror warning

Author Craig Whitlock talks with Jeff Stein about US intelligences place in 20 years of lies and deception in Afghanistan, and Jeanne Meserve interviews Coast Guard Commandant Karl Schultz about a terror alert for the 9/11 anniversary.

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Thu, 26 Aug 2021 04:00:15 +0000

The Human Factor

Top former CIA operations official William Murray talks with Jeanne Meserve about the loss of the agency's spy base in Kabul, while Africa expert Jacob Zenn assesses the impact of the Taliban-Al Qaeda triumph on militants across the continent, with Jeff Stein.

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Thu, 19 Aug 2021 04:00:15 +0000

Implications for the Kabul Catastrophe

Counterterrorism expert and Georgetown University Professor, Bruce Hoffman explains the drastic implications of the Taliban triumph, and journalist Toby Harnden talks about his new book on the first CIA team to enter Afghanistan.

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Tue, 17 Aug 2021 22:11:13 +0000

Ali Soufan on the Talibans Global Plans

The celebrated former FBI special agent and counterterrorism specialist says the Taliban aspire to undermining the Wests Roman Empire.

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Thu, 12 Aug 2021 04:00:26 +0000

SPYING ON MISSILES

Jeanne Meserve talks with Hans Kristensen,director of the Nuclear Information Project at the Federation of American Scientists,about how the world learned of Chinas startling new ICBM silos, and Jeff Stein talks with Asia expert Robert Manning about the challenges of spying on North Korea.

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Thu, 5 Aug 2021 04:00:52 +0000

Spies vs. Spies

An expert on Congressional probes tells Jeff Stein why investigators on the House Select Committee on Jan. 5 have to develop confidential sources deep inside DHS, DoD and the FBI. And retired Marine Corps Gen. Greg Newbold tells Jeanne Meserve that China's control of precious metals is a threat to US intelligence.



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Thu, 29 Jul 2021 04:00:32 +0000

Going Deep

The FBI is still coming up short on dealing with white violent extremists, former undercover special agent Mike German tells Jeff Stein. And Jeanne Meserve delves into a little known DIA medical intelligence unit.



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Thu, 22 Jul 2021 04:00:35 +0000

Families of Spies

A father & daughter have a monster TikTok hit talkIng about his intelligence career. Former CIA analyst Frank Snepp describes the heartbreak of Saigon and the agony of Kabul. And Spooked author Barry Meier addresses the NSO-Pegasus surveillance scandal.

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Thu, 15 Jul 2021 04:00:58 +0000

Battling on All Fronts

Former CIA counterintelligence chief James Olson tells Jeff Stein the CIA and FBI need to resuscitate double agent ops to penetrate enemy spy services, and Jeanne Meserve talks with former senior U.S. cybercrime official Chris Painter about the rash of ransomware attacks by REvil and other Russia-based malefactors.

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Wed, 7 Jul 2021 22:41:31 +0000

Enemies Within and Without

Former senior CIA officer Doug London talks with Jeff Stein about the present and future intelligence picture in chaotic Afghanistan. And Jeanne Meserve has a fascinating talk with former top DHS intel official and retired Brigadier General Francis X. Taylor about dealing with violent extremists in the military ranks.



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Thu, 1 Jul 2021 04:00:17 +0000

Spies that Bind

Nicholas Eftimiades, a top expert on Chinese espionage, tells Jeff Stein he doubts reports that Beijings top counterspy defected to the USbut that Beijing has many moles in U.S/ intelligence. And Jeanne Meserve talks with top former FBI national security official Jay Tabb about the challenges of dealing with home-grown American terrorists.

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Thu, 24 Jun 2021 04:00:27 +0000

Cold War Capers

Yes, theres a real James Bond, and Jeanne Meserve chatted him up on the curses and blessings of having such a legendary moniker. And historian Audra Wolfe talks with Jeff Stein about the role of American scientists in the Cold War and beyond.

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Wed, 16 Jun 2021 22:09:03 +0000

Everybody knows somebody

Terrorism expert Gina Ligon tells Jeanne Meserve that the Biden administrations initiative on domestic extremism represents a sea change in policy but doesnt address the root causes of populist violence. Israeli counterterrorism dramas do, an American ex-pat writer in Jerusalem tells Jeff Stein, because so many involved have served in spy units.

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Fri, 11 Jun 2021 22:36:15 +0000

Meeting of the Minds

Ahead of presidents Putin and Biden meeting in Geneva, a psychiatrist puts the leader ofRussia on the couch.Dr. Kenneth Dekleva, who served in the US embassy in Moscow, joins co-host Jeanne Meserve for a special edition of SpyTalk.

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Wed, 9 Jun 2021 23:18:31 +0000

That Was Then

Chinese espionage poses a mortal threat to the US, former counterintelligence boss Bill Evanina tells Jeanne Meserve. And author Kai Bird talks with Jeff Stein about a clandestine plot with Iran by Reagan campaign manager and future CIA Director Bill Casey to deny Jimmy Carter re-election.



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Fri, 4 Jun 2021 20:13:02 +0000

Cyber Counterpunch

On this special edition of SpyTalk, co-host Jeanne Meserve speaks with William Evanina, former Director of the United States National Counterintelligence and Security Center about the recent spate of ransomware attacks.Evanina says President Biden should threaten to pull out of the upcoming summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin, and that theUS should demonstrate it is willing and able to shut down Russian infrastructure.

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Wed, 2 Jun 2021 23:17:00 +0000

The Gathering Storms

Former top FBI domestic extremist specialist Tom OConnor tells co-host Jeanne Meserve in a startling interview that hes worried about another Timothy McVeigh plotting something big. And Jeff Stein talks with veteran intelligence reporter Bill Arkin about a vast Pentagon secret army combatting our enemies that no ones heard about.

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Wed, 26 May 2021 23:52:44 +0000

Spies in the Soup

Jean Meserve talks with former Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Juliette Kayyem about the mess in DHS intelligence shop, and Jeff Stein interviews Barry Meier about his new book, Spooked: The Trump Dossier, Black Cube, and the Rise of Private Spies.

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Wed, 19 May 2021 22:44:54 +0000

Panettas Regret

Former CIA Director and Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta was praised in a multitude of articles and broadcasts marking the 10th anniversary of the elimination of Osama Bin Laden earlier this month. But in an hour long interview with Jeff Stein, he described a major failing of US intelligence during his watch. Listen to it here.



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Wed, 19 May 2021 19:08:29 +0000

Has the CIA Lost Its Grip on the Middle East?

CIA clandestine services veteran and longtime Middle East hand Marc Polymeropoulos tells Jeff Stein that the CIA no longer prizes regional expertise, instead opting for spy corps generalists who can be shifted from region to region. In this Special Edition of the SpyTalk podcast, Polymeropoulos laments the passing of Charlie Seidel, who he calls the CIAs last great Arabist.

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Thu, 13 May 2021 05:26:31 +0000

Crisis and Confusion

In the fourth edition of the SpyTalk podcast, former NATO Secretary GeneralAnders Fogh Rasmussen talks with co-hostJeanne Meserve about combatting psychological warfare disinformation attacks from Russia, China, Iran and even Venezuela, and former top CIA analyst Mathew Burrows tells her that US intelligence is so busy coping with immediate threats they cant see the forest for the trees. Leading off the show, Jeff Stein talks with Janis Shinwari, an Afghan interpreter for US intelligence units, who says thousands of his comrades are terrified about being left behind and murdered by the Taliban when US forces leave in September.

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Wed, 5 May 2021 20:56:15 +0000

Shots in the Dark

Jeanne Meserve looks into the mysterious directed-energy attacks on officials in Washington with Mark Zaid, lawyer for CIA and State Department victims. Then Ronen Bergman, author of a groundbreaking book on Israeli assassination operations, talks with Jeff Stein about the effect of Mossads hits on Irans nuclear scientists and uranium facilities. Last but hardly least, Jeanne talks at length with technology venture capitalist Gilman Louie about his work with the CIA and the perils of losing the raceon artificial intelligence to Americas adversaries.

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Thu, 29 Apr 2021 01:51:08 +0000

Fire and Ice

In this weeks edition of theSpyTalkpodcast, Jeff Stein goes deep on the CIAs looming eviction from Afghanistan with Lisa Curtis, a longtime former CIA, State Department and White House National Security Council expert on the region. And then co-host Jeanne Meserve conducts a lively interview with a former senior CIA and NSA analyst, Alma Katsu, about her new, post-government-service thriller,Red Widow, which features a gutsy female spy heroine.

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Thu, 22 Apr 2021 04:00:10 +0000

A CIA Spy in Syria, and US Responses to Russian, Chinese and Other Adversary Hacking

This week, in the debut edition of the SpyTalk podcast, co-host Jeff Stein talks to the Washington Posts Joby Warrick about an extraordinary CIA operation in Syria, as told in his new book, Red Line. Jeff and co-host Jeanne Meserve also discuss the Biden administrations recent expulsion of suspected Russian spies, then Jeanne talks with former NSA Director and Cyber Command chief Admiral Mike Rogers about Chinese, Russian and other hackers infiltration of U.S. computer networks.

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Wed, 24 Mar 2021 21:58:16 +0000

Spy Talk - Trailer

SpyTalk lives at the intersection of intelligence operations, foreign policy, homeland security and military strategy. Co-hosted by veteran national security journalist Jeff Stein and former star CNN homeland security correspondent Jeanne Meserve, the podcast willfeature exclusives by SpyTalks roster of longtime reporters, news and profiles of US and foreign spymasters and interviews with policymakers and expert authors.Theres nothing quite like ita place for experts and lay persons alike, who enjoy national security scoops and insights by SpyTalk's subject matter experts. Coming this Spring.


Spy Talk is a DSR Network production.


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SpyCast

Tue, 19 Sep 2023 11:00:00 -0000

Former Senior Indian Intelligence Officer R&AW Special Secretary Vappala Balachandran

Summary Vappala Balachandran (Wikipedia) joins Andrew (Twitter;LinkedIn) to discuss his career and the ancient roots of espionage in India. Bala formerly served as Special Secretary for Indias Cabinet Secretariat. What Youll Learn Intelligence Indias Research and Analysis Wing The Tamil Tigers threat to Indian national security Intelligence considerations within India-Pakistan relations Lessons in intelligence from Ancient India Reflections Intelligence, the 2nd oldest profession Transitioning from leader to student And much, much more Quotes of the Week There was a lot of pressure. There was a lot of pressure, especially, for example: Certain incidents happening What would be the repercussions in India? Now, anything that happens in Pakistan, it will have some repercussions in India. And, same thing in Afghanistan, and then all the neighboring countries, we are to watch them. Vappala Balachandran. Resources SURFACE SKIM *SpyCasts* Irish Garda Intelligence Chief with Assistant Commissioner Michael McElgunn (2023) Venices Secret Service with Ioanna Iordanou (2023) Indian Intelligence & Cyber, A Conversation with Sameer Patil, ORF Mumbai (2023) Intelligence & the Worlds Largest Democracy with Former Indian Intelligence Director Vikram Sood (2021) *Beginner Resources* The Entire History of India in Under 10 Minutes, Made in History, YouTube (2022) [10 min. Video] RAW: A History of Indias Covert Operations, Y. Yadav, New Indian Express (2020) [Short article] Timeline: India-Pakistan Relations, A. Hashim, Al Jazeera (2019) [Historical timeline] DEEPER DIVE Primary Sources Agreement on a ceasefire between Sri Lanka and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (2022) Pradhan Inquiry Commission Report, 26/11 Mumbai Terror Attacks (2009) Lessons from the Mumbai Terrorist Attacks, US Senate Hearing (2009) Kautilyas Arthashastra (1915 translation) Thiruvalluvars Tirukkua (1886 translation) The Police Act (1861)
Tue, 12 Sep 2023 11:00:00 -0000

Irish Garda Intelligence Chief with Assistant Commissioner Michael McElgunn

Summary Michael McElgunn (LinkedIn) joins Andrew (Twitter;LinkedIn) to discuss intelligence in the Republic of Ireland. Michael is the Assistant Commissioner of An Garda Sochnas Crime and Security Intelligence Service. What Youll Learn Intelligence The history of An Garda Sochna The intelligence components of the Garda The present state of Northern Ireland relations Current threats to Irish national security Reflections The value of collaboration Evolving alongside a changing world And much, much more Quote of the Week I think people should in general take comfort from the work that is done by intelligence services and the exceptional collaboration that there is with these services to keep people safe. And that is not just at home, that's abroad Where we come into possession of a piece of intelligence that we feel will be a value elsewhere, we'll share that elsewhere. Michael McElgunn. Resources SURFACE SKIM *SpyCasts* Kenya, East Africa, and America with African Intelligence Chief Wilson Boinett (2023) St. Ermins Hotel, London The History of a Legendary Spy Site with Stephen Duffy (2023) Espionage and the Two Queens with Kent Tiernan (2023) The IRA, The Troubles & Intelligence with Eleanor Williams and Thomas Leahy (2022) *Beginner Resources* A Brief History of Ireland, T. Lambert, Local Histories, n.d. [Short article] Our History, An Garda Sochna, n.d. [Web page] The Troubles, J. Wallenfeldt, Encyclopedia Britannica [Encyclopedia entry] DEEPER DIVE Books We Don't Know Ourselves: A Personal History of Modern Ireland, F. OToole (Liveright, 2023) Say Nothing: A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland, P. R. Keefe (Anchor, 2020) Policing Twentieth Century Ireland: A History of An Garda Sochna, V. Conway (Routledge, 2013) The Guarding of Ireland The Garda Sochna and the Irish State 19602014: A History of the Irish Police Force, C. Brady (Gill Books, 2014) Primary Sources Grda Sochna (Temporary Provisions) Act (1923) Royal Irish Constabulary Office Preliminary Arrangements for Disbandment, Garda Archives (1922) Orders for the Guidance of the Troops, Garda Archives (1919) National Union of Police and Prison Officers, National Museum of Ireland (1919) The Police and the Nation, Garda Archives (1916) 1916 Proclamation, National Museum of Ireland (1916)
Tue, 05 Sep 2023 11:00:00 -0000

Kenya, East Africa, and America with African Intelligence Chief Wilson Boinett

Summary Brigadier General (Ret.) Wilson Boinett joins Andrew (Twitter;LinkedIn) to discuss Kenyan intelligence. Wilson is the former Director of Kenyas National Intelligence Service. What Youll Learn Intelligence The effect of colonialism on intelligence The organization of Kenyas National Intelligence Service Wilsons role in adapting and reforming Kenyan intelligence The Nairobi bombings and effects on East Africa Reflections Institutional insurgency The courage to push for and enact change *EXTENDED SHOW NOTES & FULL TRANSCRIPT HERE* Episode Notes This week on SpyCast, we are thrilled to be joined by our first ever African intelligence chief. Brigadier General (Ret.) Wilson Boinett is the individual credited with transforming Kenyas National Intelligence Service into the world-class agency it is today. Following a decades long career in the Kenyan Army, Wilson became the first Director of the newly created intelligence agency in 1999. He believed in the possibly of change and the potential for collaboration amongst East African countries and set out to do just that. Tune in to this weeks episode to learn more about his extraordinary career and lessons in leadership. This episode is the second in our Spy Chiefs Special series that will run throughout September. Stay tuned in the weeks to come to hear perspectives from Ireland, India, and the first woman to direct an American intelligence organization. *EXTENDED SHOW NOTES & FULL TRANSCRIPT HERE* Quotes of the Week I was coming in at the time when all those things were happening and the Cold War was over, and the western intelligence did not care very much what Kenya was going to do. So, I had an opportunity to look at this monster called change . I went to the president, and I said, I think it is time to change. And he said, Go change it. Resources SURFACE SKIM *SpyCasts* David Petraeus on Ukraine & Intelligence with the former CIA Director & 4* General (2023) Spies: The Epic Intelligence War Between East vs. West with Calder Walton (2023) Irregular Warfare & Intelligence with IWC Director Dennis Walters (2023) The 75th Anniversary of the CIA with former Director Robert Gates (2022) *Beginner Resources* A Brief History of Kenya, A. Boddy-Evans, ThoughtCo (2020) [Short Article] The Late British Empire, History Matters, YouTube (2017) [Ten-minute video] What Was the Mau Mau Uprising? Imperial War Museum (n.d.) [Short article] *EXTENDED SHOW NOTES & FULL TRANSCRIPT HERE* DEEPER DIVE Books History of Resistance in Kenya, M. wa Knyatt (Mau Mau Research Center, 2019) Kenya After 50: Reconfiguring Historical, Political, and Policy Milestones, M. M. Kithinji et al. (Palgrave Macmillan, 2016) Population, Tradition, and Environmental Control in Colonial Kenya, M. S. Shanguhyia (University of Rochester Press, 2015) Kenya: A History Since Independence, C. Hornsby (I.B. Tauris, 2013) Primary Sources Report of the Accountability Review Boards: Bombings of the US Embassies in Nairobi and Dar es Salaam, US Department of Justice (1999) 5 Fugitives Indicted in Embassy Bombings, J. Mintz, The Washington Post (1998) The National Security Intelligence Service Act (1998) Lancaster House Agreement, United Nations Peacemaker (1979) Kenya Independence Act (1963) Kenyan Independence Memorandum by the Secretary of State for Commonwealth, UK National Archives (1963) Mau Mau Violence Control Measures, CIA (1953) The Situation in Kenya (Mau Mau Uprising), CIA (1952) General Act of the Berlin Conference on West Africa, San Diego State University (1885) *EXTENDED SHOW NOTES & FULL TRANSCRIPT HERE* *Wildcard Resource* Take a trip to Nairobi from your couch and explore the National Museums of Kenya through Google Arts & Culture. Explore Kenyas 7 UNESCO World Heritage Sites, Take a Tour of the Nairobi Gallery, or Learn a Bit of Swahili, one of Kenyas two official languages!
Tue, 29 Aug 2023 11:00:00 -0000

David Petraeus on Ukraine & Intelligence with the former CIA Director & 4* General

Summary David Petraeus (LinkedIn) joins Andrew (Twitter,LinkedIn) to discuss his strategic analysis of the war in Ukraine. General Petraeus is a former Director of the CIA. What Youll Learn Intelligence General Petraeus appraisal of the situation in Ukraine What victory would look like for each side What role intelligence is playing in the War General Petraeus time as Director of the CIA Reflections The power of narrative Organizational culture *EXTENDED SHOW NOTES & FULL TRANSCRIPT HERE* Episode Notes David Petraeus was CIA Director between September 2011 and November 2012, and prior to that had a 37-year career in the U.S. Army, rising to its highest rank of 4 star General. Are you curious to hear an in-depth strategic analysis of the Ukraine War from one of the most talented American officers of his generation? Would you like to know more about his time as CIA Director? Listen in to find out. Quotes of the Week "This is the first war with smartphones, internet connectivity, and social media, such as we see here. It was not present before. even really in the Iraq and Afghanistan war, certainly not to this scale. so that is a dramatic changeIt also gives a degree of transparency to this war that I don't think has ever existed before." David Petraeus. *EXTENDED SHOW NOTES & FULL TRANSCRIPT HERE* Resources SURFACE SKIM *SpyCasts* Intelligence, Special Operations, and Strategy with Michael Vickers (2023) Ukraine & the Alliance with NATOs Assistant Secretary General for Intelligence David Cattler (2023) Irregular Warfare & Intelligence with IWC Director Dennis Walters (2023) Ukraine & Intelligence: One Year On with Shane Harris (2023) The 75th Anniversary of the CIA with Former Director Robert Gates (2022) *Beginner Resources* 5 Things You Should Know About the War in Ukraine, UN Refugee Agency (2023) [Short article] What Caused the Ukraine War?, J. S. Nye, Harvard Belfer Center (2022) [short article] A History of Ukraine in 5 Minutes, Sky News (2014) [5 min video] Putins War on Ukraine, Explained, Vox (2022) [8:48 min video] *EXTENDED SHOW NOTES & FULL TRANSCRIPT HERE* DEEPER DIVE Books Conflict: The Evolution of Warfare from 1945 to Ukraine, D. Petraeus & A. Roberts (Harper, 2023) The New Makers of Modern Strategy, H. Brands et al. (Princeton University Press, 2023) The Gates of Europe: A History of Ukraine, S. Plokhy (Basic Books, 2017) Primary Sources Petraeus Testimony on U.S. Middle East Policy, Senate.gov (2015) Petraeus Confirmation Hearings to be Director, CIA, Senate.gov (2011) Petraeus Military Retirement Speech, American Rhetoric, YouTube (2011) Petraeus Confirmation Hearing, ISAF and U.S. Forces Afghanistan, C-SPAN (2010) The American Military and the Lessons of Vietnam, David Petraeus, DocumentCloud (1987) [Petraeus Ph.D. dissertation] *EXTENDED SHOW NOTES & FULL TRANSCRIPT HERE* *Wildcard Resource* General Petraeus was known for the counterinsurgency approach he implemented in Afghanistan and Iraq sometimes called The Petraeus Doctrine. You can implement your own counterinsurgency by playing a board game developed by former CIA analyst Volko Ruhnke - A Distant Plain: Insurgency in Afghanistan.
Tue, 22 Aug 2023 11:00:00 -0000

America 3.0 with Bill Britton of the California Cybersecurity Institute (CCI)

Summary Bill Britton (LinkedIn) joins Andrew (Twitter;LinkedIn) in a discussion about cybersecurity and cyber awareness. Bill is the Director of the California Cybersecurity Institute and CIO at Cal Poly. What Youll Learn Intelligence How to better protect your online information Why cybersecurity is more important now than ever How Cal Poly is addressing cybersecurity challenges The state of cyber in California and America Reflections Confronting our learned habits Lifelong learning *EXTENDED SHOW NOTES & FULL TRANSCRIPT HERE* Episode Notes This week on SpyCast, Andrew was joined in the studio by Bill Britton, Vice President of Information Technology, Chief Information Officer at Cal Poly, and the Director of the California Cybersecurity Institute. Bill joins us to discuss the work Cal Poly is doing to train, accelerate, and empower the next generation of cybersecurity professionals. And In 2011, Oprah Winfrey declared San Luis Obispo Americas Happiest City, and its no wonder why the quiet city is nestled within a beautiful landscape surrounded by historic architecture, interesting landmarks, and over 250 vineyards. Erin and Andrew are rethinking their East coast lifestyles Quotes of the Week We're trying to establish a way that people think differently about what cyber really is and does for them, and how it can be an expediter of their abilities to have a job and do great things for not just themselves, but the nation at large. Bill Britton *EXTENDED SHOW NOTES & FULL TRANSCRIPT HERE* Resources SURFACE SKIM *SpyCasts* Indian Intelligence & Cyber with Sameer Patil of ORF Mumbai (2023) Espionage and the Metaverse with Cathy Hackl (2023) Trafficking Data: The Digital Struggle with Aynne Kokas (2022) Sure, I Can Hack Your Organization with Eric Escobar, Part 1 (2022) Sure, I Can Hack Your Organization with Eric Escobar, Part 2 (2022) *Beginner Resources* CyberWire Word Notes, CyberWire (2023) [Audio glossary] What is Cybersecurity?, CISA (2021) [Short article] Cybersecurity in 7 minutes, Simplilearn (2020) [7 min video] *EXTENDED SHOW NOTES & FULL TRANSCRIPT HERE* DEEPER DIVE Books The Cyberweapons Arms Race, N. Perloth (Bloomsbury, 2021) Cult of the Dead Cow: How the Original Hacking Supergroup Might Just Save the World, J. Menn (Public Affairs, 2019) The Art of Invisibility, K. Mitnick (Little, Brown, and Company, 2017) Ghost In The Wires: My Adventures as the World's Most Wanted Hacker, K. Mitnick & W. L. Simon (Little, Brown, and Company, 2011) Primary Sources Cybersecurity Case Library, Vol. 1, California Cybersecurity Institute (2021) NASAs Cybersecurity Readiness, NASA (2021) Computer Fraud and Abuse Act of 1986, US Congress (1986) *Wildcard Resource* Defend the Crown (2021) A computer game for all ages that teaches the basics of cybersecurity, through the defense of your virtual castle from cyber ninjas! *EXTENDED SHOW NOTES & FULL TRANSCRIPT HERE*
Tue, 15 Aug 2023 11:00:00 -0000

"The Gambling Capital of the World: Intelligence, Las Vegas Style!" with James Lockhart and Keith Michaels

Summary Keith Michaels (LinkedIn) and James Lockhart (LinkedIn) join Andrew to discuss intelligence in an unlikely place: Casinos! James and Keith have collectively over 30 years of experience within Las Vegas gaming surveillance. What Youll Learn Intelligence How casinos conduct surveillance Collaboration between casinos and intelligence organizations The mob origins of Las Vegas Nation-state intelligence threats in casinos Reflections Its just the luck of the drawor is it? Playing your cards right And much, much more ***FULL SHOW NOTES AVAILABLE HERE*** Episode Notes This week on SpyCast, Andrew is joined by Keith Michaels and James Lockhart on a journey into the secret underbelly of the Gambling Capital of the World, Las Vegas. How do casinos conduct surveillance, and what prompted them to adopt formal surveillance operations? Tune in to find out. Quotes of the Week Casino operations are venues for intelligence activity, not just for the low-level criminal or the higher-level criminal, but also nation states You know, we're only catching about 35% of what's going on. There's a lot of cash moving around very fast. A lot of people coming in and out in a casino. So, the possibilities are kind of endless. James Lockhart. ***FULL SHOW NOTES AVAILABLE HERE*** Resources SURFACE SKIM *SpyCasts* 70th Anniversary of James Bond, Special with Alexis Albion on 007, Part 1 (2023) 70th Anniversary of James Bond, Special with Alexis Albion on 007, Part 2 (2023) How Artificial Intelligence is Changing the Spy Game with Mike Susong (2023) Baseball and Espionage with Ryan Zimmerman and Marc Polymeropoulos (2022) Dealing with Russia: A Conversation with Counterintelligence Legend Jim Olson (2022) *Beginner Resources* A Brief History of Las Vegas, T. Lambert, Local Histories (2021) [Short Article] A Brief History of Gambling, R. Cormack, Medium (2018] [Short Article] How to Play Baccarat, WikiHow (2020) [Short Video] ***FULL SHOW NOTES AVAILABLE HERE*** DEEPER DIVE Books Casino: The Rise and Fall of the Mob in Las Vegas, N. Pileggi (Ebury Press, 2015) Roll the Bones: The History of Gambling, D. G. Schwartz (Winchester Books, 2013) Bringing Down the House: The Inside Story of Six M.I.T. Students Who Took Vegas for Millions, B. Mezrich (Free Press, 2002) Casino Royale, I. Fleming (Jonathan Cape, 1953) Primary Sources Federal Special Agent Pleads Guilty To Gambling With Government Funds, United States Attorneys Office, District of Nevada (2022) Surveillance Standards for Nonrestricted Licensees, Nevada Gaming (2005) Gaming probers sue CIA, CIA (1979) How U.S. Made Unholy Alliance with the Mafia, CIA (1975) Bugsy Siegel Collection, FBI (n.d.) *Wildcard Resource* In 1983, William Casey, then Director of the CIA, was invited to the Recording Industry Cultural Award Dinner. Luckily for him, Kenny Rogers was the featured performer of the night. He probably played The Gambler, a song that Erin thinks is a spot-on analogy for the Intelligence Cycle. Youve got to know when hold em, know when to fold em Know when to walk to away, and know when to run. ***FULL SHOW NOTES AVAILABLE HERE***
Tue, 08 Aug 2023 11:00:00 -0000

Chinas Corporate Spy War with CNBCs Eamon Javers

Summary Eamon Javers (Twitter, LinkedIn) joins Andrew (Twitter,LinkedIn) to discuss Chinas Corporate Spy War. Eamon is the Senior Washington correspondent at CNBC. What Youll Learn Intelligence Why go after corporate secrets? Whats at stake for the United States The case of Yanjun Xu and GE Aviation Military implications of economic espionage Reflections The innovation nation Simple twists of fate And much, much more ***FULL SHOWNOTES AVAILABLE HERE*** Episode Notes This week on SpyCast, Andrew is joined by CNBCs Senior Washington Correspondent Eamon Javers to discuss his new documentary, Chinas Corporate Spy War. Quotes of the Week I don't think people in corporate America knew that, fully understood the scale of the threat. They thought this was kind of an annoyance like shoplifting is, and that you kind of just build in some procedures and there's some sunk costs associated with that, and you move on. What these intelligence guys were describing was an entirely different threat. This was the elimination of major American brands from the global marketplace. - Eamon Javers. Resources SURFACE SKIM *SpyCasts* Spies: The Epic Intelligence War Between East vs. West with Calder Walton (2023) The Counterintelligence Chief with FBI Assistant Director Alan Kohler (2023) Trafficking Data: The Digital Struggle with China with Aynne Kokas (2023) The FBI & Cyberwith Cyber Division Chief Bryan Vorndran, Part 1 (2022) The FBI & Cyberwith Cyber Division Chief Bryan Vorndran, Part 2 (2022) Dealing with Russia A Conversation with Counterintelligence Legend Jim Olson (2022) *Beginner Resources* What is Corporate Espionage?, A. T. Tunggal, UpGuard (2023) [Article] Timeline: U.S.-China Relations, Council on Foreign Relations (n.d.) [Timeline] A Tale of High Stakes Corporate Espionage, Bloomberg (2023) [7:44 video] ***FULL SHOWNOTES AVAILABLE HERE*** DEEPER DIVE Books SPIES: The Epic Intelligence War Between East and West, C. Walton (Simon & Schuster, 2023) The Scientist and the Spy: A True Story of China, the FBI, and Industrial Espionage, M. Hvistendahl (Riverhead Books, 2020) To Catch a Spy: The Art of Counterintelligence, J. Olson (GUP, 2019) Broker, Trader, Lawyer, Spy: The Secret World of Corporate Espionage, E. Javers (HarperCollins, 2010) Primary Sources A Survey of Reported Chinese Espionage, 2000 to the Present, CSIS (2023) Justice Department Announces Five Cases as Part of Recently Launched Disruptive Technology Strike Force, U.S. Department of Justice (2023) Chinese Government Intelligence Officer Sentenced to 20 Years in Prison for Espionage Crimes, Attempting to Steal Trade Secrets From Cincinnati Company, U.S. Department of Justice (2022) Executive Summary - China: The Risk to Corporate America, FBI (2019) Economic Espionage Act (1996) *Wildcard Resource* The Second Letter from Pre dEntrecolles to Father Orry (1722) The art of porcelain making and selling was mastered under the Qing Dynasty. The West got curious and knew the form of pottery could be profitable to produce on their own. Because of the secrets shared by this Jesuit priest, Chinas monopoly on porcelain production quickly toppled and the practice was spread across Europe. ***FULL SHOWNOTES AVAILABLE HERE***
Tue, 01 Aug 2023 11:00:00 -0000

The 18-Year-Old Soviet Spy on the Manhattan Project: Ted Hall with Director Steve James

Summary Steve James (IMDb) joins Andrew (Twitter;LinkedIn) to discuss his new film, A Compassionate Spy. 18-year-old Ted Hall was the youngest physicist working on the Manhattan Project in Los Alamos. What Youll Learn Intelligence Soviet-American relations during WWII The Manhattan Project and the development of the Atomic Bomb Motivations for atomic espionage The life and story of Theodore Hall Reflections With great power comes great responsibility State allegiance vs. personal conscience And much, much more And Steve James has been nominated for two Academy Awards: Best Documentary Feature in 2018 for Abacus: Small Enough to Jail, and Best Film Editing in 1995 for Hoop Dreams. Steve is the first Oscar nominee to join us on SpyCast since Robert de Niro sat down with our first host Peter Earnest in 2009! Quotes of the Week Ted was young and naive in some ways, but his reasons for what he did were not grounded in fantasy Whether you support what he did or not, I don't know that the U. S. having the bomb all to itself would have been a great thing, given that we are the only nation to have actually dropped the bomb on anyone, period. Steve James. Resources SURFACE SKIM *Headline Resource* A Compassionate Spy, Steve James, Magnolia Pictures (2022) Available in select theaters and streaming on August 4th *SpyCasts* Spies: The Epic Intelligence War Between East vs. West with Calder Walton (2023) St. Ermins Hotel, London The History of a Legendary Spy Site with Stephen Duffy (2023) Becoming a Russian Intelligence Officer with Janosh Neumann (2022) The Nuclear Doomsday Machine with Sean Maloney on Cold War Emergency Plans (2022) *Beginner Resources* What Was the Manhattan Project?, T. Metcalfe, Scientific American (2023) [Article] U.S.-Russia Nuclear Arms Control (1949-2021), Council on Foreign Relations (n.d.) [Timeline] Theodore Hall: American-born physicist and spy, Encyclopaedia Britannica (n.d.) [Encyclopedia entry] DEEPER DIVE Books Sleeper Agent: The Atomic Spy in America Who Got Away, A. Hagedorn (Simon & Schuster, 2021) The Manhattan Project: The Birth of the Atomic Bomb in the Words of Its Creators, Eyewitnesses, and Historians, C. C. Kelly (Black Dog & Leventhal, 2020) Atomic Spy: The Dark Lives of Klaus Fuchs, N. T. Greenspan (Penguin Books, 2020) Bombshell: The Secret Story of Americas Unknown Atomic Spy Conspiracy, J. Albright & M. Kunstel (Times Books, 1997) Video Modern Marvels: The Manhattan Project, The History Channel, YouTube (2020) Science Behind the Atom Bomb, Nuclear Museum, Atomic Heritage Foundation (2013) Primary Sources Report by the Ad Hoc Committee to the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Evaluation of Effect on Soviet War Effort Resulting from the Strategic Air Offensive, National Security Archive (1949) The Evaluation of the Atomic Bomb as a Military Weapon, Harry Truman Presidential Library (1947) A Petition to the President of the United States from Los Alamos Scientists, Harry Truman Presidential Library (1945) Albert Einstein to Franklin D. Roosevelt, Harry Truman Presidential Library (1945) Decision to Maintain Contact with Theodore Hall, National Security Agency (1944) *Wildcard Resource* The development of nuclear weapons not only had a massive impact on history and science It also inspired new architectural designs and art. Read this Architectural Digest article on the Atomic Age Design and why our brains still register it as futuristic 75 years later!
Tue, 25 Jul 2023 11:00:00 -0000

"Intelligence, Special Operations, and Strategy" with Michael Vickers

Summary Michael Vickers (Website) joins Andrew (Twitter;LinkedIn) to discuss his remarkable career and memoir. He was formerly the Undersecretary of Defense for Intelligence. What Youll Learn Intelligence His specialized training to wear a Nuclear Backpack (yes, literally!) Overseeing a multibillion-dollar CIA covert action program against the Soviets Planning the Osama Bin Laden raid Retooling defense intelligence for the 21st century Reflections Finding a narrative that unites the various chapters of your life Serving a country vs. serving a political party And much, much more Episode Notes Michael Vickers has been on a heck of a ride. He started out as a U.S. Army private with no degree and went on to oversee hundreds of thousands of people as the Undersecretary of Defense for Intelligence while holding a Ph.D. from Johns Hopkins. Michael is the author of By All Means Available: Memoirs of a Life in Intelligence, Special Operation & Strategy. Quotes of the Week "That weapon was called the Special Atomic Demolition Munition [i.e., Nuclear Backpack] ...it was a sporty, uh, you know, it seemed like a good idea when I was 23 years old. So, there you have it." Michael Vickers. Resources SURFACE SKIM *SpyCasts* The Nuclear Doomsday Machine with Sean Maloney (2022_ The Spies Who Came in From the Cold - Chris Costa and John Quattrocki (2022) The Spymasters Prism CIA Legend Jack Devine (2021) Lessons from a Life in the CIAs Clandestine Service Hank Crumpton (2012) The CIA and the End of the Cold War Milt Bearden (2011) *Beginner Resources* Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan, Homeschool History (2022) [2:25 min video] Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan, Encyclopedia Britannica (2023) [3-minute read] The Operation That Took Out Osama Bin Laden, Military.com (2023) [3-minute read] The Plan to Get Osama, ABC News (2012) [6:44 min video] DEEPER DIVE Video The End of a Superpower - The Collapse of the Soviet Union, DW Documentaries (2022) Manhunt: The Search for Osma bin Laden, HBO (2013) Afghanistan 1979, the War that Changed the World, Gulya Mirzoeva, Icarus Films (2015) Red Star Over Khyber, PBS Frontline (1984) Primary Sources Commander, 500th MI Group, Subj: Guerilla Use of Stinger Missiles and Their Effect on Soviet Tactics in AF, circa 1987. Memorandum of Conversation between Vice President Bush and Pakistani President Zia, December 8, 1982 Conversation between M.S. Gorbachev and Ronald Reagan on Afghanistan (Excerpt), December 8, 1982 Message to Soviet Ambassadors on the Invasion of Afghanistan, Attachment to CPSU Politburo Decree #177, December 27, 1979 *Wildcard Resource* A Distant Plain: Counter-insurgency Afghanistan: Government, Coalition, Taliban and Warlords compete (2013) Play this board game developed by former guest and former World Board Game Champion, Volko Ruhnke,
Tue, 18 Jul 2023 11:00:00 -0000

Leader, Lecturer, Analyzer, Nerd with Jorhena Thomas

Summary Jorhena Thomas (LinkedIn) joins Andrew (Twitter;LinkedIn) to discuss her career as an analyst and passion for intelligence education. Jorhena spent 8 years in the FBI as an Intelligence Analyst. What Youll Learn Intelligence What makes a great analyst Her thoughts on the Intelligence Cycle The Robert Levinson case How the FBI adapted after 9/11 Reflections Teamwork and collaboration The importance of education Episode Notes Andrew is joined by Jorhena Thomas: educator, mentor, and analysis extraordinaire. It was a pleasure to have Jorhena in the studio to discuss to her career, which began at the Federal Bureau of Investigation where she served as an intelligence analyst for 8 years. She moved on to work at the Washington D.C. Fusion Center, the District of Columbia Deputy Mayors Office, and in private consulting. She currently lectures at both American University and Georgetown University, and serves as the Director of Mentorship and Professional Advancement at Girl Security. And Women make up 59% (more than half!) of the FBIs Intelligence Analysis workforce. This has come along way since the first female FBI special agents, Joanna Pierce Misko and Susan Roley Malone, were hired in 1972. However, the work is not done. SpyCast is proud to highlight Jorhenas work with Girl Security, supporting, mentoring, and training the next generations of women in intelligence. Quotes of the Week All my time with the FBI really gave me an appreciation for partnerships, and understanding everyone has a role to play. And if you respect what they do and they respect what you do, then you can really get some good work done. And I think sometimes people look down on others who don't do what they do. And my attitude is, if they did what you do, then you don't need to be here Jorhena Thomas Resources SURFACE SKIM *SpyCasts* The Counterintelligence Chief with FBI Assistant Director Alan Kohler (2023) SPY CHIEFS: From Navy Analyst to State Dept. Intelligence Chief Ellen McCarthys Journey (Part 1 of 2) (2022) SPY CHIEFS: From Navy Analyst to State Dept. Intelligence Chief Ellen McCarthys Journey (Part 2 of 2) (2022) My Global Career as a Female FBI Agent with Kathy Stearman (2021) Special Operations, FBI, NSC, et al Serial Collaborator Karen Schaefer (2021) *Beginner Resources* What is Intelligence Analysis and Why is It So Important?, National American University (2020) [Short article] FBI Field Intelligence Groups and Fusion Centers, Department of Homeland Security (n.d.) [Fact sheet] What is The Intelligence Cycle?, SOCRadar (2022) [Short article] DEEPER DIVE Books How Spies Think: Ten Lessons in Intelligence, D. Omand (Penguin, 2020) Psychology of Intelligence Analysis, R. J. Heuer (Echo Point, 2017) Reducing Uncertainty: Intelligence Analysis & National Security, T. Fingar (SUP, 2011) The FBI: A History, R. Jefferys-Jones (Yale, 2007) Articles How to Think Like an Intelligence Analyst, Z. T. Brown, Medium (2021) 9/11 and the Reinvention of the Us Intelligence Community, E. Kamarck, The Brooking Institution (2021) No body, no burial, no peace for Iran hostage Bob Levinson's family, J. G. Meek & C. Finnegan, ABC News (2021) Getting from Awareness to Action on Disinformation, J. Thomas, The Cipher Brief (2020) Tabletop Exercises to Combat Disinformation, J. Thomas, Medium (2020) How the FBI Reinvented Itself After 9/11, C. Nobel, Harvard Business School (2016) Video Adding Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion to National and Homeland Security, Education, Intelligence, and Fusion Centers (2023) Women FBI Agents: In Their Own Words, FBI (2012) Primary Sources FBI Washington Field Office Statement on the 16th Anniversary of the Abduction of Robert A. Levinson, FBI Washington (2023) The Internal Effects of the Federal Bureau of Investigations Reprioritization, Office of the Inspector General (2004) United States Patriot Act (2001)
Tue, 11 Jul 2023 11:00:00 -0000

The Kneeling Man with Leta McCollough Seletsky

Summary Leta McCollough Seletsky (Website; Twitter) joins Andrew (Twitter;LinkedIn) to share the story of her father, the famous Kneeling Man The man knelt next to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. at his assassination at the Lorraine Motel in 1968. Leta is a litigator turned essayist and memoirist. *Nominate SpyCast for a Peoples Choice Podcast Award HERE!* What Youll Learn Intelligence The life and times of Marrell Mac McCollough The CIA connection between father and daughter Black power and the counterintelligence program (or, COINTELPRO) The conspiracies surrounding Dr. Kings assassination Reflections Coming to terms with the past and present Small but important steps of progress And much, much more *EXTENDED SHOW NOTES & FULL TRANSCRIPT HERE* Resources SURFACE SKIM *Headline Resource* The Kneeling Man: My Father's Life as a Black Spy Who Witnessed the Assassination of Martin Luther King Jr., Leta McCollough Seletsky (Counterpoint, 2023) *SpyCasts* The Counterintelligence Chief with Alan Kohler (2023) The Third Option US Covert Action with Loch Johnson, Part 1 (2022) The Third Option US Covert Action with Loch Johnson, Part 2 (2022) The Birth of American Propaganda with John Hamilton (2021) Juneteenth Special: African-American Spies (2021) *Beginner Resources* I Am A Man Dr. King and The Memphis Sanitation Workers Strike, M. Gailani, Tennessee State Museum (2020) [Short brief] Martin Luther King Jr., The Nobel Prize (n.d.) [Biography] COINTELPRO: United States Government Program, N. Frederique, Encyclopaedia Britannica (n.d.) [Short article] *EXTENDED SHOW NOTES & FULL TRANSCRIPT HERE* DEEPER DIVE Books The Sword and the Shield: The Revolutionary Lives of Malcom X and Martin Luther King Jr., P. E. Joseph (Basic Books, 2021) An Unseen Light: Black Struggles for Freedom in Memphis, Tennessee, A. Goudsouzian, C. W. McKinney, et al. (The University Press of Kentucky, 2018) The Heavens Might Crack: The Death and Legacy of Martin Luther King Jr., J. Sokol (Basic Books, 2018) The COINTELPRO Papers: Documents from the FBI's Secret Wars Against Dissent in the United States, W. Churchill & J. V. Wall (South End Press, 2001) Primary Sources The King v. Jowers Trial Findings, U.S. Department of Justice (1999) Final Report of the Select Committee to Study Governmental Operations with Respect to Intelligence Activities, United States Senate (1976) Report from Vietnam, Walter Cronkite (1968) Ive Been to the Mountaintop Speech, Martin Luther King Jr., AFSCME (1968) "Beyond Vietnam: A Time to Break Silence" Speech, Martin Luther King Jr., American Rhetoric (1967) COINTELPRO Records Collection, FBI Records: The Vault (n.d)
Tue, 04 Jul 2023 11:00:00 -0000

From the Vault: Baseball & Espionage with World Series Champion Ryan Zimmerman & Marc Polymeropoulos (Part 1 of 2)

Summary Ryan Zimmerman (MLB Stats; Wikipedia) and Marc Polymeropoulos (Twitter; LinkedIn) join Andrew to discuss intelligence and Americas pastime. From the SpyCast Field of Dreams. What Youll Learn Intelligence Sign-stealing and codebreaking Glue guys and teamwork Ethics in baseball and espionage Clutch and pinch hitters in espionage and baseball Reflections Daring to fail Stepping up to the plate of life And much, much more Episode Notes Buy me some peanuts and crackerjack. Few things in the world compare to sitting back, putting your feet up, and cracking open a cold one while watching the World Series. For the 2021 World Series Marc joined us for a fantastic discussion on the links between baseball and espionage. How do we top that? A baseball fanatic ex-CIA officer? Why, how about getting a first-round draft pick, World Series Champion with over 6500 at-bats? Done! Enter Ryan Zimmerman, Mr. National! Ever wondered about signs-stealing, how to run a baseball counterintelligence operation, or what some of the many, many links are between baseball and espionage? Youve come to the right place for a discussion that goes to the bottom of the ninth inning over a two-episode conversation. Ryan played for the Nationals from 2005, when he was a first-round draft pick, through to 2021, when his #11 jersey was retired. He is an ex- All-Star, Silver Slugger, Gold Glove winner, and 2019 World Series Champion. Marc is a highly decorated former CIA operations officer who specialized in counterterrorism, the Middle East, and South Asia. Prior to his retirement, he served at CIA headquarters in charge of clandestine operations in Europe and Eurasia. He is the author of the 2021 book, Clarity in Crisis: Leadership Lessons from the CIA. And Big Data is upending many fields, not least baseball and espionage. Gaining a competitive edge is central to both activities, the big argument is about how much soul is lost along the way. The Houston Astros have been a lighting-rod team, whose smart and modern or cold and cynical approach has been discussed at Penn's Wharton School of Business and in the pages of the Harvard Business Review. Quotes of the Week "I think Dare to Fail is enormous. I would want you to put me up at the bases load in the bottom of the ninth. I'll take it every single time. Even if I feel like I have zero chance, I want to be there." - RyanZimmerman "You know, you have to have that mentality in these professions." - Marc Polymeropoulos Resources *Andrews Recommendation* Moneyball, M. Lewis (W.W. Norton, 2004) Love it or hate it, this is the first port of call for any reckoning of baseball and analytics. *SpyCasts* Baseball & Espionage with Marc Polymeropoulos (2021) *Beginner Resources* Spy Agencies Struggling in Age of Big Data, A. Zegart, Wired (2022) [article] Baseball Analytics for the Casual Fan, Simple Sabermetrics (2020) [7 min video] Beginners Guide to Baseball Analytics, N. Allen, Fansided (2018) [article] Best Baseball Analytics Resources, Simple Sabermetrics (2022) Books Spies, Lies and Algorithms, A. Zegart (PUP, 2022) The Catcher Was a Spy: Moe Berg, N. Dawidoff (Pantheon, 1994) Articles Baseball and Cybersecurity, S. Handler, Atlantic Council (2020) Baseballs Rude Welcome to Age of Cyberespionage, N. Paine, 538 (2015) The Man Who Remade Basketball, M. McCluskey, Wired (2014) Baseball on Exhibit: Musuems in the SABR Era, Z. Jendro, SABR (2011) Video Lessons from the CIAs Analytic Front-Lines, B. Pease, JHU (2022) Sabermetrics 101: Baseball Analytics, A. Andres, Talks at Google (2016) CIAs Chief Information Officer - Advanced Analytics, D. Wolfe, OReilly (2015) Primary Sources The PC Goes to Bat (1984) *Wildcard Resource* Get Analytics Certification from the Society for American Baseball Research (SABR) - which is where the term sabermetrics comes from!
Tue, 27 Jun 2023 11:00:00 -0000

"Venices Secret Service" with Ioanna Iordanou

Summary Ioanna Iordanou (Twitter; LinkedIn) joins Andrew (Twitter;LinkedIn) to discuss Venices Secret Service. Her research on centralized intelligence during the Italian Renaissance has secured her two entries in Guiness World Records! What Youll Learn Intelligence The origins of centralized intelligence The Council of Ten - Venices spy chiefs The Inquisitors of the State - Venices counterintelligence body Venetian power in the Eastern Mediterranean Reflections The rise and fall of empires The relationship between geography and power And much, much more *EXTENDED SHOW NOTES & FULL TRANSCRIPT HERE* Quotes of the Week Considering some of the most significant challenges we face right now, such as disease, we just got over a global pandemic or migration or trade or climate change or cybersecurity, all these issues do not stop at the borders like any early modern spies, they cross borders. So even reflecting on how people dealt with these things in the past might help us make better political, social, economic decisions. Ioanna Iordanou. Resources SURFACE SKIM *Headline Resource Venices Secret Service: Organizing Intelligence in the Renaissance, Ioanna Iordanou (Oxford University Press, 2014) *SpyCasts* Espionage and the Two Queens with Kent Tiernan (2023) The Counterintelligence Chief with FBI Assistant Director Alan Kohler (2023) The Lion and the Fox Civil War Spy vs. Spy with Alexander Rose (2023) Keeping Secrets/Disclosing Secrets with Spy Chief turned DG of Australias National Archives David Fricker (2022) *Beginner Resources* A Brief Overview of Renaissance History, Art in Context (2023) [Short article] Profile of a City: Venice, Renaissance Italy (2012) [Short article] Brief History of the Renaissance in 5 Minutes, 5 Minutes (2022) [YouTube video] *EXTENDED SHOW NOTES & FULL TRANSCRIPT HERE* DEEPER DIVE Books Inventing the World: Venice and the Transformation of Western Civilization, M. F. Small (Pegasus Books, 2020) City of Fortune: How Venice Ruled the Seas, R. Crowley (Random House, 2013) A World Lit Only by Fire: The Medieval Mind and the Renaissance, W. Manchester (Little, Brown and Company, 1993) Primary Sources The Life and Letters of Sir Henry Wotton, Internet Archive (1907) The deBarbari Map (View of Venice), Cartography Venice Project Center (1500) Letter of Aeneas Silvius Piccolomini to Lord Cardinal Firmanus, Carleton College (1453) The Shorter Annals of Venice, Carleton College (ca. 13th century) Primary Collections Venetian Diplomatic Agents in England, British History Online (1202-1509) *Wildcard Resource* Browse the art of Titian, an artist whose work was used as a form of payment for spies and intelligence gatherers in Venice. Not a bad paycheck! *EXTENDED SHOW NOTES & FULL TRANSCRIPT HERE*
Tue, 20 Jun 2023 11:00:00 -0000

"The North Korean Defector" with Former DPRK Agent Kim, Hyun Woo

Summary This week on SpyCast, Andrew (Twitter;LinkedIn)is joined by former DPRK Agent Kim, Hyun Woo. This is the first time Dr. Kim has stepped out from the shadows to speak. *EXTENDED SHOW NOTES & FULL TRANSCRIPT HERE* What Youll Learn Intelligence The organizational structure of North Korean intelligence The journey of a defector The training and skills needed to be a DPRK agent North Korean intelligence priorities in the East Reflections Bravery and courage in the face of danger State conformity vs. Personal convictions And much, much more Quote of the Week When I envision reunification, I am envisioning reunified Korea under a liberal democratic system as opposed to say, unified Korea under a more North Korean system That I oppose. My desire is that in a unified Korea, even North Korean populous or population living in northern parts of the Korean Peninsula will be guaranteed fundamental, standard rights as humans. Agent Kim, Hyun Woo. Resources SURFACE SKIM *SpyCasts* Spies: The Epic Intelligence War Between East vs. West with Calder Walton (2023) The Counterintelligence Chief with FBI Assistant Director Alan Kohler (2023) The Counterterrorism and Counter WMD Strategist with Dexter Ingram (2022) Becoming a Russian Intelligence Officer with Janosh Neumann (2022) *Beginner Resources* The Current Situation in North Korea, United States Institute for Peace (2022) [Fact sheet] A Brief History of North Korea in 3 Minutes, G. Willson, New York Magazine (2017) [3 min. video] *EXTENDED SHOW NOTES & FULL TRANSCRIPT HERE* DEEPER DIVE Books Becoming Kim Jong Un: A Former CIA Officers Insights, J. H. Pak (Ballantine Books, 2020) The Impossible State: North Korea, Past and Future, V. Cha (Ecco, 2018) In Order to Live: A North Korean Girls Journey to Freedom, Y. Park (Penguin Books, 2015) Koreas Place in the Sun: A Modern History, B. Cumings (W.W. Norton, 2005) Primary Sources Supreme Leader Kim Jong-Un Delivers Speech at Military Parade, KCNA Watch (2020) Key Issue Paper for Secretary of State-designate Madeleine Albright, Subject: Korean Peninsula Issues, National Security Archive (1994) China: Potential Response to Korean Contingencies, DIA Special Report, National Security Archive (1994) DPRK: Slow-Motion Succession: the Secretarys Morning Intelligence Summary, National Security Archive (1994) Protocol for the Phased Withdrawal of Troops (First Draft), Wilson Center (1954) Mutual Defense Treaty Between the United States and the Republic of Korea, US Forces Korea (1953) Statement by President Syngman Rhee, Wilson Center (1953) Congratulatory Message [from Mao Zedong] to the Chinese Peoples Volunteer Army, Wilson Center (1953) Telegram from Stalin to Mao Zedong, Wilson Center (1952) Cable Nos. 408-410, Shtykov to Vyshinsky, Wilson Center (1950) Statement by the President, Truman on Korea, Wilson Center (1950) *Wildcard Resource* Inspired by Dr. Kims love for Sherlock Holmes: His Last Bow is the last chronological short story installment of the Sherlock Holmes series. In this story, Sherlock tracks down a German spy during the First World War! *EXTENDED SHOW NOTES & FULL TRANSCRIPT HERE*
Tue, 13 Jun 2023 11:00:00 -0000

Spies: The Epic Intelligence War Between East vs. West with Calder Walton

Summary Calder Walton (Website, Twitter) joins Andrew (Twitter;LinkedIn) to discuss the 100-year intelligence war between the United States and Russia. Calder is the author of the new book, SPIES. *EXTENDED SHOW NOTES & FULL TRANSCRIPT HERE* What Youll Learn Intelligence The epic clash of intelligence systems Russias assassination program then and now The roots of Putinism China as the Soviet Union on steroids Reflections Cold War 2.0 Could it have been otherwise? And much, much more Quotes of the Week My conclusion, unfortunately, Andrew, is that looking at this large sweep of history that we have, not so much a Putin problem today, but a Russia problem. And the Russia problem has been persistent over a hundred years, which is why it makes me very cautious about speculation Unfortunately, it seems to me that the Putin and the people he surrounds himself with in the Kremlin are all cut from this very similar cloth as he is. Resources SURFACE SKIM *Headline Resource* SPIES: The Epic Intelligence War Between East and West, Calder Walton (Simon & Schuster, 2023) *SpyCasts* Ukraine & the Alliance with NATOs Assistant Secretary General for Intelligence David Cattler (2023) Ukraine & Intelligence: One Year On with Shane Harris (2023) Becoming a Russian Intelligence Officer with Janosh Neumann (2022) The Spies Who Came in From the Cold with Chris Costa and John Quattrocki at the Pritzker Military Museum & Library in Chicago (2022) Dealing with Russia with Counterintelligence Legend Jim Olson (2022) CIA Legend Jack Devine on Countering Russian Aggression (2012) *Beginner Resources* Putins Revisionist History of Russia and Ukraine, I. Chotiner,New Yorker(2022) [Short article] Has Putin's war failed and what does Russia want?, P. Kirby,BBC(2023) [Short article] The Cold War Explained in 15 Minutes, YouTube (2021) [15 min. video] *EXTENDED SHOW NOTES & FULL TRANSCRIPT HERE* DEEPER DIVE Books Russian Intelligence, K. Riehle (NIU, 2022) Putins People, C. Belton (William Collins, 2021) Between Two Fires, J. Yaffa (Duggan Books, 2020) The New Cold War, E. Lucas (St. Martins Griffin, 2014) Primary Sources The Putin Files, CBS (n.d.) Memorandum of Conversations (Rise of Putin) Clinton with Putin (2000) Clinton with Putin (2000) Clinton with Yeltsin (1999) Clinton with Yeltsin (1999) Clinton with Putin (1999) Madelaine Albright with Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov (1999) Clinton with Putin (1999) Clinton with Yeltsin (1999) Oral Histories U.S. Ambassadors to Moscow John Huntsman (2017-2019) John F. Tefft (2014-2017) Michael McFaul (2012-2014) John Beryle (2008-2012) Alexander Vershbow (2001-2005) James F. Collins (1997-2001) Thomas R. Pickering (1993-1996) Jack F. Matlock (1987-1991) *Wildcard Resource* Putin Strikes: The Coming War for Eastern Europe A two-player board game where one commands the Kremlins forces and the other an international polyglot force. Trippy or what? *EXTENDED SHOW NOTES & FULL TRANSCRIPT HERE*
Tue, 06 Jun 2023 11:00:00 -0000

ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL: The D-Day Deception with National WWII Museum Curator Corey Graff

Summary Cory Graff (Website, LinkedIn) joins Andrew (Twitter,LinkedIn) to discuss the D-Day deception operation to mask the landings at Normandy. Cory is a Curator at The National World War II Museum in New Orleans, Louisiana. What Youll Learn Intelligence Deception tactics used by the Allies The core deception operations BODYGUARD and FORTITUDE The German secret agents who became British double agents The Ghost Army and General Pattons fictitious First U.S. Army Group Intelligence in the World War II Museum Reflections Appearance and intention The essential unknowability of the world And much, much more *EXTENDED SHOW NOTES & FULL TRANSCRIPT HERE* Quotes of the Week During the evenings, French Resistance is taking over and blowing up train tracks and sort of funneling people this way. And that's another thing to talk about when we talk about D-Day is, intelligence was gained from French citizens beforehand. And the night of the 5th & 6th, we witnessed something like a thousand points of sabotage within the area directed at the Germans. Cory Graff on the French Resistances contribution to D-Day Resources SURFACE SKIM Andrews Recommendation The D-Day episode of the landmark documentary The World at War (Morning: June-August 1944 (Ep. 17 of 26)) *SpyCasts* St. Ermins Hotel, London The History of a Legendary Spy Site with Stephen Duffy (2023) Hitlers Trojan Horse Nazi Intelligence with Nigel West (2023) Nazis on the Potomac with former National Park Service Chief Historian Bob Sutton (2022) The Nuclear Doomsday Machine with Sean Maloney on Cold War Emergency Plans (2022) *Beginner Resources* Heres what happened on D-Day, the largest amphibious invasion ever undertaken, CNN (2021) [1 min. video] When and How Did World War II End?, R. Wilde, ThoughtCo (2020 [Short article] The 10 Things You Need to Know about D-Day, Imperial War Museum (n.d.) [10 quick facts] DEEPER DIVE *EXTENDED SHOW NOTES & FULL TRANSCRIPT HERE* Primary Sources General Eisenhowers Order of the Day, National Archives (1944) In Case of Failure Message from Gen. Eisenhower, Eisenhower Presidential Library (1944) Overlord Anvil Papers, Eisenhower Presidential Library (1944) Report of the 82nd Airborne Division, Operation Neptune, Eisenhower Presidential Library (1944) Neptune Monograph, The D-Day Story Museum (1944) *Wildcard Resource* The crossword panic of 1944! In the run up to D-Day important codenames such as Omaha, Overlord, Mulberry, and Neptune, appeared in the Daily Telegraph newspaper crossword puzzle. Was someone signaling the Allies plans to the Germans? We dont think so...but one possible explanation involves loose-lipped soldiers, a WWI veteran schoolteacher, and some naughty schoolboys! *EXTENDED SHOW NOTES & FULL TRANSCRIPT HERE*
Tue, 30 May 2023 11:00:00 -0000

From the Vault: El Chapo, the War on Drugs & Intelligence with Trial Reporter Noah Hurowitz

Summary Noah Hurowitz (Twitter; LinkedIn) joins Andrew (Twitter; LinkedIn) to discuss infamous drug kingpin El Chapo. A weak link in his cybersecurity set-up would help bring him down. What Youll Learn Intelligence El Chapos internal surveillance operation The cartels use of cryptography to keep communications covert How cybersecurity enabled then brought down El Chapo The role of the infamous DFS a corrupt and now disbanded intelligence agency Reflections Technology early adopters vs. counter responders The changing nature of crime enabled by emerging technologies spyware, drones, etc. And much, much more Episode Notes Joaqun Archivaldo Guzmn Loera, aka El Chapo (shorty) because of his 5-foot 6-inch frame, was called by one of the agents chasing him, the godfather of the drug world. So, how did a low-level drug dealer from a provincial state rise to try and subvert the Mexican government to his will? What was the intelligence game that played out with regards to El Chapo? How did the cartels use spytech, tradecraft and cybersecurity to stay one step ahead of the law? How was he caught? To answer these questions and more, Andrew sat down with Noah Horowitz who covered the trial of El Chapo in Brooklyn for Rolling Stone magazine. Noah is also the author of the recent book El Chapo, and his work has appeared in the Village Voice, the Baffler and New York Magazine. And In the El Chapo trial, question No.57 asked prospective jurors, Are you familiar with Jesus Malverde? If you are not familiar with this angel of the poor (el ngel de los pobres) as well as the Sinaloan narcos (el narcosantn), then you can find out why this question would be relevant here, here, here and here. Quote of the Week "So, in addition to encrypted communicationshe was also installing spyware on Blackberry devices that El Chapo was giving out to his lieutenants and his girlfriends and his wives. And then EL Chapo was able to use this, the spyware program to see what was on their phones. He was able to see their text messages. He was able to see their locations. He was even able to remotely activate their mic and listen to them. And he loved thatit was like a toy to him almost. He became obsessed with it." Noah Hurowitz Resources Headline Resource El Chapo, N. Hurowitz (S&S, 2021) *SpyCasts* Drug Cartels, Sleeper Cells, the Waco Siege & the Mob - Dennis Franks (2021) Books Dope: History of the Mexican Drug Trade, B. Smith (W.W. Norton, 2021) Blood Gun Money: How America Arms Gangs & Cartels, I. Grillo (Bloomsbury, 2021) Articles Drugs, Crime and the Cartels, CFR (2021) The Tech that Took Down Pablo Escobar, Wired (2021) Mexican Cartels Cyber Surveillance, C. Schilis-Gallego, Forbidden Stories (2020) Spy vs. Spy, El Chapo Edition, E. Groll, FP (2019) The Spyware that Brought Down El Chapo, S. Fussell, The Atlantic (2019) Websites El Paso Intelligence Project (EPIC) Centro Nacional De Intelligencia (CNI) PBR (Projects, Briefs, Reports) Mexico: Evolution of the Merida Initiative, C. Seelke, CRS (2021) Mexico Organized Crime and Drug Traffickers, J. Beittel, CRS (2020) Primary Sources EDNY Press Release on El Chapo Trial (2019) Memo in Support of Pre-trial Detention, USA vs. Joaqun Guzmn Loera (2017) Trial Transcripts of El Chapo Text Messages with His Mistress (2012) Official Report on Mexicos Dirty War (2006) Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Designation Act (1999) Primary Source Collections The Mexican Intelligence Digital Archives (MIDAS) Inside The Cartel: Key Documents (LAT) *Wildcard Resource* The Original Indigenous People of Sinaloa To understand Joaqun Guzmn Loera, starting at the year of his birth, 1957, might be enough; but to understand El Chapo it might help to go deeper still
Tue, 23 May 2023 11:00:00 -0000

70th Anniversary of James Bond, Special - with Alexis Albion on 007 (Part 2 of 2)

Summary Curators Alexis (LinkedIn) and Andrew (Twitter;LinkedIn) use James Bond artifacts in SPYs collection to discuss all things 007. This year marks the 70th anniversary of the first Ian Fleming novel, Casino Royale. What Youll Learn Intelligence Bond vs. Real Life Spies The birth of James Bond Ian Flemings intelligence past Bond and MI6 Reflections What makes a character timeless? Pop culture mirroring real life And much, much more *FULL SHOWNOTES & FULL TRANSCRIPT HERE* Episode Notes This week on SpyCast, curators Andrew and Alexis join forces to put the past 70 years of Bond into historical perspective. To help frame their conversation, our collections team brought out a fantastic selection of Bond artifacts for Andrew and Alexis to interact with during the recording of this episode. Quotes of the Week I think in general the spy genre always has to have one foot, often two, in the real world. It's part of what makes that genre appealing and not science fiction. It takes place in the real world. And whether that is, you know, some of the technology or real-world threats, it has to be relatable and recognizable in that sense. Alexis Albion. *FULL SHOWNOTES & FULL TRANSCRIPT HERE* Resources SURFACE SKIM *SpyCasts* Espionage and the Two Queens with Kent Tiernan (2023) Secrets Revealed with Curators Alexis and Andrew on SPYs Pop-Up Exhibit (2023) CIA Officers Turned Authors with David McCloskey and James Stejskal (2022) The Spy of the Century with Curators Alexis and Andrew on Kim Philby (2022) My Life Looking at Spies and the Media with Paul Lashmar (2022) *Beginner Resources* MI6 History & Facts, Encyclopedia Britannica (2022) [Brief history of MI6] The Evolution of James Bond, Fandom Entertainment, YouTube (2021) [15 min. video] Ian Fleming, Famous Authors (n.d.) [Short biography] *FULL SHOWNOTES & FULL TRANSCRIPT HERE* Primary Sources Primos Bionic Eye, Collection of the International Spy Museum (2021) James Bonds Omega Seamaster Diver 300M Watch, Collection of the International Spy Museum (2021) 007 Fragrance Commercial, YouTube (1965) James Bond Action Pak Toy Commercial, American Character, YouTube (1964) Aston Martin DB5, Collection of the International Spy Museum (1964) The Zimmermann Telegram, National Archives (1917) *Wildcard Resource* Everyone has a favorite James Bond theme song. If you just cant choose just one, check out The Ultimate James Bond Medley A production from Alchemistic Records featuring all 25 Bond songs. *FULL SHOWNOTES & FULL TRANSCRIPT HERE*
Tue, 16 May 2023 11:00:00 -0000

70th Anniversary of James Bond, Special - with Alexis Albion on 007 (Part 1 of 2)

Summary Curators Alexis (LinkedIn) and Andrew (Twitter;LinkedIn) use James Bond artifacts in SPYs collection to discuss all things 007. This year marks the 70th anniversary of the first Ian Fleming novel, Casino Royale. What Youll Learn Intelligence Bond vs. Real Life Spies The birth of James Bond Ian Flemings intelligence past Bond and MI6 Reflections What makes a character timeless? Pop culture mirroring real life And much, much more *FULL SHOWNOTES & FULL TRANSCRIPT HERE* Episode Notes This week on SpyCast, curators Andrew and Alexis join forces to put the past 70 years of Bond into historical perspective. To help frame their conversation, our collections team brought out a fantastic selection of Bond artifacts for Andrew and Alexis to interact with during the recording of this episode. Quotes of the Week I think in general the spy genre always has to have one foot, often two, in the real world. It's part of what makes that genre appealing and not science fiction. It takes place in the real world. And whether that is, you know, some of the technology or real-world threats, it has to be relatable and recognizable in that sense. Alexis Albion. *FULL SHOWNOTES & FULL TRANSCRIPT HERE* Resources SURFACE SKIM *SpyCasts* Espionage and the Two Queens with Kent Tiernan (2023) Secrets Revealed with Curators Alexis and Andrew on SPYs Pop-Up Exhibit (2023) CIA Officers Turned Authors with David McCloskey and James Stejskal (2022) The Spy of the Century with Curators Alexis and Andrew on Kim Philby (2022) My Life Looking at Spies and the Media with Paul Lashmar (2022) *Beginner Resources* MI6 History & Facts, Encyclopedia Britannica (2022) [Brief history of MI6] The Evolution of James Bond, Fandom Entertainment, YouTube (2021) [15 min. video] Ian Fleming, Famous Authors (n.d.) [Short biography] *FULL SHOWNOTES & FULL TRANSCRIPT HERE* Primary Sources Primos Bionic Eye, Collection of the International Spy Museum (2021) James Bonds Omega Seamaster Diver 300M Watch, Collection of the International Spy Museum (2021) 007 Fragrance Commercial, YouTube (1965) James Bond Action Pak Toy Commercial, American Character, YouTube (1964) Aston Martin DB5, Collection of the International Spy Museum (1964) The Zimmermann Telegram, National Archives (1917) *Wildcard Resource* Everyone has a favorite James Bond theme song. If you just cant choose just one, check out The Ultimate James Bond Medley A production from Alchemistic Records featuring all 25 Bond songs. *FULL SHOWNOTES & FULL TRANSCRIPT HERE*
Tue, 09 May 2023 11:00:00 -0000

St. Ermins Hotel, London The History of a Legendary Spy Site, with Stephen Duffy

Summary Stephen Duffy (LinkedIn) joins Andrew (Twitter;LinkedIn) to discuss the spy stories of St. Ermins Hotel in London. It includes links to SOE, MI6, Ian Fleming, and the Cambridge 5. What Youll Learn Intelligence The origins of the SOE MI6 and the SOE in the hotel during WWII (bad neighbors!) Incredible female spies of WWII St. Ermins Cambridge Five connection The history of the hotel Reflections The stories a hotel could tell if it could talk Proximity to power And much, much more *FULL SHOWNOTES & FULL TRANSCRIPT HERE* Episode Notes During World War II, the hotel was the birthplace of Sir Winston Churchills Special Operations Executive a crucial element in his initiative to set Europe ablaze. Notorious spies Kim Philby and Donald Maclean were known to enjoy a drink at the hotel bar while sharing secrets with their Soviet handlers. And thats not all to learn the rest, youll have to listen to the episode. Quotes of the Week Thats where Burgess, MacLean, and Philby at different times met their Russian handlers in plain sight and sat there and spoke normally. Didn't talk out the side of their mouths, didn't have red carnations and copies of the Financial Times under their arm. They just passed over their information, their paperwork or whatever, in plain sight to everybody. Stephen Duffy. *FULL SHOWNOTES & FULL TRANSCRIPT HERE* Resources SURFACE SKIM *SpyCasts* Hitlers Trojan Horse Nazi Intelligence with Nigel West (2023) Nazis on the Potomac with former National Park Service Chief Historian Bob Sutton (2022) SPY@20: The Spy of the Century Curators Alexis and Andrew on Kim Philby (2022) The Beverly Hills Spy with The Hollywood Reporters Seth Abramovitch (2022) *Beginner Resources* MI6 History & Facts, Encyclopedia Britannica (2022) [Brief history of MI6] World War 2 Chronology, B. Johnson, Historic UK (n.d.) [Timeline of Britain in WWII] How Churchill Led Britain to Victory in the Second World War, J. Taylor, Imperial War Museum (n.d.) [Short article] The St. Ermins Autobiography, St. Ermins Hotel (n.d.) [Pamphlet] *FULL SHOWNOTES & FULL TRANSCRIPT HERE* Primary Sources File Release: Cold War Cambridge spies Burgess and Maclean, UK National Archives (2015) Alexander Simitch Stevens Oral History, Imperial War Museum (1992) Basil Davison Oral History, Imperial War Museum (1988) My Silent War, K. Philby (1967) SOE Training Advice on Disguise, UK National Archives (n.d.) *Wildcard Resource* The cocktail menu at St. Ermins Caxton Bar features a number of spy-related references, including Bonds signature drink. To learn more about this shaken, not stirred beverage, check out this article for a brief history of the Vesper Martini. *FULL SHOWNOTES & FULL TRANSCRIPT HERE*
Tue, 02 May 2023 11:00:00 -0000

Ukraine & the Alliance with NATOs Assistant Secretary General for Intelligence David Cattler

Summary David Cattler (Twitter; LinkedIn) joins Andrew (Twitter;LinkedIn) to discuss NATOs intelligence response to the ongoing war in Ukraine. David currently serves as NATOs Assistant Secretary General for Intelligence and Security. What Youll Learn Intelligence Intelligence & NATO NATOs response to the war in Ukraine How NATO is adapting to evolving technologies NATOs purpose and mission Reflections Support and trust between nations Global collaboration And much, much more Episode Notes Last February, SpyCast brought you an episode featuring David Cattler, focused on his role as NATOs Assistant Secretary General for Intelligence and Security. Only a few weeks after that episode was published, Russia invaded the Ukraine on February 24th, 2022, catalyzing the first war on European soil since World War II. Only three weeks ago, NATO gained their newest member of the alliance, Finland, with the hopes of ratifying Swedens membership soon. This week, we bring David back on to discuss how his position has evolved and changed alongside the war in Ukraine, and how NATO is responding to the ongoing crisis. What impact does the inclusion of Finland (and hopefully Sweden) make on the European continent? Tune in to find out more. And With Finlands recent membership, NATO is currently comprised of 31 independent nations. Out of these 30, only one member state doesnt have a standing army Can you guess which? Hint: Its Iceland! Quotes of the Week "It's not just about Ukraine. It really is about what kind of world we all want to live in. There are rules and the rules really do establish that nations of people have rights to be free. To make decisions for themselves, to be sovereign, to be safe within their own borders. To be free from harm and certainly free from being threatened in the way that we've seen here." David Cattler. Resources SURFACE SKIM *SpyCasts* Ukraine & Intelligence: One Year On with Shane Harris (2023) How Artificial Intelligence is Changing the Spy Game with Mike Susong (2023) Dealing with Russia with Counterintelligence Legend Jim Olson (2022) NATOs Assistant Secretary General for Intelligence and Security with David Cattler (2022) *Beginner Resources* What is NATO and why is Finland joining?, BBC News (2023) [Short article] Russia-Ukraine Relations in 60 Seconds,CBC News(2022) [1 min. video] The Formation of NATO and the Warsaw Pact | History, YouTube (2017) [3 min. video] *FULL SHOW NOTES HERE*
Tue, 25 Apr 2023 11:00:00 -0000

Espionage and the Two Queens with Kent Tiernan

Summary R. Kent Tiernan joins Andrew (Twitter;LinkedIn) to discuss the seven-year covert operation to execute Mary Queen of Scots. Kent is the author of The Walsingham Gambit. What Youll Learn Intelligence The spy plot to trap Mary, Queen of Scots Sir Francis Walsingham, Elizabeths spymaster 16th century intelligence tactics The importance of recruiting agents from your opponents camp The Denial and Deception Committee Reflections Religious conflict Temperament and statecraft And much, much more *FULL SHOW NOTES HERE* Episode Notes Elizabeth I, daughter of Henry VIII and his second wife Anne Boleyn, survived no less than 9 elaborate plots against her life. In an era of religious conflict and constant power struggles, it was perhaps more important than ever to run an effective intelligence service. Guest Bio R. Kent Tiernan previously served as an intelligence officer in the United States Air Force, and an assistant professor of history at the United States Air Force Academy. Kent also served as the Vice Chairman and Staff Director of the Foreign Denial and Deception Committee before retiring in 2014 at the rank of Senior National Intelligence Service officer. Quotes of the Week Our analysts do a wonderful job, but it's very difficult for them because they're looking for continuity or congruity in the information, uh, in order to come up with an answer or a best evaluation of truth. Our job was looking for incongruities in the information. Uh, things that didn't make sense the other evidence was leaning one way, but then we'd get a bit of evidence, and it just didn't make sense to what we were seeing, uh, normally. Resources SURFACE SKIM *Featured Resource* The Walsingham Gambit: Deception, Entrapment, and Execution of Mary Stuart, Queen of Scots, R. Kent Tiernan (Lexington Books, 2022) *SpyCasts* The Denial and Deception Committee with Bill Parquette The IRA, The Troubles & Intelligence - with Eleanor Williams and Thomas Leahy (2022) So, You Want to Be a Codebreaker? - with Elonka Dunin and Klaus Schmeh (2021) The Spymasters Prism - with CIA Legend Jack Devine (2021) *Beginner Resources* A beginners guide to the Babington Plot, M. Mayhew, The History Press (n.d.) [article] Biography of Mary Queen of Scots, E. Castelow, Historic UK (n.d.) [article] Queen Elizabeth I, B. Johnson, Historic UK (n.d.) [article] Elizabeth Is Problem with Religion, YouTube (2021) [5 min. video] *FULL SHOW NOTES HERE* Primary Sources Drawing of Mary, Queen of Scots Execution by Robert Beale, British Library (1587) Page of Ciphers Used by Mary Queen of Scots, UK National Archives (1586) Letter from Mary, Queen of Scots in Sheffield Castle to Elizabeth I, British Library (1582) Mary, Queen of Scots to Sir William Cecil, UK National Archives (1570) Letter from Elizabeth I to Mary, Queen of Scots, British Library (1568) Elizabeth I to Mary, Queen of Scots, UK National Archives (1567) *Wildcard Resource* Elizabeth I famously had a sweet tooth A habit that would eventually cause her teeth to go black in an era of subpar dentistry. One of her favorite sugary treats was candied violets A less popular snack nowadays, but just as tasty! *FULL SHOW NOTES HERE*
Tue, 18 Apr 2023 11:00:00 -0000

Irregular Warfare & Intelligence - with IWC Director Dennis Walters

Summary Dr. Dennis Walters (LinkedIn; Website) joins Andrew (Twitter;LinkedIn) to discuss the Irregular Warfare Center and its ties to intelligence. Dennis is the current Acting Director of the IWC. What Youll Learn Intelligence The need for an Irregular Warfare Center The Irregular Warfare Centers mission What role intelligence plays in irregular war Creating unique solutions for unique situations How do intelligence and Special Operations blend together? Reflections Education as a strategic tool Creative problem solving And much, much more Episode Notes This week on SpyCast, the IWCs Acting Director Dr. Dennis Walters joins Andrew in a conversation about all thing's irregular warfare. What is irregular warfare, and how does it differ from conventional warfare? What is the mission of the IW Center, and what tools and tactics do they employ to accomplish this? Tune in to find out. And Want to keep your enemies at bay, try an irregular approach throw a Scorpion Bomb at them: yes, it is literally a glass jar filled with scorpions. The tactic was resurrected by ISIS. Guest Bio Dr. Dennis Walters is the acting Director of the Irregular Warfare Center. He served in the United States Army for 26 years, with time spent in the Army Intelligence Corps and in command of a Special Forces Operations Detachment in the Balkans. Upon his retirement from the Army, Dennis worked to build a network of irregular warfare experts that would culminate in the Department of Defense Regional Defense Fellowship Program. He has also instructed college courses on irregular warfare at the National Defense University and Regent University. He speaks fluent Russian. Quotes of the Week "It varies based on region, based on country, based on culture. And that's the part that we have not done well on the U.S. side, really factoring in all of those social implications of how you structure programs to make a country more stable, more resilient, more leaning towards the ideals that support a global community. That's the part that I think that we were missing in some cases." Dr. Dennis Walters. Resources SURFACE SKIM *SpyCasts* Ukraine & Intelligence: One Year On with Shane Harris (2023) The Third Option US Covert Action with Loch Johnson, Part 1 (2022) The Third Option US Covert Action with Loch Johnson, Part 2 (2022) Al Qaeda, DOD & the 9/11 Commission with Bonnie Jenkins and Alexis Albion (2022) Afghanistan, the Mujahedeen, Al Qaeda My Time at CIA and State with Diana Bolsinger (2021) *Beginner Resources* Lessons from the Ukraine Conflict on Conventional War, ABC News (2022) [4:24 video] What is Hybrid Warfare? GeoVane (2019) [3:57 video] Maximizing the Potential of American Irregular War, C. Cleveland et al.,The Hill (2023) [op-ed] Irregular Warfare, D.Safire, New York Times (2008)
Tue, 11 Apr 2023 11:00:00 -0000

Havana Syndrome A Panel featuring Nicky Woolf, Marc Polymeropoulos, and Mark Zaid

Summary This weeks episode is the result of a collaboration with The Sound, a recent limited series podcast exploring the so-called Havana Syndrome. The guests are host and investigative journalist Nicky Woolf (Twitter), former senior CIA operations officer and sufferer Marc Polymeropoulos (Twitter), and attorney and advocate Mark Zaid (Twitter). What Youll Learn Intelligence What Havana Syndrome is Who it is affecting Theories to explain it The role of intelligence organizations Reflections The unending search for truth Humanity in the intelligence field Quotes of the Week "Theres a betrayal I felt when the CIA didn't give me the medical attention that I needed. You know, if you're not feeling well and an employee comes to you, send 'em to the doctor. And they weren't able to do that. And to me, that's just a leadership fail for the ages." Marc Polymeropoulos. Resources *SpyCasts* The Past 75 Years: A History of the CIA with Rhodri Jeffreys-Jones (2022) Dealing with Russia with Jim Olson (2022) One of the CIAs Most Decorated Field Officers with Marc Polymeropoulos (2021) NatSec and the Law with Mark Zaid (2018) *Beginner Resources* Havana Syndrome: What We Know, B. Tau and W. P. Strobel, The Wall Street Journal (2023) [Short article] What is the Havana Syndrome?, Brut America, YouTube (2022) [3 min. video] What is Havana Syndrome?, B. Cuffari, News Medical (2022) Video Who or What is Behind Havana Syndrome?, Al Jazeera, YouTube (2022) Early Victims of Havana Syndrome Speak Out About Ongoing Health Struggles, NBC News, YouTube (2021) Primary Sources Updated Assessment of Anomalous Health Incidents, National Intelligence Council (2023) Anomalous health Incidents: Analysis of Potential Causal Mechanisms, IC Experts Panel (2022) Senate Hearing on the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978, U.S. Senate (1978) Kissinger Telephone Conversation with Ambassador Dobrynin, National Security Archive (1975) Samuel Koslov Memorandum to the State Department, Biomedical Phenomena, National Security Archive (1965) *Wildcard Resource* Havana Syndrome is an example of a toponymic term in the medical field A name that comes from a geographic place. For more on medical etymology, check out this article that shares the backstory of the name of 7 well-known conditions.
Tue, 04 Apr 2023 11:00:00 -0000

Indian Intelligence & Cyber A Conversation with Sameer Patil, ORF Mumbai

Summary Sameer Patil (Twitter; Website) joins Andrew (Twitter;LinkedIn) to discuss intelligence and cybersecurity in the worlds most populous nation. He formerly worked in the NSC Secretariat in the Prime Ministers Office in New Delhi. What Youll Learn Intelligence Cybersecurity in the worlds largest democracy The breakdown of Indias intelligence agencies Cybersecurity among the worlds second largest internet user base Indias relationships with China and Pakistan Reflections Imperial legacies Borders of the mind Guest Bio Sameer Patil is a senior fellow at the Observer Research Foundation, where he is an expert on the intersection between cybersecurity, counterterrorism, and national security. Previously, he served as the Assistant Director of the National Security Council Secretariat at the Prime Ministers Office in New Delhi. He has a PhD in International Relations from Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi, and is the author of the 2022 book Securing India in the Cyber Era. Quote of the Week "So, it's a very unique relationship because if you see both the countries, uh, in a sense emerged as modern nation states at around the same time. India attended independence in 1947 the Chinese Communist party emerged victory years from a protracted civil war. In 1949 and. Initial periods of both the countries, as modern nation states were very cordial relationship, very friendly relationship in fact, we had a very populous slogan at that time, which is known as Hindi Chini Bhai Bhai, which means India, China, Brothers - Indians and Chinese are brothers together. But by the late 1950s, many of the issues started to unravel." Sameer Patil. Resources SURFACE SKIM *SpyCasts* Intelligence & the Worlds Largest Democracy - Indian Spy Chief Vikram Sood (2021) Afghanistan, the Mujahedeen, Al Qaeda My Time at CIA & State with Diana Bolsinger (2021) Beginner Resources Cyber War: How Prepared is India? WION (2022) [Video] Indias Rise in Cybersecurity Incidents, The Print (2022) [Video] The Entire History of India in Under 10 Minutes, Made in History (2022) [Video] Cybersecurity in 7 Minutes, Simplilearn (2021) [Video] India Profile: Timeline, BBC (2019) [Article] The Indus Valley Civilization, J. Green, PBS (n.d.) [Video] DEEPER DIVE *Featured Resource* Securing India in the Cyber Era, S. Patil (Routledge, 2022) *Wildcard Resource(s)* The James Bond of India Real-life spyAjit Dovalwho spent years undercover in Pakistan He is currently the National Security Advisor of India!
Tue, 28 Mar 2023 11:00:00 -0000

Secrets Revealed Curators Alexis and Andrew on SPYs Pop-Up Exhibit

Summary Dr. Alexis Albion (LinkedIn, Twitter) joins Andrew(Twitter;LinkedIn)to discuss amazing artifacts with amazing stories from SPYs newest pop-up exhibit: Secrets Revealed: Highlights from the Grant Verstandig Collection. What Youll Learn Intelligence Casablancas spy connection Lasting effects of the Rosenberg trial Women in Intelligence WWII covert operations Reflections What makes a story timeless? The human dimension of history And much, much more Quote of the Week To us, that might be the Rosenbergs These sort of incredible historic figures from the Cold War Intelligence. But to Mike Meeropol, it's his mom and dad. So, I think it's a really human story as well. This letter makes recommendations about their sentencing, about life and death, and again, for me it evokes that really human dimension about whether or not this mother might have lived. Dr. Alexis Albion. Resources *SpyCasts* Hitlers Trojan Horse Nazi Intelligence with Nigel West (2023) Honey Trapped: Sex, Betrayal & Love with Henry Schlesinger (2022) Amazon to Darien, Atlantic to Pacific Intelligence in Colombia with former Head of its Navy Admiral Hernando Wills (2022) My Life Looking at Spies &the Media with Paul Lashmar (2021) *Beginner Resources* Soviet Spy Scandal: Who Were the Rosenbergs?, L. Davidson, HistoryHit (2022) [Article] Casablanca in 2 Minutes, YouTube (2019) [Video] Who was the real Mata Hari?, N. Barber, BBC Culture (2017) [Article] How D-Day Was Fought From The Sea, Imperial War Museum (n.d.) [Article] *Artifacts Discussed* Mata Hari Pencil Sketch (ca. 1905) German Bombing Map, WWII (1941) Victor Lazlos Prop Passport (ca. 1942) The Neptune Monograph (ca. 1944) J. Edgar Hoover Letter, FBI (1951) *Primary Resources* Letter from Sophie Rosenberg to Mamie Eisenhower, Eisenhower Presidential Library (1953) Letter from Clyde Miller to Dwight Eisenhower Urging Clemency for the Rosenbergs, Eisenhower Presidential Library (1953) Response from Dwight Eisenhower to Clyde Miller, Eisenhower Presidential Library (1953) The Clydebank Blitz, National Records of Scotland (1941) *Wildcard Resource(s)* The classic quote from Casablanca, Heres looking at you, kid is ranked #4 on the American Film Institutes Top 100 Movie Quotes. In fact, four quotes from the movie made it onto the list Can you guess what the others are?
Tue, 21 Mar 2023 11:00:00 -0000

"Israeli Military Intelligence" with IDF Brig. General (Res.) Yossi Kuperwasser

Summary Yossi Kuperwasser (Twitter; Website) joins Andrew (Twitter;LinkedIn) to discuss the Israeli intelligence community. Yossi is the former head of the Research Division of IDF Military Intelligence. *FULL SHOWNOTES & FULL TRANSCRIPT HERE* What Youll Learn Intelligence The layout of Israeli intelligence The First and Second Intifadas Israels complicated position in the Middle East Relationship between Israeli and American ICs Reflections Intelligence as a learning process The importance and difficulty of trust And much, much more *FULL SHOWNOTES & FULL TRANSCRIPT HERE* Quote of the Week That's the problem of intelligence - It's an ongoing learning process. And if you don't learn all the time to enable you to adjust to the developing situation, you are going to fail. Yossi Kuperwasser. Resources *SpyCasts* The Counterterrorism and Counter WMD Strategist with Dexter Ingram (2022) Son of Hamas, Spy for Israel with Mosab Hassan Yousef and Gonen Ben Yitzhak (2010) Israeli Intelligence and the Jonathan Pollard Spy Case with Ron Olive (2007) *Beginner Resources* History of Israel, Encyclopedia Britannica [encyclopedia entry] What you need to know about the 1987 Intifada, PBS (2019) [article] The Oslo Accords, 25 Years Later, Washington Post (2018) [video] 1967 War: Six Days that Changed the Middle East, J. Bowen, BBC (2017) [article] The Israel-Palestine Conflict: Brief, Simple History, Vox (2016) [video] *Wildcard Resource(s)* The Little Drummer Girl A fictional novel about a double agent working for the Israelis, written by famed spy author John le Carr in 1983. *FULL SHOWNOTES & FULL TRANSCRIPT HERE*
Tue, 14 Mar 2023 11:00:00 -0000

"Hitlers Trojan Horse Nazi Intelligence with Nigel West

Summary Nigel West (Wikipedia) joins Andrew (Twitter;LinkedIn) to discuss Germanys military intelligence service during WWII, the Abwehr. Nigel is known as the experts expert on spy history. What Youll Learn Intelligence The rise and fall of the Abwehr The 20th of July plot to kill Hitler & Operation Valkyrie How effective German intelligence was during WWII How Nazi the Abwehr was Reflections The search for truth across generations The power of historical documents EXTENDED SHOW NOTES HERE! Quote of the Week The Germans were ruthless. They had really good intelligence on all the bridges. They knew exactly what had to be captured in advance. The bridges would then be held, so as to allow the tanks over, and the tanks wouldn't wait to attack strong points. They would just go directly ahead in order to achieve their objectives. Nigel West. Glossary Abwehr: Germanys military intelligence service from 1920-1945, serving both the Riechswehr and Wehrmacht. Translates to defense. Reichswehr: The name for German armed forces from 1919-1935, under the Weimar Republic and first two years of the Third Reich. Per the Treaty of Versailles, the Reichswehr was very limited in arms and personnel. Translates to Reich Defence. Wehrmacht: The name for German Armed Forces from 1935-1945 under Nazi Germany. The heavily militarized and manned Wehrmacht illustrated Hitlers intentions to expand Germany. Translates to Defense Force. Sicherheitsdienst: The intelligence agency of the Schutzstaffel, or SS. Translates to Security Service. Gestapo: Nazi Germanys political police force. Notorious for their brutality and representation of Nazi authoritarianism. Full name Geheime Staatspolizei, translating to Secret State Police. EXTENDED SHOW NOTES HERE! Resources SURFACE SKIM Featured Resource(s) Hitlers Nest of Vipers: The Rise of the Abwehr, N. West (Frontline, 2022) Hitler's Trojan Horse: The Fall of the Abwehr, N. West (Frontline, 2023) *SpyCasts* Nazis on the Potomac with former National Park Service Chief Historian Bob Sutton (2022) A Jewish Spy in Nazi Germany 101-Year-Old Marthe Cohns Incredible True Story (2021) *Beginner Resources* July Plot, Britannica (2023) [encyclopedia entry) From War to War in Europe: 1919-1939, National WW11 Museum (2018) [Background on Interwar Period] The Treaty of Versailles, What Did the Big Three Want?, YouTube (2016) [3 min. video] German Chief Spy Admiral Canaris, P. Kross, Warfare History Network (2014) Abwehr, A. Lerner, Encyclopedia.com (n.d.) EXTENDED SHOW NOTES HERE!
Tue, 07 Mar 2023 12:00:00 -0000

Espionage and the Metaverse with Cathy Hackl

Summary Cathy Hackl (Twitter, LinkedIn) joins Andrew (Twitter;LinkedIn) to discuss the potential implications of the metaverse on intelligence. Cathy has been called the Godmother of the Metaverse. What Youll Learn Intelligence What the metaverse is Security and counterintelligence in a virtual world Futurism within intelligence agencies Potential risks and consequences of the metaverse Reflections How virtual spaces can affect our physical world The necessity to evolve alongside technology And much, much more Episode Notes The web will continue to evolve and change with time, but whats coming next? And how will this evolution affect the ways that intelligence organizations around the world conduct their operations? This week on SpyCast, Cathy Hackl joins Andrew to explain what the metaverse is, what we can expect from living in this new virtual world, and how intelligence agencies can begin planning for the Web 3 future. Cathy Hackl has been dubbed the Godmother of the Metaverse Resources Featured Resource Into the Metaverse: The Essential Guide to the Business Opportunities of the Web3 Era, Cathy Hackl (Bloomsbury, 2023) Metaverse Marketing [Cathys podcast] *Beginner Resources* What Is the Metaverse, Exactly?, Wired (2022) [Article] Web 3.0 Explained In 5 Minutes, YouTube (2022) [5 min. Video] 12 new tech terms you need to understand the future, R. Gray, BBC (2018) *SpyCasts* How Artificial Intelligence is Changing the Spy Game with Mike Susong (2022) Trafficking Data: The Digital Struggle with China-- with Aynne Kokas (2022) The FBI & Cyber with Cyber Division Chief Bryan Vorndran (Part 1 of 2) The FBI & Cyber with Cyber Division Chief Bryan Vorndran (Part 2 of 2) *Wildcard Resource* Watch the worlds first metaverse music video, Snoop Doggs House I Built, here!
Tue, 28 Feb 2023 12:00:00 -0000

Ukraine & Intelligence: One Year on with Shane Harris

Summary Shane Harris (Twitter, LinkedIn) joins Andrew (Twitter;LinkedIn) to discuss the role of intelligence in the Ukraine conflict one year after it began. Shane reports on intelligence for the Washington Post and is the author of two books. What Youll Learn Intelligence Where we are with the war in Ukraine The role intelligence agencies are playing in the conflict The leadership of Zelensky and Putin What its like to report on spies Dealing with sources inside the intelligence agencies Reflections The tenacity of the Ukrainian people and army History as both repetitive and unpredictable Episode Notes This week on SpyCast, Shane Harris of The Washington Post joins Andrew to reflect on the previous year and discuss the role of intelligence within the war in Ukraine. He has been writing about these issues for more than two decades, including a period with the Wall Street Journal. He is the author of two books, The Watchers, on the rise of surveillance in the US, and @War, on the rise of the military-internet complex. He was part of a team that won the Pulitzer Prize for Public Service in 2021. Quote of the Week At the outset, [I] believed that what we were looking at was probably a pretty swift Russian victory They would come in, they would decapitate the central government in Kiev in the first 72 hours, and it would be bloody, and it would be violent, but that Russia would prevail because they were deemed to have the superior military in terms of technology experience numbers. Turns out, all those things were spectacularly wrong. Shane Harris. Resources *SpyCasts* How Artificial Intelligence is Changing the Spy Game with Mike Susong (2023) Dealing with Russia A Conversation with Counterintelligence Legend Jim Olson (2022) Becoming a Russian Intelligence Officer with Janosh Neumann (2022) The Information Battlespace: Foreign Denial and Deception with Bill Parquette (2022) *Beginner Resources* Has Putin's war failed and what does Russia want?, P. Kirby, BBC (2023) A Brief History of Modern Ukraine, BBC (2022) [YouTube video] Russia-Ukraine Relations in 60 Seconds, CBC News (2022)
Tue, 21 Feb 2023 12:00:00 -0000

The Espionage News Cycle A Conversation with SPYs Aliza Bran

Summary Aliza Bran (LinkedIn, Twitter) joins Andrew (Twitter;LinkedIn) to discuss her role as Media Relations Manager at the International Spy Museum. Aliza is a D.C. native and graduate of Washington University in St. Louis. What Youll Learn Intelligence The media and intelligence International Spy Museum Artifacts Espionage fact vs. fiction The history of The International Spy Museum Reflections Creativity & Ingenuity Growing up in the DMV And much, much more Episode Notes Aliza Brans passion and excitement for the world of SPY is contagious. Around the office of the International Spy Museum, Aliza is known for her cheerful demeanor, quick wit, and intensely creative mind. Shes been working at SPY for six years now, four of those years as our Media Relations Manager. How does Aliza navigate the ever-changing media landscape and represent the International Spy Museum on this worldwide stage? What are Alizas favorite memories, artifacts, and exhibits from SPY? What makes her love this work so much, and what skills do you need to build a career in media relations? Tune in to find out. And Aliza has been particularly busy these past few weeks covering the news surrounding the Chinese Spy Balloon. For a taste of Alizas work, find articles and video on the subject that she orchestrated here, here, here, and here. Quote of the Week Part of it for me is knowing that we live in a very polarized world right now and I want to have a sense of our full audience, which is everyone. So I'm going to look at stories, places that aren't natural fits for where I tend to go. Because if people go there to read the news, I want to know what they're reading, I want to know what interests them. I want to know what people are excited about, worried about, looking at. Aliza Bran. Resources *SpyCasts* My Life Looking at Spies & the Media with Paul Lashmar (2021) *Beginner Resources* What is Media Relations?, Nancy Shenker, ClearVoice (2021) [Blog Post] Paid vs. Owned vs. Earned Media: What's the Difference?, Indeed (2021) [Article] Books The Good Assassin, S. Talty (Mariner, 2020) The Alice Network, K. Quinn (William Morrow, 2017) Articles Deadly Women, Dirty Laundry, and a Shootout With The IRA, Reaper Feed (2020) Video Former CIA Operative Explains How Spies Use Disguises, WIRED (2019) Meet a Former CIA Chief of Disguise, Atlas Obscura (2020) Alias, ABC (2001-2006) Artifacts from SPYs Collection Scrotum Concealment Aston Martin DB5 Iron Concealment Device *Wildcard Resource* Check out the Refinery29 article that features Alizas SPY expertise applied to the collection and analysis of Taylor Swift-related intelligence.
Tue, 14 Feb 2023 12:00:00 -0000

The Counterintelligence Chief with FBI Assistant Director Alan Kohler

Summary Alan Kohler joins Andrew to discuss the FBIs counterintelligence division. He is a recipient of the FBI Directors Award for Outstanding Counterintelligence Investigation. ***FULL SHOWNOTES AVAILABLE HERE*** What Youll Learn Intelligence Counterintelligence vs. Counterespionage How the FBI recruits foreign agents Ideological motivations behind spying Effect of technology on counterintelligence Reflections Staying grounded under pressure The value of creativity Notes Alan Kohler (LinkedIn, Website) has been the FBI Assistant Director for Counterintelligence since 2020. Alan and Andrew (Twitter;LinkedIn) talk all things counterintelligence. ***FULL RESOURCES AVAILABLE HERE*** *SpyCasts* The FBI & Cyber with Cyber Division Chief Bryan Vorndran, Part 1 (2022) The FBI & Cyber with Cyber Division Chief Bryan Vorndran, Part 2 (2022) My Global Career as a Female FBI Agent with Kathy Stearman (2021) The FBI Way with Counterintelligence Spy Chief Frank Figliuzzi (2021) ***FULL RESOURCES AVAILABLE HERE*** *Beginner Resources* What We Investigate, FBI (n.d.) [webpage] FAQS, FBI (n.d.) [webpage] US Opens Counterintelligence Investigation into China Every 12 Hours (Dir. Wray), MSNBC (2022) [video] What We Know About Chinas Spy Agency, Bloomberg Originals (2019) [video] Hollow Nickel/Rudolf Abel, FBI (n.d.) [Article] NCSC Mission, Vision, and Goals, ODNI (n.d.) [Website] Glossary: Counterintelligence: Information gathered, and activities conducted to identify, deceive, exploit, disrupt, or protect against espionage or other intelligence activities FBI Attach: a special agent assigned to a U.S. embassy or consulate overseas to liaise with local law enforcement and intelligence agencies. They pursue terrorist, intelligence, and criminal threats with international dimensions. Occams Razor: a rule of thumb theory that states when you are faced with competing explanations for the same phenomenon, the simplest one is probably the correct one. Attributed to William of Ockham, a 14th century English theologian. ***FULL RESOURCES AVAILABLE HERE***
Tue, 07 Feb 2023 12:00:00 -0000

"How Artificial Intelligence is Changing the Spy Game" with Mike Susong

Summary Mike Susong joins Andrew to discuss the impact and potential of AI on the intelligence field. Mike is a former CIA case officer who now oversees global intelligence for a risk management company. ***FULL SHOW NOTES AVAILABLE HERE!*** What Youll Learn Intelligence What AI is and why it matters How the Intelligence Community is using AI The pros and cons of AI for case officers in the field Ukraine - intersections between AI and OSINT AI in Alan Turings Imitation Game Reflections Replicants, machines and robots Will humans become obsolete? Notes Mike Susong (Website, LinkedIn) is an expert in the growing field of artificial intelligence. He joins Andrew (Twitter;LinkedIn) to discuss. ***FULL RESOURCES AVAILABLE HERE!*** *SpyCasts* From the CIA to Strategic Cyber -- with Hans Holmer (2022) So, I Design Board Games for the CIA... - with Volko Ruhnke (2022) CIA Case Officer, Cyber Entrepreneur, Burning Man Volunteer with Mike Susong (Part 1 of 2, 2022) CIA Case Officer, Cyber Entrepreneur, Burning Man Volunteer with Mike Susong (Part 2 of 2, 2002) The Cyber Zeitgeist with Cyberwire Host Dave Bittner (2021) ***FULL RESOURCES AVAILABLE HERE!*** *Beginner Resources* Machine Leaning: Explain it to me Like Im 5 Years Old, Bob Deprizio, Medium (2020) What is AI (Artificial Intelligence)?, Youtube (2019) [2 min. video] Singularity: Explain it to me Like Im 5 Years Old, Roey Tzezana, Futurism (2017) [Article] Alan Turing: The experiment that shaped artificial intelligence, N. Sharkey, BBC (2012) [Article] Glossary: AGI: Artificial General Intelligence. The unrestricted ability of software to learn, understand, & respond to any intellectual task that a human being is capable of. ANI: Artificial Narrow Intelligence. The restricted ability of software to perform a limited subset of intellectual tasks. Deep Learning: a machine learning technique that teaches computers to learn by example, something that comes naturally for human beings. Machine Learning: The field of study interested in building computational systems that can improve their own performance of some task. Natural Language Processing: A field of study that aims to analyze and understand human language communications both spoken and textual. Uncanny Divide: Where people feel a sense of unease or revulsion in response to humanoid robots that are highly realistic. ***FULL RESOURCES AVAILABLE HERE!***
Tue, 31 Jan 2023 12:00:00 -0000

"The Lion and the Fox Civil War Spy vs. Spy" with Alexander Rose

Summary Alexander Rose (Website; Twitter) joins Andrew (Twitter;LinkedIn) to discuss a gripping spy-vs-spy true story from the U.S. Civil War. He wrote the book that was the inspiration behind the hit TV-series TURN. What Youll Learn Intelligence The secret plot to build a Confederate Navy Why Liverpool was so important to both the North and the South How Civil War espionage played out in Great Britain The high-level spy the South had in the British Foreign Office Reflections The birth of the Atlantic World The malleability of public opinion And much, much more Episode Notes Liverpool. The city of the Beatles. The home of Liverpool F.C., winner of six European Cups. Did you know that there thousands of miles away from the bloody battlefields of Fredericksburg, Shiloh, and Gettysburg the U.S. Civil War played out? In fact, it was a key part of the strategies of both the North and the South since at that time it produced more ships than every other dockyard in the world combined. The North wanted to choke off the South, with the help of spies; but the South wanted to build a navy, with the help of spies. Who would prevail? This is the story of spy-vs-spy, North vs South, and Thomas Dudley vs James Bulloch. And If this spy story makes you hungry for more, check out Alexs historical espionage newsletter, Spionage. Quotes of the Week If Dudley hadn't stopped Bulloch, or if Dudley hadn't existed and Bulloch created this massive fleet of blockade runners and had built more commerce raiders You would've had a many more sinkings of American merchant vessels. You would've had larger inflows of arms and weapons into the South. The biggest change of all would've been that having the sea lanes open like that would've allowed the South to fight on much longer than it actually did. Resources SURFACE SKIM Andrews Recommendation You must watch Ken Burns landmark documentary The Civil War; but, you must also read more recent commentary and critique theres even a whole book related to it. Headline Resource The Lion and the Fox: Two Rival Spies and the Secret Plot to Build a Confederate Navy, A. Rose (Mariner, 2022) *Beginner Resources* Civil War: Evolution of Espionage in America, INTEL.gov (n.d.) [digital exhibition] The History of Liverpool, Historic UK (2018) [webpage] Liverpool and the American Civil War, National Museums Liverpool (n.d.) [short article] British Support During the U.S. Civil War, LDHI (n.d.) [digital exhibit] DEEP DIVE *SpyCasts* George Sharpe and the BMI Peter Tsouras (2019) Intelligence in the Early Republic Ken Diagler (2015) The Beginnings of U.S. Overhead Reconnaissance Jim Green (2014) Intelligence and Espionage in the U.S. Civil War - William Feis (2012) Books The Civil War Abroad, J. Priestley (McFarland, 2022) Cotton, Liverpool and the American Civil War, J. Powell, (LUP, 2020) Lincolns Spies, D. Waller (S&S, 2019) Liar, Temptress, Soldier, Spy, K. Abbott (Harper, 2015) The Union and Confederate Navies, J. McPherson (University of North Carolina, 2012) The Civil War at Sea, C. Symonds (Oxford, 2012) Articles Liverpool, site of last surrender in US Civil War, S. Abdelaziz, CNN (2020) CSS Alabama: Lost and Found, Naval History & Heritage Command (2020) Primary Sources The Secret Service of the Confederate States in Europe, J.D. Bulloch (1882) Letter from J.D. Bulloch to General McRae et al (1865) Dudley Introduces Lincoln to a Liverpudlian Union Sympathizer (1863) Dudleys Concerns About Southern Secession (1860) *Wildcard Resource(s)* You know Liverpool as the city of the Beatles. Did you know that The Beatles first single Love Me Do and James Bonds debut movie Dr. No were released within a month of each other in 1962? And while none of the Beatles went on to become spies themselves, Ringo married Bond girl Barbara Bach in 1980 and Paul was behind the first rock Bond theme song, Live and Let Die, in 1973.
Tue, 24 Jan 2023 12:00:00 -0000

Code Name Blue Wren: Cuban Spy Ana Montes - with Jim Popkin

Summary Jim Popkin (Twitter, LinkedIn) joins Andrew (Twitter;LinkedIn) to discuss Americas most damaging female spy, Ana Montes. Jim is a four-time recipient of the national Emmy Award for outstanding journalism. What Youll Learn Intelligence How Ana Montes was recruited Her espionage at the heart of the Department of Defense Cuban intelligence tactics The molehunt to capture Montes Reflections The City of Spies Washington D.C. Betrayal and familial loss And much, much more Episode Notes Shes the most famous spy no ones ever heard of Why? Clouded by the tragedy of 9/11, Ana Montes was arrested on suspicion of espionage on September 21, 2001, as the Twin Towers smoldered. She had been spying for Cuba for almost two decades, sending secrets from the heart of American intelligence to Fidel Castros regime. This week, author and investigative journalist Jim Popkin joins Andrew to discuss Ana Montes story framed by his new book, Code Name Blue Wren: The True Story of America's Most Dangerous Female Spyand the Sister She Betrayed. Jim debriefs us on how Ana was recruited, how she gathered and sent secrets, and how she ultimately the net closed in on her. And The timing couldnt be better to discuss Ana Montes story. Ana was released from prison two weeks ago on January 6th after serving 21 of her 25-year prison sentence. Why has Ana been released while fellow spies who caused tremendous damage, Robert Hanssen and Aldrich Ames, remain incarcerated? Tune into this weeks episode to find out! Quotes of the Week There's a haunting message that the FBI found on her laptop from the Cubans that said, Thank you so much for revealing [Redacted.] We are waiting for him here with open arms. So, she revealed the real name of someone who was headed to Cuba, the Cubans were aware of it, and, and they were, waiting for him with open arms. Jim Popkin. Resources Headline Resource Code Name Blue Wren: The True Story of America's Most Dangerous Female Spyand the Sister She Betrayed, J. Popkin (Hanover, 2023) *SpyCasts* SPY@20: Spy of the Century Kim Philby - With Curators Alexis and Andrew (2022) America's Most Damaging Russian Spy: FBI Agent Robert Hanssen with Lis Wiehl (2022) Leningrad, Molehunts, and Life After the CIA with Christopher Burgess (2021) FBI Special Agent Pete Lapp (2019) *Beginner Resources* Ana Montes: Cuban Spy, FBI History (n.d.) [Short Article] A Timeline of US-Cuba Relations, I. Roman, HISTORY (2021) [Timeline] The Evolving Motives of American Spies, N. Hunt, Washingtonian (2013) [Article] Books Castros Nemesis: True Stories of a Master Spy-Catcher, C. Simmons (Independently Published, 2022) American Spies, M. Sulick (GUP, 2013) True Believer: Inside the Investigation and Capture of Ana Montes, S. Carmichael (Naval Institute, 2009) United States-Cuban Relations: A Critical History, E. M. Dominguez (Lexington, 2008) Articles Ana Montes released from prison C. Yilek, CBS News (2023) A DC Resident Spied for Cuba for Years. How Did She Get Away With It? S. McNamara, Washingtonian (2023) Ana Montes: How Cuban spy used incredible memory to betray US C. Bailey, BBC (2023) How Spy Agencies Use American Universities to Secretly Recruit Students D. Golden, Town & Country (2017) Video Traitors Within - Spies Who Sold Out America, YouTube (2018) The Two Faces of Ana: Model Employee/Cuban Spy, YouTube (2017) Primary Sources The Ana Montes Press Reports (various) Prisoner of Conscience: Ana Belen Montes is free! (2023) Scholars or Spies? House of Representatives Hearing (2018) Inspector General Review of Ana Montes Investigation (2005) Ana Montes Statement During Trial (2001) FBI Arrests DIA Employee (2001) *Wildcard Resource* Lasso of Truth! Wonder Womans secret power has a connection to the polygraph...
Tue, 17 Jan 2023 12:00:00 -0000

From the Vault: The Birth of American Propaganda A Conversation on Manipulating the Masses with John Hamilton

Summary John Hamilton (LinkedIn, Website) joins Andrew (Twitter;LinkedIn) to discuss Woodrow Wilson and the birth of American propaganda during WWI. He is a Professor of Journalism at Louisiana State University. What Youll Learn Intelligence Propaganda as a form of covert action The history of the Committee on Public Information Woodrow Wilson & Intelligence Deception and mental manipulation Reflections There is nothing new under the sun...or is there? Life chapters in very different settings And much, much more Episode Notes When the Committee on Public Information was created in April of 1917, the United States was but one week into the first World War. In fact, the Selective Service Act would not come about for another month after the organization of the CPI. Why was Woodrow Wilson so quick to establish a system of control over public opinion, and how successful was this endeavor? To answer these questions and more, author John Hamilton joins Andrew in a conversation about how propaganda and manipulation were used as a covert tactic during WWI and beyond. As John notes, everything thats done today can be traced to the CPI. And While the CPI formally existed for only a year, its impact and imagery has endured for over 100 years. For proof, look no further than the story of the iconic I Want You! poster of Uncle Sam. Quotes of the Week You may not like the enemy, but the enemy and you are doing the same thing to manipulate peoples attitudes. And while you may think you have a just cause, your means are quite often the same Right down to lying, and manipulation and coercion. John Hamilton. Resources Surface Skim Headline Resource Manipulating the Masses: Woodrow Wilson and the Birth of American Propaganda, J. Hamilton (LSU, 2020) *SpyCasts* The Third Option: US Covert Action with Loch Johnson, Part 1 (2022) The Third Option: US Covert Action with Loch Johnson, Part 2 (2022) Crossfire Hurricane: Trump, Russia & the FBI with Josh Campbell (2021) Intelligence and the Presidency with John Hedley (2008) *Beginner Resources* How Does Propaganda Work? A. Cuncic, VeryWell Mind (2022) [Article] Selling the War, The National WWI Museum and Memorial (2020) [6 min. Video] Committee on Public Information, R. McNamara, ThoughtCo (2019) [Article] Deeper Dive Books The Imposters War, M. Arsenault (Pegasus, 2022) This Is Not Propaganda: Adventures in the War Against Reality, P. Pomerantsev (PublicAffairs, 2020) The Fake News Panic of a Century Ago, L. Huebner (Cognella, 2020) Articles Ukraines Garwa Media Fights for Truth in Kharkiv, B. Dooley, Human Rights First (2023) The Espionage Acts consitutional legacy, S. Bomboy, National Constitution Center (2022) Modern Political Propaganda Posters & the Principles of Art, B. Krudwig, ArtsHelp (2020) Video World War I: Its History and Art, Metropolitan Museum of Art (2017) Crackdown on Dissent, PBS Learning Media (n.d.) Primary Sources World War I Posters (1914-1920) The Sedition Act (1918) The Espionage Act (1917) To the Four Minute Men, George Creel (1917) Letter From Creel to President Wilson (1917) *Wildcard Resource* Check out the Mussolini funded movie Scipione LAfricano (1937) - an attempt to use the story of a legendary Roman general to justify the fascist regime and its ambitions in North Africa.
Tue, 10 Jan 2023 12:00:00 -0000

From the Vault: "The IRA, The Troubles & Intelligence" with Eleanor Williams and Thomas Leahy

Summary Thomas Leahy (Website; LinkedIn) and Eleanor Williams (Website; Twitter) join Andrew to discuss the intelligence war during the Troubles. Thomas lives in Cardiff and Eleanor lives in Belfast. What Youll Learn Intelligence The Troubles through the lens of intelligence Some key intelligence players in the Northern Ireland conflict How the IRA and the British Army adapted organizationally The role intelligence played in the end of the conflict Reflections The fluid nature of motivations and intentions How historic narratives shape and constrain the here-and-now And much, much more Episode Notes From the late 60s to the late 90s Republican and Loyalist paramilitaries, and the British and Irish states, were engaged in a period known as the Troubles: a struggle to define or redefine the future of the island of Ireland. This is an issue with deep and complex roots, but the intelligence dimension of the period known as the Troubles is fascinating and often overlooked. To help us get our head around it all, Andrew sat down with two specialists to discuss all things intelligence and the Troubles: from the role that MI5 and MI6 played, to the Force Research Unit and the RUC Special Branch, through to how the IRA played the counterintelligence game and the role that informers, agents and moles, such as the notorious Stakeknife, played. Thomas is the author of the Intelligence War Against the IRA, while Eleanor is a doctoral candidate comparing intelligence use during the Northern Irish and Colombian conflicts. And The head of the Republic of Irelands police and security intelligence force, the Garda Sochna, is Drew Harris. Drew Harris was a career Royal Ulster Constabulary officer whose father, also a career RUC officer, was killed by the IRA in 1989. He was the first external appointee from outside the Garda. Quote of the Week "What's their [IRA] main role in this intelligence conflict?...one of the key points herethe IRA was quite highly regional regionalized. That's actually quite key to explain why British intelligence had some difficulties against themInitially, it was set up similar to armed forces. It would have brigades, battalions and companiesthe IRA operated this kind of army structure up to 1975the IRA then switched to this new strategyAnd part of this was to prevent mass infiltration, which had started to become a problem, particularly in Belfast pre-1975. So, what it adopted in Belfast and Derry was a cell structure." Thomas Leahy Resources Books The Intelligence War Against the IRA, T. Leahy (CUP, 2020) Britains Secret War Against the IRA, A. Edwards (Merrion, 2021) Thatchers Spy, W. Carlin (Merrion, 2019) The Accidental Spy, S. ODriscoll (Mirror, 2019) Snitch! S. Hewitt (Continuum, 2010) Infiltrating the IRA, R. Gilmour (LB&C, 1998) Fifty Dead Men Walking, M. McGartland (Blake, 1997) Best Books on the Troubles (Five Books) Articles The Murky World of Spying During the Troubles, J. Ware, Irish Times (2017) Alternative Ulster: How Punk Took on the Troubles, T. Heron, Irish Times (2016) Audio MI5 Chameleon Infiltrated New IRA Documentary Spotlight on the Troubles: A Secret History, BBC (2019) The Spy in the IRA, BBC (2017) Web Operation Kenova MI5 in Northern Ireland Primary Sources IRA-MI6 Intermediary: Interviews with Brendan Duddy (2009) Good Friday Agreement (1998) Downing Street Declaration (1993) Anglo-Irish Agreement (1985) Thatcher Speech at Airey Neave Memorial (1979) IRA Green Book (1977) PM Wilson & Thatcher discuss N. Ireland (1975) Secret Meetings Between Government and IRA (1972) Senator E. Kennedy, Ulster is Britains Vietnam (1971) IRA Reports on Intelligence Informants (1922) W.B. Yeats, Easter: 1916 (1921) Oral Sources Duchas Oral History Archive (2014) Wildcard Resource Murals of Northern Ireland (4500+ Photographs)
Tue, 03 Jan 2023 12:00:00 -0000

From the Vault: "Black Ops: The Life of a Legendary CIA Shadow Warrior" - with Ric Prado

Summary Enrique Ric Prado (LinkedIn) joins Andrew (Twitter; LinkedIn) to discuss his new memoir Black Ops. One of the most renowned CIA officers of his generation tells his story. Book You can buy Rics book, Black Ops, and support the International Spy Museums mission here. What Youll Learn Intelligence His time as CIA Counterterrorist Chief of Operations which included 9/11 His career battling communist insurgents and Islamic terrorists on multiple continents His experience living in Contra camps during the Nicaraguan Revolution His time as Dep. Chief of Station and co-founding member of the Bin Laden Task Force Reflections Conquering your emotions to stay focused in a crisis His journey fleeing the Cuban Revolution as a young boy to CIA via USAF Pararescue And much, much more Episode Notes Ric Prado spent twenty-four-years in the CIA and what a twenty-four years it was. His first 36 months were in the jungles of Central America as the first CIA officer to live among the Contras, including a period with the Miskito Native people; indeed, the photos he took ending up on the desk of CIA Director Bill Casey. So, what was it like at the pointy end of the Reagan Doctrines anti-communist spear, or as CIA Counterterrorist Center Chief of Ops during 9/11? To find out, and to hear more about Rics storied career, Andrew sat down with him for this weeks episode. One of the meanings of the noun legend is a story coming down from the past. Many people who were in the business at the CIA and elsewhere will have heard the stories that come down from the past re Enrique Ric Prado, but now we all have a chance to hear Ric set the record straight in his own words. And If Rics communist uncle hadnt alerted the family that his school intended to send him off to the Soviet Union as a promising student for further educationif he hadnt taken an Oceanography class at Miami Dade College and met someone who led him to USAF Pararescueif he hadnt been tipped off that he was to be killed in a Contra camp during the night and extricated himself from the situationas Bob Dylan said, summing up so much of the human condition, one more time, for a simple twist of fate. Quote of the Week "The wiring was there and the mentoring from my dadthen the trip to the orphanage. And then definitely when I got into pararescuebeing one of our special operations forces, the training is very, very intenseAnd making it through SERE school, making it through mountain climbing school. There's a certain level of conquering your emotions that you have to doBut I think that the most important thing was that I believed in what I was doing." Ric Prado Resources SpyCast Episodes In the CT Center on 9/11, C. Storer A Life in the CIA, Hank Crumpton Interview with Cofer Black CT, Nicholas Rasmussen CT Strategy: P. Bergen & C. Costa Rethinking CT: J. Blazakis Books The Reagan Doctrine, J. Scott (DUP, 1996) The Real Contra War, T. Brown (UOP, 2001) Insurgency to Stability, The Philippines, Rabasa et al., (RAND, 2011) Shining Paths Politics of War, C. Degregori (UWP, 2012) Red Revolution: Philippine Guerillas, G. Jones (Routeledge, 2019) The Shining Path, Starn & Serna (Norton, 2019) US Relations with Latin America (Five Books) Articles Shining Path Leader Dead, BBC (2021) Nicaragua Veers to Dictatorship, J. Cordoba, WSJ (2021) Documentaries Nicaragua Was Our Home (L. Shapiro, 1985) Ballad of the Little Soldier (W. Herzog, 1985) Primary Sources President Carter to Somoza (Brown, 1979) Reagan Covert Ops. Nicaragua (NSA, 1981) US Aid to Nicaragua (1982) Reagan Covert Ops. Nicaragua (Brown, 1983) Goldwater to Casey, Im Pissed Off (Brown, 1984) Reagan State Of The Union (APP, 1985) Reagan Address Nicaragua (ReaganLib, 1986) Contras Lost Congress (WaPo, 1986) 25 Years of the NPA (Hartford, 1994) Wildcard Resource The Clash, Sandanista (Album, 1980)
Tue, 27 Dec 2022 12:00:00 -0000

The Third Option US Covert Action with Loch Johnson (Part 2 of 2)

Summary Loch Johnson (Website, LinkedIn) joins Andrew (Twitter;LinkedIn) to discuss covert action aka The Third Option. He is the author of over 30 books on intelligence. What Youll Learn Intelligence What is covert action Four types of covert action Foreign policy options: War Power, Treaty Power, and Spy Power. Examples of CA: Guatemala (1954), Indochina (1965), Afghanistan (2001), Iran (2020) Reflections Accountability The value of learning from past mistakes And much, much more Episode Notes There is perhaps no better guest to join Andrew in this weeks exploration of covert action than Professor Emeritus at the University of Georgia Loch Johnson. Lochs latest book, The Third Option: Covert Action and American Foreign Policy, examines the history of the complicated and sometimes controversial usage of covert action by the U.S. international affairs. Lochs decades-long career in foreign policy and intelligence has brought him to the forefront of some of the most seminal moments within US intelligence reform: he served as special assistant to the chair of the Church Committee, staff director of the House Subcommittee on Intelligence Oversight, and worked directly with the chair of the Aspin-Brown Commission. In this two-part episode of SpyCast, Andrew and Loch unpack what makes a covert action operation successful, and how we can learn from intelligence failures and past mistakes. And How many people have a society named after them? Loch does! Quote of the Week "History doesn't like to be shaped, it has a power all of its own, but we try to shape it at least at the margins, and we do that through covert action, sometimes called the third optionand it really comes in four packages. Package number one is propaganda And then comes political covert actionsThirdly is economic covert actionAnd then fourthly, and most dramatically, are paramilitary operations. These are war-like activities." Loch Johnson. Resources SURFACE SKIM *Featured Resource* The Third Option, L. Johnson (Oxford, 2022) *Beginner Resources* Covert Action, E. Rosenbach & A. Peritz, Belfer Center (2009) [Background Memo] Looking back at the Church Committee, National Constitution Center (2019) [Blog Post] The Iran-Contra Affair, B. Craig, The Miller Center (2017) [Article] *SpyCasts* The Spymasters Prism: CIA Legend Jack Devine (2021) First Casualty: Inside the CIA Mission to Avenge 9/11 (2021) Author Debriefing: The Art of Intelligence: Lessons from a Life in the CIAs Clandestine Service (2012) DEEPER DIVE Books A Covert Action: Reagan, the CIA and Poland, S. Jones (W.W. Norton, 2018) The Church Committee Confronts America's Spy Agencies, L. Johnson (UP of Kentucky, 2015) The Brilliant Disaster: JFK, Castro, and the Bay of Pigs, J. Rasenberger (Scribner, 2012) Executive Secrets: Covert Action and the Presidency, W. Daugherty (UP of Kentucky, 2006) Covert Action, G. Treverton (1987) Articles The Disturbing Story Of The Heart Attack Gun Invented By The CIA During The Cold War, M. Dunn, All Thats Interesting (2022) Video Iran-Contra: Reagans Scandal and the Unchecked Abuse of Presidential Power, US National Archives (2015) Covert Action By U.S. To Assist Ukraine Could Be In Play, MSNBC News (2022) Primary Sources Commission on the U.S. Intelligence Community (1994-1996) Senate Select Committee with Respect to Intelligence Activities (1976) Huge C.I.A. Operation Reported in U.S. against Antiwar Forces," S. Hersh, NYT (1974) FBI Records: COINTELPRO (1956-1971) Note on U.S. Covert Actions *Wildcard Resource* A 90s cartoon, evil beings threaten humanity, only the Wild C.A.T.s can save them: i.e., Covert Action Teams! Covert action as a concept has become part of the entertainment industry
Tue, 20 Dec 2022 12:00:00 -0000

The Third Option US Covert Action with Loch Johnson (Part 1 of 2)

Summary Loch Johnson (Website, LinkedIn) joins Andrew (Twitter;LinkedIn) to discuss covert action aka The Third Option. He is the author of over 30 books on intelligence. What Youll Learn Intelligence What is covert action Four types of covert action Foreign policy options: War Power, Treaty Power, and Spy Power. Examples of CA: Guatemala (1954), Indochina (1965), Afghanistan (2001), Iran (2020) Reflections Accountability The value of learning from past mistakes And much, much more Episode Notes There is perhaps no better guest to join Andrew in this weeks exploration of covert action than Professor Emeritus at the University of Georgia Loch Johnson. Lochs latest book, The Third Option: Covert Action and American Foreign Policy, examines the history of the complicated and sometimes controversial usage of covert action by the U.S. international affairs. Lochs decades-long career in foreign policy and intelligence has brought him to the forefront of some of the most seminal moments within US intelligence reform: he served as special assistant to the chair of the Church Committee, staff director of the House Subcommittee on Intelligence Oversight, and worked directly with the chair of the Aspin-Brown Commission. In this two-part episode of SpyCast, Andrew and Loch unpack what makes a covert action operation successful, and how we can learn from intelligence failures and past mistakes. And How many people have a society named after them? Loch does! Quote of the Week "History doesn't like to be shaped, it has a power all of its own, but we try to shape it at least at the margins, and we do that through covert action, sometimes called the third optionand it really comes in four packages. Package number one is propaganda And then comes political covert actionsThirdly is economic covert actionAnd then fourthly, and most dramatically, are paramilitary operations. These are war-like activities." Loch Johnson. Resources SURFACE SKIM *Featured Resource* The Third Option, L. Johnson (Oxford, 2022) *Beginner Resources* Covert Action, E. Rosenbach & A. Peritz, Belfer Center (2009) [Background Memo] Looking back at the Church Committee, National Constitution Center (2019) [Blog Post] The Iran-Contra Affair, B. Craig, The Miller Center (2017) [Article] *SpyCasts* The Spymasters Prism: CIA Legend Jack Devine (2021) First Casualty: Inside the CIA Mission to Avenge 9/11 (2021) Author Debriefing: The Art of Intelligence: Lessons from a Life in the CIAs Clandestine Service (2012) DEEPER DIVE Books A Covert Action: Reagan, the CIA and Poland, S. Jones (W.W. Norton, 2018) The Church Committee Confronts America's Spy Agencies, L. Johnson (UP of Kentucky, 2015) The Brilliant Disaster: JFK, Castro, and the Bay of Pigs, J. Rasenberger (Scribner, 2012) Executive Secrets: Covert Action and the Presidency, W. Daugherty (UP of Kentucky, 2006) Covert Action, G. Treverton (1987) Articles The Disturbing Story Of The Heart Attack Gun Invented By The CIA During The Cold War, M. Dunn, All Thats Interesting (2022) Video Iran-Contra: Reagans Scandal and the Unchecked Abuse of Presidential Power, US National Archives (2015) Covert Action By U.S. To Assist Ukraine Could Be In Play, MSNBC News (2022) Primary Sources Commission on the U.S. Intelligence Community (1994-1996) Senate Select Committee with Respect to Intelligence Activities (1976) Huge C.I.A. Operation Reported in U.S. against Antiwar Forces," S. Hersh, NYT (1974) FBI Records: COINTELPRO (1956-1971) Note on U.S. Covert Actions *Wildcard Resource* A 90s cartoon, evil beings threaten humanity, only the Wild C.A.T.s can save them: i.e., Covert Action Teams! Covert action as a concept has become part of the entertainment industry
Tue, 13 Dec 2022 12:00:00 -0000

Spying and Start-Ups with former Assistant Director of the CIA John Mullen

Summary John Mullen (LinkedIn) joins Andrew (Twitter; LinkedIn) to discuss his life and career. He was awarded the Distinguished Intelligence Medal. What Youll Learn Intelligence How John was recruited Life as an adrenaline addict in the CIA Case officers vs. entrepreneurs How China spies on corporate America Reflections Atlantic vs. Pacific outlook Quantum And much, much more Episode Notes The Pacific Theater of WWII was imprinted on John Mullen as a young boy. He grew up in Seattle on the West Coast and had family members who remembered Boeing factories under camouflaged nets. He had two family members who were killed in that theater in the 1940s. John went on to have a stellar CIA career - but one that always had an eye to the East. He went on the become the Assistant Director for Asia and the Pacific, leading all clandestine activity across this huge region, and spent time as a CIA Station Chief in the Far East. He has since co-founded his own firm and is currently engaged in protecting innovation at Strider Technologies as an Executive Vice President. Ever wondered what itd be like to join the CIA or to leave it to work in corporate America? I have a feeling John might be able to help And Business intelligence, competitive intelligence, product intelligence, workforce intelligence: in case you havent noticed intel is everywhere these days! Quote of the Week Honestly, in my 30 years, at CIA, there were probably less than two handfuls of days. I woke up and wasn't excited about going to work. John Mullen. Resources SURFACE SKIM *Andrews Recommendation* The Pacific War, WELT (2021) [documentary] *Beginner Resources* What We Know About Chinas Spy Agency, Bloomberg (2019) [4 min video] Start Ups Backed by the CIA and Pentagon, CB Insights (2016) [short web article] Brian Cox Explains Quantum Mechanics in 60 secs, BBC, (2014) [60 sec video] DEEPER DIVE *SpyCasts* CIA Case Officer, Cyber Entrepreneur, Burning Man Volunteer with Mike Susong, Part 1 (2022) CIA Case Officer, Cyber Entrepreneur, Burning Man Volunteer with Mike Susong, Part 2 (2022) From the CIA to Strategic Cyber with Hans Holmer (2022) My Global Career as a Female FBI Agent with Kathy Stearman (2021) Books China Unbound: A New World Disorder, J. Chiu (House of Anansi Press, 2021) Quantum Computing for Everyone, C. Berhardt (MIT, 2020) Chinese Espionage Operations and Tactics, N. Eftimiades (Vitruvian Press, 2020) Spies for Nimitz: Joint Military Intelligence in the Pacific War, J. Moore (Naval Institute Press, 2004) In Search of Schrdinger's Cat: Quantum Physics and Reality, J. Gribbin (Bantam Books, 1984) Articles Chinese intelligence officer sentenced to 20 years in prison in espionage case, R. Legare, CBS News (2022) The World-Changing Race to Develop the Quantum Computer, S. Witt, The New Yorker (2022) Paradigm Shift: Chinas State Capitalism Is Not Colliding With Its Technological Ambitions, Strider (2021) Video MadeinBeijing: The Plan for Global Market Domination, FBI (2022) China's New Quantum Computing Breakthrough Shocks American Scientists, YouTube (2022) Seattles Waterway to the World, YouTube (2017) Primary Sources Indo-Pacific Strategy of the United States (2022) The Information War in the Pacific, 1945, J. Williams (2002) The Art of China Watching, G. Solin (1996) *Wildcard Resource* The American Battle Monuments Commission maintains 26 military cemeteries and memorials in 17 different foreign countries around the world that honor Americans that served in World War I and World War II.If you have a family member buried abroad, you can utilize ABMCs Burial Search to locate their records.
Tue, 06 Dec 2022 12:00:00 -0000

Honey Trapped: Sex, Betrayal & Love with Henry Schlesinger

Summary Henry Schlesinger (Rare Bird Books) joins Andrew (Twitter;LinkedIn) to discuss two of the most mysterious and alluring forces in human history: sex and spying. He is a journalist and author proudly based out of NYC. What Youll Learn Intelligence The impact of sexpionage on history Debunking common honey trap myths Examples of weaponized seduction and leveraged love Cyber honey traps and digital sexpionage Reflections Psychological implications of love and lies The relationship between pop culture myths and historical truth And much, much more Episode Notes Sex. Espionage. Sometimes they both overlap by accident...but sometimes it's entirely intentional. From Samson and Delilah in the Bible to the Profumo Affair that rocked British society in the 1960s, they are a heady and dramatic combination. But how is sex used in modern espionage? How do the professionals combine them, if indeed they do? What myths surround the use of both? How have men and women used sex and seduction to spy? To answer these questions and more, Andrew sat down with Henry Schlesinger to discuss his newest book, Honey Trapped: Sex, Betrayal, and Weaponized Love, which explores the fascinating relationship between sex and spying. And You know about Benjamin Franklin in Paris as a bon vivant, wily diplomat and aging lion, but read Henrys article about him as the Founding Forger engaged in disinformation and fake news during the Revolution! Quote of the Week The thing about espionage is that it encompasses the best in human beings and the worst and everything in between. Henry Schlesinger. Resources SURFACE SKIM *Andrews Recommendation* Security Implications of Polygraph Derived Homesexual Fantasies See how much social mores have changed since 1985 *Featured Resource* Honey Trapped: Sex, Betrayal, and Love, Henry R. Schlesinger (Rare Bird, 2022) *Beginner Resources* The Stasi Spies Who Traded Sex for Secrets, Oliver Moody, The Times (2022) [Article] Romeo Spies, CIA (2018) [Article] The Brilliant MI6 Spy Who Perfected the Art of the Honey Trap, Hadley Meares, Atlas Obscura (2017) [Article] The History of the Honey Trap, Philip Knightly, Foreign Policy (2010) [Article] DEEPER DIVE *SpyCasts* Mata Hari, The Spy with Dr. Julie Wheelwright (2019) Sexpionage with H. Keith Melton (2009) *Books* The Last Goodnight: A World War II Story of Espionage, & Betrayal, H. Blum (Harper, 2017) In the Garden of Beasts, E. Larson (Crown, 2011) Stalin's Romeo Spy, E. Draitser (Northwestern, 2010) Femme Fatale: Love, Lies, and Mata Hari, P. Shipman (Harper, 2008) *Articles* MEA staffer honey trapped: Whats the role of sex in spying?, A. Bhaskar, The Indian Express (2022) The making of an iconic image: Christine Keeler, 1963, Victoria and Albert Museum (n.d.) Christine Keeler obituary: the woman at the heart of the Profumo affair, P. Sanford, The Guardian (2017) The Honeytrap That Ensnared One Marine in a Sexpionage Case, C. Burgess, ClearanceJobs (2022) How to Use Sex Like a Russian Spy, P. Sullivan, Foreign Policy (2010) *Video* Spy History: King Goujian and the Boiled Seeds (2021) [Short Story] Spies & Spymasters Happy Hour | Soviet Romeo Spy Dmitri Bystrolyotov (2020) [SPY Program] The Spy Who Loved Me: When East German Spies Broke Hearts In The Cold War (2017) [Documentary] *Primary Sources* Delilah Betrays Samson, Judges 16, The Bible Sexpionage: Why We Can't Resist Those KGB Sirens, M. Dobbs, The Washington Post (1987) CIA Cover Exposed in Ghana, S. Meddis, USA Today (1985) Spying Casts Shadow Over Talks, R. Beeston & B. Gertz, The Washington Times (1987) Soviets Still Employed at Embassy in Moscow, B. Gertz, The Washington Times (1987) Testimony of George Karlin aka Yuri Krotkov (1969) *Wildcard Resource* From Russia With Love (1963) Bond: Honey Trapped or Honey Trapper? A little bit of both!
Tue, 29 Nov 2022 12:00:00 -0000

The FBI & Cyber with Cyber Division Chief Bryan Vorndran (Part 2 of 2)

Summary Bryan Vorndran (Website, LinkedIn) joins Andrew (Twitter;LinkedIn)to discuss how the FBI has adapted to the digital age. As Bryan says, We are not your grandparents FBI. What Youll Learn Intelligence The evolution of the FBI and cyber Weakening cyber adversaries Motivations behind creating and distributing malware How to keep your information safe from cyber attacks Reflections Adapting to change within the intelligence field The value of a passionate and committed team And much, much more Episode Notes When Bryan Vorndran attended the FBI Academy in 2003, cyber was not on his personal radar, nor was it on Quanticos vigorous training schedule. Now, almost 20 years later, Bryan serves as the Assistant Director of the FBIs Cyber Division. What changed in those 20 years to bring Bryan to the forefront of the cyber battlefield, and how have the tactics and strategies used in this used in this field evolved alongside the ever-changing face of cyber? Tune into this weeks SpyCast episode to find out! The FBI has historically been associated with law enforcement and criminal justice. How does cyber fit into this world, and what is the FBIs strategy for defending the country against cyber adversaries? And Check out the FBI Cyber's Most Wanted list. A look through the details on each of these wanted posters can give you a better idea of the vast array of cyber-crimes committed around the world. Quotes of the Week We will not arrest our way out of the ransomware problem. We are not going to arrest our way out of the Russia China Nation state cyber vector problem. Right? It's just not going to happen. But again, national tool power is something we will always do, but there has to be a way to degrade the ecosystem to make their life more challenging. Bryan Vordran. Resources *SpyCasts* Sure, I Can Hack Your Organization with Eric Escobar, Part 1 (2022) Sure, I Can Hack Your Organization with Eric Escobar, Part 2 (2022) From the CIA to Strategic Cyber - with Hans Holmer (2022) CIA Case Officer, Cyber Entrepreneur, Burning Man Volunteer with Mike Susong (2022) Cyberattacks, Espionage & Ransomware Inside Microsofts MSTIC (2021) The Cyber Zeitgeist Cyberwire Host Dave Bittner (2021) *Beginner Resources* What is cybersecurity?, IBM(n.d.) [Article] How does Malware Work?, Peter Baltazar, Malware Fox (2021) [Article] Director Wray on FBI Cyber Strategy, FBI (2020) Books Dark Territory: The Secret History of Cyber War, Fred Kaplan (Simon & Schuster, 2017) Spam Nation: The Inside Story of Organized Cybercrime, Brian Krebs (Sourcebooks, 2015) DarkMarket: How Hackers Became the New Mafia, Misha Glenny (Vintage, 2012) The FBI: A History, Rhodri Jefferys-Jones (Yale, 2007) Articles FBI: Beware of Cyber-Threat from Russian Hacktivists, Phil Muncaster, Info Security (2022) Web shell attacks continue to rise, Microsoft Security (2021) Thingbots: The Future of Botnets in the Internet of Things, Paul Sabanal, Security Intelligence (2016) Video Inside the FBI: Decoding the Cyber Threat (2022) MadeinBeijing: The Plan for Global Market Domination (2022) FBI Oregon Cyber Jobs: Cyber Special Agent (2022) Life on an FBI Cyber Squad (2020) The Evolving Attack Surface (2020) Primary Sources Oversight of the FBI Cyber Division (2022) Sodinokibi/REvil Ransomware Defendant Extradited to United States and Arraigned in Texas (2021) Bryan A. Vorndran Named Assistant Director of the FBI Cyber Division (2021) The FBIs Role in Cyber Security (2014) *Wildcard Resource* Quiz: Test your knowledge of the FBI in pop culture!
Tue, 22 Nov 2022 12:00:00 -0000

The FBI & Cyber with Cyber Division Chief Bryan Vorndran (Part 1 of 2)

Summary Brian Vorndran (Website, LinkedIn) joins Andrew (Twitter;LinkedIn)to discuss how the FBI has adapted to the digital age. As Brian says, We are not your grandparents FBI. What Youll Learn Intelligence The evolution of the FBI and cyber Weakening cyber adversaries Motivations behind creating and distributing malware How to keep your information safe from cyber attacks Reflections Adapting to change within the intelligence field The value of a passionate and committed team And much, much more Episode Notes When Brian Vorndran attended the FBI Academy in 2003, cyber was not on his personal radar, nor was it on Quanticos vigorous training schedule. Now, almost 20 years later, Brian serves as the Assistant Director of the FBIs Cyber Division. What changed in those 20 years to bring Brian to the forefront of the cyber battlefield, and how have the tactics and strategies used in this used in this field evolved alongside the ever-changing face of cyber? Tune into this weeks SpyCast episode to find out! The FBI has historically been associated with law enforcement and criminal justice. How does cyber fit into this world, and what is the FBIs strategy for defending the country against cyber adversaries? And Check out the FBI Cyber's Most Wanted list. A look through the details on each of these wanted posters can give you a better idea of the vast array of cyber-crimes committed around the world. Quotes of the Week We will not arrest our way out of the ransomware problem. We are not going to arrest our way out of the Russia China Nation state cyber vector problem. Right? It's just not going to happen. But again, national tool power is something we will always do, but there has to be a way to degrade the ecosystem to make their life more challenging. Bryan Vordran. Resources *SpyCasts* Sure, I Can Hack Your Organization with Eric Escobar, Part 1 (2022) Sure, I Can Hack Your Organization with Eric Escobar, Part 2 (2022) From the CIA to Strategic Cyber - with Hans Holmer (2022) CIA Case Officer, Cyber Entrepreneur, Burning Man Volunteer with Mike Susong (2022) Cyberattacks, Espionage & Ransomware Inside Microsofts MSTIC (2021) The Cyber Zeitgeist Cyberwire Host Dave Bittner (2021) *Beginner Resources* What is cybersecurity?, IBM(n.d.) [Article] How does Malware Work?, Peter Baltazar, Malware Fox (2021) [Article] Director Wray on FBI Cyber Strategy, FBI (2020) Books Dark Territory: The Secret History of Cyber War, Fred Kaplan (Simon & Schuster, 2017) Spam Nation: The Inside Story of Organized Cybercrime, Brian Krebs (Sourcebooks, 2015) DarkMarket: How Hackers Became the New Mafia, Misha Glenny (Vintage, 2012) The FBI: A History, Rhodri Jefferys-Jones (Yale, 2007) Articles FBI: Beware of Cyber-Threat from Russian Hacktivists, Phil Muncaster, Info Security (2022) Web shell attacks continue to rise, Microsoft Security (2021) Thingbots: The Future of Botnets in the Internet of Things, Paul Sabanal, Security Intelligence (2016) Video Inside the FBI: Decoding the Cyber Threat (2022) MadeinBeijing: The Plan for Global Market Domination (2022) FBI Oregon Cyber Jobs: Cyber Special Agent (2022) Life on an FBI Cyber Squad (2020) The Evolving Attack Surface (2020) Primary Sources Oversight of the FBI Cyber Division (2022) Sodinokibi/REvil Ransomware Defendant Extradited to United States and Arraigned in Texas (2021) Bryan A. Vorndran Named Assistant Director of the FBI Cyber Division (2021) The FBIs Role in Cyber Security (2014) *Wildcard Resource* Quiz: Test your knowledge of the FBI in pop culture!
Tue, 15 Nov 2022 12:00:00 -0000

"Trafficking Data: The Digital Struggle with China" with Aynne Kokas

Summary Aynne Kokas (LinkedIn; Twitter) joins Andrew (Twitter; LinkedIn) to discuss her book "Trafficking Data: How China is Winning the Battle for Digital Sovereignty."
Tue, 08 Nov 2022 12:00:00 -0000

Nazis on the Potomac with former National Park Service Chief Historian Bob Sutton

Summary Bob Sutton (LinkedIn; Twitter) joins Andrew (Twitter; LinkedIn) to discuss the mysterious intelligence site P.O. Box 1142. High-value Nazis were interrogated here during WWII. What Youll Learn Intelligence The interrogation of top Nazis for intelligence The analysis of literally tons of captured German documents Refining ways to escape and evade Nazis in German occupied Europe The importance of intelligence on the German Armys Order of Battle Reflections The National Park Service & History Politicizing Interpretation And much, much more Episode Notes This weeks guest is the former Chief Historian of the National Park Service, Bob Sutton, and what a wonderful conversation we had. His book, Nazis on the Potomac: The Top-Secret Intelligence Operation that Helped Win WWII, tells the story of military intelligence facility P.O. Box 1142 present day Fort Hunt, around 15 miles south of Washington DC.It was here, between 1942-1945, that around three and a half thousand high level German prisoners were interrogated, captured documents analyzed, and ways to help Americans escape and evade Nazis in occupied Europe studied. This story is particularly incredible, because many of the interrogators were German born Jews. This story was almost lost to history, but thankfully because of the NPS and Bob Sutton, it never will be. [Conflict of interest disclosure, Andrew has an America the Beautiful Annual Pass]. And John W. Kluge arrived in the United States from Germany not speaking a word of English in 1922. He was 8 years old. He would go on to be the head of the Military Intelligence Research Section (MIRS) at P.O. Box 1142. After the war, he would go on to become the richest man in the United States. He was so appreciative of America, that he provided funds to Columbia University and The Library Congress to provide opportunities to future students and scholars. Andrew is a former John W. Kluge Fellow at the Library of Congress and therefore a direct recipient of his philanthropy for which he is grateful. Quote of the Week "Doing what we did at Fort Hunt is actually fairly unusual, where we didn't know the story. We were able to locate people, we were able to get money, we could actually interview everybody that we foundThat's relatively unusual." Bob Sutton Resources SURFACE SKIM *Andrews Recommendation* Oral History Interview with John W. Kluge, NPS Some fascinating budgets on how his time in intelligence informed his business practices *Featured Resource* Nazis on the Potomac: The Top-Secret Intelligence Operation that Helped Win WWII, B. Sutton (Casemate, 2022) *Beginner Resources* POWs and Intel at Fort Hunt in WWII, NPS (n.d.) [web article] P.O. Box 1142, Top Secret Heroes, YouTube [3 min video] History Series (GS-0170) Federal Jobs, [career article] DEEPER DIVE *SpyCasts* The Beverley Hills Spy with Seth Abramovich (2022) Books Richie Boy Secrets, B. Eddy (Stackpole, 2021) Escape and Evasion, P. Froom (Schiffer, 2015) The History of Camp Tracy, A. Corbin (Zeidon, 2009) Articles P.O. Box 1142, The Mysterious WWII Installation, SOF (2022) MIS-X: Escape and Evasion in WWII, N. Nix, Patch (2011) Moving Image Fort Hunt Up to WWII, R. Sutton, C-SPAN (2022) Richie Boys, 60 Minutes (2022) The New Americans: The Immigrants who Served, U.S. Holocaust Museum (2020) Primary Sources Red Book: Order of Battle of the German Army (1945) Oral Sources Oral History Interview with Rudolph Pins (2006) Oral History Interview with Silvio Bedini (2007) Oral History Interview with Paul Fairbrook (2008) Oral History Collections Fort Hunt Oral History Project, P.O. Box 1142 *Wildcard Resource* H. Res. 753 A Resolution on P.O. Box 1142 from the 110th Congress Whereas is utilized to great effect to tell the story with great aplomb!
Tue, 01 Nov 2022 11:00:00 -0000

Baseball & Espionage with World Series Champion Ryan Zimmerman & Marc Polymeropoulos (Part 2 of 2)

Summary Ryan Zimmerman (MLB Stats; Wikipedia) and Marc Polymeropoulos (Twitter; LinkedIn) join Andrew to discuss intelligence and Americas pastime. From the SpyCast Field of Dreams. What Youll Learn Intelligence Sign-stealing and codebreaking Glue guys and teamwork Ethics in baseball and espionage Clutch and pinch hitters in espionage and baseball Reflections Daring to fail Stepping up to the plate of life And much, much more Episode Notes Buy me some peanuts and crackerjack. Few things in the world compare to sitting back, putting your feet up, and cracking open a cold one while watching the World Series. For the 2021 World Series Marc joined us for a fantastic discussion on the links between baseball and espionage. How do we top that? A baseball fanatic ex-CIA officer? Why, how about getting a first-round draft pick, World Series Champion with over 6500 at-bats? Done! Enter Ryan Zimmerman, Mr. National! Ever wondered about signs-stealing, how to run a baseball counterintelligence operation, or what some of the many, many links are between baseball and espionage? Youve come to the right place for a discussion that goes to the bottom of the ninth inning over a two-episode conversation. Ryan played for the Nationals from 2005, when he was a first-round draft pick, through to 2021, when his #11 jersey was retired. He is an ex- All-Star, Silver Slugger, Gold Glove winner, and 2019 World Series Champion. Marc is a highly decorated former CIA operations officer who specialized in counterterrorism, the Middle East, and South Asia. Prior to his retirement, he served at CIA headquarters in charge of clandestine operations in Europe and Eurasia. He is the author of the 2021 book, Clarity in Crisis: Leadership Lessons from the CIA. And Big Data is upending many fields, not least baseball and espionage. Gaining a competitive edge is central to both activities, the big argument is about how much soul is lost along the way. The Houston Astros have been a lighting-rod team, whose smart and modern or cold and cynical approach has been discussed at Penn's Wharton School of Business and in the pages of the Harvard Business Review. Quotes of the Week "I think Dare to Fail is enormous. I would want you to put me up at the bases load in the bottom of the ninth. I'll take it every single time. Even if I feel like I have zero chance, I want to be there." - RyanZimmerman "You know, you have to have that mentality in these professions." - Marc Polymeropoulos Resources *Andrews Recommendation* Moneyball, M. Lewis (W.W. Norton, 2004) Love it or hate it, this is the first port of call for any reckoning of baseball and analytics. *SpyCasts* Baseball & Espionage with Marc Polymeropoulos (2021) *Beginner Resources* Spy Agencies Struggling in Age of Big Data, A. Zegart, Wired (2022) [article] Baseball Analytics for the Casual Fan, Simple Sabermetrics (2020) [7 min video] Beginners Guide to Baseball Analytics, N. Allen, Fansided (2018) [article] Best Baseball Analytics Resources, Simple Sabermetrics (2022) Books Spies, Lies and Algorithms, A. Zegart (PUP, 2022) The Catcher Was a Spy: Moe Berg, N. Dawidoff (Pantheon, 1994) Articles Baseball and Cybersecurity, S. Handler, Atlantic Council (2020) Baseballs Rude Welcome to Age of Cyberespionage, N. Paine, 538 (2015) The Man Who Remade Basketball, M. McCluskey, Wired (2014) Baseball on Exhibit: Musuems in the SABR Era, Z. Jendro, SABR (2011) Video Lessons from the CIAs Analytic Front-Lines, B. Pease, JHU (2022) Sabermetrics 101: Baseball Analytics, A. Andres, Talks at Google (2016) CIAs Chief Information Officer - Advanced Analytics, D. Wolfe, OReilly (2015) Primary Sources The PC Goes to Bat (1984) *Wildcard Resource* Get Analytics Certification from the Society for American Baseball Research (SABR) - which is where the term sabermetrics comes from!
Tue, 25 Oct 2022 11:00:00 -0000

Baseball & Espionage with World Series Champion Ryan Zimmerman & Marc Polymeropoulos (Part 1 of 2)

Summary Ryan Zimmerman (MLB Stats; Wikipedia) and Marc Polymeropoulos (Twitter; LinkedIn) join Andrew to discuss intelligence and Americas pastime. From the SpyCast Field of Dreams. What Youll Learn Intelligence Sign-stealing and codebreaking Glue guys and teamwork Ethics in baseball and espionage Clutch and pinch hitters in espionage and baseball Reflections Daring to fail Stepping up to the plate of life And much, much more Episode Notes Buy me some peanuts and crackerjack. Few things in the world compare to sitting back, putting your feet up, and cracking open a cold one while watching the World Series. For the 2021 World Series Marc joined us for a fantastic discussion on the links between baseball and espionage. How do we top that? A baseball fanatic ex-CIA officer? Why, how about getting a first-round draft pick, World Series Champion with over 6500 at-bats? Done! Enter Ryan Zimmerman, Mr. National! Ever wondered about signs-stealing, how to run a baseball counterintelligence operation, or what some of the many, many links are between baseball and espionage? Youve come to the right place for a discussion that goes to the bottom of the ninth inning over a two-episode conversation. Ryan played for the Nationals from 2005, when he was a first-round draft pick, through to 2021, when his #11 jersey was retired. He is an ex- All-Star, Silver Slugger, Gold Glove winner, and 2019 World Series Champion. Marc is a highly decorated former CIA operations officer who specialized in counterterrorism, the Middle East, and South Asia. Prior to his retirement, he served at CIA headquarters in charge of clandestine operations in Europe and Eurasia. He is the author of the 2021 book, Clarity in Crisis: Leadership Lessons from the CIA. And Big Data is upending many fields, not least baseball and espionage. Gaining a competitive edge is central to both activities, the big argument is about how much soul is lost along the way. The Houston Astros have been a lighting-rod team, whose smart and modern or cold and cynical approach has been discussed at Penn's Wharton School of Business and in the pages of the Harvard Business Review. Quotes of the Week "I think Dare to Fail is enormous. I would want you to put me up at the bases load in the bottom of the ninth. I'll take it every single time. Even if I feel like I have zero chance, I want to be there." - RyanZimmerman "You know, you have to have that mentality in these professions." - Marc Polymeropoulos Resources *Andrews Recommendation* Moneyball, M. Lewis (W.W. Norton, 2004) Love it or hate it, this is the first port of call for any reckoning of baseball and analytics. *SpyCasts* Baseball & Espionage with Marc Polymeropoulos (2021) *Beginner Resources* Spy Agencies Struggling in Age of Big Data, A. Zegart, Wired (2022) [article] Baseball Analytics for the Casual Fan, Simple Sabermetrics (2020) [7 min video] Beginners Guide to Baseball Analytics, N. Allen, Fansided (2018) [article] Best Baseball Analytics Resources, Simple Sabermetrics (2022) Books Spies, Lies and Algorithms, A. Zegart (PUP, 2022) The Catcher Was a Spy: Moe Berg, N. Dawidoff (Pantheon, 1994) Articles Baseball and Cybersecurity, S. Handler, Atlantic Council (2020) Baseballs Rude Welcome to Age of Cyberespionage, N. Paine, 538 (2015) The Man Who Remade Basketball, M. McCluskey, Wired (2014) Baseball on Exhibit: Musuems in the SABR Era, Z. Jendro, SABR (2011) Video Lessons from the CIAs Analytic Front-Lines, B. Pease, JHU (2022) Sabermetrics 101: Baseball Analytics, A. Andres, Talks at Google (2016) CIAs Chief Information Officer - Advanced Analytics, D. Wolfe, OReilly (2015) Primary Sources The PC Goes to Bat (1984) *Wildcard Resource* Get Analytics Certification from the Society for American Baseball Research (SABR) - which is where the term sabermetrics comes from!
Tue, 18 Oct 2022 11:00:00 -0000

From the Vault: On the Streets, Location Unknown - CIA Operator Karen Schaefer (Part I)

Andrew Hammond shares an encore episode From the Vault. From counternarcotics to counterterrorism, from Latin America to the Middle East, and from the back streets of a warzone to the center of events in Washington DC Karen Schaefer has had, how should we say, an eventful career as an intelligence officer. Charming, smart, thoughtful, and you havent even met Karen yetbut seriously, it was a pleasure to talk to this weeks guest who had all of those qualities, and more; so enjoyable it will be released as a double-header. This week, Part I focuses on her time as an operator; while Part II focuses on her time as a serial collaborator who worked with Special Operations, the FBI, and the NSC. Stay tuned
Tue, 11 Oct 2022 11:00:00 -0000

Sure, I Can Hack Your Organization with Eric Escobar (Part 2 of 2)

Summary Eric Escobar (Twitter; LinkedIn) joins Andrew (Twitter; LinkedIn) to discuss compromising networks and information security. He has a coveted DEFCON Black Badge. What Youll Learn Intelligence What keeps Eric up at night Thinking like an ethical hacker (aka a penetration tester) Protecting your information (i.e., Hardening the attack surface) Plain English explanations of key cyber concepts like Kill Chains and Zero Days Reflections Having a cool job The information revolution and life in the modern world And much, much more Episode Notes Eric Escobar commits several thousand felonies on any given day, if he didnt have permission to do what he was doing. A Principal Security Consultant with SecureWorks, Eric has compromised pretty much everything out there: from healthcare and banking to technology and critical infrastructure, through to amusement parks and next generation military aircraft. From my perspective, its the coolest job in the entire world. His team consecutively won first place in the Wireless CTF category at DEF CON 23, 24, and 25, snagging a Black Badge along the way. He has a BS and MS in Civil Engineering. And The links between computing, hacking and the 60s counterculture are FASCINATING. Learn more by dipping your toes here and here, or dive deeper with What the Dormouse Said (2005) by John Markoff and From Counterculture to Cyberculture (2006) by Fred Turner. Quote of the Week "Watching any critical infrastructure get compromised is really the thing that keeps me up at night because lives are in the balanceand we do a lot of testing for critical infrastructure, and I've seen computers and machines that have been online and not been taken offline, longer than I've been aliveSo really interesting to see those types of things because they interact with really big, expensive hardwarethere's a catch 22 that happens where you can't really take the machine offline to do maintenance on it because it's critical infrastructure. So then how do you test it to make sure that a hacker can't take it offline, or maintenance can't be done on it?" Eric Escobar. Resources *Andrews Recommendation* Word Notes From beginner thru advanced, youll find some helpful definitions of things like Web 3.0, NFTs and Digital Transformation on this Cyberwire audio glossary. *SpyCasts* Inside Microsofts Threat Intelligence Center (MSTIC) with John Lambert and Cristin Goodwin (2021) The Cyber Zeitgeist with Dave Bittner (2021) Securing Cyberspace with Charlie Mitchell (2016) *Beginner Resources* What is Hacking? The Economic Times (n.d.) [web] Ethical Hacking in 8 Minutes, Simplilearn (2020) [8 min video] Cybersecurity in 7 minutes, Simplilearn (2020) [7 min video] Books The Cyberweapons Arms Race, N. Perloth (Bloomsbury, 2021) Cult of the Dead Cow, J. Menn (PublicAffairs, 2020) Breaking & Entering, J. Smith (Mariner Books, 2019) The Art of Invisibility, K. Mitnick (L, B & C, 2017) Ghost in the Wires, K. Mitnick (Back Bay Books, 2012) Kingpin, K. Poulson (Crown, 2012) The Cuckoos Egg, C. Stoll (Doubleday, 1989) Neuromancer, W. Gibson (Ace, 1984) Articles 2022 State of the Threat: A Year in Review, Secureworks (2022) The Anthropology of Hackers, The Atlantic (2010) Timeline Since 2006: Significant Cyber Incidents, CSIS (n.d.) Documentary DEFCON, The Documentary Network (2013) Resources Government Hacking Bibliography, S. Quinlan, New America Foundation (2016) *Wildcard Resource* The Aurora Shard Come to the International Spy Museum to see an ugly chunk of metal. Why? Well, it speaks to a revolution in the relationship between the material world and the non-material world. Broken down? 30 lines of code blew up a 27-ton generator. Zeros and ones can cause violent explosions!
Wed, 05 Oct 2022 11:00:00 -0000

Sure, I Can Hack Your Organization with Eric Escobar (Part 1 of 2)

Summary Eric Escobar (Twitter; LinkedIn) joins Andrew (Twitter; LinkedIn) to discuss compromising networks and information security. He has a coveted DEFCON Black Badge. What Youll Learn Intelligence What keeps Eric up at night Thinking like an ethical hacker (aka a penetration tester) Protecting your information (i.e., Hardening the attack surface) Plain English explanations of key cyber concepts like Kill Chains and Zero Days Reflections Having a cool job The information revolution and life in the modern world And much, much more Episode Notes Eric Escobar commits several thousand felonies on any given day, if he didnt have permission to do what he was doing. A Principal Security Consultant with SecureWorks, Eric has compromised pretty much everything out there: from healthcare and banking to technology and critical infrastructure, through to amusement parks and next generation military aircraft. From my perspective, its the coolest job in the entire world. His team consecutively won first place in the Wireless CTF category at DEF CON 23, 24, and 25, snagging a Black Badge along the way. He has a BS and MS in Civil Engineering. And The links between computing, hacking and the 60s counterculture are FASCINATING. Learn more by dipping your toes here and here, or dive deeper with What the Dormouse Said (2005) by John Markoff and From Counterculture to Cyberculture (2006) by Fred Turner. Quote of the Week "Watching any critical infrastructure get compromised is really the thing that keeps me up at night because lives are in the balanceand we do a lot of testing for critical infrastructure, and I've seen computers and machines that have been online and not been taken offline, longer than I've been aliveSo really interesting to see those types of things because they interact with really big, expensive hardwarethere's a catch 22 that happens where you can't really take the machine offline to do maintenance on it because it's critical infrastructure. So then how do you test it to make sure that a hacker can't take it offline, or maintenance can't be done on it?" Eric Escobar. Resources *Andrews Recommendation* Word Notes From beginner thru advanced, youll find some helpful definitions of things like Web 3.0, NFTs and Digital Transformation on this Cyberwire audio glossary. *SpyCasts* Inside Microsofts Threat Intelligence Center (MSTIC) with John Lambert and Cristin Goodwin (2021) The Cyber Zeitgeist with Dave Bittner (2021) Securing Cyberspace with Charlie Mitchell (2016) *Beginner Resources* What is Hacking? The Economic Times (n.d.) [web] Ethical Hacking in 8 Minutes, Simplilearn (2020) [8 min video] Cybersecurity in 7 minutes, Simplilearn (2020) [7 min video] Books The Cyberweapons Arms Race, N. Perloth (Bloomsbury, 2021) Cult of the Dead Cow, J. Menn (PublicAffairs, 2020) Breaking & Entering, J. Smith (Mariner Books, 2019) The Art of Invisibility, K. Mitnick (L, B & C, 2017) Ghost in the Wires, K. Mitnick (Back Bay Books, 2012) Kingpin, K. Poulson (Crown, 2012) The Cuckoos Egg, C. Stoll (Doubleday, 1989) Neuromancer, W. Gibson (Ace, 1984) Articles 2022 State of the Threat: A Year in Review, Secureworks (2022) The Anthropology of Hackers, The Atlantic (2010) Timeline Since 2006: Significant Cyber Incidents, CSIS (n.d.) Documentary DEFCON, The Documentary Network (2013) Resources Government Hacking Bibliography, S. Quinlan, New America Foundation (2016) *Wildcard Resource* The Aurora Shard Come to the International Spy Museum to see an ugly chunk of metal. Why? Well, it speaks to a revolution in the relationship between the material world and the non-material world. Broken down? 30 lines of code blew up a 27-ton generator. Zeros and ones can cause violent explosions!
Tue, 27 Sep 2022 11:00:00 -0000

The Past 75 Years with Historian of the CIA Rhodri Jeffreys-Jones

Summary Rhodri Jeffreys-Jones (Website; Wikipedia) joins Andrew (Twitter; LinkedIn) to discuss his book. He has studied American intelligence for 50 years. What Youll Learn Intelligence The CIA and the American presidents they served The founding of the CIA just as America became a global superpower Pearl Harbor, the USSR and covert action under Eisenhower Assassinations, controversy, the Church Committee, and 9/11 Reflections How much of the future can we predict Intention in history And much, much more Episode Notes This weeks guest, Rhodri Jeffreys-Jones, is Emeritus Professor of American History at the University of Edinburgh. He has been studying American intelligence for half a century and has written a history of the CIA to coincide with its 75th anniversary, entitled: A Question of Standing. This episode with Rhodri is a counterpoint to last weeks episode with Robert Gates: a career historian and a career intelligence officer; a European and an American; a 70,000 feet view and a 30,000 feet one. Interestingly, they were born continents apart within almost a year of each other. Rhodri is the author of over a dozen books, has a Ph.D. from Cambridge University, and grew up in Harlech, Wales. And Harlech, Wales, where Rhodri grew up, has the steepest street in the Northern Hemisphere. The steepest street in the Southern Hemisphere, and the world according to Guinness Records, is in Dunedin, New Zealand (Dunedin is Gaelic for Edinburgh). The steepest street in the continental United States is Canton Avenue in Pittsburgh (to celebrate its Welsh heritage the Steel City has a St. Davids Society). Espionage in Welsh is ysbo. Quote of the Week "CIA can't afford to rest on its laurels and continue with systems it has. It has to change all the time." Rhodri Jeffreys-Jones Resources *Andrews Recommendation* Documents on Origins of CIA, Truman Library [pdf] *SpyCasts* The 75th Anniversary with Robert Gates (2022) *Beginner Resources* History of CIA, CIA (n.d.) [web] A Brief History of US-Iran Relations, ABC News (n.d.) [video] CIA Involvement in 1953 Iranian Coup, CNN (n.d.] [video] Iran & Guatemala, 1953-4, NYT (2003) [article] Books Covert Action & USFP, L. Johnson (OUP, 2022) A Brief History of the CIA, R. Immerman (Wiley, 2014) The [Dulles] Brothers, S. Kinzer (St. Martins, 2014) Mighty Wurlitzer: How CIA Played America, H. Wilford (HUP, 2009) Countercoup: Struggle for Iran, K. Roosevelt (McGraw-Hill, 1979) Articles 64 Years Later CIA Releases Details of Iranian Coup, B. Allen-Ebrahimian, FP (2017) Video The Nazi Spy Ring in America, R. Jeffreys-Jones, SPY (2021) Secrecy, Democracy & the Birth of the CIA, H. Wilford, Great Courses (n.d.) Photo The 1953 Iranian Coup, Radio Free Europe Archives (2013) Documentary The Spymasters, Showtime (2015) CIA: Secret Wars, Part 1, Roche (2003) CIA: Secret Wars, Part 2, Roche (2003) Curatorial Pocket History of CIA, CIA (2014) Primary Sources History Staff Analysis: CIA & Guatemala Assassination Proposals, 1952-4 (1995) Iran 1953: Transcript of Interview with MI6 Officer Norman Darbyshire (1985) DCI Dulles to President Eisenhower (1953) Telegram from CIA to Station in Iran (1953) Telegram from Station in Iran to CIA (1953) Monthly Report, Directorate of Plans, CIA (1953) Memo from Deputy Director for Plans (Wisner) to DCI Dulles (1953) National Security Act (1947) Website Intelligence Milestones During Eisenhower Administration, Eisenhower Library (n.d.] *Wildcard Resource* Tom Paine (Common Sense, 1776), Alexis de Tocqueville (Democracy in America, 1835) and Mork from Ork (Mork & Mindy, 1978-82) are all outsiders, like Rhodri, looking in. What can each of them tell us about the United States? What can they tell us that people born within an ecosystem cant?
Tue, 20 Sep 2022 11:00:00 -0000

The 75th Anniversary of the CIA with former Director Robert Gates

Summary Robert Gates (Website; Website) joins Andrew (Twitter; LinkedIn) to reflect on the 75th Anniversary of the CIA. He served 8 U.S. presidents. What Youll Learn Intelligence His reflections on the CIA at 75 How the CIAs story intersected with his own His take on the organizations strengths and weaknesses The complex intl. environment the CIA must now help America navigate Reflections Twists of fate Identity and institutions And much, much more Episode Notes Robert M. Gates is the first career officer in the CIAs history to rise from entry level employee to Director. He spent 27 years at CIA, nine of those at the NSC. More recently, he was the first Secretary of Defense to be asked to remain in office by a newly elected president. In all, he served 8 presidents. Wouldnt you love to know his take on the CIA at 75? Well, weve made that happen for you! He was born in Wichita, Kansas, served in the U.S.A.F. and he received his undergraduate education at William & Mary, his masters from Indiana University, and his doctorate from Georgetown University. He was formerly the President of Texas A&M University and the current Chancellor of William & Mary. And The academic institutions Dr. Gates has been associated with all have quite different capacities of football stadium: Georgetown Universitys Cooper Field can hold 3,750; William & Marys Zable Stadium can hold 12,259; Indiana Universitys Memorial Stadium can hold 52,626; and Texas A&Ms Kyle Stadium can hold a whopping 102,733. What could we infer about Dr. Gates, college sports, or the United States from this information? Well, that would be thinking like an intelligence analyst. Quote of the Week "I've led four very big, very different institutions and like all of them I always saw where places where CIA could be better. But I always loved the place, and I always was proud to work there and proud of the people that I knewthey were probably the smartest, most honest people I've ever met and worked with." Robert Gates. Resources *Andrews Recommendation* Reorganization in the Intel. Community, DCI Gates (1992) Watch this prescient clip on historical naivete, or if youre hardcore, the entire congressional testimony *SpyCasts* Dealing with Russia with Jim Olson (2022) I was a Presidential Daily Briefer on 9/11 with Mike Morell (2021) *Beginner Resources* History of CIA, CIA (n.d.) [website] CIA Directors Portrait Gallery, CIA (n.d.) [online gallery] Impact of President G.H.W. Bushs Foreign Policy, MSNBC (2018) [13 min. video] At 75, CIA Back Where it Started, Countering Kremlin, G. Myre, NPR (2022) [5 min. audio] Books Spymasters: CIA Directors, C. Whipple (S&S, 2020) Duty, R. Gates (Vintage, 2015) [Def. Sec. memoir] A World Transformed, Bush & Scowcroft (Knopf, 1998) From the Shadows, R. Gates (S&S, 1996) [CIA memoir] Power & Principle, Z. Brzezinski (FS&G, 1983) [Gates was Z.B.s Special Asst. at the NSC during the Carter era] Articles A More Realistic Strategy for the Post-Cold War Era, R. Gates, WaPo (2022) Creation of the Central Intelligence Group, M. Warner, SII (1996) Video Legacy of the G.H.W.B. Administration, CFR (2016) Book Talk: From the Shadows, R. Gates, C-Span (1996) Documentary The Spymasters, Showtime (2015) Curatorial Pocket History of CIA, CIA (2014) Primary Sources Biden Speech on 75th Anniversary of the CIA (2022) Robert Gates on CIA and Openness (1992) Nomination of Gates to be DCI (1991) Adm. Roscoe, First CIA Director Dies (1982) CIA Review of the World Situation (1947) Lester to Truman re Centralized Intelligence (1947) National Security Act (1947) *Wildcard Resource* North by Northwest (Hitchcock, 1959) We hear the first explicit mention of CIA in a major movie FBI. CIA. ONI. Were all in the same alphabet soup.
Tue, 13 Sep 2022 11:00:00 -0000

"CIA Reports Officer, Russian Yacht Watcher, Satirist with Alex Finley

Summary Alex Finley(Twitter; Website) joins Andrew (Twitter; LinkedIn) to discuss life as a CIA Reports Officer turned author. She lives in Barcelona. What Youll Learn Intelligence Her take on CIA analysts vs. case officers Information and disinformation in fact and fiction Ukraine, the 2016 election and the Russian historical playbook The regularity even mundanity of much of daily intelligence life Reflections Being an American in Barcelona Viewing your own country from outside the goldfish bowl And much, much more Episode Notes Alex Finley spent 6 years in the CIA as a Reports Officer - whom she describes as a bridge between the case officers and analysts. She is author of a trilogy of novels on the exploits of fictional CIA officer Victor Caro. Her most recent book, Victor in Trouble, completes the series (or does it?) by looking at Russian influence operations and the contemporary intelligence landscape through a satirical lens. She now lives in Barcelona, Spain - and yes, apparently its as awesome as it sounds! and she is the voice behind #YachtWatch, which tracks and exposes the activities of Russian oligarchs and their superyachts. And Satire is often described as fitting into three categories: Horatian, which offers light comedy and social commentary (e.g., Pride & Prejudice, Parks & Rec, The Colbert Report); Juvenalian, a darker and more abrasive take that can often take the form of speaking truth to power (e.g., Animal Farm, American Psycho, South Park) and Menippean, which casts moral judgement on beliefs or generic character flaws (e.g., Alice in Wonderland, The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy, Saturday Night Live). Which one does Alex use? Quote of the Week "There, there were points where I found myself in the middle of nowhere, West Africa. And there are these moments wherehow did I end up here? This makes zero sense. And then there were the bureaucratic Catch-22s." Alex Finley. Resources *Andrews Recommendation* Who are the Russian Oligarchs? (2022) A great visulacapitalist.com infographic - but if you want to go understand how they can afford their superyachts, start here *SpyCasts* CIA Officers Turned Authors David McCloskey & James Stejskal (2022) NSA, CIA, Author - Alma Katsu (2021) Victor in the Rubble Alex Finley (2016) *Beginner Resources* A Brief History of Spy Fiction, Stella Rimington, Crime Reads, (2018) [short essay] An Introduction to Satire, Jackson School District (n.d.) [2-page guide] Russias Top Five Disinformation Narratives, State (2022) [webpage] Books Victor in Trouble, A. Finley (Smiling Hippo, 2022) The Revenge of Power, M. Naim (St. Martins, 2022) Active Measures, T. Rid (Picador, 2021) The Misinformation Age, C. OConnor & J. Weatherall (YUP, 2020) Victor in The Jungle, A. Finley (Smiling Hippo, 2019) Victor in The Rubble, A. Finley (Smiling Hippo, 2016) Great Spy Stories from Fiction, A. Dulles (Harper, 1969) Articles The Russian Firehose of Falsehood, C. Paul & M. Matthews, RAND (2016) Yellow Journalism, PBS (n.d.) Videos The Spy Writers You Love to Read, SPY (2019) Russian Active Measures: Past, Present & Future, CSIS (2018) The Strategy Behind Russias Disinformation Campaigns, DW News (n.d.) Meet the KGB Spies Who Invented Fake News, NYT (n.d.) Reports Combatting Targeted Disinformation Campaigns, DHS (2019) Primary Sources Disinformation: Russian Active Measures, Senate Intelligence Committee (2017) KGB Active Measures in SW Asia in 1980-82, Wilson Center Primary Source Collections Rumor Control Project Documents, Library of Congress *Wildcard Resource* A Clockwork Orange (1962) [novel] A short, sharp satire that ruminates on the nature of society and free will it will stay with you for a long time to come
Tue, 06 Sep 2022 11:00:00 -0000

"The Counterterrorism and Counter WMD Strategist" with Dexter Ingram.

Summary Dexter Ingram (LinkedIn; Website) joins Andrew (Twitter; LinkedIn) to discuss his varied career. He has a very cool private collection of spy gadgets. What Youll Learn Intelligence What spy gadget he would save if his house were on fire How the hunt for a spy artifact gets his blood pumping Using intelligence to achieve concrete policy objectives His preference for Open-Source Intelligence (OSINT) while working with international partners Reflections Vulnerability and trust Building and leveraging relationships And much, much more Episode Notes Dexter Ingram is the Acting Director at the Office of the Special Envoy for the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS and in his spare time a passionate collector of intelligence artifacts and gadgets. He has performed a variety of roles at the Department of State he was on a Provincial Reconstruction Team in Afghanistan, he was a Counterterrorism Coordinator at Interpol in Lyon, France, and has a deep interest in counterterrorism, counterproliferation and WMD. He was formerly a Naval Flight Officer and White House Intern with the US Navy and has studied at Hampton University, University of Oklahoma, and the National Defense University. In part of our ongoing effort to look at consumers of intelligence as well as producers - i.e., who eats the sausages as well as who makes them - we touch on the various parts of Dexters career that intersect with intelligence. And Hampton University, where Dexter studied for his undergrad, is one of over 100 Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) in the United States. It sits near the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay (incidentally on the same peninsula as The Farm, a covert training facility for CIA operations officers). Many leaders of the black community have attended HBCUs, such as Booker T. Washington (Hampton), W.E.B. Du Bois (Fisk), Martin Luther King (Morehouse), Jesse Jackson (North Carolina A&T), and Kamala Harris (Howard). Quote of the Week "It's about real people. These are real gadgets better than the movies. It gets my blood pumping." Dexter Ingram on collecting artifacts. Resources *Andrews Recommendation* Shall We All Commit Suicide? (1924) One of Churchills most powerful and prophetic essays on the destructive powers unleashed by modern science *SpyCasts* Spy of the Century Kim Philby & Artifacts (2022) ISIS Leader Al Mawla Part 1 (2022) ISIS Leader Al Mawla Part II (2022) Intelligence and the WMD Fiasco (2008) *Beginner Resources* 100 Years of Intl. Police Cooperation, Interpol (2014) [video] Our History, Interpol (n.d.) [website] Nuclear Proliferation & Nonproliferation: What you Need to Know, CFR (2019) [video] Books The Terror Years: Al Qaeda to ISIS, L. Wright (Penguin, 2017) Black Flags: Rise of ISIS, J. Warrick (Doubleday, 2015) Policing the World: Interpol, M. Anderson (Clarendon, 1989) Articles Islamic States Khorasan Vision in Asia, L. Webber & R. Valle, The Diplomat, (2022) Red Notices, Interpol (n.d.) Video Deadly Evolution of Nuclear Weapons, Tech Insider, YouTube (2017) Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty: What you Need to Know, CFR (2015) [video] Sailing in the Sea of OSINT, S. Mercado, CSI (2004) Documentary Nuclear Tipping Point, NTI, YouTube (2010) Interactives A Guide to Open-Source Nuclear Detection Work, NTI (2020) Resource sites OSINT Techniques Primary Source Collections Historical Documents, Foreign Relations of the United States (FRUS) *Wildcard Resource* A BBC News Program and Nuclear War (2019) Today is Britains highest profile current affairs radio program, and it has been on air since 1958 - a few consecutive days without it and Britain could launch a nuclear counterstrike. Read more here.
Tue, 30 Aug 2022 11:00:00 -0000

POWs, Vietnam and Intelligence with Pritzker Curator James Brundage

Summary James Brundage (LinkedIn; Twitter) joins Andrew (Twitter; LinkedIn) to discuss prisoners-of-war and intelligence. He is the Curator at the Pritzker Military Museum & Library in Chicago. What Youll Learn Intelligence The intelligence dynamics of prisoners-of-war Tap codes and other ways to covertly communicate Using POWs for propaganda Debriefing POWs after their release Reflections Comparing across time (WWII, Korea, Vietnam, etc.) Comparing within time (German/Japanese/American POW camps during WWII) And much, much more Episode Notes What intelligence questions are generated when we discuss prisoners of war? The prisoners side asks: what happened? Are they alive? If so, where? What did they know? Can they compromise operations? Can we get them out? The other side asks: what do they know? Can they tell us anything we dont know? Are they misleading us? The prisoner asks: where are we? Are there any friendlies? Can we share information to escape? To answer these questions, this weeks guest is James Brundage who curated the May 22-Apr 23 exhibit, Life Behind the Wire: POW which explores life in captivity. He is a public historian who has also worked at the Obama Presidential Library, the Chicago History Museum & the James Garfield Historic Site. And Jeremiah Denton Jr. was shot down while leading an attack over North Vietnam in 1965 and the title of his memoir, When Hell Was in Session, gives you an idea of what he endured during his captivity. As part of a propaganda campaign, the North Vietnamese arranged for him to be interviewed by a Japanese reporter. Hi blinked T-O-R-T-U-R-E in Morse code. Needless to say, the intelligence community took great interest in the video footage. He passed away in 2014. Quote of the Week "So roughly 1% of the POW population perished in Europe at the hands of the Germans versus in Japanthe death rate was almost 40%. A lot of that was the conditions of the campin Vietnam, of the more than 700 American POWs, there were 73 who perished in POW camps in North Vietnam, which is roughly 10%." James Brundage Resources *Andrews Recommendation* The Railway Man: A POWs Searing Account, E. Lomax (Norton, 2014) A powerful, powerful memoir. Lomax had nightmares about his WWII experience for over half a century. *SpyCasts* Operation Chaos Matthew Sweet (2018) Eavesdropping in Vietnam Tom Glenn (2012) Studies & Observations Group Donald Blackburn (2012) Intelligence Lessons from Vietnam Rufus Phillips (2009) *Beginner Resources* The Vietnam War Explained in 25 Minutes, The Life Guide (n.d.) ([video] Intelligence in the Vietnam War, Vietnam War 50th [posters] POWs: What You Need to Know, ICRC (2022) [webpage] Books Spies on the Mekong, K. Conboy (Casemate, 2021) War of Numbers, S. Adams (Steerforth, 2020) Tap Code, C. Harris & S. Berry (Zondervan, 2019) Articles Meet the Hero: Douglas Hegdahl, Milliken Center (n.d.) OSSs Role in Ho Chi Minhs Rise, B. Bergin, SII 62/2 (2018) Intel. Support to Comms. with POWs in Vietnam, G. Peterson & D. Taylor, SII 60/1 (2016) Takes on Intelligence and the Vietnam War, C. Laurie, SII 55/2 (2011) Documentaries The Vietnam War, K. Burns & L. Novick (2017) The Fog of War, R. McNamara (2003) Hearts & Minds, P. Davis (1974) Oral Histories Veterans History Project Vietnam POW Interviews, U.S.N.I. Primary Sources POW/MIA Closed Briefing, DD CIA (1991) Report on US-Vietnamese Talks on POW/MIAs (1985) Causes, Origins & Lessons of the Vietnam War (1972) The POW Scandal in Korea (1954) *Wildcard Resource* Interestingly, philosophers Ludwig Wittgenstein, John Paul Sartre, Paul Riceour, Emmanuel Levinas and Louis Althusser were all POWs now, the impact this had on their thinking would be one hell of a rabbit hole to go down!
Tue, 23 Aug 2022 11:00:00 -0000

The Beverly Hills Spy with The Hollywood Reporters Seth Abramovitch

Summary Seth Abramovitch (Twitter; LinkedIn) joins Andrew (Twitter; LinkedIn) to discuss the British war-hero who spied on behalf of the Japanese during Hollywoods Golden Age. This is a story-and-a-half, by jingo! What Youll Learn Intelligence How a British war-hero became a spy for the other side Japanese espionage in Tinseltown How the story involves Boris Karloff, Charlie Chaplin and Yoko Onos father The spy rings activities before and after Pearl Harbor Reflections Playing the game for yourself vs. for a country or a cause Hubris & Nemesis And much, much more Episode Notes Sqn. Ldr. Frederick Rutland, AM, DSC and Bar, was the first person to fly a seaplane from a ship in history. He was also the first man to spot the German fleet from his seaplane, thereby precipitating the largest naval battle of the First World War, the Battle of Jutland. After leaving the military because of indiscretions with a fellow officers wife, he tries to live an ordinary vanilla life, but still craves his action-packed days of oldultimately, he is approached by the Japanese to spy on their behalf, which leads him to relocate to LA during the Golden Age of Hollywood. To discuss this doozy of a story, I am joined by Seth Abramovitch from The Hollywood Reporter i.e., the definitive interpretive voice of the entertainment industry where he has worked for ten years. And There are some incredible Hollywood movies from the interwar period, capturing some of the tension and suspicion of the era, as well as the faint drumbeat of approaching war. Hitchcock alone had, The Man Who Knew Too Much (1934), The 39 Steps (1935), Sabotage (1936), and Foreign Correspondent (1940). Major stars of the era such as Marlene Dietrich, Great Garbo, and Madelaine Carroll helped solidify the spy genre with movies such as Dishonored (1931), Mata Hari (1931), and I Was a Spy (1933). Dont forget Fritz Langs Spione (1928), which has been called a, marvel of narrative economy in montage. Quote of the Week "At the very bottom of the list, it would be any kind of allegiance to any flag, because he's quick to offer to turn on Japan when push comes to shove at the very end of the whole story. I don't think he was doing it for any kind of nationalism or political, viewpoint. I think if anything he was apolitical." Seth Abramovitch. Resources Headline Resources Beverley Hills Spy Seth Abramovitch, The Hollywood Reporter (2022) Andrews Recommendation Reel vs. Real CIA The Americans, Argo, Black Panther, and the Good Shepherd *SpyCasts* Russia Upside Down with Creator of The Americans Joe Weisberg (2022) The Courier the Directors Take with Dominic Cooke (2021) Hollywood Spies with Jonna Mendez (2020) U.S. Naval Intelligence in WWII with Rear Admiral Donald Mac Showers -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Beginner Resources Spy for Japan, T. Bradbeer, Historynet (2022) [webpage] The Pacific War, WELT (2021) [video] FBI Raid Japanese Spy Network in LA, Smithsonian Channel (2019) [video] Books Intelligence & the War Against Japan, R. Aldrich (CUP, 2000) The Emperors Codes, M. Smith (Bantam, 2000) Articles Agent Shinkawa Revisited, R. Drabkin & B. Hart, IJIC, 35/1 (2022) The 1924 Law That Slammed the Door on Immigrants, Smithsonian Magazine (2020) Washington Naval Conference, 1921-22, Historian, State Dept. (n.d.) Russo-Japanese War, 1904-5, Historian, State Dept. (n.d.) Primary Sources Security Service Files, Frederick Rutland National Archives (U.K.): 1924-1933 1933-1935 1935-1936 1935-1937 1937-1941 1941 1941-1942 1942 1942-1943 1943-1944 *Wildcard Resource* Reel-vs-Reel How Hollywood compares to the real CIA The Americans Argo Black Panther The Good Shepherd
Tue, 16 Aug 2022 11:00:00 -0000

The Information Battlespace Foreign Denial and Deception with Bill Parquette

Summary Bill Parquette (LinkedIn; Website) joins Andrew (Twitter; LinkedIn) to discuss Denial and Deception. They discuss examples such as D-Day, the Yom Kippur War, and the Persian Gulf War. What Youll Learn Intelligence Denial and deception what it is and why it matters Key examples of denial and deception Detecting denial and deception operations How to avoid seeing monsters everywhere Reflections How to counter denial and deception in everyday life (children, salespeople, etc.) Stumbling into new roles in new fields And much, much more Episode Notes Sun Tzu said, all warfare is based on deception and so much of the natural world is also based on denial and deception: camouflage, feigning, mimicry, distraction. It is also a feature of our daily 21st century lives: spyware, trojan horses, catfishing, and spear phishing. With this weeks guest we look at the Denial and Deception Committee, which aimed to discover and mitigate foreign denial and deception operations against the U.S. by coordinating efforts throughout the IC. Bill Parquette was a former Chair of the Committee. He joined the Committee in 2002 and left in 2015. He was formerly a Lt. Col. In the U.S. Army, starting his career with 10 years in the 82nd Airborne, and is currently Professor of Practice at Penn State University. And The episode looks at deceiving others but the human capacity for self-deception and denial is VAST from head in the sand, plugging your ears, living in denial, willful ignorance, and cognitive dissonance through to doublethink. Quote of the Week "If I have an audience of one or 100, I ask does anyone have children? And the hands get raised. And then I said, okay, did you teach your child deception or denial? And of course not. Do they conduct denial or deception? And they all said yeah, it's throughout nature, it's throughout societyit's a natural thing to deny. I didn't mom I didn't take that cookie." Bill Parquette Resources Headline Resources Bill Parquettes list of of acronyms and sources Countering Foreign Denial & Deception Rise of Fall of a Discipline J. Bruce, Studies in Intelligence, 64/1 (2020) Denial & Deception Issue, American Intelligence, 32/2 (2015) Andrews Recommendation D-Day Would be Nearly Impossible to Pull Off Today, D. Lupton, WaPo (2019) *SpyCasts* Deceiving the Iraqis in Operation Desert Storm with BGen Tom Draude (2013) Agent Garbo with Stephan Talty (2012) Identity, Espionage and Social Media with Thomas Ryan (2011) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Beginner Resources Deception at D-Day, Army Uni. Press (2022) [video] The True Story of the D-Day Spies, BBC (2014) [video] Operation Bodyguard Map, Eisenhower Foundation (n.d.) [map] Books History of the National Intelligence Council, Hutchings &. Treverton, eds. (OUP, 2019) Practice to Deceive, B. Whaley (NIP, 2016) The Watchman Fell Asleep, U. Bar-Joseph (SUNY, 2005) The Deceivers, T. Holt (Scribner, 2004) Deception 101, J. Caddell (Army War College, 2004) Strategic Denial and Deception, Godson & Wirtz eds. (Transaction, 2002) Deception in War, J. Latimer (Overlook, 2001) Videos The War in October, Al Jazeera (2013) Primary Sources US-PLO Contacts During War, Oct 26, 1973 Secretarys Staff Meeting, Oct 23, 1973 Sadat - Speech Calling for Arab-Israeli Peace Conference, Oct 16, 1973 Arab-Israel Tensions Quandt to Scowcroft, Oct 6, 1973 Ultra Marshall to Eisenhower, Mar 15, 1944 Overall Deception Policy, Jan 22, 1944 Deception Operations Around England, Dec 18, 1943 Overlord Cover Operation, Nov 20, 1943 *Wildcard Resource* Movies to explore on deception include Deception (1946),The Sting (1973), The Usual Suspects (1995), Donnie Brasco (1997), Female Agents (2008) and Operation Mincemeat (2021),
Tue, 09 Aug 2022 11:00:00 -0000

CIA Officers Turned Authors with David McCloskey & James Stejskal

Summary David McCloskey (Twitter; Website) and James Stejskal (Twitter; LinkedIn) join Andrew to discuss writing about espionage. They are both former intelligence officers. What Youll Learn Intelligence What it is like writing spy fiction as a former practitioner How fact informs fiction Writing as a former analyst compared to as a former operator (James) Reactions by the intelligence community to practitioners-turned-authors Reflections The heaven and hell of being an author The process of getting a process And much, much more Episode Notes Hear two intelligence formers discuss life as current novelists. Where does fact end, and fiction begin when you are a former CIA officer writing fiction? What parts of your own story bleed into the novel? Are the characters composites of people you knew in your line of work or are they entirely fictional? To answer these questions and more, this week, I sat down with David McCloskey, former CIA analyst and author of Damascus Station, a book David Petraeus described as the best spy novel I have ever read, and James Stejskal, author of Appointment in Tehran, which has been called a textbook clandestine operation involvingUS Army Special Forces and a clandestine CIA Case Officer, which James would know something about, since he was both. And Spy fiction received quite the blow in the space of a 6-month period (Dec 2020-May 2021) which saw the passing of both John Le Carre and Jason Matthews, two formers who served in British and American intelligence. Le Carre was in MI5 and MI6 while Matthews had a long career in the CIA. David and James join a distinguished cast of formers who became novelists, including Ian Fleming, Graham Greene and Dame Stella Rimington. Quote of the Week "There are far more edits on, short articles I wrote that weren't even going to the president than on the book, so your writing is being critiqued at all levels. I I think when I did write for the PDB [Presidential Daily Brief], I don't think I'm making this up, I believe it was 9 or 10 layers of review. You could probably argue that sometimes that makes it worse, but you have to be able at all stages to roll with the punches and to write and to try to make things very clear." David McCloskey. Resources Headline Resources Damascus Station, D. McCloskey (2021) Appointment in Tehran, J. Stejskal (2021) Andrews Recommendation The Looking Glass War, J. Le Carre (1965) Le Carre doubles down on disabusing the publics romanticization of intelligence *SpyCasts* Snake Eaters, Detachment A, CIA James Stejskal (2022) American Spy Lauren Wilkinson (2021) Red Widow Alma Katsu (2021) American Traitor Brad Taylor (2021) The Evolution of Spy Fiction - Wesley Wark (2011) Beginner Resources 15 Best Espionage Novels, M. Warwick, Mal Warwick On Books (2022) [article] Novelists Who Became Spies, C. Cumming, Crime Reads (2019) [article] Best Spy Novels According to a Spy, A. Katsu, Crime Reads (2021) [article] Books Missions of the SOE and OSS in WWII, J. Stejskal (Casemate, 2021) Special Forces Berlin, J. Stejskal (Casemate, 2017) On Writing, S. King (Scribner, 2010) Spy Fiction, Spy Films & Real Intelligence, W. Wark (Routledge, 1991) Articles Nine Examples of Spy Fiction Books, Masterclass (2021) How to Write a Spy Thriller, Masterclass (2021) How End of Cold War Changed Spy Fiction, J. Ciabattari, BBC Culture (2014) Videos All the Old Knives, O. Steinhauer, SPY (2022) Spy Writing in the Real World, Hayden Center (2021) The Spy Writers You Love to Read, SPY (2020) Primary Sources American Observer, CIA (1970) Barry Farber Show, CIA (1970) *Wildcard Resource* The Riddle of the Sands, E. Childers (1903) An early spy novel that presaged the anti-German spy fever that struck allied countries before and during WWI
Tue, 02 Aug 2022 11:00:00 -0000

Becoming a Russian Intelligence Officer with Janosh Neumann

Summary Janosh Neumann (LinkedIn; Website) joins Andrew (Twitter; LinkedIn) to discuss life in the FSB. He was born in the Soviet Union to parents in the business. What Youll Learn Intelligence Why Jan defected to the United States How you get recruited and trained as a Russian intelligence officer What it is like to recruit and run agents in Moscow His take on what he did for the Russian state Reflections Learn to connect with anybody Making a life-changing and potentially life-ending decision And much, much more Episode Notes Have you ever wondered how a Russian intelligence officer is trained? Ever wondered what it would be like to be a defector? Ever wondered what itd be like to be given three choices, shoot yourself, get shot, or go on the run? If so, youll enjoy this weeks episode with Jan Neumann, who was born Alexy Yurievich Artamonov in the former Soviet Union. Jans father was a KGB internal affairs officer, and he would go on to join one of its successors, the FSB, or Federal Security Service, in which his wife also served. He speaks about a number of projects he is involved in, here in the States, where he now resides. And Jan is the Co-Founder of RealSpyComics, which will be the first independent comic publisher dedicated to telling true intelligence stories. The International Spy Museum is a partner on this venture, because if there is one thing, we have a lot of its spy stories! Quote of the Week "I'm not a big fan of ballet, but one of my sources was a big ballet fan. So, I had to go to the Bolshoi Theater, watch this again, and again, and again, I had to do some learning to be able to talk to the guy. And same thing was happening with the art as well. so going to some galleries and talk to the people, be sure that they're using at least same terminology as they are, to be able in the future to support the conversation, be interesting to this person whom you're trying to approach." Janosh Neumann Resources Headline Resources Russian Spy, American Defector: with Janosh Neumann, YouTube, 2020 Almost American, 1-5, Aftershock Comics (2021-22) Andrews Recommendation Russian Intelligence, K. Riehle (NIU, 2022) [download entire book here for free) *SpyCasts* Dealing with Russia Jim Olson (2022) KGB Spy & NCIS Agent Jack Barsky & Keith Mahoney The Spymasters Prism Jack Devine (2021) The Corrupted State Ilya Zaslavskiy (2016) Beginner Resources Introduction to the Three Main Arms of Russian Intelligence, Globe & Mail (n.d.) [video] Putin, Power & Poison: Russias Elite FSB Spy Club, BBC (2018) [article] From Spy to President: Rise of Putin, Vox (2017) [video] Federal Security Service (FSB), Britannica (n.d.) [article] Books Putins People, C. Belton (William Collins, 2021) Return of the Russian Leviathan, S. Medvedev (Polity, 2019) Near & Distant Neighbors, J. Haslam (FS&G, 2016) The New Nobility, A. Soldatov & I. Borogan (Public Affairs, 2010) Memoirs Spymaster: My 32 Years in Espionage Against the West O. Kalugin (Basic, 2009) Special Tasks: A Soviet Spymaster, P. and A. Sudoplatov (Little Brown, 1994) Articles How Two Russian Defectors Helped the FBI, B. Denson, Newsweek (2016) Russian Defectors in Oregon, C. McGreal, Guardian (2015) Videos Lubyanka Federation: How the FSB Determines the Politics and Economics of Russia, Atlantic Council (n.d.) Washington Station: My Life as a KGB Spy, Y. Shvets, C-Span (1995) Primary Source Collections [All Wilson Center] Intelligence Operations in the Cold War The Mitrokhin Archive The Vassiliev Notebooks *Wildcard Resource* KGB Members from Ahmed to Yuri, courtesy of Marvel Comics!
Tue, 26 Jul 2022 11:00:00 -0000

The Spies Who Came in From the Cold with Chris Costa and John Quattrocki at the Pritzker Military Museum & Library in Chicago

Summary Chris Costa (LinkedIn; Website) and John Quattrocki (LinkedIn; Website) join Andrew to discuss coming in from the Cold War. They both had long illustrious careers in intelligence. What Youll Learn Intelligence Two Cold War intelligence experiences Two perspectives on the U.S. intel. community in the 80s & early 90s Two reflections on the art and science of counterintelligence Two perspectives on serving on the National Security Council Reflections Career bookends Inadequate war termination And much, much more Episode Notes The Windy City Episode. The Pritzker Military Museum and Library (PMML) in Chicago is well worth a visit. Located on Michigan Avenue overlooking Grant Park and Lake Michigan theres three additional attractions right there you will not be disappointed. SPY teamed up with PMML to put on what would become this weeks episode. To discuss coming in from the Cold War intelligence landscape, Executive Director of SPY Chris Costa and AFIO board member John Quattrocki sat down for a panel discussion with Andrew. Chris, a former intelligence officer of 34 years with 25 of those in active duty in hot spots such as Panama, Bosnia, Afghanistan, and Iraq, is also a past Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Counterterrorism on the NSC. John retired from the Senior Executive Service (SES - 4) as a Special Agent of the FBI with 19 years of operational experience against the Soviet Union/Russia, the Warsaw Pact, East Asia, Islamic extremist groups, and domestic terrorism. He also served on the NSC as the Director of Counterintelligence Programs. And Pritzker Military Museum & Librarys mission is to increase the publics understanding of military history. The International Spy Museums mission is to educate the public about espionage and intelligence. As you can see, then, in the military-intelligence-espionage national security continuum, we are pretty much as good a partnership as it gets. Quote of the Week "The government has seen the counterintelligence (CI) resources as a kind of a human capital escrow account to draw on for other elements to the government. And in, so doing, we have started to lend our CI bodies to the private sector. So, we are providing indirect cost support to the private sector for their CI responsibilities, rather than causing them to acquit all their own CI responsibilities." John Quattrocki "I was not entirely satisfied with the idea of being between wars, because we were trained as infantry men. Our job was to prepare to go to war. And then I said, you know what? I wanna fight against our adversaries on a different plane, multilevel chess, if you will. And that's what brought me into the intelligence business." Chris Costa Resources Headline Resource Video of the live event featuring Chris & John at PMML in Chicago, YouTube *SpyCasts* "The FBI Way" - Frank Figliuzzi (2021) Army Intelligence Mary Legere (2016) The CI Professional John Schindler (2016) Beginner Resources Cold War Overview, Khan Academy (n.d.) HUMINT vs. Counterintelligence, Clearance Jobs (2020) Books To Catch a Spy, J. Olson (GUP, 2019) U.S. Army CI Handbook (Dept. of Army, 2013) Double Cross, B. McIntyre (Crown, 2013) Articles The Best Books on Counterintelligence, J. Olson, Shepherd (n.d.) An Anatomy of Counterintelligence, A.C. Wasemiller, SII (1994) Terms & Definitions of CI, FAS (2014) Website Counterintelligence, FBI Primary Sources National CI Strategy, 2020-22 (2020) The Spy Who Loved Her (1994) A Review of US CI (1986) Church Committee Report (1976) Summary of the CIA Family Jewels (1975) *Wildcard Resource* Gerontion, T.S. Elliott (1920) This poem is the origin of the phrase often associated with CI: the wilderness of mirrors.
Tue, 19 Jul 2022 11:00:00 -0000

SPY@20 The Spy of the Century Curators Alexis and Andrew on Kim Philby

Summary Alexis Albion (LinkedIn) joins Andrew (Twitter; LinkedIn) to discuss Kim Philby using some of his personal belongings as prompts. This episode on the Soviet mole inside MI6 coincides with SPYs 20th Anniversary. What Youll Learn Intelligence Why Philby has been called The Spy of the Century Philby the man, the ideologue, the spy, and the traitor Philbys corrosive effect on Cold War British and American intelligence The cultural blind spot that allowed him to hide in plain sight then ride a storm of suspicion Reflections Psychological complexity and contradiction Social stratification And much, much more Episode Notes The Cambridge Five are some of the most notable and notorious traitors in British history, and among them one man stands out in a way that has led some to call him, The Spy of the Century, MI6 officer Kim Philby. How did a quintessential Englishman who came from the right stock and went to the right schools become a Soviet mole? How did a genial chum come to haunt the corridors of British and American intelligence like a ghastly apparition? Dr. Alexis Albion is this weeks guest and the Curator of Special Projects at the International Spy Museum. She was formerly on the 9/11 Commission Report, the World Bank and the U.S. Department of State. In this is a first of a kind podcast, Alexis and Andrew sat down with some of Philbys personal belongings drawn from our world-leading collection of artifacts on espionage and intelligence. And Harold Adrian Russell Philby acquired the nickname Kim from the main character in Rudyard Kiplings novel Kim, an orphan-boy-cum-spy in British India. Kim and Philby also have the Punjab in common, the novel begins in Lahore and Philby was born in Ambala, although the historic region was partitioned between Pakistan and India in 1947. The drive between Lahore and Ambala is roughly similar to that between Los Angeles and San Francisco. Quote of the Week "So why is he The Spy of the Century? Maybe the fact that he's not identified with any particular event or set of information [e.g., unlike Julius Rosenberg], but he's identified with this idea of betraying his Englishness is perhaps why he's been such a lasting figure because he almost is a touchpoint for the history of the 20th century and England. Great Britain's demise is a great power." Resources *Andrews Recommendation* My Five Cambridge Friends, Y. Modin (FS&G, 1994) A one-time KGB handler of the Cambridge 5 reflects on each of them as spies and as individuals *SpyCasts* Stalins Englishman: Guy Burgess with Andrew Lownie (2016) The British the Joint Intelligence Committee with Mike Goodman (2014) The Real History of MI6 with Keith Jeffrey (2010) The Cambridge 5 with Nigel West (2009) *Beginner Resources* Facts About Kim Philby, J. Hayes, Factinate (n.d.) Reading Material Culture [i.e., objects] (2020] Indias Partition in Pictures, BBC (n.d.) Books Spies & Traitors, M. Holzman (Pegasus, 2021) A Spy Among Friends, B. McIntyre (Crown, 2015) Kim, Rudyard Kipling (1901) Articles The Punjab Partition, S. Sultan, LSE (2018) Philby & Mistrust, M. Gladwell, New Yorker (2014) Documentary Why Was India Split into Two Countries, H. Roy, TED-Ed, YouTube (n.d.) MI6 Agent Turned Russian Spy, Philby, Timeline, YouTube (n.d.) Primary Sources Philby, I Spied for Russia from 1933 (1967) My Silent War, K. Philby (1967) The Disappearance of Kim Philby (1963) Kim Philby (Peach): File 1 (1951-52) Constituent Assembly of India (1946) Primary Source Collections Indian Independence & Partition, UK National Archives *Wildcard Resource* Surnames & Social Mobility in England, 1230-2012 So, you thought social mobility in England has changed significantly since the Norman Conquest almost 1000 years ago well, yes, and NO!
Tue, 12 Jul 2022 11:00:00 -0000

Dealing with Russia A Conversation with Counterintelligence Legend Jim Olson

Summary Jim Olson (Website) joins Andrew (Twitter; LinkedIn) to discuss Putin and Russia. He had a 31-year career with the CIA including a tour in Moscow. What Youll Learn Intelligence His views on Russia and its trajectory since the Cold Wars end His frank assessment of Putin and admiration for the Russian people His time in Moscow with 3 rotating KGB teams surveilling him His time as Chief of Station in the city of spies Vienna Reflections A beautiful marriage with American technology Passing the generational baton And much, much more Episode Notes James Olson is a legend in the clandestine service, not my description of this weeks guest, but that of former CIA Director and Secretary of Defense Robert Gates. Jim spent 31 years in the CIA, including tours in Moscow, Vienna & Mexico City, and rose to become Chief of CIA Counterintelligence. He is the author of Fair Play and To Catch a Spy. He joined Andrew to speak about Russia. He speaks the language, spent time living and working in the country, where he was involved in one particularly daring operation that he shares with us in the episode, and he faced off against the organization that would go on to become the current SVR and FSB the KGB. Jim has had Vladimir Putin on his radar for many a year, and he doesnt pull any punches reflecting on his trajectory in this episode. And Jim grew up in a small town in Iowa where, we didnt really follow international affairs, we joked among ourselvesif it didnt affect the price of corn, we werent really interested. My, how things changed for Jim. Quote of the Week "I have tremendous respect for the Russian people. They are long suffering. I've gotten to know many Russians. I've worked with a lot of Russians. I found them to be people who had a real soul. They had a human qualities that I could admire, but they were locked into a repressive regime that did not allow them to express any of those human sentiments that that they felt." Jim Olson Resources Headline Resource To Catch a Spy: The Art of Counterintelligence, J. Olson (GUP, 2019) Fair Play: The Moral Dilemmas of Spying, J. Olson (Potomac, 2008) *SpyCasts* The Spymasters Prism with Jack Devine (2021) Russians Among Us: The Hunt for Putins Spies with Gordon Corera (2020) The Corrupted State with Ilya Zaslavskiy (2016) Putins End Game in Ukraine with KGB General (Retd.) Oleg Kalugin (2014) Beginner Resources To Catch A Spy with J. Olson, C-SPAN (2020) [9:44 minutes] The Best Books on Counterintelligence, J. Olson, Shepherd (n.d.) Putins Revisionist History of Russia and Ukraine, I. Chotiner, New Yorker (2022) Books Putins People, C. Belton (Picador, 2022) Operative in the Kremlin, F. Hill & C. Gaddy (Brookings, 2015) One Soldiers War in Chechnya, A. Babchenko (Portobello, 2008) Articles Former CIA Leader Said LinkedIn is Like a Candy Store to China, C. Burgess, ClearanceJobs (2022) New Documentary Series Explores Pollard Affair, H. Brown, Jerusalem Post (2022) J. Olson First Recipient of The Spirit of Aggieland 41 Award, J. Adams, KAGS (2022) Ex-CIA Chief on Accused Chinese Spymaster, P. Christian, WCPO (2021) Videos To Catch A Spy with J. Olson, Houston World Affairs Council (2020) Primary Sources James Collins Oral History, US Ambassador to Soviet Union, 1997-2001 (n.d.) Jack Matlock Oral History, US Ambassador to Soviet Union, 1987-1991, (n.d.) Ukraine: Memo. On Security Assurances (1994) Belovezha Accords, Eyewitness Account of Former Belarus Soviet Leader (1991) *Wildcard Resource* What Classic Russian Literature Can Teach us about Putins War on Ukraine Putin is a big fan of Dostoevsky who underwent a mock execution & four years of hard labor in Siberia for belonging to a literary discussion group feared by the Tsarist autocracy.
Tue, 05 Jul 2022 11:00:00 -0000

4th of July Special: The Wall of Spies Experience Espionage, Sabotage and Betrayal in America with John Gise

Summary John Gise joins Andrew (Twitter; LinkedIn) to discuss the Wall of Spies Experience. It features over 200 stories of espionage and sabotage in America since 1776. What Youll Learn Intelligence Americas first Spymaster The Founding Father of American Counterintelligence The New Yorker who adopted a Southern accent so she could spy on the Confederacy The escaped enslaved man who was described as a walking order of battle chart Reflections Educating a workforce on its past Dreaming about history And much, much more Episode Notes The Wall of Spies Experience features over 200 stories of espionage, sabotage and betrayal from American history. The physical wall is a private museum on an intelligence community facility, but the second installment of the Digital Wall of Spies has recently been released. Thus far we have the Revolutionary War and the Civil War, with WWI coming up next. Whether you want to get a sense of the evolution of espionage in America, dork out on a particular historical period, or just have a browse we are sure you will agree that this National Counterintelligence & Security Center (NCSC) sponsored exhibit is a welcome contribution to the publics understanding of the history of intelligence and espionage. This weeks guest is John Gise, for whom the Wall of Spies was a labor of love. He has had a number of different roles across the US government, including a stint in Special Forces, but for now, spies from American history are with him while awakeand while asleep. And If youve ever wondered why you cant visit the Statue of Libertys torch, you need to listen to the teaser John provides at the end of this episode on the next installment of the Digital Wall of Spies (well give you a clueits the opposite of White Jerry). Quote of the Week "We've now posted onlinethe digital revolutionary war spies, the digital civil war spiesAnd we're talking in the revolutionary war about 30 continental army spies and British spiesfor the civil war, it's about 25 Union spies and Confederate spies. And many of those spies are also Scouts, right? Collecting information, going behind enemy lines, conducting reconnaissance missions and collecting intelligence for their superiors." John Gise. Resources Headline Resource The Wall of Spies Experience (Digital) *SpyCasts* Birthplace of American Espionage - Spy Sites of Philadelphia (2021) George Sharpe and the BMI: A Conversation with Peter Tsouras (2019) Washingtons Spies: An Interview with Alexander Rose (2015) Spies, Patriots, and Traitors: American Intelligence in the Revolutionary War (2014) Intelligence and Espionage in the U.S. Civil War (2012) Books The Creation of American Military Intelligence in the Civil War, P. Tsouras (Casemate, 2018) Spies, Patriots, and Traitors: American Intelligence in the Revolutionary War (GUP, 2014) The Secret War for the Union, E. Fishel (Houghton, 1996) Articles Audacious Confederate Spies, G. Brockell, WaPo (2022) The Wall of Spies, M. Rosenwald, WaPo (2019) Intelligence Agency Unveils New Weapon to Deter Spies A Museum, J.J. Green, WTOP (2019) Primary Sources John McEntee to George H. Sharpe [Charley Wrights intel on location of Lee's army] 1863) Lincoln and the Baltimore Plot Pinkerton Papers [Kate Warne] (1861) The Federalist Papers: No:64 (John Jay, 1788) Minutes of the Commissioners for Detecting and Defeating Conspiracies (1778-1781) Benedict Arnold Letter to John Andr (1780) John Andr Letter to Joseph Stansbury [for Benedict Arnold] (1779) Letter, George Washington to Benjamin Tallmadge (1779) *Wildcard Resource* Fraunces Tavern, New York City If you want to connect to Revolutionary War espionage, grab an ale, a seat by the fire, and muse (they also have a museum!)
Tue, 28 Jun 2022 11:00:00 -0000

Intelligence & the Worlds Largest Democracy Former Indian Intelligence Director Vikram Sood [from the vault]

Summary Vikram Sood (Twitter, Blog) joins Andrew (Twitter; LinkedIn) to discuss intelligence in the worlds largest democracy. He was the chief of Indias Research & Analysis Wing (R&AW). What Youll Learn Intelligence The intelligence landscape in India China, Pakistan, and the intelligence challenges in the region The founding and evolution of the Research and Analysis Wing The pressure involved in the top job and being responsible to the Prime Minister Reflections The power of narratives Spies can be sensitive souls too And much, much more Episode Notes This is the final installment of our month long special on SPY CHIEFS, featuring Vikram Sood. former Director of Indias foreign intelligence agency, the Research & Analysis Wing (RA&W). This episode from the vault was recorded during the darkest days of the pandemic when the International Spy Museum was closed, infections and deaths were sky high, and Andrew was at home in his living room with Vikram at his in New Delhi. So, is the R&AW similar to the CIA or MI6 or both? Does it have a covert action capability? How focused is it on China and Pakistan? Who does the Director report to? To hear the answers tune in to listen to an Indian Spy Chief who was in office in the critical years 2000-2003. Vikram was in the intelligence business for more than thirty years, since leaving as the professional head of Indias foreign intelligence agency he went on to have a successful second career at the think-tank, Observer Research Foundation, which is based in New Delhi. He is the author of two books (see below). And Depending on the source, India has more, a little less, or roughly the same number of Muslims as Pakistan. An incredible fact when you consider that Pakistan is generally in the top five for having the largest population in the world. In fact, India has a larger population than the United States, Pakistan, Indonesia, Brazil and Nigeria combined. Quote of the Week "There is immense tension in the job because anything can go wrong any day and you will be held responsible if there is another bomb blast somewhere else. But if the leadership is supportive and it's understanding, and also contributes to helping you decide things, takes decisions for you that need politically clearances. That helps a lot that takes away the anxieties, it keeps the blood pressure down." Vikram Sood Resources Headline Resource The Ultimate Goal: R&AW Chief Deconstructs how Nations Construct Narratives (Harper India, 2020) The Unending Game: A Former R&AW Chiefs Insights into Espionage (Penguin, 2018) Beginner Resources [Video] How Was R&AW Started: Story of Indias External Intelligence Agency, WION (2022) [Article] RAW: A History of Indias Covert Operations, Yatish Yadav, New Indian Express (2020) Books The War that Made R&AW, A. Nandakumar (Westland, 2021) JFKs Forgotten Crisis: Tibet, the CIA and the Sino-Indian War, B. Riedel (BIP, 2015) Intelligence Elsewhere, P. Davies & K. Gustafson (GUP, 2013) The Kaoboys & R&AW, B Raman (Lancer, 2012) Indias External Intelligence, V.K. Singh (ManasPub, 2007) Articles History of RAW, Sachidananda Mohanty, Frontline (2022) A Peek Into Indias IB and RAW, Amjed Jaaved, Pakistan Today (2022) Inside R&AW, Rahul Bedi, The Wire: India (2020) Quiet Americans in India, P. McGarr, Diplomatic History, 38(5), 2014 (1046-1082) Videos Ex-Israel Spy Chief Talks Intelligence Cooperation with India, The Quint, YouTube (n.d.) Ex R&AW Chief Vikram Sood Gives a Glimpse of the World of Spies, The Quint, YouTube (n.d.) *Wildcard Resource* The James Bond of India Real-life spy Ajit Doval who spent years undercover in Pakistan He is currently the National Security Advisor of India!
Tue, 21 Jun 2022 11:00:00 -0000

SPY CHIEFS: From Navy Analyst to State Dept. Intelligence Chief Ellen McCarthys Journey (Part 2 of 2)

Summary Ellen McCarthy (Twitter; LinkedIn) joins Andrew (Twitter; LinkedIn) to discuss her career and time as head of the State Departments intelligence agency. INR is one of the 18 U.S. intelligence agencies. What Youll Learn Intelligence Her start as a Soviet submarine analyst in the Office of Naval Intelligence Bringing the U.S. Coast Guard intel. program into the Intelligence Community (IC) Working for DoD and Geospatial-Intelligence Why she admires the Bureau of Intelligence and Research (INR) Reflections Government/for-profit/non-profit life Managing complexity and change And much, much more Episode Notes Imagine seeing a pyramid from different angles and different heights instead of from one vantage point? You get a better sense of what it truly looks like, its dimensions, colors, idiosyncrasies, and the shadows it casts, right? Ellen McCarthy has seen more of the U.S. Intelligence Community (IC) pyramid than most: she started as a junior analyst for the U.S. Navy Office of Naval Intelligence and ended up as the head of the State Dept.s Bureau of Intelligence and Research (INR). Along the way, she was with the U.S. Coast Guard, in the Office of the Undersecretary of Defense for Intelligence, and at the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency. Quite the journey, I am sure you will agree And INR has been called the biggest little intelligence shop in town and its morning intelligence summary, Better than Wheaties. The NYT called it the least wrong intelligence agency on Iraq possessing weapons of mass destruction (WMD), and it has been credited for a more accurate assessment of Ukraines ability to withstand Russia than its peers. They get paid attention to because theyre good and they tend to be contrarian, notes a former chair of the National Intelligence Council. How do they manage this? Well, big question, but the deep, deep expertise of their staff who are on average on their regional or functional area for over a decade as well as an intolerance for mediocrity would be good places to start. Quote of the Week "The Geographer of the United States sits in INR. I don't think a lot of people know that. So, when there's a boundary dispute or you've got countries trying to build islands, it's INR that's actually working what the legal boundaries are. The other thing that INR does that a lot of folks don't know about is polling. Polling in the intelligence community is conducted at INRAnd I will tell you that the polling capability at INR is the best I've ever seen." Ellen McCarthy Resources *SpyCasts* State Department Intelligence: Inside the INR INR Leadership (2020) Beginner Resources Bureau of Intelligence and Research, Wikipedia [webpage] Learn About the Smallest Organization in the IC, YouTube (n.d.) [1:45 minute] Geographer of the United States, YouTube, (2011) [13:24 minute] Books Intelligence Informs Policymaking at DoS: INR, T. King in T. Juneau, ed. Strategic Analysis in Support of Policymaking, R&L (2017), pp. 95-110. Reducing Uncertainty: Intelligence Analysis & National Security, T. Fingar, SUP (2011) INR, Intelligence & Research at State, U.S. DoS (1973) Article The U.S. Intelligence Community Needs a Wild Bill Moment, E. McCarthy & M. Scott, Cipher Brief (2021) Video SPYCHAT: Ellen McCarthy & Chris Costa, YouTube (2021) The New IC: Ellen McCarthy Keynote, YouTube (2019) FedMentor: NGAs Ellen McCarthy, YouTube (2014) Primary Sources INR: 2025 Strategic Plan (2022) Oral History with Teresita Schaeffer (1998) Oral History with Thomas F. Conlon (1992) Oral History with Frank Burnet, (1990) Oral History with Daniel Zachary (1989) *Wildcard Resource* The Ralph J. Bunche Library State Dept. Library named after OSS intelligence analyst, diplomat & Nobel Prize Winner Dr. Bunche
Tue, 14 Jun 2022 11:00:00 -0000

SPY CHIEFS: From Navy Analyst to State Dept. Intelligence Chief Ellen McCarthys Journey (Part 1 of 2)

Summary Ellen McCarthy (Twitter; LinkedIn) joins Andrew (Twitter; LinkedIn) to discuss her career and time as head of the State Departments intelligence agency. INR is one of the 18 U.S. intelligence agencies. What Youll Learn Intelligence Her start as a Soviet submarine analyst in the Office of Naval Intelligence Bringing the U.S. Coast Guard intel. program into the Intelligence Community (IC) Working for DoD and Geospatial-Intelligence Why she admires the Bureau of Intelligence and Research (INR) Reflections Government/for-profit/non-profit life Managing complexity and change And much, much more Episode Notes Imagine seeing a pyramid from different angles and different heights instead of from one vantage point? You get a better sense of what it truly looks like, its dimensions, colors, idiosyncrasies, and the shadows it casts, right? Ellen McCarthy has seen more of the U.S. Intelligence Community (IC) pyramid than most: she started as a junior analyst for the U.S. Navy Office of Naval Intelligence and ended up as the head of the State Dept.s Bureau of Intelligence and Research (INR). Along the way, she was with the U.S. Coast Guard, in the Office of the Undersecretary of Defense for Intelligence, and at the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency. Quite the journey, I am sure you will agree And INR has been called the biggest little intelligence shop in town and its morning intelligence summary, Better than Wheaties. The NYT called it the least wrong intelligence agency on Iraq possessing weapons of mass destruction (WMD), and it has been credited for a more accurate assessment of Ukraines ability to withstand Russia than its peers. They get paid attention to because theyre good and they tend to be contrarian, notes a former chair of the National Intelligence Council. How do they manage this? Well, big question, but the deep, deep expertise of their staff who are on average on their regional or functional area for over a decade as well as an intolerance for mediocrity would be good places to start. Quote of the Week "The Geographer of the United States sits in INR. I don't think a lot of people know that. So, when there's a boundary dispute or you've got countries trying to build islands, it's INR that's actually working what the legal boundaries are. The other thing that INR does that a lot of folks don't know about is polling. Polling in the intelligence community is conducted at INRAnd I will tell you that the polling capability at INR is the best I've ever seen." Ellen McCarthy Resources *SpyCasts* State Department Intelligence: Inside the INR INR Leadership (2020) Beginner Resources Bureau of Intelligence and Research, Wikipedia [webpage] Learn About the Smallest Organization in the IC, YouTube (n.d.) [1:45 minute] Geographer of the United States, YouTube, (2011) [13:24 minute] Books Intelligence Informs Policymaking at DoS: INR, T. King in T. Juneau, ed. Strategic Analysis in Support of Policymaking, R&L (2017), pp. 95-110. Reducing Uncertainty: Intelligence Analysis & National Security, T. Fingar, SUP (2011) INR, Intelligence & Research at State, U.S. DoS (1973) Article The U.S. Intelligence Community Needs a Wild Bill Moment, E. McCarthy & M. Scott, Cipher Brief (2021) Video SPYCHAT: Ellen McCarthy & Chris Costa, YouTube (2021) The New IC: Ellen McCarthy Keynote, YouTube (2019) FedMentor: NGAs Ellen McCarthy, YouTube (2014) Primary Sources INR: 2025 Strategic Plan (2022) Oral History with Teresita Schaeffer (1998) Oral History with Thomas F. Conlon (1992) Oral History with Frank Burnet, (1990) Oral History with Daniel Zachary (1989) *Wildcard Resource* The Ralph J. Bunche Library State Dept. Library named after OSS intelligence analyst, diplomat & Nobel Prize Winner Dr. Bunche
Tue, 07 Jun 2022 11:00:00 -0000

SPY CHIEFS: Director-General of Security Mike Burgess - ASIO, Australia & America

Summary Mike Burgess (Website; Twitter) joins Andrew (Twitter; LinkedIn) to discuss his agency and the enduring strength of Australias alliances. ASIO is the second intelligence agency he has directed. What Youll Learn Intelligence The Australian idea of mateship in the intelligence context The Australian intelligence landscape The United States as its most important strategic alliance The enduring value and historical uniqueness of the FIVE EYES alliance Reflections How Man. Utd. might help us understand leadership The frustrations of watching spy fiction on TV as a practitioner And much, much more Episode Notes The top job: what is it like? what are the joys and pains of leadership? This is not like leading a business, though, or a soccer team, this is protecting the country and its citizens from terrorism, espionage, sabotage, and external interference. Such is the charge of the Australian Security Intelligence Organization (ASIO). To address these questions, Andrew sat down with Mike Burgess, who was formerly the Director-General of the Australian Signals Directorate (ASD), comparable to GCHQ and the NSA an agency would serve in for over 20 years. They also discussed the Australian intelligence landscape and its most important alliances, such as the U.S. and FIVE EYES and some of its important regional relationships. And Mike and Andrew hit it off, especially when discussing Alex Ferguson and how soccer can help us understand management and leadership. Ferguson won more titles in soccer than any other manager, at 49, and he is generally considered the GOAT or a strong contender. Of course, trophies are extremely important, but they do not capture everything. If you are looking for an example of transformational change of an entire organization and its subsequent culture, HBS could do a lot worse than draft a case study on the legendary leadership of Liverpool F.C. by Bill Shankly. He made people believe. Quote of the Week Talking about FIVE EYES, that's one of those foundational partnerships in our relationshipsIt's unique becauseit was born through WWII. It's an interesting phenomenon because it started its life as a signals intelligence relationshipat its core, it's an intelligence relationship that really has made a difference to each of those five nations respective national securityAnd we do trust each other, and we share our most intimate secrets. Resources *SpyCasts* Keeping Secrets/Disclosing Secrets with Spy Chief turned DG of Australias National Archives David Fricker (2022) Desperately, Madly in Love Brett Peppler and the Australian IC (2021) Beginner Resources Australian Intelligence Community, Wikipedia [webpage] Australian Security and Intelligence Organization (ASIO) [Website] Why I Spy, M. Burgess, YouTube (n.d.) [60 second video] Intelligence Professionals FAQ, ASIO, YouTube (n.d.) [2:32 minute video] Virtual Exhibition Spy: Espionage in Australia (NAA) Books Spies & Sparrows: ASIO & the Cold War, P. Deery (2022) Between Five Eyes, A. Wells (2020) Intelligence & the Function of Government, D. Baldino & E. Crawley (2018) The Official History of ASIO 3 Volumes, D. Horner, J. Blaxland, R. Crawley (2014/2015/2016) Report Intelligence Oversight: A Comparison of the FIVE EYES Nations, C. Baker et.al., Parliament of Australia (2017) Primary Sources Director-Generals Annual Threat Assessment (2022) Foreign Espionage: An Australian Perspective, ASIS DG (2022) ASIO Internal Message on Vietnam War (1970) Surveillance of the Aarons, Communist Party Australia (1966) Counterespionage Film, ASIO (1963) Citizenship for former Soviet Spies, Petrovs (1956) *Wildcard Resource* Sydney vs. Melbourne: The Real Canberra Story If youve ever wondered why Canberra is the capital
Tue, 31 May 2022 11:00:00 -0000

My Life Looking at Spies & the Media with Paul Lashmar

Summary Paul Lashmar (Twitter, Website) joins Andrew (Twitter; LinkedIn) to discuss investigative journalism and intelligence. He is a former UK Reporter of the Year. What Youll Learn Intelligence The similarities and differences between spooks and journalists The role Watergate played for his generation of journalists Intelligence overseers as Ostriches, Cheerleaders, Lemon-suckers, or Guardians Bellingcat, Spycatcher and the Zinoviev Letter Reflections The long shadow of the Second World War Investigative journalism in democratic societies And much, much more Episode Notes Cardiac stimulating experiences, is how this weeks guest describes meeting sources in smoky IRA pubs in Belfast all on his lonesome. But he also met sources in the oak-paneled clubs of Whitehall and in many other places around the world. So, what has our guest distilled from his long career examining intelligence agencies? What are the types of relationships spooks and journalists have had with one another? What are the similarities and differences between both tribes? To answer these questions and more, Andrew sat down with investigative reporter and current Head of the Dept. of Journalism at City, University of London, Paul Lashmar. Paul has worked across the media landscape, as a producer for the BBC, as a broadcast journalist with British current affairs television program World in Action, and as an investigative journalist for the Observer newspaper. He won Reporter of the Year in the 1986 UK Press Awards. He is the author of Spy Flights of the Cold War, Britains Secret Propaganda War, and most recently Spies, Spin and the Fourth Estate. And World in Action was a legendary investigative TV program in the U.K. Its programming led to the resignation of a Home Secretary, one of the Great Offices of State in the UK; the release of the Birmingham Six, who were wrongfully convicted of planting IRA bombs; and the exposure of Combat-18, a violent neo-Nazi movement. It would also publish the original story of the Spycatcher allegations that the head of MI5 was a Soviet mole and that there had been a joint MI5-MI6 plot to overthrow Labor Prime Minister Harold Wilson. Paul co-wrote that 1984 episode. For all these reasons and more, it was rarely out of the courts. The last series was broadcast in 1998. Quote of the Week "They would meet you in an up-market club in the center of Londonit's leather Chesterfields, gentleman walking around getting your gin and tonic. It was all of that, in those days it was all informalthere are now in most newspapers, somebody who is usually appointed by the editor who maintains those connections it's a sensible arrangement." Paul Lashmar Resources Headline Resource Spies, Spin and the Fourth Estate, P. Lashmar (EUP, 2021) *SpyCasts* The Women of NatSec Journalism 6 Leading Journalists (2017) Covering Intelligence (2015) Part 1: with Mark Mazzetti Part 2 with Ali Watkins Part 3 with Greg Miller Books Zinoviev Letter, G. Bennett (OUP, 2020) Spies and the Media in Britain, R. Norton-Taylor (IBT, 2018) Spinning Intelligence, R. Dover and M. Goodman (CUP, 2009) Spycatcher, P. Wright (Viking, 1987) Beginner Articles UK Officials Still Blocking SpyCatcher Files, Guardian (2021) The Zinoviev Letter, FT (2018) When Spy Agencies Didnt Exist, BBC (2014) Articles Why Good Investigative Journalism Matters (2022) Obituary: Peter Wright, Independent (1995) Documentary World in Action, YouTube (n.d.) Primary Sources The Spy Who Never Was [World In Action] (1984) Moscow Orders to Our Reds [Daily Mail Accusation] (1924) Zinoviev Denies Writing Letter (1924) Zinoviev Narrative of Facts [TUC & Labour Party] (1924) *Wildcard Resource* How Bellingcat is Using TikTok to Investigate the War in Ukraine Investigative journalism, Bellingcat style!
Tue, 24 May 2022 11:00:00 -0000

Amazon to Darien, Atlantic to Pacific Intelligence in Colombia with former Head of its Navy Admiral Hernando Wills

Summary Admiral Hernando Wills Velez (Twitter) joins Andrew (Twitter; LinkedIn) to discuss intelligence in Colombia. He is the former professional head of the Colombian Navy. What Youll Learn Intelligence What it is like to be the head of an entire Navy Intelligence from the point of view of a senior military officer The unique set of challenges Colombia faces insurgents, terrorists, paramilitaries, drug-cartels, etc. The role intelligence played in the daring Operation Jacque Reflections The blessings and curses of geography Capacity building in organizations And much, much more Episode Notes To hear more about his remarkable career as former professional head of the Colombian Navy, and to discuss Colombia and intelligence, Andrew sat down with Admiral Hernando Wills Vlez. Colombia and its navy must reckon with a unique combination of challenges including Marxist insurgents, right-wing paramilitaries, drug cartels, crime syndicates, and a vast and diverse territory. To sum up, it is a remarkably fascinating case-study for the role intelligence might play. Admiral Wills was also the commander of the Pacific Fleet, head of the Colombian Coast Guard, and a former aide de camp to the President of Colombia. His father was a career military officer who served in the Korean War with the Colombian Navy. He is an NDU graduate. And Operation Jacque. This episode coincides with a pop-up exhibit at our museum on a 2008 Colombian intelligence-led operation to rescue 15 hostages held for many years by the FARC, a Marxist guerilla group who were involved in drug trafficking, extortion, and terrorism. 3 Americans and 12 Colombians were rescued, including a candidate for the Colombian presidency. Bottom line: all the hostages were freed from deep within the rainforest without a single shot being fired. Intelligence baby, intelligence. Quote of the Week "Time goes so fast. I joined the Navy when I was 15 years old, very young. I finished high school. in the Naval academy. And then you start your regular business as a young lieutenant in ships and destroyers and positions on land. And all of a sudden, you see yourself as an admiral. I mean, it's a crazy thing[then] I had the privilege to be selected by the president to lead the Columbia Navy." former Head of Columbia's Navy Admiral Hernando Wills. Resources Headline Resource Operation Jacque, International Spy Museum, Spring-Summer 2022 Books Colombia: A Concise Contemporary History, M. Larosa & G. Meja (R&L, 2017) Out of Captivity: Surviving 1967 Days in the Colombian Jungle, M. Gonsalves, et al. (W. Morrow, 2009) Beginner Articles Colombia Profile Timeline, BBC (2018) Colombia CIA World Factbook, CIA (2022) Colombia Marks One Year Anniversary of Jaque, Reuters (2009) Colombia Navy, Global Security (n.d.) Articles Anchoring the Caribbean: The Colombian Navy, W. Mills, Stable Seas (2021) Colombia & Operation Jacque, L. Collins, Modern War Institute (2021) Plan Colombia and the U.S. Armys 7th Special Forces Group, K. Higgins, Taylor Francis (2021) Plan Colombia: Effectiveness & Costs, D. Meja, Brookings (2016) Globalization & FARC, J. Forero, USAWC (2013) FARC: A Portrait of Insurgent Intelligence, J. Gentry & D. Spencer, INS (2010) Videos FARC Hostage Rescue Video Operation Jacque, CBS (2008) Primary Sources Revocation of Terrorist Designation for FARC, A. Blinken, State (2021) Plan Colombia Staff Trip Report, Senate Foreign Relations Committee (2005) Plan Colombia, U.S. Role Hearing, House Subcommittee on the W. Hemisphere (2000) NSC 1 Carter Panama Canal Directive (1977) Letter to U.S. Senators From Carter Panama Canal (1977) *Wildcard Resource* One Hundred years of Solitude (novel), Embrace of the Serpent (movie), or Adventures of an Orchid Hunter (travel memoir) take your pick!
Tue, 17 May 2022 11:00:00 -0000

Peter Earnest Memorial: Spook, CIA Spokesman, Spy Museum Director [from the vault]

Summary Peter Earnest spent 35 years in the CIA as a case officer and retired as its chief spokesman. He was the founding Executive Director of the International Spy Museum. What Youll Learn Intelligence Losing a friend in the line of duty vs. betrayal by a colleague Using affability to your advantage Thoughts on the shift from classic espionage to counterterrorism for the CIA The relationship between the CIA, the press and the public Reflections The origins of the International Spy Museum The role museums can play in fostering a sense of collective identity & esprit de corps And much, much more Episode Notes May 21st, 2022. The date of the Memorial Service at the International Spy Museum for Peter Earnest, the founding Executive Director of the museum and a 35-year veteran of the CIA and. In honor of him, his weeks episode is an exit-interview he recorded with my predecessor, Vince Houghton, not long after Peter announced his retirement from the museum. Peter was a case officer at CIA for 25 years, largely in Europe and the Middle East, recruiting and running agents, and getting involved in covert actions, counterespionage, and double agent operations. He later went on to work in the Inspector Generals office and as the CIAs Senate liaison, concluding his career as the CIAs chief spokesman. What is it like being a nice guy in the murky world of intelligence? How does a tight-lipped case officer make the transition to chief spokesman? How did a museum on espionage and intelligence end up in Washington D.C.? Peter Earnest died on February 13, 2022. He will be sorely missed. And Peter wrote the foreword for a 2011 edition of Boy Scout founder Robert Baden-Powells classic book, My Adventures as a Spy, featuring chapters such as Commercial Spying, Traitorous Spying, and How Spies Disguise Themselves. The only CIA officer who came through the ranks to become Director, Robert Gates, was an Eagle Scout, as was the only Director of both the CIA and the FBI, Judge William Webster. Quote of the Week "There's a broad respect from museums by the American public they're distrustful of almost everything else, but the trust in museums is high, and so I think it's a place that some of those senior professionals refer to. If they've come down, they feel, it's, doing good work." Peter Earnest Resources Headline Resource TRIBUTE: CIA Veteran Who Helped Launch the Spy Museum, Dies at 88, International Spy Museum, YouTube (2022) *SpyCasts Peter Earnest: My Life in the CIA (2012) Articles In Memoriam, Peter Earnest, 1934-2022, SPY (2022) CIA Veteran who Ran a Spy Museum, Dies at 88, NYT (2022) CIA Veteran Who Helped Launch Spy Museum, Dies at 88, H. Smith, WaPo (2022) Family of Spies, Washingtonian Magazine (2013) Books The Real Spys Guide to Becoming a Spy, P. Earnest (Harper, 2009) Business Confidential: Lessons for Corporate Success from Inside the CIA, P. Earnest & M. Karinch (AMACOM, 2010) Harry Potter and the Art of Spying, P. Earnest & S. Harper (Wise Ink, 2014) Primary Sources Soviet Defector Arkady Shevchenko Dies, WaPo (1998) Emily A. Earnest, Consular Office Obituary, WaPo (1994) CIA Officer Richard Welch Murdered in Athens, CIA (1975) CIA COS Richard Welch Murdered in Athens, Counterspy Magazine Blamed for his Death, British Pathe (1975) *Wildcard Resource* Colbert Classic, Spy Training with Peter Earnest, Comedy Central (2013) Go to 3:31
Tue, 10 May 2022 11:00:00 -0000

America's Most Damaging Russian Spy, FBI Agent Robert Hanssen" with Lis Wiehl

Summary Lis Wiehl (Twitter, Website) joins Andrew (Twitter; LinkedIn) to discuss the FBI Agent Robert Hanssen. His espionage for the Russians was described as the worst intelligence disaster in U.S. history. What Youll Learn Intelligence The many contradictions of this fragmented personality The criminal sworn FBI Agent The sexual fetishist in Opus Dei The anti-communist Soviet spy Hanssens impact on the FBI and American Intelligence How the Hanssen case effected the FBI-CIA relationship Reflections Technologys impact on the espionage/counterespionage cat-and-mouse game Cultural and institutional blind spots And much, much more Episode Notes The International Spy Museum has the handcuffs that were put on one of the most notorious spies in American history, former FBI Agent Robert Hanssen. But what was the backstory of the moment those metal restraints closed around his wrists in Foxstone Park, Virginia? What did he do? Why did he do it? Who was this man? What damage did he do? To discuss these questions, Andrew sat down with the author of A Spy in Plain Sight, Lis Wiehl. Lis is a former Federal Prosecutor and a legal analyst and reporter on major news networks, including a 15-year stint at Fox News. She is the best-selling author of 20 fiction and non-fiction books and last but not least she is the daughter of an FBI Agent who heard stories of Hanssens betrayal from her father. Hanssen betrayed jewel in the crown of American intelligence, Dimitri Polyakov, and other U.S. assets, as well as handing over thousands of pages of highly classified information to the Soviet Union and later Russia. And In the intelligence community compartmentalization is a way to try to protect sensitive information, caveats, codewords, clearances, read ins, need to know, etc., but in the personal context it refers to being capable of being a different person in terms of outlook, values and behavior at different times and circumstances. David Charney met with Hanssen for an entire year after his arrest and described him as the most compartmentalized person I have ever met. He also mentions that he is a very experienced psychiatrist. Charney says in terms of compartmentalization most of us are a 1-2 on a scale of 10.Guess where Hanssen was? Quote of the Week "At one point hacked into one of his colleagues computers to get more information, he was found out and his excuse was, I was just trying to show you how easily we're hacked into so that we can make sure that we dont, and they believed him because he was a computer guythey just believed him when he hacked in this other person's computer. Crazy." Lis Wiehl Resources Headline Resource A Spy in Plain Sight, L. Wiehl (S&S, 2022) *SpyCasts* The FBI Way - Counterintelligence Chief Frank Figliuzzi Leningrad, Molehunts, and Life After the CIA - Christopher Burgess (2021) Defending a Spy, An Espionage Attorney - Plato Cacheris (2015) The Movie Breach and Hollywoods Take on Espionage Eric ONeill (2007) FBI Counterintelligence and the Robert Hanssen Spy Case Dave Major (2007) Books New History of Soviet Intelligence, J. Haslam (FS&J, 2015) Spy Handler, V. Cherkashin, (Basic, 2008) Articles Spy Who Kept Cold War Cold Polyakov, History (2019) Spy Psychology/Insider Spies, NOIR (2014) Death of the Perfect Spy Polyakov, Time (2001) Videos Charney on What Makes Traitors Tick? SPY (2014) Primary Sources Witness to History at SPY, Hanssen Investigation (2013) Review on FBI Performance Detecting Hanssen, OIG (2003) A Review of FBI Security Programs, Webster Commission (2002) Sandy Grimes Interview on Polyakov (1998) *Wildcard Resource* Inside the Supermax Prison (Florence, Colorado) Hanssen is here alongside Harold James Nicholson, El Chapo, Ramzi Yousef and Terry Nichols
Tue, 03 May 2022 11:00:00 -0000

CIA Case Officer, Cyber Entrepreneur, Burning Man Volunteer with Mike Susong (Part 2 of 2)

Summary Mike Susong (Website; LinkedIn) joins Andrew (Twitter; LinkedIn) to discuss CIA, cyber and corporate intelligence. He won the Intelligence Star for Heroism in the Field. What Youll Learn Intelligence Applying aspects of Mikes training to the private sector using competitive intelligence Mikes role co-founding a pioneering company in the field of Cyber Threat Intelligence (CTI) The role of technology in enabling and constraining espionage What drew Mike to an annual free-thinking social experiment in the desert Reflections Entrepreneurial thinking as unwavering belief in an idea The difference between working for Uncle Sam and working for corporate America And much, much more Episode Notes Andrew sat down with W. Michael Susong for a two-parter to discuss CIA, cyber and Burning Man. Last week in PART I we looked at Mikes time working for the CIA and in the domain of human intelligence, while in PART II we will focus on his time as an entrepreneur and intelligence leader in the cyber threat intelligence and competitive intelligence spaces. Mike was a U.S. Army major who completed multiple combat tours and a CIA case officer. He went into the private sector and created competitive intelligence programs for Fujitsu and Ernst & Young, and he was a pioneer in the field of cyber threat intelligence or CTI, creating the first programs for Visa and Pacific Gas & Electric. He is both CISM and CPP certified and a Black Rock Ranger. And Black Rock Rangers are volunteers at Burning Man, an annual event that focuses on artistic expression, spiritual regeneration, and radical inclusion. It culminates in the symbolic burning of a large wooden effigy, known as The Man. If you want to explore the event or the ideas that propel it, including its roots in the Californian counter-culture and its Silicon Valley connections, you can do so here, here, here, here, here, and here. Quote of the Week "I worked with, with two corporations to build competitive intelligence programs, for themI want to emphasize that's the ethical application of certain aspects of the intelligence cycle, to support a business decision. So, this was more on the analysis piece, some on collection, and certainly when you start to speak of collection within a private sector environment, you have to have clear, bright lines aloud about what is and is not acceptable." Mike Susong Resources Headline Resource Application of Intelligence Principles to Raise IT Security, M. Susong, YouTube (2012) *SpyCasts From the CIA to Strategic Cyber Hans Holmer (2022) Cyberattacks, Espionage & Ransomware Inside Microsofts MSTIC (2022) Articles Start a Competitive Intelligence System that Wins, P. Mertens, Sprout Social (2022) Gathering Competitive Intelligence From Twitter, S. Argawal, Startup Grind Websites Competitive Intelligence Resources, SCIP PBR (Projects, Briefs, Reports) 2022 State of Competitive Intelligence, SCIP/Crayon (2022) CTI: Applying Better Terminology to Threats Intelligence, A. Greer, SANS (2021) Understanding Cyber Threat Intelligence Operations, Bank of England (2016) Courses Cyber Threat Intelligence, SANS Cyber Threat Intelligence, Threat Intelligence Academy Podcasts Cyber Threat Intelligence, Hacking Humans (2020) Intelligence Operations: A First Principle of Cybersecurity, CSO Perspectives (2022) Video 2022 State of Competitive Intelligence, YouTube (2022) A CEOs Perspective on Intelligence, Report Linker (2020) Primary Sources Letter to CIA Deputy Director on Competitive Intelligence (1986) *Wildcard Resource* The Whole Earth Catalog (1968) Steve Jobs called it the bible of his generation and links have been made between it and Silicon Valley, Cyber, and Burning Man.
Tue, 26 Apr 2022 11:00:00 -0000

CIA Case Officer, Cyber Entrepreneur, Burning Man Volunteer with Mike Susong (Part 1 of 2)

Summary Mike Susong (Website; LinkedIn) joins Andrew (Twitter; LinkedIn) to discuss CIA, cyber and corporate intelligence. He won the Intelligence Star for Heroism in the Field. What Youll Learn Intelligence The outgrowth of intelligence from a nation-state activity to a corporate activity Recruiting and running agents as a CIA case officer His shift from tactical intelligence to strategic intelligence His journey from a curious kid with a short-wave radio to an intel professional Reflections Effective decision-making and intelligence The opportunities and challenges of working in different fields and domains And much, much more Episode Notes What is it like to do intelligence for Uncle Sam and then for the private sector? What is different and what is similar? How did intelligence go from supporting national security decision-making to business decision-making? To answer these questions, Andrew sat down with W. Michael Susong for a two-parter. PART I will focus on Mikes time working for the CIA and in the domain of human intelligence, while PART II will focus on his time in the as an entrepreneur and intelligence leader in the cyber threat intelligence and competitive intelligence spaces. Mike was a U.S. Army major who completed multiple combat tours and a CIA case officer. He went into the private sector and created competitive intelligence programs for Fujitsu and Ernst & Young, and he was a pioneer in the field of cyber threat intelligence or CTI, creating the first programs for Visa and Pacific Gas & Electric. He is both CISM and CPP certified and a Black Rock Ranger. And Black Rock Rangers are volunteers at Burning Man, an annual event that focuses on artistic expression, spiritual regeneration, and radical inclusion. It culminates in the symbolic burning of a large wooden effigy, known as The Man. If you want to explore the event or the ideas that propel it, including its roots in the Californian counter-culture and its Silicon Valley connections, you can do so here, here, here, here, here, and here. Quote of the Week "Its analogous to business. So, there's closers, people who are really the salesmanbut then they're not good at the kind of that long-term relationship, reassuring, working over timeAnd so I would say that there are case officers who are better at spotting and recruiting, and there are case officers that are better at handling." Mike Susong Resources Headline Resource Application of Intelligence Principles to Raise IT Security, M. Susong, YouTube (2012) *SpyCasts From the CIA to Strategic Cyber Hans Holmer (2022) Cyberattacks, Espionage & Ransomware Inside Microsofts MSTIC (2022) Articles Start a Competitive Intelligence System that Wins, P. Mertens, Sprout Social (2022) Gathering Competitive Intelligence From Twitter, S. Argawal, Startup Grind Websites Competitive Intelligence Resources, SCIP PBR (Projects, Briefs, Reports) 2022 State of Competitive Intelligence, SCIP/Crayon (2022) CTI: Applying Better Terminology to Threats Intelligence, A. Greer, SANS (2021) Understanding Cyber Threat Intelligence Operations, Bank of England (2016) Courses Cyber Threat Intelligence, SANS Cyber Threat Intelligence, Threat Intelligence Academy Podcasts Cyber Threat Intelligence, Hacking Humans (2020) Intelligence Operations: A First Principle of Cybersecurity, CSO Perspectives (2022) Video 2022 State of Competitive Intelligence, YouTube (2022) A CEOs Perspective on Intelligence, Report Linker (2020) Primary Sources Letter to CIA Deputy Director on Competitive Intelligence (1986) *Wildcard Resource* The Whole Earth Catalog (1968) Steve Jobs called it the bible of his generation and links have been made between it and Silicon Valley, Cyber, and Burning Man.
Tue, 19 Apr 2022 11:00:00 -0000

El Chapo, the Sinaloa Cartel & Intelligence with Trial Reporter Noah Hurowitz

Summary Noah Hurowitz (Twitter; LinkedIn) joins Andrew (Twitter; LinkedIn) to discuss infamous drug kingpin El Chapo. A weak link in his cybersecurity set-up would help bring him down. What Youll Learn Intelligence El Chapos internal surveillance operation The cartels use of cryptography to keep communications covert How cybersecurity enabled then brought down El Chapo The role of the infamous DFS a corrupt and now disbanded intelligence agency Reflections Technology early adopters vs. counter responders The changing nature of crime enabled by emerging technologies spyware, drones, etc. And much, much more Episode Notes Joaqun Archivaldo Guzmn Loera, aka El Chapo (shorty) because of his 5-foot 6-inch frame, was called by one of the agents chasing him, the godfather of the drug world. So, how did a low-level drug dealer from a provincial state rise to try and subvert the Mexican government to his will? What was the intelligence game that played out with regards to El Chapo? How did the cartels use spytech, tradecraft and cybersecurity to stay one step ahead of the law? How was he caught? To answer these questions and more, Andrew sat down with Noah Horowitz who covered the trial of El Chapo in Brooklyn for Rolling Stone magazine. Noah is also the author of the recent book El Chapo, and his work has appeared in the Village Voice, the Baffler and New York Magazine. And In the El Chapo trial, question No.57 asked prospective jurors, Are you familiar with Jesus Malverde? If you are not familiar with this angel of the poor (el ngel de los pobres) as well as the Sinaloan narcos (el narcosantn), then you can find out why this question would be relevant here, here, here and here. Quote of the Week "So, in addition to encrypted communicationshe was also installing spyware on Blackberry devices that El Chapo was giving out to his lieutenants and his girlfriends and his wives. And then EL Chapo was able to use this, the spyware program to see what was on their phones. He was able to see their text messages. He was able to see their locations. He was even able to remotely activate their mic and listen to them. And he loved thatit was like a toy to him almost. He became obsessed with it." Noah Hurowitz Resources Headline Resource El Chapo, N. Hurowitz (S&S, 2021) *SpyCasts* Drug Cartels, Sleeper Cells, the Waco Siege & the Mob - Dennis Franks (2021) Books Dope: History of the Mexican Drug Trade, B. Smith (W.W. Norton, 2021) Blood Gun Money: How America Arms Gangs & Cartels, I. Grillo (Bloomsbury, 2021) Articles Drugs, Crime and the Cartels, CFR (2021) The Tech that Took Down Pablo Escobar, Wired (2021) Mexican Cartels Cyber Surveillance, C. Schilis-Gallego, Forbidden Stories (2020) Spy vs. Spy, El Chapo Edition, E. Groll, FP (2019) The Spyware that Brought Down El Chapo, S. Fussell, The Atlantic (2019) Websites El Paso Intelligence Project (EPIC) Centro Nacional De Intelligencia (CNI) PBR (Projects, Briefs, Reports) Mexico: Evolution of the Merida Initiative, C. Seelke, CRS (2021) Mexico Organized Crime and Drug Traffickers, J. Beittel, CRS (2020) Primary Sources EDNY Press Release on El Chapo Trial (2019) Memo in Support of Pre-trial Detention, USA vs. Joaqun Guzmn Loera (2017) Trial Transcripts of El Chapo Text Messages with His Mistress (2012) Official Report on Mexicos Dirty War (2006) Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Designation Act (1999) Primary Source Collections The Mexican Intelligence Digital Archives (MIDAS) Inside The Cartel: Key Documents (LAT) *Wildcard Resource* The Original Indigenous People of Sinaloa To understand Joaqun Guzmn Loera, starting at the year of his birth, 1957, might be enough; but to understand El Chapo it might help to go deeper still
Tue, 12 Apr 2022 11:00:00 -0000

"ISIS Leader al-Mawla: Caliph. Scholar. Canary. Snitch." with Daniel Milton, West Point CTC Director (Part 2 of 2)

Summary Daniel Milton (Website; Twitter) joins Andrew (Twitter; LinkedIn) to discuss the former Caliph of the Islamic State. Al Mawla was killed in a U.S. raid in February 2022. What Youll Learn Intelligence The origin of the term Canary Caliph The mythology of Islamic State and the reality Battlefield intelligence and understanding an enemy The Combating Terrorism Center being on the radar of terrorists Reflections The presentation of self The relationship between organizational priorities and organizational hierarchies And much, much more Episode Notes Daniel Milton joins us again to discuss a series of interrogation reports of Al Mawla, at the time leader of Islamic law in Mosul for the Islamic State in Iraq (ISI). ISI was the successor to Al Qaeda in that country and the predecessor of Islamic State (Islamic State is a larger umbrella category, while ISIS, ISKP, etc. come with geographical designations, e.g., Islamic State of Iraq and Syria). Al Mawla gave up the names of over 50 people within his own organization: and that was only in the first 3 of 56 interviews. One interesting insight you can glean from the documents is that Islamic State while very different from many organizations in many respects, is just like them in others: empire building, clashing personalities, struggles over process, paperwork, committees, territorialism, jealousy, prejudice, insecurity like The Office, but with much more malevolent intent. And If you want to read a document that captures (a) an important inflection point in the transition from Al Qaeda to Islamic State and (b) was one of the West Point CTC publications captured during the Bin Laden raid, read Al Qaeda Secedes from Iraq. Quote of the Week "I think we get a sense of it as an organization that exists and has similar struggles as any other organization does. Having said that, clearly, it's a clandestine organization, and so one of the overriding imperatives is security. Individuals are trying to stay alive and not get arrested or killed. And that affects a little bit of the way that you carry out business. I do think that you also see some element of the things that you described. There is competition. There are people who don't like each other." Daniel Milton Resources *Headline Resources* Al Mawla Interrogation Reports Islamic State, Mapping Militants, CISAC Stanford Books Enemies Near & Far, D. Gartenstein-Ross (CUP, 2022) The ISIS Reader, Ingram et al. (Hurst, 2020) The Rise of Global Jihad, T. Hegghammer (CUP, 2020) Foreign Fighters in the Armies of Jihad, D. Byman (OUP, 2019) Anatomy of Terror, A. Soufan (W.W. Norton, 2017) The Far Enemy, F. Gerges (CUP, 2005) Best Books on the Middle East (Five Books) Articles ISIS Leader Quraishi Kills Himself, Al-Khalidi & Bose, Reuters (2022) ISISS Leadership Crisis, H. Ingram and C. Whiteside, Foreign Affairs (2022) The Islamic State in Afghanistan, A. Jadoon et al., CTC (2022) The Cloud Caliphate, Ayad et al., CTC (2021) Lessons from the Islamic States Milestone Texts and Speeches, Ingram et al., CTC (2020) Timeline: The Rise, Spread & Fall of the Islamic State, C. Glenn et al., Wilson Center (2019) Documentary Iraq & Syria: After Islamic State, BBC (2018) Confronting ISIS, PBS Frontline (2016) Reports Islamic States Method of Insurgency, H. Ingram, GW (2021) Web Operation Inherent Resolve Primary Sources President Biden on a Successful Counterterrorism Operation (2022) Cyber Commands Internet War Against ISIL (2018) Islamic State Memo for Dealing with New Recruits (2017) Message to the Mujahidin and the Muslim Ummah, Caliph Al Baghdadi (2014) The Management of Savagery (2006) The Sykes-Picot Agreement (1916) *Wildcard Resource* Camp Bucca Newsletter #1 A U.S. forces newsletter from the time-period when Al Mawla was interrogated at Camp Bucca, in the vicinity of Umm Qasr, Iraq.
Tue, 05 Apr 2022 11:00:00 -0000

"ISIS Leader al-Mawla: Caliph. Scholar. Canary. Snitch." with Daniel Milton, West Point CTC Director (Part 1 of 2)

Summary Daniel Milton (Website; Twitter) joins Andrew (Twitter; LinkedIn) to discuss Tactical Interrogation Reports of the former Caliph of the Islamic State. Al-Mawla was killed in a U.S. raid in February 2022. What Youll Learn Intelligence The ideological feud between Islamic State and Al Qaeda Islamic State's retreat from a quasi-state centered to a shadowy insurgency Battlefield intelligence such as exploitable material and interrogation reports The role of the Combating Terrorism Center in analyzing this intelligence Reflections Training your people for the current fightand the next one The trade-off between a short-term view and a longer-term view And much, much more Episode Notes This weeks episode focuses on battlefield intelligence, or more specifically a series of tactical interrogation reports from 2008. Ok, so why are they significant? Well, the individual being interrogated, Al Mawla, would go on to become the second leader and so-called Caliph of the Islamic State. Ok, so why are they significant beyond thatwell, it turns out that Al Mawla was an informant who gave away colleagues and friends to save his own skin, leading to the nickname, The Canary Caliph. Daniel Milton joined Andrew to discuss these reports and what they mean in the broader scheme of things. Daniel is the Director of Research at the Combatting Terrorism Center at West Point, and he has a Ph.D. from FSU. He has been cited in outlets such asThe NYT, BBC, and NBC News and he regularly briefs all levels of the Government, including the Intelligence Community and Department of Defense. And In February 2022, Al Mawla became the second Islamic State Caliph to blow himself up during a U.S. raid. His predecessor Abu-Bakr al-Baghdadi had done so in October 2019. I wonder what will happen to the third Caliph Quote of the Week "I think that's one of my favorite things about looking at this type of material is that it really gives an inside view to organizations that are clandestine and usually not seen very well from the outside, but these documents paint a very vivid picture of struggles, challenges, bureaucratic minutia, whatever the case might be, which is not typically how we think about these organizations, but these documents really allow us to see that." Daniel Milton Resources *Headline Resources* Al Mawla Interrogation Reports CTC Sentinel Books Enemies Near & Far, D. Gartenstein-Ross (CUP, 2022) The ISIS Reader, Ingram et al. (Hurst, 2020) The Rise of Global Jihad, T. Hegghammer (CUP, 2020) Foreign Fighters in the Armies of Jihad, D. Byman (OUP, 2019) Anatomy of Terror, A. Soufan (W.W. Norton, 2017) The Far Enemy, F. Gerges (CUP, 2005) Best Books on the Middle East (Five Books) Articles ISIS Leader Quraishi Kills Himself, Al-Khalidi & Bose, Reuters (2022) ISISS Leadership Crisis, H. Ingram and C. Whiteside, Foreign Affairs (2022) The Islamic State in Afghanistan, A. Jadoon et al., CTC (2022) The Cloud Caliphate, Ayad et al., CTC (2021) Lessons from the Islamic States Milestone Texts and Speeches, Ingram et al., CTC (2020) Timeline: The Rise, Spread & Fall of the Islamic State, C. Glenn et al., Wilson Center (2019) Documentary Iraq & Syria: After Islamic State, BBC (2018) Confronting ISIS, PBS Frontline (2016) Web Operation Inherent Resolve Primary Sources President Biden on a Successful Counterterrorism Operation (2022) Cyber Commands Internet War Against ISIL (2018) Islamic State Memo for Dealing with New Recruits (2017) Message to the Mujahidin and the Muslim Ummah, Caliph Al Baghdadi (2014) Zawahiris Letter to Zarqawi (2005) The Sykes-Picot Agreement (1916) Wildcard Resource The America I Have Seen An account of his time living in the U.S. by theorist of violent jihad Sayyid Qutb.
Tue, 29 Mar 2022 11:00:00 -0000

"The IRA, The Troubles & Intelligence" with Eleanor Williams and Thomas Leahy

Summary Thomas Leahy (Website; LinkedIn) and Eleanor Williams (Website; Twitter) join Andrew to discuss the intelligence war during the Troubles. Thomas lives in Cardiff and Eleanor lives in Belfast. What Youll Learn Intelligence The Troubles through the lens of intelligence Some key intelligence players in the Northern Ireland conflict How the IRA and the British Army adapted organizationally The role intelligence played in the end of the conflict Reflections The fluid nature of motivations and intentions How historic narratives shape and constrain the here-and-now And much, much more Episode Notes From the late 60s to the late 90s Republican and Loyalist paramilitaries, and the British and Irish states, were engaged in a period known as the Troubles: a struggle to define or redefine the future of the island of Ireland. This is an issue with deep and complex roots, but the intelligence dimension of the period known as the Troubles is fascinating and often overlooked. To help us get our head around it all, Andrew sat down with two specialists to discuss all things intelligence and the Troubles: from the role that MI5 and MI6 played, to the Force Research Unit and the RUC Special Branch, through to how the IRA played the counterintelligence game and the role that informers, agents and moles, such as the notorious Stakeknife, played. Thomas is the author of the Intelligence War Against the IRA, while Eleanor is a doctoral candidate comparing intelligence use during the Northern Irish and Colombian conflicts. And The head of the Republic of Irelands police and security intelligence force, the Garda Sochna, is Drew Harris. Drew Harris was a career Royal Ulster Constabulary officer whose father, also a career RUC officer, was killed by the IRA in 1989. He was the first external appointee from outside the Garda. Quote of the Week "What's their [IRA] main role in this intelligence conflict?...one of the key points herethe IRA was quite highly regional regionalized. That's actually quite key to explain why British intelligence had some difficulties against themInitially, it was set up similar to armed forces. It would have brigades, battalions and companiesthe IRA operated this kind of army structure up to 1975the IRA then switched to this new strategyAnd part of this was to prevent mass infiltration, which had started to become a problem, particularly in Belfast pre-1975. So, what it adopted in Belfast and Derry was a cell structure." Thomas Leahy Resources Books The Intelligence War Against the IRA, T. Leahy (CUP, 2020) Britains Secret War Against the IRA, A. Edwards (Merrion, 2021) Thatchers Spy, W. Carlin (Merrion, 2019) The Accidental Spy, S. ODriscoll (Mirror, 2019) Snitch! S. Hewitt (Continuum, 2010) Infiltrating the IRA, R. Gilmour (LB&C, 1998) Fifty Dead Men Walking, M. McGartland (Blake, 1997) Best Books on the Troubles (Five Books) Articles The Murky World of Spying During the Troubles, J. Ware, Irish Times (2017) Alternative Ulster: How Punk Took on the Troubles, T. Heron, Irish Times (2016) Audio MI5 Chameleon Infiltrated New IRA Documentary Spotlight on the Troubles: A Secret History, BBC (2019) The Spy in the IRA, BBC (2017) Web Operation Kenova MI5 in Northern Ireland Primary Sources IRA-MI6 Intermediary: Interviews with Brendan Duddy (2009) Good Friday Agreement (1998) Downing Street Declaration (1993) Anglo-Irish Agreement (1985) Thatcher Speech at Airey Neave Memorial (1979) IRA Green Book (1977) PM Wilson & Thatcher discuss N. Ireland (1975) Secret Meetings Between Government and IRA (1972) Senator E. Kennedy, Ulster is Britains Vietnam (1971) IRA Reports on Intelligence Informants (1922) W.B. Yeats, Easter: 1916 (1921) Oral Sources Duchas Oral History Archive (2014) Wildcard Resource Murals of Northern Ireland (4500+ Photographs)
Tue, 22 Mar 2022 11:00:00 -0000

The Nuclear Doomsday Machine with Sean Maloney on Cold War Emergency Plans

Summary Sean Maloney (Website) joins Andrew (Twitter; LinkedIn) to discuss the secret history of emergency war plans and the nuclear doomsday machine. He was the first Canadian civilian historian to go into combat since WWII. What Youll Learn Intelligence Top secret emergency war plans for WWIII The role of human intelligence operations in nuclear doomsday planning Some key terms you need to understand the nuclear issue The policy of massive retaliation versus flexible response Reflections Movies to scare yourself by The best and worst of humanity Episode Notes Sean Maloney is a force of nature. The first Canadian civilian historian to go into combat since WWII - he went to Afghanistan eleven times, survived multiple attempts on his life, and two bomb attacks. Ive been shot at, rocketed, mortared, all of it. He is also a Professor at the Royal Military College of Canada and the author of more than a dozen books, including the Rogue Historian in Afghanistan trilogy, as well as another trilogy in the form of the official history of the Canadian Army in Afghanistan. He is never happier, though, than when wading through secret nuclear war plans and documents. Coming on the back of Learning to Love the Bomb (2007) and The Secret History of Nuclear War Films (2020), he returns to Nukes in Emergency War Plan: The American Doomsday Machine. Sean has been described as intense and unorthodox, but I found him intense and unorthodox. Megadeath is a unit of measurement for nuclear war, equivalent to the death of one million people. It is crazy that as a species we have reached the point where we now have a term for it. Quote of the Week "We have public pronouncementsWe have the media and academic discussion of the public pronouncements, but then there's the strategy itself. Which is usually highly classifiedthat's what I'm getting at with the Emergency War Plan bookyou can see all the factors that fed into that, including the intelligence and the intelligence directly affects the planthere is a direct relationship between the intelligence and the targeting, but it's also in terms of collection of information to get the bombers to the targetthat's important because, to have a deterrent posture, that's credible, you have to demonstrate that you're capable of carrying it out." Resources SpyCasts The Nuclear Emergency Search Team Jack Doyle Nuclear Information Project Matt Korda Nuclear Threats Jeffrey Lewis Confessions of a Nuclear War Planner Daniel Ellsberg Spooks and Nukes James Acton Books Restricted Data: A History of Nuclear Secrecy in the US, A. Wallerstein (UCP, 2021) The Bomb, S. Kaplan (S&S, 2020) Raven Rock, G. Graff (S&S, 2017) My Journey at the Nuclear Brink, W. Perry (SUP, 2015) The Making of the Atomic Bomb, R. Rhodes (S&S, 1987) Best Books on Nuclear (Five Books) Articles How Many Nuclear Weapons Does Russia Have in 2022? Kristensen & Korda, Bulletin (2022) Doomsday Clock at 100 Seconds to Midnight, Bulletin (2022) The Cold Comfort of MAD, J. Castillo, War on the Rocks (2021) Video 282 Interviews: War and Peace in the Nuclear Age, PBS (1986-89) Power of Decision, USAF (1958) Documentary Sources H. G. Wells The World Set Free (1914) W.S. Churchill - Shall We All Committ Suicide? (1924) Einstein to Roosevelt (1939) The MAUD Report (1941) The Quebec Agreement (1943) Hiroshima, J. Hersey, New Yorker (1946) The Decision to Use the Atomic Bomb, H.L. Stimson, Harpers (1946) McMahon Act (1946) Truman Announcing First Soviet Bomb (1949) Atoms for Peace Eisenhower Speech (1953) History of SIOP-62 (1961) Joint Chiefs of Staff Memorandum (1971) The Effects of Nuclear Weapons (1977 [1950]) The Effects of Nuclear War (1979) Oral Sources Voices of the Manhattan Project US Strategic Nuclear Policy, 1945-2004 Wildcard Resource Threads, Movie (M. Jackson, 1984) Arguably, the most devastating piece of television ever produced
Tue, 15 Mar 2022 11:00:00 -0000

"So, I Design Board Games for the CIA..." - with Volko Ruhnke

Summary Volko Ruhnke (Website; Twitter) joins Andrew (Twitter; LinkedIn) to discuss his life and career in the CIA as an analyst and designer of board games. He is a former World Board Game Champion. What Youll Learn Intelligence Designing board games to teach CIA analysts Moonlighting as an award-winning board game designer while working at CIA Similarities and differences between intelligence analysis and board-games The difference between role-play games and board-games in training national security professionals Reflections Humans are good models of humans Volkos journey from Virginia to the CIA via William & Mary and the U.S. Army And more Episode Notes Volko Ruhnke is a helluva interesting guy. He grew up as an avid board gamer raised on stories of the French and Indian War, which led him to design the 2001 winner of the best pre-WWII boardgame Wilderness War. His time at the CIA after 9/11 then led him to design the 2010 winner of the best post-WWII boardgame Labyrinth, where players were immersed in the operational and ideological aspects of the Global War on Terror. It doesnt stop there, though, he has also designed a series of counter-insurgency games such as Andean Abyss, which focused on 1990s Columbia, and Fire in the Lake, a multi-faction treatment of the Vietnam War. While teaching a new generation of intelligence analysts, Volko combined both of his passions to help them understand the complexity and open-endedness of the real-world via board games. As an analyst himself, Volko looked at the Soviet & Russian military and counter-proliferation, before going on to be Deputy National Intelligence Officer for Science and Technology at the National Intelligence Council, and then on the Presidents Daily Brief (PDB) staff to brief cabinet level officials. And Volko is now a commercial board game designer, and you can get quite a few of his games here but not all of them. One day historians, one day Quote of the Week "Games allow you to get inside and operate the machine yourself and do experiments and pull a lever or push a button and see what happens. And because it's happening on the tabletop, rather than say, in a computer program, you, you can understand it very well. You can see exactly why what just happened. So, I became among others, a promulgator of, of that particular medium for teaching as well as for analysis." - Volko Ruhnke Resources SpyCasts Intelligence Analysis in the 21st Century - Mark Lowenthal Modern Intelligence Analysis: From Art to Science? Books Storytelling in the Modern Boardgame, A. Arnaudo (McFarland, 2018) White King & Red Queen: Cold War on the Chessboard, D. Johnson (Mariner, 2008) Best Books on Play (Five Books) Articles All the Worlds a Game, C. Hadavas, Foreign Policy (2021) Digital Version of Counter-Terror Game Labyrinth, J. Bolding, PCGamer (2020) Winning Edge: Board Game Used by the U.S. Army, P. Suciu, National Interest (2020) Why the CIA Uses Board Games to Train Officers, S. Larson, CNN (2017) The CIA Uses Board Games to Train Officers, S. Machkovech, ArsTechnica (2017) Making Board Games for the CIA, C. Hall, Polygon (2017) Political Board Games Change View of World, M. Thrower, Guardian (2015) Volko Ruhnke Has Become a Hero, J. Albert, WaPo (2014) Video We Review CIAs Classified Board Game, Two Bats Gaming, (YouTube, 2018) Primary Sources Kingpin: The Hunt for El Chapo (CIA, 2018) Collection Deck (CIA, 2017) Whodunnit? (Wapo, 1985) Wildcard Resource Lego Serious Play Game Used by Fortune 500 companies, unleasher of talent, and serious fun!
Tue, 08 Mar 2022 12:00:00 -0000

"From the CIA to Strategic Cyber" - with Hans Holmer

Summary Hans Holmer (LinkedIn) joins Andrew (Twitter; LinkedIn) to discuss his time as a CIA operations officer and his transition to a cyber strategist. He served on every continent except South America and won a CIA Intelligence Star. What Youll Learn Intelligence The advantages for a case officer growing up in two cultures and speaking multiple languages before joining the IC The tech person trained to be a case officer vs. a case officer trained to be a tech person debate That no amount of technology will make up for a lack of cyber strategy The concept of digital dandruff Reflections Growing up in Denmark, moving to the US for high school, joining the Army then CIA Privatizing information gains but collectivizing information losses What it was like to program back in 1973! And more Episode Notes Hans Holmer describes the cat-and-mouse of surveillance and counter-surveillance the most fun you can have (a) in public and (b) sober. Ever wondered how you go from a CIA case officer in the Sub-continent, to a technical counterintelligence evangelist who travelled the world, to a cyber strategist living in Vienna, Austria? To find out, listen to this weeks episode where youll find Hans thoughtful and articulate, but I think you will also appreciate his forthright views on corporate data leaks and digital personal responsibility. He originally got in touch to talk about the Operation Silver, the British intelligence operation that covertly tapped the communications of the Soviet Army HQ in Vienna, at SPY we actually have a piece yes, an actual piece of the Berlin Tunnel, which was a successor operation betrayed by communist MI6 officer George Blake which borrowed heavily from Silver: it was even called Operation Gold! The monitoring station in Op. Silver was disguised as a tweed clothing shop on the assumption that no one in Vienna would be interested in Scottish clothing! Hans actually tracked down the modern site of the tweed store and is trying to dig (no pun intended) for further information on the operation can anyone help? Quote of the Week "I've been arguing that the way to improve cyber security in the U.S. is very simple. Any company that loses personally identifiable information, payment card information, healthcare information, HIPAA data, or access to critical infrastructure, has to pay each victim a dollar a day from the beginning of the breach till it's been closed offthe average breach lasts about a hundred dayssome of the more recent breaches are a hundred million people. So, imagine a hundred million people who get a dollar a day for a hundred days. Companies would take that seriously." Resources SpyCasts Operation Gold - Steve Vogel & Bernd von Kostka (Berlin Tunnel) George Blake, Happy Traitor Simon Kuper (Berlin Tunnel) Zero Days Nicole Perloth Part I and II (Cyber) The Cyber Zeitgeist Dave Bittner (Cyber) Snowden & Surveillance Barton Gellman (Cyber) Books Betrayal in Berlin, S. Vogel (CH, 2019) Spymaster MI6 Chief Oldfield, M. Pearce (Transworld, 2016) Documents on the Intelligence War in Berlin, D. Steury (CSI, 1999) Best Books on Cybersecurity (Five Books) Articles Engineering the Berlin Tunnel, SII (2008) Betrayal in Berlin - Review, WaPo (2019) Documentaries The Great Hack, Noujaim & Amer (2019) Zero Days, A. Gibney (2016) Education Cyber Training Series (DNI) The Danger of Stone Age Habits in a Cyber World (HSToday, 2019) Primary Sources Cyber Security Officer (CIA, 2022) CIA Director Burns - Cyber (WSJ, 2021) National Cyber Strategy of the USA (WH, 2018) Interview with CIA Director Brennan - Cyber (NPR, 2016) The ICs Role Within Cyber R&D (FAS, 2013) Remarks by DNI Clapper at HPSCI (DNI, 2011) Securing Critical Infrastructure in the Age of Stuxnet (HSGA, 2010) Mail Service of the Soviet Army in Austria (CIA, 1955) Wildcard Resource Technical Counterintelligence Officer, INTEL.gov
Mon, 28 Feb 2022 12:00:00 -0000

"Black Ops: The Life of a Legendary CIA Shadow Warrior" - with Ric Prado

Summary Enrique Ric Prado (LinkedIn) joins Andrew (Twitter; LinkedIn) to discuss his new memoir Black Ops. One of the most renowned CIA officers of his generation tells his story. Book You can buy Rics book, Black Ops, and support the International Spy Museums mission here. What Youll Learn Intelligence His time as CIA Counterterrorist Chief of Operations which included 9/11 His career battling communist insurgents and Islamic terrorists on multiple continents His experience living in Contra camps during the Nicaraguan Revolution His time as Dep. Chief of Station and co-founding member of the Bin Laden Task Force Reflections Conquering your emotions to stay focused in a crisis His journey fleeing the Cuban Revolution as a young boy to CIA via USAF Pararescue And much, much more Episode Notes Ric Prado spent twenty-four-years in the CIA and what a twenty-four years it was. His first 36 months were in the jungles of Central America as the first CIA officer to live among the Contras, including a period with the Miskito Native people; indeed, the photos he took ending up on the desk of CIA Director Bill Casey. So, what was it like at the pointy end of the Reagan Doctrines anti-communist spear, or as CIA Counterterrorist Center Chief of Ops during 9/11? To find out, and to hear more about Rics storied career, Andrew sat down with him for this weeks episode. One of the meanings of the noun legend is a story coming down from the past. Many people who were in the business at the CIA and elsewhere will have heard the stories that come down from the past re Enrique Ric Prado, but now we all have a chance to hear Ric set the record straight in his own words. And If Rics communist uncle hadnt alerted the family that his school intended to send him off to the Soviet Union as a promising student for further educationif he hadnt taken an Oceanography class at Miami Dade College and met someone who led him to USAF Pararescueif he hadnt been tipped off that he was to be killed in a Contra camp during the night and extricated himself from the situationas Bob Dylan said, summing up so much of the human condition, one more time, for a simple twist of fate. Quote of the Week "The wiring was there and the mentoring from my dadthen the trip to the orphanage. And then definitely when I got into pararescuebeing one of our special operations forces, the training is very, very intenseAnd making it through SERE school, making it through mountain climbing school. There's a certain level of conquering your emotions that you have to doBut I think that the most important thing was that I believed in what I was doing." Ric Prado Resources SpyCast Episodes In the CT Center on 9/11, C. Storer A Life in the CIA, Hank Crumpton Interview with Cofer Black CT, Nicholas Rasmussen CT Strategy: P. Bergen & C. Costa Rethinking CT: J. Blazakis Books The Reagan Doctrine, J. Scott (DUP, 1996) The Real Contra War, T. Brown (UOP, 2001) Insurgency to Stability, The Philippines, Rabasa et al., (RAND, 2011) Shining Paths Politics of War, C. Degregori (UWP, 2012) Red Revolution: Philippine Guerillas, G. Jones (Routeledge, 2019) The Shining Path, Starn & Serna (Norton, 2019) US Relations with Latin America (Five Books) Articles Shining Path Leader Dead, BBC (2021) Nicaragua Veers to Dictatorship, J. Cordoba, WSJ (2021) Documentaries Nicaragua Was Our Home (L. Shapiro, 1985) Ballad of the Little Soldier (W. Herzog, 1985) Primary Sources President Carter to Somoza (Brown, 1979) Reagan Covert Ops. Nicaragua (NSA, 1981) US Aid to Nicaragua (1982) Reagan Covert Ops. Nicaragua (Brown, 1983) Goldwater to Casey, Im Pissed Off (Brown, 1984) Reagan State Of The Union (APP, 1985) Reagan Address Nicaragua (ReaganLib, 1986) Contras Lost Congress (WaPo, 1986) 25 Years of the NPA (Hartford, 1994) Wildcard Resource The Clash, Sandanista (Album, 1980)
Tue, 22 Feb 2022 12:00:00 -0000

The National Intelligence University with its President Scott Cameron

Summary J. Scott Cameron (LinkedIn) joins Andrew (Twitter; LinkedIn) to discuss the National Intelligence University (NIU). He is the President of this unique skiffed institution. What Youll Learn Intelligence oThe NIU what it is, what it does, and what it does differently. oNIUs position within the American intelligence ecosystem oHow NIU banks knowledge without compromising intelligence oWhat it is like to be a student in a Top Secret/Sensitive Compartmentalized Information (TS-SCI) research facility Reflections o20th century institutions for 21st century problems oScotts journey from a plant biologist who has been shot at, to his recruitment into the IC at a high school soccer match, to NIU President And much more Quote of the Week "We do work in secret. So how do you bank knowledge in that kind of a community? All communities that are healthy bank knowledge and learn from it. So, our job is not just to be a classroom, but to be that defender of knowledge building in the community to make sure that we're learning from ourselves, that we understand ourselves and advance our mission by better ideas and then empowering the next generation to take those and equip them with the confidence to go out there and do something with it." Scott Cameron Episode Notes TS-SCI is one of the major terms you will hear with regards to American intelligence, but what happens if you cross that with the concept of the university, a place that relies on sharing information, pooling knowledge, and the free flow of ideas? To find out how this circle is squared, Andrew sat down with President of the National Intelligence University, Scott Cameron. The NIU, which is housed at the Intelligence Community Campus Bethesda (ICCB), alongside our friends at the NCSC and quite a few other agencies, is unique in many ways. It is behind guards, guns, and gates, you need TS-SCI clearance to apply, and tuition is courtesy of the government. The staff-student ratio is also in the very top tier of the 4000 or so degree granting institutions in the United States. It transitioned from the DIA to the ODNI in June of 2021. And Scotts grandmother was from Glasgow, as was Allan Pinkerton, Bobby Thompson, Craig Ferguson, and Christina Conte (try her fish n chips recipe!). Incidentally, there are many more Glasgows in the United States than in Scotland, at 21. Further Resources SpyCast Episodes Joint Special Operations University President Ike Wilson Virtual Exhibition Wall of Spies (ICC-B) Books Chinas Artificial Intelligence Ecosystem, R. Uber (2020) History of American Higher Ed., R. Geiger (2016) Higher Ed. & the Growth of Knowledge, M. Segre (2015) NIUs Role in Interagency Research, Johnson et al. (2013) Articles Eisenhower Signs National Defense Intelligence Ed. Act (Politico, 2018) Goldwater-Nichols & the Evolution of JPME (CRS, 2016) The Origins of JPME (JFQ, 2005) Audio NIU Moving Under ODNI Umbrella (FedNewsNet, 2021) Websites NIU Degrees (NIU) NIU Catalog, 2021-22 (NIU) College of Strategic Intelligence (NIU) School of Science & Technology Intelligence (NIU) Institute for Intelligence Research (NIU) IC Centers for Academic Excellence (DNI) Primary Sources The American Scholar, R. Waldo Emerson (Em.Cent., 1837) The Idea of a University, J. H. Newham (1852, 1858) National Defense Education Act of 1958 (FedEdPolicy) Degree Granting Authority for NIU (GovInfo, 2012) US Intelligence Communitys Human Capital Vision 2020 (DNI, 2014) The National Intelligence Strategy of the US (DNI, 2019) NIC - Global Trends 2040 (DNI, 2021) Wildcard Resource How to set up a SCIF, aka: Technical Specifications for Construction & Management of Sensitive Compartmented Information Facilities (DNI, 2020)
Tue, 15 Feb 2022 12:00:00 -0000

Keeping Secrets/Disclosing Secrets with Spy Chief turned DG of Australias National Archives David Fricker

Summary David Fricker (Website; LinkedIn) had the No.2 job at Australias security and intelligence agency ASIO. He sat down with Andrew (Twitter; LinkedIn) to discuss the relationship between this role and his most recent one as Director-General of the National Archives of Australia. What Youll Learn Intelligence oASIO, the Australian intelligence landscape and the region oHis role as CIO and then Deputy-Director General of ASIO oThe role major allies & partners play including the US and Five Eyes (FVEY) oDavids views on intelligence and public trust Reflections oDavids abiding interest in the power of information oThe importance of museums and archives in a knowledge society And much more Episode Notes Ever wondered what it would be like to go from gamekeeper to poacher, spy chief to chief archivist and - as this week's guest said tongue-in-cheek - the biggest blabber-mouth in the country? If the answer is yes, youll appreciate this weeks guest David Fricker, who has had all manner of interesting jobs, including a ten-year stint with the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO), akin to the FBI and MI5, followed by ten years with the National Archives of Australia. By way of information, the Australian Intelligence Community is also comprised of: the Australian Secret Intelligence Service (ASIS), similar to the CIA; Defence Intelligence Organisation (DIO), similar to the DIA; the Australian Signals Directorate (ASD), similar to the NSA; and Australian Geo-spatial Intelligence Organization (AGO), similar to the NGA; and Office of National Intelligence (ONI), similar to the ODNI. And David was a pretty mean COBOL programmer back in the day, a computer language that grew out of a Department of Defence sponsored program to find a common business language. You can learn it here. It is a legacy software system across the U.S. government and you can command six-figure salaries if you can program in it: any retirement plans David? Quote of the Week "I think what the SPY museum does and what I hope we do at the National Archives in Australia, gets back to the public...some of it can be quite entertaining. It can be quite engaging and fun, but the work we do has got a serious message as well. And I think it's to make sure the public in a liberal democracy, the public should know. What espionage, what spycraft is all about." David Fricker Further Resources SpyCasts oDesperately, Madly in Love Brett Peppler and the Australian IC oI was a Presidential Daily Briefer on 9/11 Mike Morell & President Bush Virtual Exhibition oSpy: Espionage in Australia (NAA) Books oSpies & Sparrows: ASIO & the Cold War, P. Deery (2022) oBetween Five Eyes, A. Wells (2020) oIntelligence & the Function of Government, D. Baldino & E. Crawley (2018) oThe Official History of ASIO 3 Volumes, D. Horner, J. Blaxland, R. Crawley (2014/2015/2016) Articles oStrategic Intelligence Practice in the Australian IC, P. Walsh & M. Harrison, INS, 2021) oThe Post-9/11 Evolution of an Australian National Security Community, D. Jones, INS (2016) oASIO Debate, L. Clohesy, The Conversation (2014) Audio oSpymasters & Secret Agents: the Birth of ASIO (ABC, 2022) oASIOs Official History, J. Blaxland (The Conversation, 2015) Documentary oFinal Rendezvous (ABC, 2020) Websites oASIO (ASIO) oNAA (NAA) Primary Sources oLetter to Petrov from Prime Minister Menzies (1954) oRoyal Commission on Espionage Report (1955) oASIO Report on Ric Throssell (1971-74, NAA) oReport on ASIO (NLA, 1977) oAustralian Intelligence, 1900-1950 (NAA, 1977) oSoviet Embassy Contact with Members of Parliament (1971-86) oASIO Annual Report 2020-21 (2021, ASIO) Further Research oHistory of Intelligence & Security (NAA) oUS-Australia Diplomatic Oral Histories (ADST) Wildcard Resource Pine Gap oA fictional portrayal of a real-world AUS-US spy site in Central Australia (Netflix, 2018)
Tue, 08 Feb 2022 12:00:00 -0000

Russia Upside Down with Creator of The Americans Joe Weisberg

Summary Joe Weisberg (Twitter) joins Andrew (Twitter; LinkedIn) to discuss his new book on Russia. Joe is the creator of award-winning TV drama The Americans and a former CIA officer. What Youll Learn Intelligence oHis past experience as a hardliner who loved to hate the evil empire oHis thoughts on a trip through the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe in the twilight of the Cold War, especially experiencing it as an American Jew oHis interpretation of the KGB and Vladimir Putin oHis take on the moral equivalency argument and U.S. foreign policy Reflections oThe role of complexity vs. simplicity in understanding the Other oJoes journey from the Chicago suburbs of Illinois to Langley to New York City And much, much more Episode Notes How dare you,JoeWeisberg, make me rethink my comfortable loathing of the Russians. Not Andrews words, but those of former chief of CIA counterintelligence James Olson in an encomium for the book (albeit a little tongue-in-cheek). If that is not enough to get you intrigued in Joes new book, Russia Upside Down, then perhaps the sub-title will, An Exit Strategy for the Second Cold War. So how do we get out of the Second Cold War? To find out Joes diagnosis and prognosis, and much else besides, Andrew sat down with him for this weeks episode. A fair number of listeners will know of Joe as creator of the award-winning and hugely popular TV series,The Americans, some may even know that he had a three-and-a-half-year stint in the CIA where he trained to be a case officer; a few may even be a know him from his stint at the Agency which began on the eve of the dissolution of the Soviet Union. And The Americans is set in and around NoVa which is replete with all manner of famous sites from intelligence history including the Arlington home of real-life Russian illegals Nataliya Pereverzeva and Michael Zottoli Mikhail Kutsik who were rolled up by the FBI in 2010 as part of Operation Ghost Stories which we cover in our exhibits. Quote of the Week "When I was working at the CIA and in my younger years, I had a very one-dimensional view of this evil empire, this totalitarian state that we had to fight because we were the good guys, and we were the bad guys. And the book that I've written is essentially a kind of argument with myself or me with my younger self to say, huh, I think you were not looking at that in all the complexity that you might have." Joe Weisberg FURTHER RESOURCES SpyCasts oKGB Illegal Jack Barsky here and here oThe Spymasters Prism: CIA Legend Jack Devine on Countering Russian Aggression o2010 Russian Spy Case KGB Major General Oleg Kalugin oSpy Sites of Washington D.C. Books oPutins People: How the KGB Took Back Russia, Catherine Belton (2020) oThe New Tsar: Rise & Reign of Vladimir Putin, Steven Lee Myers (2016). oSpy Handler: Memoir of a KGB Officer - The Man Who Recruited Robert Hanssen & Aldrich Ames, Victor Cherkashin (2004) oThe Caucasus, Thomas De Waal (2018) oKhrushchev's Thaw and National Identity in Soviet Azerbaijan, Jamil Hasanli (2014) oThe Best Books on Contemporary Russia (Five Books) Articles oDictatorship and Double Standards, Jeane Kirkpatrick, Commentary (1979) oNATO Enlargement & Russia (NATO, 2014) oFalse Equivalence & Tu Quoque, IEP Documentaries oThe Putin Interviews (ShowTime, 2017) oCold War 2.0, Vice/HBO (2015) Primary Sources oRussian-Chinese Relations (CIA, 1998) oPutins Munich Speech, (WaPo, 2007) oInterview With KGB/SVR Illegal (Chekist Monitor, 2020) oU.S. Ambassadors to Russia Interviewed (NSA) oUS-Russia Oral Histories (ADST) oArchival Research on Russia (NSA) Enjoy the show? Please leave a review here.
Tue, 01 Feb 2022 12:00:00 -0000

NATOs Assistant Secretary General for Intelligence & Security with David Cattler

Summary David Cattler (Twitter; LinkedIn) joins Andrew (Twitter; LinkedIn) to discuss how intelligence functions at NATO. He is the NATO Assistant Secretary General for Intelligence and Security. What Youll Learn oWhat it is like to be the leader of intelligence and security across the largest peacetime alliance in history? oHow does intelligence come together at NATO who are the key-players, institutions, and stakeholders? oWhat are some of the main challenges facing the Alliance including Russia and Cyber? oReading an institution and its key players oThe importance of soft skills in professional life Episode Notes Every polisci student knows from their Plato to NATO class, that NATO is (a) considered the most successful alliance of its kind in history and (b) was founded in 1949. As you can imagine, intelligence is incredibly important to the whole endeavor, so why has NATO only had an intelligence supremo since 2016? To find out the answer, and much else besides, Andrew sat down with David Cattler. David is (a) the principal advisor on intelligence to the NATO Secretary General and (b) the lead for coordinating intelligence relationships between NATO and the 75 individual intelligence agencies across its 30 constituent nations (talk about herding cats). With Russian forces built up on the Ukrainian border in February 2022, the timing of this episode is, well, germane. And Andrew picked David up outside the U.S. Department of State and drove him to the SpyCast studio at SPY if the traffic is right, you can do it in under 10 minutes! Quote of the Week "The secretary general is my boss but imagine him in this context to put it in a different frame is that he is the CEO of a large international conglomerate that engages in multiple business lines. And I am the CEO of the business line for intelligence and security. The nation's intelligence services in effect are my corporate board. So, they provide that governance and the oversight for all the work." David Cattler Further Resources SpyCasts oAble Archer 83: An Interview with Nate Jones oOur Latest Long War: An Interview with Ben Jones Books oEnduring Alliance: A History of NATO & the Postwar Global Order, Timothy Andrews Sayle (2019) oHow NATO Adapts: Strategy & Organization in the Alliance Since 1950, Seth A. Johnson (2017) oThe Memoirs of General Lord Ismay, Lord Ismay (1960) oPresent at the Creation, Dean Acheson (1969) oThe Best Books on Contemporary Russia (Five Books) Video oWhat is NATO, Why Does it Exist, and How Does it Work? (NATO) oHow Does a Country Join NATO? (NATO) Documentary oThe Cold War, Narrated by Kenneth Branagh (CNN 1998) Websites oNATO Declassified (NATO) oNATO (Atlantic Council) oNATO (RUSI) Primary Sources oThe North Atlantic Treaty (1949) oAddress by Harry S. Truman on the Signing of the North Atlantic Treaty (1949) oNorth Atlantic Council First Session Summary Minutes (1949) oHistorical Holdings on NATO (Eisenhower Library) oThe NATO Problem: French Forces in Europe (CIA, 1966) oBeing NATOs Secretary General on 9/11 (2011) oUSNATO Oral Histories (ADST) Enjoy the show? Please leave a review here
Tue, 25 Jan 2022 18:27:00 -0000

The Predator Drone Program & the Robotic Revolution with Alec Bierbauer and Mark Cooter

"The Wright Brothers of the U.S. Drone Warfare Program." That is how some people have referred to this week's guests, Alec Bierbauer and Mark Cooter. Andrew sat down with them to dig into drones and their intelligence implications.
Tue, 18 Jan 2022 12:00:00 -0000

How Spies Think 10 Lessons in Intelligence with Sir David Omand [FROM THE ARCHIVE]

This was the most popular episode of 2020. Apparently, people are interested in the views of former GCHQ Director, Joint Intelligence Committee Chair, and first UK Security and Intelligence Coordinator on, well - how spies think. I am sure David now a Visiting Professor at Kings College, London has a few thoughts on the subject. Hear Andrew debrief this weeks guest on the insights derived from a career spent at the summit of British intelligence. 1 Book, 2 Glaswegians, 10 Lessons in Intelligence. Its simple, really. Slinte!
Tue, 11 Jan 2022 12:00:00 -0000

Al Qaeda, DOD & the 9/11 Commission with Ambassador Bonnie Jenkins, Undersecretary for Arms Control & International Security

Alexis Albion star of our 500th episode anniversary special is a very good friend of the current Undersecretary for Arms Control & International Security, Bonnie Jenkins. Way back when, they were both on the 9/11 Commission Report while Alexis focus was on the CIA and counterterrorism before the attacks, Bonnies was on the DOD and counterterrorism tiny subjects, I know. In this weeks episode, hear two old friends reminisce, reflect, and put the world to rights. Move over Saturn, get out of the way Jupiter, two huge brains are a comin through.
Tue, 04 Jan 2022 12:00:00 -0000

Snake-Eaters, Detachment A, CIA A Conversation with James Stejskal

Spook. Warrior. Author. This weeks guest is one helluva interesting guy. He was in a clandestine Special Forces unit in Berlin during the Cold War, stay behinds who would sabotage, subvert and generally wreak havoc should World War III break out. He was badly wounded after driving over a land-mine in Somalia in 1992, almost losing his entire leg and suffering a serious head injury. In a subsequent life, James was a CIA officer in Africa when the US embassies were blown up in Kenya and Tanzania and saw the Agency pivot in the aftermath of 9/11. Oh, did I mention, he also dabbles in combat archaeology. Hours and hours of boredom punctuated by moments of sheer terror. If this sounds like your last trip down the I-95, listening to your blowhard uncle at Thanksgiving, or what its like to watch Jets vs. Giants, its purely coincidence for its how this weeks guest characterized Army life.
Tue, 28 Dec 2021 12:00:00 -0000

American Traitor with ex-Delta Force Author Brad Taylor

Project Prometheus. In the words of ex-Delta Force author Brad Taylor, Super Double Daddy Bad Classified. If youre looking to find a podcast that helps break down the complexities of Chinese foreign policy through the vehicle of a page-turner written by a NYT Bestselling Author, youve arrived at the right doorstep my friend. Brad does serious research. He is also funny, down-to-earth, and super-duper interesting. Por ejemplo, on his first date with his now wife, he told her he was going to join Special Forces and write a novel after 21 years in the military, including many years in a special mission unit, Brad has now written 15. We talk through American Traitor, Pike Logan, his writing process (and Chinese foreign policy).
Wed, 22 Dec 2021 21:22:00 -0000

The Journey of Two Extraordinary Women in Intel. & Security with Lisa Kaplan (Alethea, CEO) and Avril Eklund (GitHub, CSO)

I was really good at buying drugs, which is how I got recruited into narcotics. Apparently, I make a really good crackhead. Frankly, fact-checking doesnt matter in todays world. Intrigued? You should be. Avril and Lisa are absolutely fascinating! Avril built an intelligence team for the Attorney Generals Office in Pennsylvania, from scratch. Her unit collected strategic intel on narcotics trends and went on to predict the methamphetamine trend before it even hit the Keystone State. Lisa was the Digital Director for Angus King of Maine, a Senator on the Select Committee on Intelligence, the Armed Services Committee, and the Energy & Natural Resources Committee. Hmmmmdo you think those committees might have digital information foreign adversaries might be interested inGet the full skinny on Avril CSO for Github - and Lisa CEO of Alethea Group - in this weeks SpyCast. Because intel is regional too.
Tue, 14 Dec 2021 12:00:00 -0000

Special Operations & Intelligence A Conversation with the President of SOFs Think-Do Tank

Post 9/11, special operations and intelligence worked together side-by-side, shoulder-to-shoulder and hand-in-glove (or any other heavily-hyphenated term you care to mention that connotates BFFness). What will happen with the relationship now, though, and in American history how have these two important components of national security related to each other? Enter the Joint Special Operations University (JSOU), located in Tampa, Florida, and more particularly their President Isaiah Ike Wilson, who sits down with Andrew for this weeks episode of #SpyCast. I think, therefore I am Nope. I think, therefore I do
Tue, 07 Dec 2021 17:04:00 -0000

My Global Career as a Female FBI Agent with Kathy Stearman

Beijing. New Delhi. Kathmandu. Hang on, I thought the title said FBI, not CIA? Well, it did. Kathy Stearman was an FBI Legat who lived and worked in all of those capital cities. Well, Ive heard of the Ambassador and the Station Chief, but not the Legat? Well, thats why you need to listen to this weeks SpyCast! Kathy Stearman is a retired FBI Special Agent and author of Its Not About the Gun: Lessons From my Global Career as a Female FBI Agent (I know the title sounds like Lance Armstrongs Its Not About the Bike, but Kathy is not a sociopath who will rip your heart out after you invest in her story: I promise). Kathy spent a large part of her career working Chinese counter-intelligence including time in San Francisco and New York City (I hope the FBI has a generous rent allowance!) and she speaks fluent Mandarin. BUY THE BOOK FROM OUR ONLINE INDEPENDENT BOOKSTORE: HERE
Tue, 30 Nov 2021 13:41:00 -0000

The Birth of American Propaganda A Conversation on Manipulating the Masses with John Hamilton

The Committee on Public Information (CPI) is the first and only Ministry of Propaganda the United States has ever had. It started one week after the United States entered World War I in April of 1917; in fact, there wasn't even conscription for some weeks, but the Committee on Public Information was created right away. Why? To explore this question, and to learn more about the CPI, Andrew sat down with journalist, professor and Vietnam veteran Jack Hamilton (yes, actually sat down, like face-to-face, eyeball-to-eyeball!).
Tue, 23 Nov 2021 12:00:00 -0000

The Recruiter: Part 2 of 2 Modern Spycraft with Doug London (Part 2)

Doug London is thoughtful and reflective but he doesnt pull his punches and he candidly shares his analysis of the contemporary intelligence landscape. In this second part, Doug reflects on the path taken after 9/11, the CIA at the crossroads, and why human intelligence (HUMINT) will remain central to the vast and increasingly technologically sophisticated world of intelligence. Also, hear about a superstar counterintelligence operative Doug is currently running although there is also a rumor, she might be playing the game for herself listen to find out more
Tue, 16 Nov 2021 12:09:00 -0000

The Recruiter: Part 1 of 2 Modern SpyCraft with Doug London

This weeks guest believes that espionage is about the human soul[its] a very intimate professionthe relationship between a case officer and an agent and the need to really havea profound insight window into their life and their souls. Doug London may be accused of many things, but you cant say hes shallow. His book, The Recruiter, is based on a 34 year career and can be purchased from our online independent bookstore. Next week well hear more about Dougs career, his views on CIA at the cross-roads, the centrality of human intelligence to the intelligence business, despite profound technological change, as well what he calls the Lost Art of American Intelligence.
Tue, 09 Nov 2021 21:17:00 -0000

The Happy Traitor A Conversation on George Blake with Biographer Simon Kuper

He was a Soviet agent who was turned by Karl Marx after reading Das Kapital which led him to give up the important operations, a host of MI6 agents and a treasure trove of secret intelligence George Blake was a courier in the Dutch resistance, an MI6 intelligence officer, a language student at Cambridge, a Vice-Consul in South Korea, a prisoner in North Korea, and a hero returning to Britain in 1953. He would escape from a British prison after getting caught and would live out the rest of his life as The Happy Traitor in Moscow before dying in 2020. What did author Simon Kuper think when he sat down to personally interview Blake before his death? Well, youll have to listen to find out. SpyCast listeners can win free copies of the book by entering here: https://bit.ly/3mW1YmL
Tue, 09 Nov 2021 21:10:00 -0000

Soviet Defectors: Revelations of Renegade Intelligence Officers - with World Leading Expert Kevin Riehle

He has worked as a counterintelligence analyst at the FBI and the DIA. He speaks Russian. He was personally supervised by Robert Hanssen. He has an obsession with Soviet Defectors Freedom has many difficulties, said JFK in his Berlin Speech, and democracy is not perfect, but we have never had to put a wall up to keep our people in. What was it like to leave that type of system, though, to come from behind the Iron Curtain and cross the East-West physical and ideological divide? Kevin Riehle has spent many years studying Soviet defectors and their motivations, and he is the author of Soviet Defectors: Revelations of Renegade Intelligence Officers, 1924-1954.
Tue, 02 Nov 2021 12:45:00 -0000

So, Im a Spy & Id like to Write a Book

Nada Bakos is a former CIA analyst and Chief Targeting Officer, Mark Fallon was an NCIS Special Agent and Director of the Criminal Investigative Task Force at Guantanamo, Frank Snepp is a former chief analyst of North Vietnamese Strategy for the CIA during the Vietnam War. Mark Zaid - one of the nations top national security lawyers - joins Andrew to help break the issue down. This weeks guests discuss their motivations, frustrations, victories and defeats in publishing, The Targeter: My Life in the CIA Hunting Terrorists and Challenging the White House; Unjustifiable Means: The Inside Story of How the CIA, Pentagon and US Government Conspired to Torture; and, Decent Interval: An Insiders Account of Saigons End Told by the CIAs Chief Strategy Analyst in Vietnam.
Thu, 28 Oct 2021 23:05:41 -0000

Introducing Shadow of Truth Podcast

Description: Its one of the most haunting murder cases youll ever hear about, and it takes place in a small town in Israel. Tair Rada was only 13-years-old when her body was found inside a locked bathroom stall. She was viciously murdered during a school day, and yet no one saw or heard a thing. The police arrested the janitor, Roman Zadorov, and he eventually confessed, but this was far from being the end of it. Based on the hit true-crime series from Netflix, the podcast "Shadow of Truth" will take you on a journey into one of the wildest and most contested murder cases in the history of Israel, as it reaches its final resolution, 15 years after it all started. Link to Clip http://wondery.fm/SOT_SpyCast
Tue, 26 Oct 2021 11:00:00 -0000

World Series Special: Espionage & Baseball A Conversation with Marc Polymeropoulos

From the SpyCast Field of Dreams: to coincide with the first game of the 117th World Series, a special episode on the links yes, there are many between espionage and Americas Pastime with baseball fanatic and ex-spook (its a baseball special, not Halloween, so no pun intended) Marc Polymeropoulos. Baseball fans, welcome to espionage; espionage fans, welcome to baseball; fans of both welcome to our very own Fall Classic. #baseball #worldseries
Tue, 19 Oct 2021 11:00:00 -0000

First Casualty Inside the CIA Mission to Avenge 9/11

On October 17, 2001, Team Alpha were dropped into the mountains of northern Afghanistan. Two of the eight appear in this weeks episode alongside the author of a new book telling the story of the first Americans behind enemy lines after 9/11 and what a story it is. Justin Sapp was a Green Beret detailed to CIA, he would go on to be a commander in the Asymmetric Warfare Group, and is currently Senior Military Advisor to the U.S. Mission to the United Nations. David Tyson was a polyglot former Central Asian academic who fought jihadists at close-hand to help his comrade, ex-Marine Mike Spann, the first American casualty in a war that would go on to become the longest in American history. In an extended podcast that is both conversation and historical document: this is their story. Award-winning journalist and author Toby Harnden helps contextualize the story of Team Alpha. You can learn more about the book here.
Tue, 12 Oct 2021 16:02:00 -0000

*15th ANNIVERSARY/500th EPISODE SPECIAL* - The CIA and the 9/11 Commission Report A Conversation with Alexis Albion

This is a big one, a very big one: our 500th episode & 15th anniversary We have come a long way since we began back in 2006 its quite fitting then, that in this weeks episode I speak to our very first historian and curator, Alexis Albion, who is currently the Curator for Special Projects here at the Spy Museum Alexis actually left us way back when to be on the 9/11 Commission Report, where she was the central researcher on the CIA and US counterterrorism policy before 9/11. Hang on, did you just say what I think you said, she was the central researcher on the CIA? Yup. I know, what the hell, right, weve been sitting on this story all this time! Episode 500 is a good time to thank two of the behind-the-scenes unsung technical heroes Mike and Memphis who have been involved with more SpyCasts than anyone else. They are awesome. They are great guys, and they rock. Other people who have been involved in the content side of SpyCast have included Peter Earnest and Chris Costa, our former and current Exec Director, as well as my other predecessors in the Historian & Curator role: Thomas Bogart, Mark Stout and Vince Houghton. The show would of course be nothing without our guests, who have contributed their time, expertise and experience to help educate, inform and occasionally entertain the public on the vitally important matters of intelligence and espionage. Sometimes this past year I have felt like Churchill, in that he got the job he had always coveted: but under the least auspicious circumstances. It has been emotional people, but, we are getting there. Heres to the next 500. Slinthe.
Tue, 05 Oct 2021 11:00:00 -0000

Cyberattacks, Espionage & Ransomware Inside Microsofts Threat Intelligence Center (MSTIC)

From your Visa card to your Outlook account, and from the gas you pump into your Ford to your Windows operating system, a cyber struggle is taking place all around us. In this episode Andrew spoke to founder of Microsofts threat hunting intelligence center John Lambert, which tracks the worlds most dangerous cybercriminals and state-affiliated hackers, and the head of the Digital Security Unit Cristin Goodwin, who helps provide security support to governments and works closely with Johns team. Microsoft has billions of customers, serves millions of businesses, and works with almost every government department: to say it might have something to do with information and intelligence would be like saying perhaps it would have been a good idea to have bought buy some shares when it first went public in 1986 (June 2021 it was valued at 2 trillion dollars!).
Tue, 28 Sep 2021 11:00:00 -0000

Leningrad, Molehunts, and Life After the CIA - A Conversation with Christopher Burgess

He is the Horatio Alger of the CIA. His first job was punching paper. He went on to be a Station Chief. He worked for every directorate.He lived in several continents. He was in the Soviet Union for six years. He was caught up in the molehunt for Robert Hanssen. He survived to tell his tale. Christopher is genial, hearty and now lives in the other Washington (the rainy state on the West Coast, not the rainy town in Northern England) in the foothills of the Cascade Mountains, where he writes for our friends at Clearance Jobs. He tweets @burgessct
Tue, 21 Sep 2021 11:00:00 -0000

One of CIAs Most Decorated Field Officers A Conversation with Marc Polymeropoulos

What do you get if you cross a Greek Orthodox guy from Athens and a Jewish girl from Long Island; and then mix in two Ivy League degrees and a 26-year career in the Central Intelligence Agency? If you havent worked out that this refers to Marc, given that he is mentioned in the episode title, you can probably forget ever having a career in intelligence. Mark is brimming with vitality, chock full of stories, and can talk baseball and wings as well as the finer points of Algerian politics or US grand strategy in the Middle East. If you ever pull up a bar stool next to Mark: youve hit a home run! Marks new book, Clarity in Crisis: Leadership Lessons From the CIA, distills the insights he derived from his career and is available in the International Spy Museums bookshop.
Tue, 14 Sep 2021 11:00:00 -0000

Curators Corner: Osama bin Laden with Peter Bergen

As the 20th anniversary of 9/11 approached Peter Bergen sought to reevaluate the man responsible for precipitating Americas long wars with al-Qaeda and its descendants. Bergen produced the first television interview with bin Laden in 1997. He has had years to reflect on and study the man. In his new book The Rise and Fall of Osama bin Laden he captures all the dimensions of his life: family man, zealot, battlefield commander, terrorist leader, and fugitive. Join International Spy Museum Historian and Curator Andrew Hammond in conversation with Bergen about the many contradictions he finds in bin Laden and why his legacy lives on despite his failure at achieving any of his strategic goals. Bergen, a Vice President at New America, is the author or editor of nine books, including three New York Times bestsellers and four Washington Post best nonfiction books of the year. He is a national security analyst for CNN and has testified before congressional committees 18 times about national security issues. Thanks to exclusive interviews with family members and associates, and documents unearthed only recently, Bergen has used the knowledge he has gained in the intervening years to discover who bin Laden really was and why he continues to inspire a new generation of jihadists.
Sat, 11 Sep 2021 11:00:00 -0000

I was a Presidential Daily Briefer on 9/11 Mike Morell & President Bush

Mike Morell was with President Bush on the morning of 9/11. He saw the President several times that day. Ten years later he was with President Obama for the bin Laden raid. He was former Acting and Deputy Director of the CIA. He comes from Ohio. For the rest, its best if you hear Mike. I believe that when we get to the end of the trail, were going to find al Qaeda, and were going to find an Osama bin Laden. I told him that I was so confident in that judgment that I would bet my childrens future on it.
Sat, 11 Sep 2021 11:00:00 -0000

I was a Presidential Daily Briefer on 9/11 Kristin Wood & Scooter Libby, With Special Guest Phil Mudd, Director of Gulf Affairs at the NSC

Kristin Wood was at CIA HQ on the morning of 9/11. Phil Mudd was at the National Security Council. Kristin was a PDB briefer for the VPs National Security Advisor. Phil was Director for Gulf Affairs. They would go on to work counterterrorism together. Kristen has a Wheaton Terrier. Phil has a farm. For the rest, its best if you hear Kristin and Phil. knowing that every day, you had to deliver relevant information to the nation's leaders, it is a feeling of enormous responsibility that all of the 1000s and 1000s and 1000s of intelligence officers who have done amazing work, you want to represent it faithfully. I just I didn't want to be alone. I didn't know what was going on. So I stayed at a friend's house, maybe a mile or two from my house just watching through the downing of the Towers. And at that point, I said, I'm going home. My only other memories are realizing I couldn't go to the White House.
Sat, 11 Sep 2021 11:00:00 -0000

I was a Presidential Daily Briefer on 9/11 Dave Terry & Vice President Cheney

Dave Terry was with Vice President Cheney on the morning of 9/11. He started work as a PDB briefer the same day as Mike. He went on to be Chief of the PDB. He started out working on grain production at the CIA in 1979. He comes from Kansas. For the rest, its best if you hear Dave. And I think for any intelligence officer, what you're doing is often overwhelming, whether you're in front of the President, or a vice president, or the asset that you're trying to debrief, or your colleaguesAnd the stakes often are life and death.
Wed, 08 Sep 2021 10:15:00 -0000

Afghanistan, the Mujahedeen, Al Qaeda My Time at CIA & State with Diana Bolsinger

It was the 1980s. I don't think they'll ever have the fun I had that year, at 23 years old, going to the White House and the NSC, briefing cabinet membersI mean, you name it. It was just incredible! Three years into her CIA career, Diana Bolsinger found herself on point as the sole person working on the Afghanistan account in her department. Thereafter, she was Acting Deputy to the Ambassador to the Afghan Resistance (mujahedeen), a political officer in Islamabad, an analyst at the Counterterrorism Center (CTC), and received multiple awards including for her role in investigating the Boston Marathon bombing. She has a serious Afghanistan/Pakistan resume; Al Qaeda were on her radar from 1990; and, she oozes calm, measured, thoughtful analysis. Ladies & gentlemen: Diana Bolsinger.
Tue, 31 Aug 2021 11:00:00 -0000

CYBER AUGUST: National Cryptologic Museum With Vince Houghton

Turning the tide in the Pacific at the Battle of Midway, establishing secure communications on the beaches during D-Day, staving off nuclear Armageddon what did cryptology ever have to do with anything, right? To discuss these big themes and to celebrate our partnership on the exhibition Codes, Ciphers and Mysteries we brought back you know who, Executive Director of the National Cryptologic Museum (NCM) and former SpyCast host, Vince Houghton (Retd). Through the end of September 2021, you can see the NCMs superstar artifacts here at SPY before they return to their home base at Fort Meade. Sssshhhhh, thoughNo Such Museum.
Tue, 24 Aug 2021 11:00:00 -0000

CYBER AUGUST: So, You Want to Be a Codebreaker? Elonka Dunin and Klaus Schmeh

Codes. Ciphers. Mysteries. This weeks guests are fascinated by codebreaking and cryptography: as well they should be! The Voynich Manuscript, the Dorabella Letter, The Beale Papers, the Zodiac Cipher, Kryptos so much history, intrigue, and speculation. Andrew sat down with Elonka Dunin, code-breaker extraordinaire, and Klaus Schmeh, a world leading expert on the history of cryptography, to discuss the cat-and-mouse game between code-makers and code-breakers across the ages from ancient cuneiform up to quantum cryptography. Word to the wise: their book has been described by Sir Dermot Turing as the best book on codebreaking I have ever read, a must for would be recruits to GCHQ and the NSA.
Tue, 17 Aug 2021 11:00:00 -0000

CYBER AUGUST: Snowden & Surveillance Pulitzer Prize Winning Journalist Barton Gellman

Is Edward Snowden a traitor a hero? Does the surveillance state threaten freedom or secure it? Andrew sat down with investigative reporter Barton Gellman, author of Dark Mirror: Edward Snowden and the American Surveillance State, and part of the team that won the 2014 Pulitzer Prize for Public Service for coverage of the National Security Agency and Edward Snowden, to discuss these issues and more. Bart has a serious resume: The Atlantic, The Washington Post, LA Times Book Prize, Emmy Awards (yes, plural), another Pulitzer Prize (greedy!), but I think you get the general ideathis one might make you scream yourself to sleep, sleep like a baby, or not want to waken up, but it will definitely get you thinking. If it does our work here is done.
Tue, 10 Aug 2021 16:59:00 -0000

CYBER AUGUST: The Cyber Zeitgeist Cyberwire Host Dave Bittner

Have you ever felt like cyber is changing so quickly, it is difficult to keep up? This weeks guest has seen Cyber-beams glitter in the dark near the Tannhuser Gate. How? He hosts no less than 10 podcasts per week on the topic! From the Cyberwire Daily to Hacking Humans, and from Career Notes to Recorded Future, Dave Bittner is what you might call: busy. Dave and Andrew talk the Silicon Valley of the East, state-affiliated hackers, organized crime and staying cyber-safe because its a jungle out there, people.
Tue, 03 Aug 2021 13:19:00 -0000

CYBER AUGUST: Threats to America Top U.S. Official Michael Orlando on Foreign Espionage & Cyber Citizenry

Counterintelligence. Security. Two words that have serious pull in Washington D.C. The problem is, how do you ensure the strings, woodwind, brass and percussion are all playing the same music? Welcome to the National Counterintelligence and Security Center (NCSC). Acting Director Michael Orlando was this weeks guest, where he sat down with Andrew yes, literally sat down, poor Hammond is actually getting to do what his predecessors did and do podcasts face-to-face to discuss how he helps conduct the orchestra. Michael is fascinating all by his lonesome he came to the job via the U.S. Army, CIA and the FBI but add his story to that of the NCSC and the current counterintelligence landscape, and you have the makings of Beethovens Ninth.
Tue, 27 Jul 2021 11:00:00 -0000

"Red Widow" - Alma Katsu on Writing Bestsellers & 30+ Years in Intelligence

"Deeply, deeply, disturbing." This is how Alma's Katsu's book, The Hunger, was described by Stephen King. Ok, I'll repeat that, that's how her book was described by Stephen King, author of Carrie, The Shining and Misery! The Hunger was based on the infamous Donner Party trip of the nineteenth century, but her most recent book, Red Widow, turns to intelligence and espionage - something Alma knows rather a lot about having spent over thirty years at the NSA and the CIA. Since leaving the intelligence community, Alma has settled into life as an award-winning and bestselling author (with a side-gig as a technology forecaster!). Want some tips on writing your own book or want to know how the NSA and CIA compare? You'll need to listen to find out.
Tue, 20 Jul 2021 11:00:00 -0000

Special Operations, FBI, NSC, et al Serial Collaborator Karen Schaefer (Part 2)

Last weeks episode focused on Karen Schaefer, CIA Operator, while this weeks episode looks at her time as a Serial Collaborator. Karen specialized in making sure the heart, brain, left hand and right hand had a better idea of what each was up to and were functioning in unison whether as Director of Intelligence Programs at the National Security Council (NSC), in the leadership group at the FBI (then Director James Comey was fired two days after she arrived), or with the Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC) in a warzone. There is always a lot of focus on the arteries and veins of intelligence this week we look a little more closely at the capillaries.
Tue, 13 Jul 2021 11:22:00 -0000

On the Streets, Location Unknown - CIA Operator Karen Schaefer (Part I)

From counternarcotics to counterterrorism, from Latin America to the Middle East, and from the back streets of a warzone to the center of events in Washington DC Karen Schaefer has had, how should we say, an eventful career as an intelligence officer. Charming, smart, thoughtful, and you havent even met Karen yetbut seriously, it was a pleasure to talk to this weeks guest who had all of those qualities, and more; so enjoyable it will be released as a double-header. This week, Part I focuses on her time as an operator; while Part II focuses on her time as a serial collaborator who worked with Special Operations, the FBI, and the NSC. Stay tuned
Sun, 04 Jul 2021 11:00:00 -0000

4th July Special: Birthplace of American Espionage - Spy Sites of Philadelphia

Cheesesteaks. Baseball. Rocky. Espionage?Hear about the Philly you never knew as the birthplace of American espionage. From the Committee on Spies during the Revolution (now there is one committee, that actually sounds like it would be good to be on!) to Allen Pinkerton and Kate Warren during the Civil War, up through the A-bomb, a former Director of Central Intelligence, and a conspirator for the Mumbai Bombing of 2008 - Philadelphia has all kinds of fascinating links to the world of intelligence and espionage. Andrew sat down with H. Keith Melton, the worlds pre-eminent collector of espionage related artifacts, and Bob Wallace, former Director of the CIAs Office of Technical Services who has been called the real life Q of the CIA, to discuss their latest collaboration: Spy Sites of Philadelphia. Happy Birthday America!
Tue, 29 Jun 2021 11:00:00 -0000

"One Arm, Twice the Punch: Legendary CIA Operator Rick Diaz

Quit. Fail. Give-up. Rick Diaz refused to acknowledge the meaning of these terms. The result? Well, youll need to listen to find out.
Tue, 22 Jun 2021 11:00:00 -0000

Spy Satellites, Outer Space & the NRO - Beyond the Krmn Line

Spy satellites are fascinating! Man-made objects up there sometimes way up there looking down to see what other humans are up to. I believe its called a Gods eye view. You may not be as unfamiliar with satellites as you think: for starters, youre on one! The earth is a satellite of the sun, the moon is a satellite of the earth, you are a satellite ofhistorian Dr. James Outzen sat down with Andrew to talk about artificial i.e., man-made satellites as part of a conversation marking the 60th anniversary of the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO).
Sat, 19 Jun 2021 11:00:00 -0000

Juneteenth Special: African American Spies - As Chosen By a Spy, A Diplomat and a Magazine Editor

A superstar line-up chooses an African American spy from American history. Harriet Tubman, Ralph Bunche and Willie Merkerson Jr. are introduced, before we have a discussion about African Americans and the American experience. Our guests are Mel Gamble, a former CIA Chief of the Africa Division and Senior Intelligence officer; Reuben E. Brigety II, former US Ambassador to the African Union and current Vice Chancellor of the University of the South; and Kaia Niambi Shivers, writer, activist and founder of Ark Republic magazine. #Juneteenth
Tue, 15 Jun 2021 11:00:00 -0000

Risk Taker, Spy Maker CIA Operator Barry Broman

Barry Broman spent most of his life in South-east Asia as a photographer, an infantry officer, and as a diplomat (although not really!). It is not that he wasnt a diplomat - its just that he did something else toolike recruit over 40 agents, escape the genocidal Khmer Rouge, supervise covert paramilitary operations, and bring in gargantuan quantities of heroin in major drug busts. Barry has lived a life and then some. Andrew sat down with Barry to talk about his life east of the Irrawaddy River. You can buy Barry's book here.
Tue, 08 Jun 2021 11:00:00 -0000

The Spymasters Prism CIA Legend Jack Devine on Countering Russian Aggression

What do Afghan Mujahedeen, the KGB, Pablo Escobar, Iran-Contra, and Chilean Elections have in common? Two words: Jack Devine. This CIA legend is the Forrest Gump of the intelligence world, in that he always finds himself at the center of events. Jack reflects on his remarkable career and hones in on Russian aggression and Vladimir Putin, the subject of his current book, The Spymasters Prism. Anybody who went from the streets of blue-collar Philadelphia to Acting Deputy Director of Operations for the CIA has serious gumption.
Tue, 01 Jun 2021 11:05:00 -0000

Do You Have a Plan for the Worst 15 Seconds of Your Life? Life Saving Lessons from CIA Operator Rob Montgomery

Rob Montgomery had a real scare on deployment in Afghanistanthe scare was back in Virginia though; he had a motion detect on his phone that showed multiple unidentified males outside his home in a sleepy college town - while his wife and children were asleep inside. Youll need to listen to hear the rest of the story, but it did prompt Rob to think more deeply about the life-saving skills he developed over 34 years serving in some of the most austere and dangerous places on the planet. We talk situational awareness, CIA training, Krav Maga, and whether you need a go-bag!
Tue, 25 May 2021 11:00:00 -0000

A Jewish Spy in Nazi Germany 101-Year-Old Marthe Cohns Incredible True Story

Hear an incredible true story. Marthe Cohn was a young Jewish woman who went behind enemy lines into Nazi Germany with a pair of walking shoes, a cover story, and about half a ton of chutzpah. 101-year-old Marthe spoke to Andrew over the phone from her home in Los Angeles.
Tue, 18 May 2021 11:00:00 -0000

Intelligence & the Worlds Largest Democracy - Indian Spy Chief Vikram Sood

In a first for the show, this weeks guest is a former spy chief from the worlds largest democracy. Vikram Sood was the Director of India's Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW). Andrew and Vikram talk Pakistan, China, the United States, human capital, intelligence reform and the power of narratives: because spies can be sensitive souls too.
Tue, 11 May 2021 13:18:00 -0000

The Greatest Analyst We Ever Had CIA Spy Chief Marty Petersen

Where to begin. Marty was described to me as, the greatest analyst we ever had (truthfully), would I be interested in speaking to him? Guess the answer!? The result, a SpyCast with a CIA analytic legend. For 40 years Marty analyzed intelligence for US foreign policymakers, trained a whole generation of analysts, and mentored figures who would go on to have senior leadership positions within American intelligence, such as former Acting and Deputy Director of CIA Mike Morrell. In this episode we talk China, Asia, making sense of the world, and a whole host of topical issues.
Tue, 04 May 2021 11:00:00 -0000

"The FBI Way" - Counterintelligence Spy Chief Frank Figliuzzi

This weeks guest is Frank Figliuzzi, former assistant director of Counterintelligence at the FBI, who oversaw all espionage investigations across the US govt. He served for 25 years as a Special Agent, which included countering economic espionage in Silicon Valley, being appointed the FBIs Chief Inspector, and heading up the Cleveland Division. He is the recent author of The FBI Way and a current columnist and national security correspondent for NBC News.In this weeks episode we talk about a sitting member of congress and a presidential candidate who were just a little too close to foreign intelligence services, and hear some of his thoughts on former FBI Directors Bob Mueller and James Comey. Unfun fact: Franks first unit chief at FBI HQ was at the center of, possibly the worst intelligence disaster in US history. Listen to find out more. Buy Frank's book "The FBI Way" here: https://bit.ly/3xEx99s
Tue, 27 Apr 2021 11:00:00 -0000

US Air Force Office of Special Investigations: Part 2

Infosec. Cybersec. Techsec. In the second part of our double-header on the US Air Force Office of Special Investigations, we round out our previous discussion with two former Directors of Counterintelligence for the US Air Force, Jude Sunderbruch and Terry Phillips. Their world-wide remit includes cybersecurity, information security, technology protection and all things air power and counter-intelligence. N.B. SpyCast 2.0 Next week we reboot SpyCast with improved audio and some additional tweaks, hacks, bells and whistles. Through the rest of 2021, we will be seeking out every ounce of audio quality we can and continuing to refine the content and much else besides. We will also be rolling out new material including transcripts for each episode with time-stamps, extended show notes that break the content down and give you the take-aways, as well as links to further reading/sources and complimentary episodes. Thanks for your patience! It. Has. Been. Emotional.
Tue, 20 Apr 2021 11:00:00 -0000

The Courier (2021) The Directors Take with Dominic Cooke

Andrew and Director Dominic Cooke sit down to talk about his new movie The Courier (2021), starring Benedict Cumberbatch, Rachel Brosnahan and Merab Ninidze, which tells the story of Greville Wynne and Oleg Penkovsky. A Cold War spy thriller based on true events where humanity was precariously perched on a wire.
Tue, 13 Apr 2021 11:00:00 -0000

Russian Spy, American Defector Meet Jan Neumann

If you think that all the best spy stories happened during the Cold War we have a doozy for you. In 2008 FSB officer Alexy Yurievich Artmonov was presented with three choices: (1) put a bullet in his own head, (2) wait for someone else to do it, (3) run. Which would you choose? Alexy chose (3). In fact, this story has all the makings of Cold War spy fiction: caught between the long arm of corrupt government officials and the mob, a spy and his wife go on the run leaving friends and family behind; to shake off any would be pursuers they book multiple decoy flights, and end up drinking rum cocktails in the Caribbean, before walking into the US Embassy in Santo Domingo seeking to exchange secrets in return for a new life and new identitiesexcept, it was not quite that simple. Oh, and it happens to be true. Join us as we explore how Alexy, the Russian FSB officer born in the former USSR, became Jan Neumann the graphic novel author, producer and storyteller living in America. Like the very best spy stories, truth happens to be stranger than fiction. P.S. Next week we announce the launch date for SpyCast 2.0!
Tue, 06 Apr 2021 11:00:00 -0000

Intelligence and the Presidency - WIth John Hedley

Continuing our journey through SpyCasts greatest hits enroute to our relaunch, we arrive on a topic of perennial interest and great importance: intelligence and the US presidency. Just how is information from the intelligence community (IC) conveyed to the president? How have different administrations incorporated intelligence into the political decision-making process? This blast from the past features John Hedley, former CIA officer and editor of the Presidents Daily Brief (PDB), who reviews the relationship between the IC and presidents since World War II, in the course revealing fascinating episodes from his personal experience in dealing with several administrations and multiple presidents.
Tue, 30 Mar 2021 11:00:00 -0000

Crossfire Hurricane: Trump, Russia & the FBI A Conversation with Josh Campbell

Josh Campbell lit his cigar and extinguished the match. It was Inauguration Day 2017, and he was on the roof of his Washington D.C. apartment building. As the outgoing Obamas made their way overhead on a helicopter, he turned to his father who had flown up from Texas for the event and remarked, I hope Trump is good for the FBI. Josh Campbell, former Special Assistant to the Director of the FBI, was chosen by James Comey because he didnt shy away from speaking his mind. No matter what your politics are, you will want to hear him speak his mind and listen to his fly-on-the-wall account of some of the most momentous events in the modern history of the FBI. He was present at a meeting in Trump Tower on January 6, 2017, two weeks before the inauguration, that would later lead to his boss being fired; it would also lead to his former boss Bob Mueller being appointed as Special Counsel to head up an investigation into alleged collusion between Russia and the Trump campaign during the 2016 presidential election. Before the Report on the Investigation Into Russian Interference in the 2016 Presidential Election, and indeed before Muellers appointment, the FBI headed up a counterintelligence investigation into the allegations they codenamed Crossfire Hurricane (yes, after the first line of the Rolling Stones most performed and perhaps best loved song, 1968 hit Jumpin Jack Flash!). This is also the name of Campbells recent book Crossfire Hurricane: Inside Donald Trumps War on Justice & the FBI written as part of his effort to speak out after leaving the FBI. Campbell, who is now a CNN correspondent, spoke to Andrew at an International Spy Museum event on St. Patricks Day, March 17, 2021. We couldnt get you two Irishmen, but we did get the next best thing: a Scot and an American with a very Scottish last name. This episode may lead to heated arguments: but if it does, it will merely be keeping in line with pub culture in Glasgow, Belfast and Dublin! Carl Sagan said, extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence. Listen and decide for yourself what is and what is not extraordinary and what is and what is not evidence because due diligence dictated that it couldnt be all holding hands around the campfire between Andrew and Josh. P.S. Not too much longer before SpyCast 2.0.
Tue, 23 Mar 2021 11:00:00 -0000

The Cambridge Five From the Vault

As we continue ramping up for SpyCast 2.0, featuring a content overhaul and improved audio, we release a real gem on a perennial favorite of the SpyCast community. You literally couldnt make this one up, it has everything youd expect to see at Shakespeares Globe betrayal, suspicion, ambition, political machinations, royal intrigue and flabbergasting chutzpah. Philby. Burgess. MacLean. Blunt. Cairncross. Spies who betrayed their country in the name of an ideal: communism. In the 1930s, five young Cambridge University students were recruited by Soviet intelligence to penetrate the British establishment. In the course of their espionage career, the Five did enormous damage to Western security. The gradual unravelling of the spy ring across the decades also led to mole-hunts and an ever widening ring of paranoia. It even put the special relationship between Britain and America under strain. While parts of their story inspired the pages of Cold War spy thrillers, back in 2009 British intelligence author Nigel West examined their motivations and activities, and revealed new evidence he unearthed in Soviet intelligence archives.
Tue, 16 Mar 2021 11:00:00 -0000

British Intelligence Spy Chief Stella Rimington

As we gear up for an exciting new Spring program which will feature a number of changes including a content overhaul and improved audio we are releasing some of our greatest hits from the vault.Back in 2007 Dame Stella Rimington, former Director-General of MI5, spoke about British intelligence past and present and compared British and American approaches to intelligence. She was the first female Director General of the Security Service (better known by its three letter abbreviation, MI5) and her autobiography is entitled, Open Secret: The Autobiography of the Former Director-General of MI5. She is also the author of a number of novels. Most recently in her Liz Carlyle series are, The Moscow Sleepers (2018) and Breaking Cover (2016).During her 30+ year career, she worked in all the main fields of MI5s area of responsibility: counter-subversion, counter-espionage and counter-terrorism.During Dame Stellas watch, MI5 moved towards greater openness, so it is fitting that this interview is with a former CIA Director of Media Relations, The International Spy Museums former Executive Director Peter Earnest.Suggested pairings:How Spies Think Spy Chief David Omand (Nov 24, 2020)The MI5 Centenary (Dec 1, 2009)
Tue, 09 Mar 2021 12:00:00 -0000

Son of Hamas, Spy for Israel "The Green Prince" (From the Vault)

ONE OF THE GREAT SPY STORIES OF MODERN TIMES Palestinian & Israeli. Agent & Handler. Mosab & Gonen. One became involved with Hamas almost as a birthright, his father, after all, was a founder and its spiritual leader; the other was inspired to join Shin Bet, Israels internal security service, after the assassination of Yitzhak Rabin in 1995, and had a father in the Israeli Army. They seemed destined for a collision course. Fate would bring them together, danger would bind them together, but it was loyalty that kept them together. A unique bond was forged between Mosab Hassan Yousef, aka The Green Prince, and Gonen Ben Yitzhak, aka Captain Loai, that is remarkably rare in agent-handler relationships. If he could come to Israel and I know he cant he would be like a member of my family, notes the Israeli, who revealed his true identity to testify on Mosabs behalf at an immigration hearing in San Diego. Gonens children, meanwhile, call the Palestinian Uncle Yousef. Some stories seem too far-fetched to be true. This one is both.Hopefully you can come to the International Spy Museum one day where we look at their story in one of our exhibits (in the meantime you can also stream the award-winning documentary, The Green Prince). This episode is a blast from the past, our founding Executive Director Peter Earnest was the compre, that lives on.Recommended pairings:Shadow Wars, 2020 Israel, Iran & America Dec 8, 2020Israeli Intelligence Dec 1, 2020
Tue, 02 Mar 2021 12:46:00 -0000

Drug Cartels, Sleeper Cells, the Waco Siege & the Mob The Life & Times of Dennis Franks

Former FBI Special Agent Dennis Franks is nothing if not interesting. He has faced off against the Columbian Cali Cartel yes, the Cali Cartel from Season 3 of Narcos the Mexican Gulf Cartel, MS-13, Sicilian Mafiosos, and all manner of gangbanger, gangster and narcotraficante. He has been a firearms instructor, on an Enhanced SWAT Team, and ran his own undercover unit. He has also worked Russian intelligence and Russian organized crime: It was very much a learning experience, because that was very different from a lot of the other organizations I have worked. Why? Well, youll have to listen to find out. It doesnt stop there though, Dennis was at the Waco Siege in 1993, and he offers listeners a particularly poignant moment involving a little girl, a rearview mirror and a knot in his stomach. He now runs his own investigative and security company out of Austin, Texas, and he was recently the Host & Executive Producer of A&E Investigates: The Plot Against America. This was not the alternative history TV series where the USA and Nazi Germany sign a treaty under President Hindenburg, based on a Philip Roth novel, but a real-life hunt for Russian sleeper agents in North-eastern Tennessee. Yes, you heard it correctly Tennessee. Why? It might have something to do with a beautiful woman and the atomic bomb. Again, youll need to listen to find out! As a North Carolina man in Texas, he gives us the final word on who has the best BBQor maybe the controversy will continue.
Tue, 23 Feb 2021 12:00:00 -0000

Stuxnet, Jiu Jitsu & Michelle Obama A Conversation With Nicole Perloth (Part 2)

Nicole Perloth descended into the cyber netherworld and emerged to share her wisdom. This is the second of a double-header with the New York Times cybersecurity reporter and author of This is How They Tell Me The World Ends. Andrew and Nicole talk Armageddon, Stuxnet, Jiu Jitsu, and Michelle Obama youll need to listen to see the link to the former First Lady. Sit back, buckle up, and get ready to tailgate the future.
Tue, 16 Feb 2021 12:00:00 -0000

So, A KGB Spy & A Navy Intel Guy Walk Into a BarJack Barsky & Keith Mahoney

The door to the walk-in cooler slammed shut behind Jack Barsky. This is it, he thought, this is how it all ends in a restaurant in the Deep South at the hands of a crazy Irish-American eight inches shorter than me. He said he was taking me through a secret passage to a speakeasy. But it was not the end that day in Atlanta, 30 years after the Cold Wars end, but a new beginning. The residual fear felt by the former deep-cover KGB illegal soon dissipated and a new friendship was born over drinks. We ended up, at a very small bar, looking out through a two-way mirror at all the people in the restaurant, what a great place for two old spies to be. Hear Jack Barsky (if youve ever watched The Americans he worked for the real-life Directorate S!) and former US Navy Counterintelligence Agent, Keith Mahoney (if youve ever seen NCIS, he was in its 1980s equivalent) swap war stories. They grew up on either side of the Cold War divide, drank the ascribed kool-aid, lived parallel lives and ended up best buds! Enjoy.
Tue, 09 Feb 2021 16:05:00 -0000

The Cyber Arms Race Spies, Hackers & Nicole Perloth of the NY Times (Part 1)

Have you seen that episode of The Crown where an intruder gets in one of the most heavily guarded buildings in the world via an unlocked window? Welcome to its cyber equivalent: zero-days. Join Andrew and Nicole Perloth, award-winning cybersecurity and digital espionage reporter for the New York Times, as they descend into a cyber netherworld that will enlighten, challenge and quite possibly terrify you. Oh, I almost forgot, she is also the author of what has been called quite possibly the most important book of the year, This is How They Tell Me The World Ends. Guess where you can hear all about it before talks at storied bookstores such as City Lights in San Francisco, Powells in Portland and McNally Jackson In NYC, or indeed conversations at UT Austin, UC Irvine or at the Center for the Study of the Presidency & Congress.Yup, youve guessed it (we drop the podcast the day the book hits the shelves). Run your software updates, turn on two-factor authentication and cross your fingers: the future is gonna be wild.
Tue, 02 Feb 2021 12:00:00 -0000

U.S. Air Force Counterintelligence Office of Special Investigations (Part 1 of 2)

Counterintelligence. Counterespionage. Criminal Investigations. The Office of Special Investigations (OSI) have a fascinating remit around the world and across the country one that also includes cyber, infosec and technology protection. What better way to break all of this down than to chat to TWO former Directors of Counterintelligence for the U.S. Air Force, Jude Sunderbruch and Terry Phillips. They are colleagues, collaborators and close friends who have seen momentous changes in the operational environment since they first met back in the 90s (are the 90s back in the day already? What the hell happened? Im getting old). Jude is currently Executive Director at their HQ in Quantico, Virginia. With regards to Terry, what could be more special than talking to a Special Agent from Special Investigations? Why, a Special Agent from Special Investigations who happens to be the Executive Director of Special Projects. I hope you enjoy this one as much as I did. Muy interesante.
Tue, 26 Jan 2021 12:00:00 -0000

Desperately, Madly in Love Brett Peppler and the Australian IC

What better way to start developing an Antipodean flavor to SpyCast than to release an episode with Brett Peppler. Aussie Army. Spec Ops. Deputy Director Military Intelligence. AIPIO President. Professor. Hes been around the block, thought about the block, and anticipated what the block might do next (he said he is, "desperately, madly in love with Futures Intelligence"). The Indo-Pacific is often overlooked, but it will be a key component of international security long after Brett and I have slipped the surly bonds of earth for the Great Gig in the Sky. The timing of our conversation was interesting, it was the official national holiday of Australia where Brett was (Australia Day, 26th Jan), and the unofficial national holiday of Scotland where I was (Burns Night, Jan 25th). Coincidence? Serendipity? Conspiracy? One for the intelligence analysts among us methinks.
Tue, 19 Jan 2021 12:00:00 -0000

American Spy A Conversation with Lauren Wilkinson

Marie Mitchell is an FBI agent sent by the CIA to spy on the African Che Guevara, leftist president of Burkina Faso, Thomas Sankara. Inspired by real events, he became president in 1983 at the age of 33, this weeks guest takes what is best about the spy fiction genre and gives it her own unique je ne sais quoi (if most of what you know about this land-locked West African country can be written on a business card, guess the official language?). The week of Martin Luther King Jr. Day seemed like an opportune moment to introduce Lauren Wilkinson to the SpyCast community: for a spy thriller written by a black female author, featuring a black female protagonist, set in an African country is a triple rarity for the genre. Join Andrew and Lauren as they talk about her debut novel, which managed to make it on to summer reading list of a former US president to find out which one you will have to listen and about some of her favourite spy novels. Her book is now availableOne reviewer said it is like the best of John le Carr. Need I really say more?
Thu, 07 Jan 2021 22:33:00 -0000

Insurrection The Intelligence Implications: A SpyCast Special

January 6, 2021. What to say. Former president George W. Bush, 2012 Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney, and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell all used the term insurrection. As these momentous events unfolded I watched it on TV although I can literally see the US Capitol from my rooftop I was constantly thinking about the intelligence implications. Long story short, I reached out to Diana Bolsinger and Mark Stout and voila! welcome to a SpyCast Special. Dianas background includes service in the National Counterterrorism Center, at the CIA and in the U.S. Department of State. Mark had an equally well-rounded career at INR, the CIA, and the Army Staff at the Pentagon. Both formers now teach and research intelligence and national security. Grab a brew, or something stronger, and mull this one over.
Tue, 05 Jan 2021 12:00:00 -0000

Chinese. Communist. Espionage. (Part 2 of 2) - Dr. Matthew Brazil

This is the second in our two-parter with Dr. Matthew Brazil, a historian of Chinese Communist Party (CCP) intelligence operations. Andrew and Matt discuss everything from recruitment, ideology, and foreign tourism, to modern history and contemporary politics all the biggies really. Ever wondered about the century of humiliation or the Great Firewall of China? This might be the episode for you (but dont forget Part 1!). Matt spent over twenty years working in East and South Asia. Even better, the book is based on an engagement with hundreds of Chinese language sources. Well, whatddayaknow?
Tue, 29 Dec 2020 12:00:00 -0000

Pardon Me, Mr. President - From the Vault

Edward Snowden is back in the news. I know what you are thinking: shocker! As we move into the new year from the annus horribilis that was 2020, however, one of the main intelligence stories is will Snowden receive a presidential pardon. Come to think of it, does he even deserve one? Back in what now seems like the mists of time, 2013, Mark Stout sat down with one of the nations top national security lawyers, Mark Zaid, for a legal perspective on the then recent Snowden case. Like a smoky 8 year old single malt, this one lingers on the palate (which depending on your taste may be a good or a bad thing). At the very least, we provide some context on todays headlines in the run down to Hogmanay. Wishing you and yours all the best.
Tue, 22 Dec 2020 12:00:00 -0000

The Future of the Intelligence Community

Nothing makes me happier than a conversation with whip smart people on the past, present or future of intelligence: enter Heather Williams, a senior policy researcher at RAND, and Zachery Tyson Brown, a strategic futurist and founder of Consilient Strategies. With decades of experience at multiple agencies, multiple deployments overseas, advanced degrees from the National Intelligence University and a network of contacts that would do any Rolodex proud, they have oodles to offer. We talk the information revolution, generational change, institutional reform, a variety of -ologies and of course the pandemic and the incoming presidential administration. Basically, just the entire future of intelligence.
Tue, 15 Dec 2020 12:00:00 -0000

Soviets, Gangbangers, Terrorists, Taliban Lessons From a Life in Intelligence, With Dean Barrata

Bet you are wondering which adversary caused him the most sleepless nights, right? From the Red Army to New Jersey street gangs, from terrorists to the Taliban Dean Barrata has analyzed them all. During a 30+ year career in intelligence, Dean has been everywhere from West Germany to Afghanistan, from the Pennsylvania National Guard to a New Jersey Police Street Gang Unit. If you have ever wondered if there was life beyond the three letter agencies (CIA, NSA, DIA), this just might be the episode for you. He now works for GitHub and teaches at a flagship college. Ladies and gentlemen, meet Dean Barrata. Did I mention that he thinks Millennials and Centennials make great intelligence analysts?
Tue, 08 Dec 2020 12:05:00 -0000

Shadow Wars, 2020 Israel, Iran & America

The second in a double-header on Israeli intelligence. This week we walk the story up to the present day including the election of Joe Biden and the recent assassination of Iranian nuclear scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh. We also hear how Israeli intelligence is retooling for the twenty-first century. Andrew is joined by journalist Yossi Melman, a reporter for Haaretz and advisor on the Netflix Series Inside the Mossad, and Dan Raviv, who was at CBS for over 40 years. They are the authors of Every Spy a Prince and Spies Against Armageddon.
Tue, 01 Dec 2020 12:00:00 -0000

Israeli Intelligence From the Vault

Mossad. Shin Bet. Aman. Legendary names from the world of secret intelligence. Adolf Eichmann. Wrath of God. Stuxnet. Israels intelligence agencies never seem to be far from the history booksor the headlines. Were they behind the recent killing of the so-called Iranian Robert Oppenheimer, nuclear scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh? To provide some context, best-selling author Dan Raviv spoke about his co-authored book Spies Against Armageddon, back in 2012. Hear about the history of Israeli intelligence from the birth of the country in 1948 through to the end of Netanyahus second term.
Tue, 24 Nov 2020 12:48:00 -0000

How Spies Think Spy Chief David Omand

Ever thought you were the smartest person in the room? Youve never been in a room with Sir David Omand. My former professor no slouch himself described Sir David as the brightest person I have ever met. It is certainly difficult to think of anyone more qualified to appear on SpyCast: former Director of GCHQ, former Chair of the Joint Intelligence Committee, formulator of current British counter-terrorism policy, he also happens to be one of the worlds deepest thinkers on intelligence and espionage (as well as the intellectual man-crush of my former professor). In his new book, How Spies Think, David distills insights derived from a career spent at the summit of British secret intelligence. 1 Book, 2 Glaswegians, 10 Lessons in Intelligence. Its simple, really. Slinte
Tue, 17 Nov 2020 12:00:00 -0000

From the Vault: Intelligence & Analysis in the National Football League

If 1985 was The Year of the Spy, was 2019 its equivalent in the sporting world? The Patriots were accused of spying on the Bengals, Leeds Utd. of surveilling Derby County, and the Houston Astros of stealing-signs from, well, everybody. Just before Super Bowl XLV (2011), high-school quarterback, artist and Spy Museum stalwart Dan Treado sat down with ex-intelligence officer, analyst, consultant and author T.J. Waters to discuss the secret world of the NFL. Briefing books. Secure Comms. Deception operations. Think states have a monopoly on intelligence and espionage: think again.
Tue, 10 Nov 2020 23:47:00 -0000

Moxie + Brains = Americas First Female Foreign Intelligence Agent

Join Andrew and former Baltimore Sun reporter Liz Atwood as they dig into the fascinating life of multi-lingual Baltimore socialite Marguerite Harrison: path-breaking journalist, documentary actor, co-founder of the Society of Women Geographersdouble agent.
Tue, 03 Nov 2020 20:25:00 -0000

Dis.information: Russia, China & the Specter of Democracy

Fact vs. Fake. Truth vs. Lies. Information vs. Disinformation. For voters trying to choose between competing parties and candidates the distinction between them would seem to be central. But is it still possible to tell which is which? In this weeks SpyCast Andrew is joined by two analysts from the Alliance for Securing Democracy Russia watcher Brad Hanlon and China watcher Bryce Barros to try to get to the bottom of what is going on. Is disinformation fake news and malarkey, or a serious threat to the future of democracy? Transcript available at https://www.spymuseum.org/spycast
Mon, 02 Nov 2020 02:37:00 -0000

An Ode to Sean Connerys Bond | WTOP

For Andrew Hammond, a Scotsman and the historian and curator of the International Spy Museum, the loss of iconic actor Sean Connery this week at the age of 90 hits particularly hard. As a Scot, someone from the same country, its a great loss and a deep loss, Hammond told WTOP. For spy fans and people who are from Scotland, but also for anyone whos ever loved having the lights out and escaping through the lens of cinema, its just a great loss. James Bond movies, Hammond said, have taught lots of people what they know about being a spy, even if many of them are pure fantasy - via WTOP.
Tue, 27 Oct 2020 17:52:00 -0000

2020 Election Special: Electoral Interference & Intelligence

What do you get if you cross a Harvard historian with a UCLA trained political scientist and an award winning doctoral researcher? One word: context. Join Andrew and his guests Calder Walton, Dov Levin and Magda Long as they drill down into intelligence agencies and electoral intervention. Transcript available at https://www.spymuseum.org/spycast
Tue, 20 Oct 2020 20:21:00 -0000

Personal Attention, SpyCast Listeners - The Authorised History of GCHQ

Authorized History of a Secret Intelligence Agency (STOP) author debriefed by Spy Historian Hammond (STOP) WW1 WW2 Cold War (STOP) reevaluation of Western Front Bletchley Park Ultra Falklands War (STOP) discuss Authorized Histories Cyber Rifles and coming century (STOP) Podcast released on same day as Ferris book (STOP) a coincidence?(END TELEGRAM)
Wed, 14 Oct 2020 12:34:00 -0000

Chinese. Communist. Espionage. (Part 1 of 2) - Dr. Matthew Brazil

Tue, 29 Sep 2020 13:20:00 -0000

Agent Sonya: Moscow's Most Daring Wartime Spy

SPY Curator Alexis Albion asks author Ben Macintyre Can women spies have it all?, as they discuss his latest book on the extraordinary Ursula Kuczynski aka Agent Sonya. Transcript available at https://www.spymuseum.org/spycast
Tue, 22 Sep 2020 11:00:00 -0000

A New SpyCast Chapter: A Farewell Conversation with Vince Houghton

In the second of our changing of the guard episodes, the new SpyCast host Andrew Hammond sits down with Vince. Its Been Emotional.
Tue, 15 Sep 2020 11:00:00 -0000

The Spymasters: A Conversation with Chris Whipple

Author Chris Whipple discusses his new book, The Spymasters:How the CIA Directors Shape History and the Future with SPY Executive Director Chris Costa.
Tue, 08 Sep 2020 11:26:00 -0000

Meet the New Guy: A Conversation with Andrew Hammond

Dr. Vince Houghton sat down for a conversation with the new International Spy Museum historian, Dr. Andrew Hammond.
Tue, 01 Sep 2020 09:53:00 -0000

Spy Chat with Kristin Wood

SPY Executive Director Chris Costa sat down with Kristin Wood who spent more than two decades with CIA in a number of roles.
Tue, 25 Aug 2020 10:01:00 -0000

State Department Intelligence: Inside the INR

SPY Historian sat down with some of the leadership of the Bureau of Intelligence and Research for a candid conversation
Tue, 18 Aug 2020 11:00:00 -0000

The SpyCast Conversation with Alison Bouwmeester

SPY Historian Vince Houghton sat down with former CIA operations officer Alison Bouwmeester to discuss her career, and how shes been helping people transition from government service to the private sector.
Tue, 11 Aug 2020 11:00:00 -0000

Taken Hostage by the Taliban: A Conversation with Kevin King

Executive Director Chris Costa sits down with Professor Kevin King to learn more about his career traveling the world, and how that led to him being held by the Taliban for over three years.
Tue, 04 Aug 2020 10:09:00 -0000

Hollywood Spies

On July 23rd, we had a great conversation with Jonna Mendez about spies in Hollywood.
Tue, 28 Jul 2020 16:28:00 -0000

Operation Lemon Aid: A Conversation with Art Lindberg

SPY Historian Vince Houghton sat down with former US Navy officer and double agent Art Lindberg to discuss his career and the sting operation that snared multiple Soviet spies.
Tue, 21 Jul 2020 11:00:00 -0000

Near Dark: A Conversation with Brad Thor

SPY Historian Vince Houghton sat down with bestselling thriller author Brad Thor to discuss his writing career, his process, book research, and how novelists can play a vital role in US national security
Tue, 14 Jul 2020 11:00:00 -0000

Race and Intelligence: A Conversation with Darrell Blocker, Cassi Chandler, Mel Gamble, and Malcolm Nance

SPY Historian Vince Houghton sat down with an extraordinary panel to have a candid discussion about racial issues in the intelligence community.
Tue, 07 Jul 2020 11:00:00 -0000

Spy Chat with Keith Masback

SPY Executive Director Chris Costa sat down with GEOINT pioneer Keith Masback to discuss all things geospatial.
Tue, 30 Jun 2020 11:00:00 -0000

Fiction Author Roundtable

SPY Historian Vince Houghton sat down with 4 of your favorite spy fiction authors to discuss how they entertain and educate.
Tue, 23 Jun 2020 10:39:00 -0000

Atomic Spy: A Conversation with Nancy Greenspan

SPY Historian Vince Houghton sat down with author Nancy Greenspan to discuss the life of notorious Soviet spy Klaus Fuchs, the fascinating subject of her new book, Atomic Spy: The Dark Lives of Klaus Fuchs
Wed, 17 Jun 2020 07:30:00 -0000

Wondery presents Murder in Hollywoodland

It's February 2nd 1922, and all of Hollywood is about to wake up and learn that William Desmond Taylor, the most famous film director in town, was murdered in his home last night. The investigation will shine a light on some of Hollywood's most scandalous affairs, backroom deals, and underground drug dens. This real life Murder Mystery is one of the most iconic "whodunnit" cases of the 20th century that will leave you guessing and second guessing who killed William Desmond Taylor for weeks to come. Listen today at wondery.fm/spycastMiH
Tue, 16 Jun 2020 11:00:00 -0000

Spy Sites of New York City: A Conversation with Keith Melton & Bob Wallace

Executive Director Chris Costa talks to Keith Melton and Bob Wallace about their newest book, Spy Sites of New York City: A Guide to the Regions Secret History.
Fri, 12 Jun 2020 11:00:00 -0000

Introducing Truth vs Hollywood

Introducing the newest Audioboom original podcast, Truth vs Hollywood. Join Film lovers David Chen and Joanna Robinson as they do a deep dive into well-known films and discuss how similar they are to the actual story. Truth vs Hollywood premieres 6/12. Subscribe to Truth vs Hollywood on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/truth-vs-hollywood/id1510582080
Tue, 09 Jun 2020 11:00:00 -0000

Whats Next? A Conversation with Jonna Mendez, Tracy Walder, and Joe Weisberg

SPY Historian Vince Houghton had a virtual conversation with three former intelligence professionals to discuss their choices of careers following their time as practitioners
Tue, 02 Jun 2020 11:00:00 -0000

Curators Corner with Francis Gary Powers, Jr.

SPY Historian Vince Houghton sat down for a virtual conversation about the 60th anniversary of one of the most historic events of the Cold War.
Tue, 19 May 2020 11:45:00 -0000

Shedding Light on the Elite GSG9: A Conversation with Colonel Jerome Fuchs

Executive Director Chris Costa talks with GSG9 Commander Jerome Fuchs about the history and evolution of GSG9, as well as his career with the organization.
Tue, 12 May 2020 11:00:00 -0000

How Intelligence Analysts See the Corona Pandemic

SPY Historian Vince Houghton sat down with former intelligence analysts Mark Stout and Cindy Storer to discuss how intel analysts in the US and around the world are viewing the coronavirus situation.
Tue, 05 May 2020 23:00:00 -0000

Reflections on the Middle East and Afghanistan: A Conversation with General Joseph Votel

Executive Director Chris Costa is joined by former Commander of U.S. Central Command General Joseph Votel to discuss his insights into current events in the Middle East and Afghanistan, and the fight against ISIS.
Tue, 28 Apr 2020 11:00:00 -0000

The SpyCast Conversation with Harvey Klehr

SPY Historian Vince Houghton sat down with prolific author and historian Harvey Klehr to discuss Soviet espionage and his newest book, The Millionaire Was a Soviet Mole: The Twisted Life of David Karr.
Tue, 21 Apr 2020 11:00:00 -0000

Active Measures: A Conversation with Thomas Rid

SPY Historian Vince Houghton sat down (remotely) with professor Thomas Rid to discuss the history of disinformation, and his new book, Active Measures: The Secret History of Disinformation and Political Warfare.
Tue, 14 Apr 2020 11:00:00 -0000

The CIA War in Kurdistan: A Conversation with Sam Faddis

Executive Director, Chris Costa is joined by former CIA Officer and author, Sam Faddis to discuss his book The CIA War in Kurdistan: The Untold Story of the Northern Front in the Iraq War.
Tue, 07 Apr 2020 11:00:00 -0000

Current Affairs in the Middle East: A Conversation with Kirsten Fontenrose

Executive Director, Chris Costa talks with Kirsten Fontenrose, current Director of the Scowcroft Middle East Security Initiative at the Atlantic Council, about current events in the Middle East and her twenty years of experience with the region.
Tue, 31 Mar 2020 11:00:00 -0000

Talking to a Former Hostage: A Conversation with Jason Rezaian

Executive Director Chris Costa sits down with Washington Post journalist, Jason Rezaian to talk about his book and experiences being taken hostage in Iran.
Tue, 24 Mar 2020 11:00:00 -0000

From the Vault: Remember When Computer Viruses Were The Scary Viruses?

SPY Historian Vince Houghton sat down with Rick Holland, Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) and Vice President of Strategy for Digital Shadows, to discuss the latest cyber trends and developments
Tue, 17 Mar 2020 11:00:00 -0000

From the Vault: Quarantine Edition

SPY Historian Vince Houghton sat down with bioterrorism expert Hank Parker to discuss current threats and Parker's new book Containment.
Tue, 10 Mar 2020 11:00:00 -0000

Spy Chat with Chris Costa

Having trouble getting a handle on world events? Join Spy Museum Executive Director Chris Costa and Former CIA/ Spy Museum Advisory Board MemberKaren M. Schaefer for a discussion of the latest intelligence, national security, and terrorism issues in the news.
Tue, 03 Mar 2020 12:00:00 -0000

The Unexpected Spy: A Conversation with Tracy Walder

SPY Historian Vince Houghton sat down with former CIA officer and FBI special agent Tracy Walder to discuss her career in intelligence, and her new book, The Unexpected Spy: From the CIA to the FBI, My Secret Life Taking Down Some of the World's Most Notorious Terrorists
Mon, 02 Mar 2020 16:40:01 -0000

SpyCast Special Preview: Life's Little Mysteries

SpyCast has teamed up with Live Science to bring you this special preview clip of the new podcast, Life's Little Mysteries.
Tue, 25 Feb 2020 12:00:00 -0000

Russians Among Us: A Conversation with Gordon Corera

SPY Historian Vince Houghton sat down with BBC security correspondent Gordon Corera to discuss the Russian illegals program and his new book, Russians Among Us: Sleeper Cells, Ghost Stories, and the Hunt for Putin's Spies.
Tue, 18 Feb 2020 12:00:00 -0000

The SpyCast Conversation with Darrell Blocker

SPY Historian Vince Houghton sat down with former CIA officer Darrell Blocker to discuss his career and work throughout Africa.
Tue, 11 Feb 2020 12:05:00 -0000

Chinese Corn Caper: A Conversation with Mara Hvistendahl

SPY Historian Vince Houghton sat down with writer, speaker, commentator, and Pulitzer Prize finalist Mara Hvistendahl to discuss the rise of economic espionage, the American response to this threat, and her new book, The Scientist and The Spy: A True Story of China, the FBI, and Industrial Espionage
Tue, 04 Feb 2020 12:00:00 -0000

The SpyCast Conversation with Sue Gordon

SPY Historian Vince Houghton sat down with former Principal Deputy Director of National Intelligence Sue Gordon to discuss her career and many important topics in intelligence
Tue, 28 Jan 2020 12:00:00 -0000

From the Vault: The SpyCast conversation with Gen. David Petraeus

SPY Historian Vince Houghton sat down with retired 4-star general David Petraeus, former Commanding General, Multi-National Force Iraq; Commander, US Central Command; commander of the International Security Assistance Force and Commander, US Forces Afghanistan; and Director of the Central Intelligence Agency, where he served from September, 2011, until November, 2012.
Tue, 21 Jan 2020 12:00:00 -0000

Spy Chat with Chris Costa

Having trouble getting a handle on world events? Join Spy Museum Executive Director Chris Costa for a discussion of the latest intelligence, national security, and terrorism issues in the news.
Tue, 14 Jan 2020 12:00:00 -0000

Avoiding the Terrorist Trap: A Conversation with Tom Parker

SPY Historian Vince Houghton sat down with counterterrorism expert and former MI5 officer Tom Parker to discuss the role of human rights in the fight against terrorism.
Tue, 07 Jan 2020 12:00:00 -0000

How Havent I Heard of This??: A Conversation with William Rosenau

SPY Historian Vince Houghton sat down with terrorism expert William Rosenau to discuss a most improbable true story: Americas first female terrorist group and their attacks, which included the Washington Navy Yard, an FBI office, and even the US Capitol.
Tue, 31 Dec 2019 12:00:00 -0000

2019 Staff Picks: A Conversation with David Kennedy, David Turk, and Howard Safir

SPY Historian Vince Houghton sat down with representatives of the United States Marshals Service to discuss the decades-long manhunt for Nazi war criminal Dr. Joseph Mengele.
Tue, 31 Dec 2019 12:00:00 -0000

2019 Staff Picks: A Conversation with Jim Gant and Ann Scott Tyson

SPY Historian Vince Houghton sat down with former Green Beret Major Jim Gant and his wife, former war correspondent Ann Scott Tyson, who is the author of the book, American Spartan: The Promise, the Mission, and the Betrayal of Special Forces Major Jim Gant
Tue, 31 Dec 2019 12:00:00 -0000

2019 Staff Picks: A Conversation with Jack Doyle

SPY Historian Vince Houghton sat down with Jack Doyle, former field director for NEST, the Department of Energys Nuclear Emergency Search Team.
Tue, 31 Dec 2019 12:00:00 -0000

2019 Staff Picks: A Conversation with DIA Director LTG Robert Ashley

SPY Historian Vince Houghton sat down with the 21st Director of the Defense Intelligence Agency to discuss his career, the mission of the DIA, and his role as its director.
Tue, 31 Dec 2019 12:00:00 -0000

2019 Staff Picks: A Conversation with Adm. Mike Rogers

SPY Historian Vince Houghton sat down with former NSA Director and CYBERCOM commander Admiral Mike Rogers
Tue, 24 Dec 2019 12:00:00 -0000

Protected Voices: A Conversation with FBI ASAC Jason Fickett

SPY Historian Vince Houghton sat down with Jason Fickett, the Assistant Special Agent-in-Charge, Intelligence Division, FBIs Washington Field Office, to discuss his career and the governments new program to combat foreign influence.
Tue, 17 Dec 2019 12:00:00 -0000

Out of the Shadows: A Conversation with Marc Polymeropoulos

SPY Historian Vince Houghton sat down with recently retired CIA Senior Intelligence Service officer Marc Polymeropoulos to discuss a career that spanned more than two decades and crossed multiple continents.
Tue, 10 Dec 2019 12:00:00 -0000

Trump and His Generals: A Conversation with Peter Bergen

SPY Executive Director Chris Costa sat down with Peter Bergen to discuss his new book, Trump and His Generals: The Cost of Chaos.
Tue, 03 Dec 2019 12:00:00 -0000

The SpyCast Conversation with Nayyera Haq

SPY Historian Vince Houghton sat down with a former senior advisor to both the White House and the Secretary of State to discuss the difficulties in explaining American national security policy to both domestic and foreign audiences
Tue, 26 Nov 2019 12:35:00 -0000

From the Vault: SpyCast, the Giving Thanks Edition

In November, 2006, SpyCast was born. After 13 years, 397 episodes, and millions of worldwide listeners, we are still going strong. This is because of you, and your continued support for the little-podcast-that-could. Thank you! Here is the very first SpyCast: a conversation between the great Peter Earnest, and one of our very favorites, Tony Mendez,
Tue, 19 Nov 2019 12:00:00 -0000

Agents of Influence: A Conversation with Henry Hemming

SPY Historian Vince Houghton sat down with bestselling author Henry Hemming to discuss information operations, fake news, British and German espionage, and his new book, Agents of Influence: A British Campaign, a Canadian Spy, and the Secret Plot to Bring America into World War II
Tue, 12 Nov 2019 12:00:00 -0000

From the Vault: The SpyCast conversation with Gen. Michael Hayden

Last week, Gen. Michael Hayden was honored by the International Spy Museum with the 2019 William H. Webster Distinguished Service Award. In 2016, SPY Historian Vince Houghton sat down with Gen. Hayden to discuss his life and career in intelligence.
Tue, 05 Nov 2019 12:00:00 -0000

Walking Away from the Kurds: A Conversation with LTG Michael K. Nagata

SPY Executive Director Chris Costa sat down with the Former Director, Directorate of Strategic and Operational Planning at the National Counterterrorism Center, to discuss recent events in counterterrorism, and the Trump Administrations decision to end their support of the Kurds.
Tue, 29 Oct 2019 11:00:00 -0000

SpooooookyCast: DIA Investigates the Paranormal

In this special Halloween SpyCast, SPY Historian Vince Houghton spoke to DIA Chief Historian Greg Elder about the DIAs investigation into telekinesis, telepathy, remote viewing, and other spooky stuff.
Tue, 22 Oct 2019 11:00:00 -0000

Return to the Reich: A Conversation with Eric Lichtblau

SPY Historian Vince Houghton sat down with author, investigative reporter, and two-time Pulitzer- winner, Eric Lichtblau, to discuss OSS operations in Europe and his new book Return to the Reich: A Holocaust Refugee's Secret Mission to Defeat the Nazis.
Tue, 15 Oct 2019 11:24:00 -0000

Gitmo Law: A Conversation with Alka Pradhan and Ben Farley

SPY Historian Vince Houghton sat down with Guantanamo defense attorneys Alka Pradhan and Ben Farley, who represent one of the 9/11 defendants, Ammar al-Baluchi.
Tue, 08 Oct 2019 11:00:00 -0000

From the Vault: Whistleblower Aid, An Interview with John Tye and Mark Zaid

SPY Historian Vince Houghton sat down with attorneys John Tye and Mark Zaid to discuss their project Whistleblower Aid, which is a non-profit organization designed to protect whistleblowers and to prevent them from becoming leakers.
Tue, 01 Oct 2019 11:00:00 -0000

Operation Gold: A Conversation with Steve Vogel and Bernd von Kostka

SPY Historian Vince Houghton sat down with former Washington Post reporter and author Steve Vogel, and the curator of Berlins Allied Museum, Bernd von Kostka, to discuss the Berlin Tunnel, the ambitious Cold War SIGINT operation that is the focus of Vogels new book, Betrayal in Berlin
Tue, 24 Sep 2019 10:52:00 -0000

The Life of John Andr: A Conversation with Douglas Ronald

SPY Historian Vince Houghton sat down with academic and author Dr. Doug Ronald to discuss one of the most fascinating personalities of the American Revolution, and the subject of his book, The Life of John Andr: The Redcoat Who Turned Benedict Arnold
Tue, 17 Sep 2019 11:00:00 -0000

The SpyCast Conversation withwaitVince, Again??

Former SPY Historian Alexis Albion sat down with current SPY Historian Vince Houghton to discuss WWII and early Cold War nuclear intelligence, and Houghtons new book, The Nuclear Spies: Americas Atomic Intelligence Operation against Hitler and Stalin.
Tue, 10 Sep 2019 11:00:00 -0000

The SpyCast Conversation with David Rolph

SPY Historian Vince Houghton sat down with former CIA Chief of East Berlin and Moscow stations David Rolph, who also served as the handler for one of CIAs most important Soviet assets, Adolf Tolkachev.
Tue, 03 Sep 2019 11:00:00 -0000

Moscow Rules: A Conversation with Jonna Mendez

SPY Historian Vince Houghton sat down with former CIA Chief of Disguise Jonna Mendez to talk about operating in VERY denied areas, and her newest book, The Moscow Rules: The Secret CIA Tactics that Helped America Win the Cold War.
Tue, 20 Aug 2019 11:00:00 -0000

The SpyCast Conversation with Matt Korda of the Federation of American Scientists

SPY Historian Vince Houghton sat down with Matt Korda of the FAS Nuclear Information Project, and co-author of the Nuclear Notebook, to discuss multiple current issues in the world of nukes and intel.
Tue, 13 Aug 2019 11:00:00 -0000

The SpyCast Conversation with Emily Crose

At a live event at the International Spy Museum, SPY Historian Vince Houghton sat down with former CIA, NSA, and INSCOM infosec specialist Emily Crose to talk the past, present, and future of cyber
Tue, 06 Aug 2019 11:00:00 -0000

George Sharpe and the BMI: A Conversation with Peter Tsouras

SPY Historian Vince Houghton sat down with former military intelligence officer and prolific author Peter Tsouras to discuss the role of George Sharpe and the Bureau of Military Information in helping the Union win the Civil War
Tue, 30 Jul 2019 11:00:00 -0000

Bringing Americans Home: A Conversation with Diane Foley and Cynthia Loertscher

SPY Executive Director Chris Costa sat down with the founder of the James W. Foley Foundation, Diane Foley, and Cynthia Loertscher, the lead researcher for Bringing Americans Home, the First Non-Governmental Assessment of US Hostage Policy and Family Engagement.
Tue, 23 Jul 2019 11:00:00 -0000

The Dark Side of Paradise: A Conversation with Richard Kerr

SPY Historian Vince Houghton sat down with former Deputy Director of CIA, former Acting Director, and former Deputy Director for Intelligence Richard Kerr, to discuss his career and his new book, The Dark Side of Paradise: Odd and Intriguing Stories from Vero Beach
Tue, 16 Jul 2019 11:00:00 -0000

Mosul: A Conversation with Daniel Gabriel

SPY Historian Vince Houghton sat down with former CIA counterterrorism officer Dan Gabriel, who is now filmmaker Dan Gabriel, the writer and director of the extraordinary documentary, Mosul.
Tue, 09 Jul 2019 11:00:00 -0000

Strategic Warning: A Conversation with John Gentry and Joseph Gordon

SPY Historian Vince Houghton sat down with former intelligence analysts John Gentry and Joe Gordon to discuss one of the most misunderstood aspects of the intelligence business: strategic warning. Gentry and Gordon are the authors of the book, Strategic Warning Intelligence: History, Challenges, and Prospects.
Tue, 02 Jul 2019 11:00:00 -0000

The Threat: A Conversation with Former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe

SPY Executive Director Chris Costa sat down with former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe to discuss the current threat environment.
Tue, 25 Jun 2019 11:00:00 -0000

Spies of No Country: A Conversation with Matti Friedman

SPY Historian Vince Houghton sat down with journalist and author Matti Friedman for a fascinating look at early Israeli intelligence, and his book, Spies of No Country: Secret Lives at the Birth of Israel
Tue, 18 Jun 2019 11:00:00 -0000

NEST: A Conversation with Jack Doyle

SPY Historian Vince Houghton sat down with Jack Doyle, former field director for NEST, the Department of Energys Nuclear Emergency Search Team.
Tue, 11 Jun 2019 11:00:00 -0000

American Spartan: A Conversation with Jim Gant and Ann Scott Tyson

SPY Historian Vince Houghton sat down with former Green Beret Major Jim Gant and his wife, former war correspondent Ann Scott Tyson, who is the author of the book, American Spartan: The Promise, the Mission, and the Betrayal of Special Forces Major Jim Gant
Tue, 04 Jun 2019 11:00:00 -0000

Mata Hari, The Spy: An Interview with Dr. Julie Wheelwright

SPY Adult Education Director Amanda Ohlke sat down with Dr. Julie Wheelwright, the author of The Fatal Lover: Mata Hari and the Myth of Women in Espionage.Julie and Amanda discuss the famous early 20th century dancer: her background, how she became famous and successful against all odds, and the truth about her espionage activities during WWI.
Tue, 28 May 2019 11:00:00 -0000

Freedoms Laboratory: A Conversation with Audra Wolfe

SPY Historian Vince Houghton sat down with writer, editor, and historian Audra Wolfe to discuss Cold War propaganda and psychological operations, and her book, Freedoms Laboratory: The Cold War Struggle for the Soul of Science.
Tue, 21 May 2019 11:00:00 -0000

Area 51 Special Projects: A Conversation with TD Barnes

SPY Historian Vince Houghton sat down with TD Barnes, who served as a field engineer at the NASA High Range in Nevada for the X-15, XB-70, lifting bodies and lunar landing vehicles; worked on the NERVA project at Jackass Flats, Nevada; and served in Special Projects at Area 51.
Tue, 14 May 2019 11:00:00 -0000

The SpyCast Conversation with Adm. Mike Rogers

SPY Historian Vince Houghton sat down with former NSA Director and CYBERCOM commander Admiral Mike Rogers
Tue, 07 May 2019 11:00:00 -0000

The SpyCast Conversation withVince Houghton?

Guest host David Priess sat down with SPY historian and curator Vince Houghton to discuss Houghtons new book, Nuking the Moon: And Other Intelligence Schemes And Military Plots Left On The Drawing Board.
Tue, 30 Apr 2019 11:00:00 -0000

The SpyCast Conversation with Dr. John Browne

SPY Historian Vince Houghton sat down with John Browne, former director of the Los Alamos National Laboratory, who was there for among other things the Wen Ho Lee spy investigation. IARPA/ARL link: https://sites.google.com/create.jhuapl.edu/join
Tue, 23 Apr 2019 11:00:00 -0000

Leadership and Counterterrorism: A Conversation with General Stanley McChrystal

SPY Executive Director Chris Costa sat down with the former Commander of Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC), Commander, International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) and Commander, U.S. Forces - Afghanistan (USFOR-A)
Tue, 16 Apr 2019 11:00:00 -0000

Nukes and North Korea: A Conversation with Jeffrey Lewis

SPY Historian Vince Houghton sat down with arms control expert Jeffrey Lewis to discuss nuclear threats from around the world, and his fascinating book, The 2020 Commission Report on the North Korean Nuclear Attacks Against the United States: A Speculative Novel
Tue, 09 Apr 2019 11:00:00 -0000

The SpyCast Conversation with Dr. Gary Weir, Chief Historian, National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency

SPY Historian Vince Houghton sat down with Gary Weir to discuss some of the history of NGA, and their vital role in the mission to find and neutralize Usama bin Laden
Tue, 02 Apr 2019 11:00:00 -0000

The SpyCast Conversation with FBI Special Agent Peter Lapp

SPY Historian Vince Houghton sat down with Peter Lapp, whose two decade career at the FBI included extensive work in counterintelligence.
Tue, 26 Mar 2019 11:00:00 -0000

Gray Day: A Conversation with Eric ONeill

SPY Historian Vince Houghton say down with cybersecurity expert and former FBI counterterrorism and counterintelligence operative Eric ONeill to discuss the investigation into, and arrest of, Soviet/Russian spy Robert Hanssen, and ONeills new book on the topic, Gray Day: My Undercover Mission To Expose Americas First Cyber Spy.
Tue, 19 Mar 2019 11:00:00 -0000

Rethinking CT: A Conversation with Jason Blazakis

SPY Historian Vince Houghton sat down with the Director of the Center on Terrorism, Extremism, and Counterterrorism at Monterey to discuss terrorism financing, state-sponsorship, and the rise of domestic terrorism.
Tue, 12 Mar 2019 11:00:00 -0000

Dezinformatsiya Revisited: A Conversation with Liz Wahl

SPY Historian Vince Houghton sat down for a second time with journalist, and now congressional candidate, Liz Wahl to discuss Russian disinformation operations and more.
Tue, 05 Mar 2019 12:00:00 -0000

Hostage Recovery Fusion Cell: A Conversation with Former Director Rob Saale

SPY Executive Director Chris Costa sat down with Rob Saale, the former director of the Hostage Recovery Fusion Cell.
Tue, 26 Feb 2019 12:00:00 -0000

CIA vs DOD: A Conversation with David Oakley

SPY Historian Vince Houghton sat down with Army officer and former CIA intelligence officer David Oakley to discuss the tensions between the military and the CIA, and his new book, Subordinating Intelligence: The DoD/CIA Post-Cold War Relationship
Tue, 19 Feb 2019 14:27:00 -0000

The New Rules of War: A Conversation with Sean McFate

SPY Historian Vince Houghton sat down with National Defense University professor Sean McFate to discuss his new book, The New Rules of War: Victory in the Age or Durable Disorder.
Tue, 12 Feb 2019 12:00:00 -0000

Hunting Mengele: A Conversation with David Kennedy, David Turk, and Howard Safir

SPY Historian Vince Houghton sat down with representatives of the United States Marshals Service to discuss the decades-long manhunt for Nazi war criminal Dr. Joseph Mengele.
Tue, 05 Feb 2019 12:00:00 -0000

Code Name Lise: A Conversation with Larry Loftis

SPY Historian Vince Houghton sat down with bestselling author Larry Loftis to discuss the extraordinary WWII British agent Odette Sansom, and Loftiss new book, Code Name: Lise: The True Story of the Woman Who Became WWII's Most Highly Decorated Spy
Tue, 29 Jan 2019 12:00:00 -0000

Counterterrorism Strategy: A Conversation with Peter Bergen & Chris Costa

SPY Historian Vince Houghton sat down with terrorism expert Peter Bergen and SPY Executive Director Chris Costa to discuss the details and highlights of the most recent national counterterrorism strategy
Tue, 22 Jan 2019 12:00:00 -0000

The First Conspiracy: A Conversation with Brad Meltzer

SPY Historian Vince Houghton sat down with prolific author Brad Meltzer to discuss his newest book, The First Conspiracy: The Secret Plot to Kill George Washington. Link:[https://www.amazon.com/First-Conspiracy-Secret-George-Washington/dp/1250130336/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1547763104&sr=8-1&keywords=the+first+conspiracy+brad+meltzer](https://www.amazon.com/First-Conspiracy-Secret-George-Washington/dp/1250130336/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1547763104&sr=8-1&keywords=the+first+conspiracy+brad+meltzer)
Tue, 15 Jan 2019 12:00:00 -0000

The SpyCast Interview with DIA Director LTG Robert Ashley

SPY Historian Vince Houghton sat down with the 21st Director of the Defense Intelligence Agency to discuss his career, the mission of the DIA, and his role as its director.
Tue, 08 Jan 2019 12:00:00 -0000

Disrupt and Deny: A Conversation with Rory Cormac

SPY Historian Vince Houghton sat down with University of Nottingham professor Rory Cormac to discuss the history of British covert action and his newest book, Disrupt and Deny: Spies, Special Forces, and the Secret Pursuit of British Foreign Policy.
Tue, 01 Jan 2019 12:00:00 -0000

Korean Security Issues: A Conversation with former Ambassador to South Korea Mark Lippert

SPY Executive Director Chris Costa sits down with the former Ambassador to South Korea, Mark Lippert to discuss his career and insights on the U.S. relationship with South Korea, as well as current issues surrounding the Korean peninsula.
Tue, 25 Dec 2018 12:00:00 -0000

Moscow at Midnight: A Conversation with Sally McGrane

SPY Historian Vince Houghton sat down with journalist and writer Sally McGrane to discuss modern-day Russia, living in Germany, and her novel Moscow at Midnight.
Tue, 18 Dec 2018 12:00:00 -0000

Masters of Mayhem: A Conversation with James Stejskal

SPY Historian Vince Houghton sat down with former Green Beret and CIA Operations Officer James Stejskal to discuss the legacy of TE Lawrence and Stejskals newest book, Masters of Mayhem: Lawrence of Arabia and the British Military Mission to the Hejaz.
Tue, 11 Dec 2018 12:00:00 -0000

Into the Shadows: A Conversation with Michael Brady

SPY Historian Vince Houghton sat down with ret US Army LTC and former career intelligence officer Michael Brady to discuss his career, the status of intelligence education, and his latest book, Into the Shadows, Assassination Corps.
Tue, 04 Dec 2018 12:00:00 -0000

The Spy Who Was Left Behind: A Conversation with Michael Pullara

SPY Historian Vince Houghton sat down with attorney Michael Pullara to discuss the case of slain CIA officer Freddie Woodruff and Pullaras new book, The Spy Who Was Left Behind: Russia, the United States, and the True Story of the Betrayal and Assassination of a CIA Agent
Tue, 27 Nov 2018 12:00:00 -0000

The SpyCast Conversation with Ambassador Joe Wilson

SPY Historian Vince Houghton sat down with Ambassador Joe Wilson to discuss his career, the politicization of intelligence, and uranium from Niger
Tue, 20 Nov 2018 12:00:00 -0000

The SpyCast Interview with Jeremy Bash

SPY Historian Vince Houghton sat down with Jeremy Bash and discussed his career at CIA, DOD, the House Intelligence Committee, and other topics.
Tue, 13 Nov 2018 12:00:00 -0000

Hostage US: A Conversation with Rachel Briggs & Joshua Geltzer

SPY Executive Director Chris Costa sat down with Rachel Briggs and Joshua Geltzer from Hostage US, a non-profit organization that supports families of Americans taken hostage abroad
Tue, 06 Nov 2018 12:00:00 -0000

From FBI to CNN: A Conversation with Josh Campbell

SPY Historian Vince Houghton sat down with Josh Campbell, former Supervisory Special Agent with the FBI, and now Law Enforcement Analyst for CNN
Tue, 30 Oct 2018 11:00:00 -0000

Inside the DIA The Hunt for UBL: A Conversation with DIA Historian Greg Elder

SPY Historian Vince Houghton sat down with DIA Chief Historian Greg Elder to discuss the DIAs role in the hunt for Usama bin Laden.
Tue, 23 Oct 2018 11:00:00 -0000

The Secrets of the Bridge of Spies: A Conversation with Francis Gary Powers, Jr., Mary Ellen Fuller, and Vin Arthey

SPY Historian Vince Houghton sat down for a discussion of the most famous spy trade in history: Soviet spy Rudolf Abel for American U-2 pilot Francis Gary Powers
Tue, 16 Oct 2018 11:00:00 -0000

Active Measures: A Conversation with Jack Bryan

SPY Historian Vince Houghton sat down with filmmaker Jack Bryan to discuss his newly released film on Russian active measures and the 2016 presidential election.
Tue, 09 Oct 2018 11:00:00 -0000

An Americans Path to Al-Qaida: A Conversation with Bryant Neal Vias

SPY Executive Director Chris Costa sat down with Bryant Neal Vias to discuss the story of his ideological journey from New York to Pakistan and Afghanistan to wage jihad.
Tue, 02 Oct 2018 11:00:00 -0000

The Wounded Muse: A Conversation with Robert Delaney

SPY Historian Vince Houghton sat down with award winning author and journalist Robert Delaney, who has been covering China as a journalist for more than 20 years. His debut novel, The Wounded Muse, is out now.
Tue, 25 Sep 2018 11:00:00 -0000

Man of War: A Conversation with Sean Parnell

SPY Historian Vince Houghton sat down with Retired Army Infantry Captain, veterans advocate, and author Sean Parnell to talk about his new book Man of War, his wartime experiences, and key issues facing veterans today.
Tue, 18 Sep 2018 11:00:00 -0000

The Spy and the Traitor: A Conversation with Ben MacIntyre

SPY Historian Vince Houghton sat down with prolific author Ben MacIntyre to discuss the Oleg Gordievsky case and MacIntyres new book, The Spy and the Traitor: The Greatest Espionage Story of the Cold War.
Tue, 11 Sep 2018 11:00:00 -0000

From the Vault, 9/11 Edition: A Conversation with Cofer Black

SPY Historian Vince Houghton sat down with Cofer Black, the former Director of CIAs Counterterrorism Center (CTC), to discuss the role of the CTC before, during, and after the attacks on September 11, 2001.
Tue, 04 Sep 2018 11:00:00 -0000

From the Vault (But Never Heard Before): A Conversation with William Webster

Former SPY Executive Director Peter Earnest sat down in 2013 with former CIA and FBI Director, Judge William Webster. Hear it now for the first time.
Tue, 28 Aug 2018 11:00:00 -0000

NatSec and the Law: A Conversation with Mark Zaid

SPY Historian Vince Houghton sat down with attorney Mark Zaid to discuss the revocation of security clearances, non-disclosure agreements, pre-publication review, and recent national security leaks.
Tue, 21 Aug 2018 13:13:00 -0000

Reflections on Counterterrorism: A Conversation with Nicholas Rasmussen

SPY Executive Director Chris Costa sat down for a special conversation with the former Director of the National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC), Nicholas Rasmussen.
Tue, 14 Aug 2018 11:00:00 -0000

US Intel in WWI: A Conversation with Mark Stout

SPY Historian Vince Houghton sat down with former SPY Historian Mark Stout to discuss all things American Intelligence in WWI.
Tue, 07 Aug 2018 11:00:00 -0000

Busy Days: A Conversation with Shane Harris

SPY Historian Vince Houghton sat down with Washington Post intelligence and national security reporters to discusswell, everything.
Tue, 31 Jul 2018 11:00:00 -0000

The SpyCast Conversation with former HPSCI Chair Mike Rogers

SPY Historian Vince Houghton sat down with former FBI agent and chair of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence Mike Rogers to discuss his career and how he feels about the current state of the Intelligence Community.
Tue, 24 Jul 2018 11:00:00 -0000

The Cyber: A Conversation with Rick Holland

SPY Historian Vince Houghton sat down with Rick Holland, Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) and Vice President of Strategy for Digital Shadows, to discuss the latest cyber trends and developments
Tue, 17 Jul 2018 11:00:00 -0000

The Other Woman: A Conversation with Daniel Silva

SPY Historian Vince Houghton sat down with bestselling novelist Daniel Silva to discuss his career, his writing philosophy, and his new book, The Other Woman.
Tue, 03 Jul 2018 11:00:00 -0000

Operation Black Mail: A Conversation with Ann Todd

SPY Historian Vince Houghton sat down with historian Ann Todd to discuss WWII propaganda efforts and her book, OSS Operation Black Mail: One Womans Covert War Against the Imperial Japanese Army
Tue, 26 Jun 2018 11:00:00 -0000

Wisdom of the Crowd: A Conversation with Dr. Steven Rieber

SPY Historian Vince Houghton sat down with Dr. Steven Rieber, IARPA program manager, to discuss CREATE, which seeks to develop, and experimentally test, systems that use crowdsourcing and structured analytic techniques to improve analytic reasoning. [CLICK HERE](https://www.iarpa.gov/index.php/research-programs/create/) for more information on the program. [CLICK HERE](http://join.createbetterreasoning.com) to sign up.
Tue, 19 Jun 2018 13:04:00 -0000

Nine Lives: A Conversation with Aimen Dean

SPY Historian Vince Houghton sat down with Aimen Dean, former member of Al Qaeda, agent for MI-6, and author of the new book, Nine Lives: My Time as the West's Top Spy Inside al-Qaeda.
Tue, 12 Jun 2018 11:00:00 -0000

Overkill: A Conversation with Ted Bell

SPY Historian Vince Houghton sat down with spy novelist Ted Bell, author of 10 consecutive New York Times Bestsellers, including the Alex Hawke series of spy thrillers. The newest is Overkill.
Tue, 05 Jun 2018 11:00:00 -0000

Spy Chiefs: A Conversation with Mark Stout and Chris Moran

SPY Historian Vince Houghton sat down with intelligence experts Drs. Mark Stout and Chris Moran to discuss the 2nd volume of their new book, Spy Chiefs, which they both contributed to and edited.
Wed, 30 May 2018 11:00:00 -0000

Space and National Security: A Conversation with Chirag Parikh

SPY Historian Vince Houghton sat down with Chirag Parikh, the Deputy Director for Counterproliferation at the National Geospatial Intelligence Agency, to discuss the importance of space in the 21st century.
Tue, 22 May 2018 11:00:00 -0000

The SpyCast Conversation with John Brennan

SPY Historian Vince Houghton sat down with former CIA Director John Brennan to discuss his career and key moments during his time as Director .
Tue, 15 May 2018 11:00:00 -0000

The Targeter: A Conversation with Nada Bakos

SPY historian Vince Houghton sat down with former CIA analyst and targeting officer Nada Bakos to discuss her career, the CIA, and the current state of intelligence in America
Tue, 08 May 2018 11:00:00 -0000

A Brotherhood of Spies: A Conversation with Monte Reel

SPY Historian Vince Houghton sat down with author and journalist Monte Reel, whose new book on the development and impact of the U-2 program is A Brotherhood of Spies: The U-2 and the CIA's Secret War. For more information about this weeks sponsor, visit ziprecruiter.com.
Tue, 01 May 2018 11:00:00 -0000

The National Security Strategy: A Conversation with Fmr Dep National Security Advisor Nadia Schadlow

SPY Historian Vince Houghton sat down with Nadia Schadlow, the former Deputy National Security Advisor for Strategy, to discuss the recently released National Security Strategy for the Trump Administration.
Tue, 24 Apr 2018 11:00:00 -0000

Cold War Navy SEAL: A Conversation with James Hawes

SPY Historian Vince Houghton sat down with former Navy SEAL and CIA operator James Hawes to discuss his time in Vietnam and the Congo in the 1960s. Hawes is the author of the new book, Cold War Navy SEAL: My Story of Che Guevara, War in the Congo, and the Communist Threat in Africa.
Tue, 17 Apr 2018 11:00:00 -0000

Last Night of the World: A Conversation with Joyce Wayne

SPY Historian Vince Houghton sat down with award-winning literary journalist and author Joyce Wayne to discuss her new historical novel Last Night of the World, which centers on an infamous Soviet spy ring operating in early-Cold War Canada.
Tue, 10 Apr 2018 11:00:00 -0000

The Mad Scientists: A Conversation with Lee Grubbs

SPY Historian Vince Houghton sat down with Lee Grubbs, director of the Mad Scientist initiative, a US Army Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC) program that continually explores the future through collaborative partnerships and continuous dialogue with academia, industry, and government. Check out their blog, at http://madsciblog.tradoc.army.mil/
Tue, 03 Apr 2018 11:00:00 -0000

Meet the New Guy, Part 2: An Interview with Chris Costa

SPY Historian Vince Houghton continues his conversation with the new Executive Director of the International Spy Museum to discuss his career in intelligence, special operations, counterterrorism, and policymaking.
Tue, 27 Mar 2018 14:41:00 -0000

Meet the New Guy, Part 1: An Interview with Chris Costa

SPY Historian Vince Houghton sat down with the new Executive Director of the International Spy Museum to discuss his career in intelligence, special operations, counterterrorism, and policymaking. Part 2 will be posted next week.
Tue, 20 Mar 2018 11:00:00 -0000

In the Enemys House: An Interview with Howard Blum

SPY Historian Vince Houghton sat down with NYT bestselling author and Pulitzer Prize nominee Howard Blum to discuss his newest book In the Enemy's House: The Secret Saga of the FBI Agent and the Code Breaker Who Caught the Russian Spies.
Tue, 13 Mar 2018 11:00:00 -0000

Breaking Cover: An Interview with Michele Rigby Assad

SPY Historian Vince Houghton sat down with former CIA operations officer Michele Rigby Assad to discuss her career in intelligence, and her new book Breaking Cover: My Secret Life in the CIA and What It Taught Me about What's Worth Fighting For.
Tue, 06 Mar 2018 12:00:00 -0000

Operation Chaos: An Interview with Matthew Sweet

SPY Historian Vince Houghton sat down with author Matthew Sweet, who has written on one of the mostextraordinary topics of the Cold War. His book, Operation Chaos: The Vietnam Deserters who Fought the CIA, the Brainwashers, and Themselves, is out now.
Tue, 27 Feb 2018 11:30:00 -0000

The Peter Earnest Exit Interview

SPY Historian sat down with recently retired International Spy Museum Executive Director Peter Earnest to discuss his career in intelligence, his time with the Museum, and his thoughts on life moving forward .
Tue, 20 Feb 2018 12:00:00 -0000

The Doomsday Machine: An Interview with Daniel Ellsberg

SPY Historian Vince Houghton sat down (remotely) with Daniel Ellsberg, who is best known for his release of the Pentagon Papers to the public in 1971. He is also the author of The Doomsday Machine: Confessions of a Nuclear War Planner, which details his early life as a specialist on the command and control of nuclear weapons, nuclear war plans, and crisis decision-making.
Tue, 13 Feb 2018 12:27:00 -0000

Technology and Human Intelligence: An Interview with Paula Doyle

SPY Historian Vince Houghton sat down with Paula Doyle, former Associate Deputy Director of Operations at CIA, where she oversaw worldwide HUMINT operations and activities that required the use of air, land, maritime, space-based and cyber technologies.
Tue, 06 Feb 2018 12:00:00 -0000

Spy Watching: An Interview with Loch Johnson

SPY Historian Vince Houghton sat down with political scientist and professor Loch Johnson, whose decade-long career in and out of the intelligence world has culminated in a new book, Spy Watching: Intelligence Accountability in the United States.
Tue, 30 Jan 2018 12:00:00 -0000

The Saboteur: An Interview with Paul Kix

SPY Historian Vince Houghton sat down with Paul Kix, deputy editor at ESPN the Magazine, and author of the book The Saboteur: The Aristocrat Who Became France's Most Daring Anti-Nazi Commando
Tue, 23 Jan 2018 13:34:00 -0000

Destination Casablanca: An Interview with Meredith Hindley

SPY Historian Vince Houghton sat down with writer and historian Meredith Hindley to discuss her new book Destination Casablanca: Exile, Espionage, and the Battle for North Africa in World War II
Tue, 16 Jan 2018 12:18:00 -0000

The Red Web: An Interview with Andrei Soldatov and Irina Borogan

SPY Historian Vince Houghton sat down with investigative journalists Andrei Soldatov and Irina Borogan to discuss Russian intelligence, their security services, and the Russian use of the internet both internally and externally
Tue, 09 Jan 2018 12:00:00 -0000

American Radical: An Interview with Kevin Maurer

SPY Historian Vince Houghton sat down with Kevin Maurer, coauthor of the bestseller No Easy Day, and now coauthor of the new book, American Radical: Inside the World of an Undercover Muslim FBI Agent, which he cowrote with undercover FBI agent Tamer Elnoury .
Tue, 02 Jan 2018 12:00:00 -0000

A Rebel at the CIA: An Interview with former DDI Carmen Medina

SPY Historian Vince Houghton sat down with Carmen Medina, the CIAs former Deputy Director of Intelligence and Director of the Center for the Study of Intelligence. She is also the author of Rebels at Work: A Handbook for Leading Change from Within.
Tue, 26 Dec 2017 12:00:00 -0000

The Psychology of Espionage: An Interview with Dr. Ursula Wilder

SPY Historian Vince Houghton sat down with CIA clinical psychologist Dr. Ursula Wilder, who in her over two decades at CIA has worked within the Counterintelligence Center, the Counterterrorism Center, and the Sherman Kent School for Intelligence Analysis.
Tue, 19 Dec 2017 19:37:00 -0000

Inside Naval Intelligence: An Interview with Deputy Director B Lynn Wright

SPY Historian Vince Houghton sat down with Lynn Wright, the current Deputy Director of Naval Intelligence and the Head of the Naval Intelligence Activity.
Tue, 12 Dec 2017 12:00:00 -0000

A Little Bit of Everything: An Interview with Kristin Wood

SPY Historian Vince Houghton sat down with Kristin Wood, who spent more than two decades with CIA in a number of roles from the briefer to the Vice President, to intelligence analyst, to the National Clandestine Service, to the Open Source Center.
Tue, 05 Dec 2017 12:00:00 -0000

View from the Top: An Interview with Michael Morell

SPY Historian Vince Houghton sat down with former CIA Deputy Director and Acting Director Michael Morell to discuss his career at the Agency, and his role in some of the most momentous intelligence events of the last two decades.
Tue, 28 Nov 2017 14:28:00 -0000

Follow the Money: An Interview with Nitsana Darshan-Leitner

SPY Historian Vince Houghton sat down with Israeli activist and attorney Nitsana Darshan-Leitner to discuss the ongoing campaign to disrupt terrorist finance, and her new book Harpoon: Inside the Covert War Against Terrorism's Money Masters
Tue, 21 Nov 2017 14:28:29 -0000

Speaking Truth to Power: An Interview with Ned Price

SPY Historian Vince Houghton sat down with Ned Price, former CIA analyst and Special Assistant to President Obama on the National Security Council staff, where he also was the Spokesperson and Senior Director for Strategic Communications.
Tue, 14 Nov 2017 12:00:00 -0000

Everything You Wanted to Know About GEOINT but Were Afraid to Ask: An Interview with Keith Masback

SPY Historian Vince Houghton sat down with Keith Masback, the CEO of the United States Geospatial Intelligence Foundation, to talk all things GEOINT.
Tue, 07 Nov 2017 12:00:00 -0000

The Woman Who Smashed Codes: An Interview with Jason Fagone

SPY Historian Vince Houghton sat down with author Jason Fagone to discuss the history of American codebreaking and his book, The Woman Who Smashed Codes: A True Story of Love, Spies, and the Unlikely Heroine Who Outwitted Americas Enemies.
Tue, 31 Oct 2017 11:00:00 -0000

Chief of Station: An Interview with John Sipher

SPY Historian Vince Houghton sat down with CIA veteran John Sipher, who served multiple overseas tours as Chief of Station and Deputy Chief of Station in Europe, Asia, Southeast Asia, the Balkans, and South Asia.
Tue, 24 Oct 2017 11:00:00 -0000

Dinner at the Center of the Earth: An Interview with Nathan Englander

SPY Historian Vince Houghton sat down with author Nathan Englander to discuss his new novel, Middle East politics, the Mossad, the Israeli/Palestinian conflict, and growing up Jewish in America.
Tue, 17 Oct 2017 11:00:00 -0000

Our First Bond Villain: An Interview with Robert Davi

In late July, SPY Historian Vince Houghton traveled to Pasadena, CA to take part in Politicon, the Unconventional Political Convention (think Comic Con for political junkies). There he sat down with prolific actor Robert Davi, who played Franz Sanchez, Bonds nemesis in License to Kill.
Tue, 10 Oct 2017 11:00:00 -0000

Spy Schools: An Interview with Dan Golden

SPY Historian Vince Houghton sat down with Pulitzer Prize winning journalist Dan Golden to discuss his new book, focused on the exploitation of American universities by both foreign and US intelligence agencies.
Tue, 03 Oct 2017 11:00:00 -0000

Preserving Cold War Berlin: An Interview with Bernd von Kostka

SPY Historian Vince Houghton sat down with Bernd von Kostka, the Acting Director of the Allied Museum in Berlin, to discuss some of the key stories from the Cold War in Germany.
Tue, 26 Sep 2017 12:04:27 -0000

Whistleblower Aid: An Interview with John Tye and Mark Zaid

SPY Historian Vince Houghton sat down with attorneys John Tye and Mark Zaid to discuss their new project Whistleblower Aid, which is a non-profit organization designed to protect whistleblowers and to prevent them from becoming leakers.
Tue, 19 Sep 2017 14:42:52 -0000

Foxtrot in Kandahar: An Interview with Duane Evans

Recorded in front of a live audience at the Museum, SPY Historian Vince Houghton sat down with former CIA operations officer Duane Evans, who led a team of special operators into Afghanistan in the weeks following 9/11.
Tue, 12 Sep 2017 11:00:00 -0000

Pattons Way: An Interview with James Kelly Morningstar

SPY Historian Vince Houghton sat down with former Army officer and historian James Kelly Morningstar to discuss the use of intelligence by legendary General George Patton, highlighted in Morningstars new book Pattons Way: A Radical Theory of War.
Tue, 05 Sep 2017 11:00:00 -0000

The Taking of K-129: An Interview with Josh Dean

SPY Historian Vince Houghton sat down with author and journalist Josh Dean to discuss Project Azorian, the Glomar Explorer, and one of the most spectacular covert operations in history. BuyThe Taking of K-129from the Spy Museum Store
Tue, 29 Aug 2017 11:00:00 -0000

Inside the DIA, Episode 2: An Interview with DIA Historian Greg Elder

In the second installment of our recurring series, SPY Historian Vince Houghton sat down with DIA Chief Historian Greg Elder to discuss the DIAs role in some of the most momentous events in recent US history.
Tue, 22 Aug 2017 11:00:00 -0000

From the Vault: Civil War Overhead Recon, An Interview with Dr. Jim Green

Because everyone else is going eclipse crazy, we thought we would re-post SPY Historian Vince Houghtons interview with one of the tops guys at NASA, Dr. Jim Green. Greens day job is Director of the Planetary Science Division at NASA. In his spare time, he has become one to the top experts in Civil War balloon reconnaissance.
Tue, 15 Aug 2017 11:00:00 -0000

Deep Black: An Interview with Sean McFate

SPY Historian Vince Houghton sat down with Sean McFate, a former paratrooper, private military contractor, and now author, novelist, and expert in foreign policy and national security strategy. Drs. Houghton and McFate discuss military and intelligence privatization, and McFates new book, Deep Black.
Tue, 08 Aug 2017 11:00:00 -0000

China's Cyber Wars: An Interview with TL Williams

SPY Historian Vince Houghton sat down with former CIA operations officer and Deputy Division Chief for Counterintelligence TL Williams to discuss his career and his new novel, Zero Day: China's Cyber Wars.
Tue, 01 Aug 2017 15:17:47 -0000

Whistleblower at the CIA: An Interview with Melvin Goodman

SPY Historian Vince Houghton sat down with former CIA analyst Melvin Goodman to discuss his life in government, and his book A Whistleblower at the CIA: The Path of Dissent an insiders account of the politics of intelligence.
Tue, 25 Jul 2017 11:00:00 -0000

Special Forces Berlin: An Interview with James Stejskal

SPY Historian Vince Houghton sat down with former Green Beret James Stejskal to discuss the role of US Army Special Forces, and their actions against the Warsaw Pact, in Cold War Berlin.
Tue, 18 Jul 2017 11:00:00 -0000

Dezinformatsiya: An Interview with Liz Wahl

SPY Historian Vince Houghton sat down with Newsy reporter Liz Wahl to discuss Russian efforts to propagate disinformation to the American public and her unique role in exposing this threat.
Tue, 11 Jul 2017 11:00:00 -0000

Angola, Clausewitz, and the American Way of War: An Interview with Jack McCain

SPY Historian Vince Houghton sat down with US Naval Officer and helicopter pilot Jack McCain to discuss the potential lessons learned from his experiences and his new book, Angola, Clausewitz, and the American Way of War.
Tue, 04 Jul 2017 11:00:00 -0000

From the Vault, 4th of July Edition: Spies, Patriots, and Traitors: American Intelligence in the Revolutionary War

Hear from former CIA officer Kenneth Daigler, as he closely examines American intelligence activities during the era of the Revolutionary War from 1765 to 1783.
Tue, 27 Jun 2017 11:00:00 -0000

Predicting President Trump: An Interview with the Authors of High Hand

SPY Historian Vince Houghton sat down with James Rosen (McClatchy), James Ellenberger (formerly of AFL-CIO), and Curt Harris (NIH National Cancer Institute), authors of High Hand. Their novel, which involves a Republican presidential candidate with close ties to Russia, was written long before the 2016 election.
Tue, 20 Jun 2017 13:01:43 -0000

The Death of Expertise: An Interview with Tom Nichols

SPY Historian Vince Houghton sat down with Tom Nichols, professor at the U.S. Naval War College and at the Harvard Extension School, and the author of The Death of Expertise: The Campaign Against Established Knowledge and Why it Matters
Tue, 13 Jun 2017 12:13:04 -0000

Inside the DIA, Episode 1: An Interview with DIA Historian Greg Elder

In the first installment of what will become a recurring series, SPY Historian Vince Houghton sat down with DIA Chief Historian Greg Elder to discuss the DIAs role in some of the most momentous events in recent US history.
Tue, 06 Jun 2017 11:00:00 -0000

Our Latest Longest War: An Interview with Ben Jones

SPY Historian Vince Houghton sat down with Ben Jones, the former Transition Coordinator for the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan, where he coordinated the transfer of Afghanistan's security from the coalition to the Afghan National Security Forces. He is also a contributor to the new book, Our Latest Longest War: Losing Hearts and Minds in Afghanistan.
Tue, 30 May 2017 11:00:00 -0000

Agent M: An Interview with Henry Hemming

SPY Historian Vince Houghton sat down (remotely) with British author Henry Hemming to discuss his newest book Agent M: The Lives and Spies of MI5s Maxwell Knight.
Tue, 23 May 2017 11:00:00 -0000

The Black Hand: An Interview with Stephan Talty

SPY Historian Vince Houghton sat down with Stephan Talty, author of two previous books on intelligence, Agent Garbo and The Secret Agent: In Search of Americas Greatest World War II Spy. They discuss his newest book, The Black Hand: The Epic War Between a Brilliant Detective and the Deadliest Secret Society in American History.
Tue, 16 May 2017 11:00:00 -0000

The Power of Words: An Interview with Sven Hughes

SPY Historian Vince Houghton sat down with Sven Hughes, a former reserve soldier within British Military Intelligence, Psychological Operations, and UK Special Forces, to discuss counter-radicalization and the effectiveness of influence operations. Mr. Hughes is also the author of the new book, Verbalization: The Power of Words to Drive Change.
Tue, 09 May 2017 11:00:00 -0000

Spies in the Family: An Interview with Eva Dillon

SPY Historian Vince Houghton sat down with Eva Dillon, whose father Paul was a career CIA officer who ran one of the most prolific Soviet spies of the Cold War. Their stories are told in Evas new book, Spies in the Family: An American Spymaster, His Russian Crown Jewel, and the Friendship That Helped End the Cold War.
Tue, 02 May 2017 13:11:49 -0000

CIA Spy Girl: An Interview with Emily Brandwin

SPY Historian Vince Houghton sat down with former improv comedienne and CIA operations officer Emily Brandwin to discuss her career(s) and views on many things intel-related.
Tue, 25 Apr 2017 11:00:00 -0000

The Spy Who Couldnt Spell: An Interview with Yudhijit Bhattacharjee

SPY Historian Vince Houghton sat down with author and journalist Yudhijit Bhattacharjee to discuss the fascinating case of wannabee spy Brian Regan, detailed in Yudhijits book The Spy Who Couldnt Spell: A Dyslexic Traitor, an Unbreakable Code, and the FBIs Hunt for Americas Stolen Secrets.
Tue, 18 Apr 2017 11:00:00 -0000

The Imagineers of War: An Interview with Sharon Weinberger

SPY Historian Vince Houghton sat down with Sharon Weinberger, national security journalist and author of the book The Imagineers of War: The Untold Story of DARPA, the Pentagon Agency that Changed the World.
Tue, 11 Apr 2017 11:00:00 -0000

Spy Sites of DC: An Interview with Keith Melton and Bob Wallace

SPY Historian Vince Houghton sat down with intelligence historian Keith Melton, and former chief of the CIAs Office of Technical Services, Bob Wallace, to discuss their newest collaboration: Spy Sites of Washington, DC. BuySpy Sites of Washington, DCfrom the Spy Museum Store
Tue, 04 Apr 2017 11:00:00 -0000

Deep Undercover: An Interview with Former KGB Illegal Jack Barsky

SPY Historian Vince Houghton sat down with Jack Barsky, the longest-surviving known member of the KGB illegals program that operated during the Cold War, and author of the memoir Deep Undercover: My Secret Life & Tangled Allegiances as a KGB Spy in America.
Tue, 28 Mar 2017 11:00:00 -0000

SpyCast Roundtable: The Women of NatSec Journalism

SPY Historian Vince Houghton sat down with six extraordinary journalists to discuss the challenges associated with reporting on intelligence and national security. They include: Ali Watkins (BuzzFeed), Mary Louise Kelly (NPR), Jenna McLaughlin (The Intercept), Nancy Youssef (BuzzFeed), Molly OToole (Foreign Policy), and Ellen Nakashima (Washington Post).
Tue, 21 Mar 2017 11:00:00 -0000

Allen Dulles, the OSS, and the German Resistance: An Interview with Scott Miller

SPY Historian Vince Houghton sat down with Scott Miller, author of Agent 110: An American Spymaster and the German Resistance in WWII, to discuss the relationship between future CIA director Dulles and those Germans scheming to overthrow Hitler.
Tue, 14 Mar 2017 14:15:44 -0000

Climate and Security: An Interview with Brig. Gen Gerry Galloway and Rear Adm. Dave Titley

SPY Historian Vince Houghton sat down with retired US Army Brigadier General Gerry Galloway and retired US Navy Rear Admiral Dave Titley to discuss the intelligence and national security implication of climate change. Both men are members of the Advisory Board of the Center for Climate and Security. ***NOTE: Vince messed up. The correct link to the survey is podcast.study
Tue, 07 Mar 2017 12:00:00 -0000

Author Debriefing - Finks: How the CIA Tricked the Worlds Best Writers

SPY Historian Vince Houghton sat down (remotely) with Joel Whitney, the cofounder and editor at large of Guernica: A Magazine of Art & Politics, to discuss his book on how the CIA used culture to fight the Cold War, Finks: How the CIA Tricked the Worlds Best Writers.
Tue, 28 Feb 2017 12:00:00 -0000

Author Debriefing - Beware the Predator: The Americans Guide to Personal Security

SPY Historian Vince Houghton sat down with former CIA Technical Operations Officer Warren Holston and former Air Force intel specialist Dave White to discuss their new book Beware the Predator: The Americans Guide to Personal Security. Get the Book: http://www.spymuseumstore.org/beware-the-predator.html#.WL7Y7xIrJUM
Tue, 21 Feb 2017 12:00:00 -0000

How Much Should We Know: An Interview with Alex Howard of the Sunlight Foundation

SPY Historian Vince Houghton sat down with Alex Howard, the Deputy Director of the Sunlight Foundation, to discuss the publics right to know what the government is doing in its name.
Tue, 21 Feb 2017 11:50:00 -0000

From the Vault: The SpyCast Interview with Michael Flynn

A year ago, SPY Historian Vince Houghton sat down with former DIA Director and National Security Advisor Michael Flynn. Here is their conversation.
Tue, 14 Feb 2017 12:00:00 -0000

Spooks and Nukes: An Interview with Dr. James Acton

SPY Historian Vince Houghton sat down with James Acton, co-director of the Nuclear Policy Program and a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, to discuss the threat of nuclear confrontation and how intelligence can play a vital role in reducing this danger.
Tue, 07 Feb 2017 15:14:13 -0000

CIAs Secret War in Laos: An Interview with Josh Kurlantzick

SPY Historian Vince Houghton sat down with Josh Kurlantzick of the Council on Foreign Relations to discuss his new book A Great Place to Have a War: The Secret War in Laos and the Birth of a Military CIA.
Tue, 31 Jan 2017 12:51:44 -0000

Historian Roundtable: 2016 Revisited

SPY Historians Vince Houghton sat down to rehash the year that was 2016. He was joined by former SPY Historian Mark Stout, former CIA briefer David Priess, and BuzzFeed intelligence and national security reporter Ali Watkins.
Tue, 24 Jan 2017 12:00:00 -0000

John Nixon - Debriefing the President

SPY Historian Vince Houghton is joined by John Nixon, who shares what he learned as the first man to conduct a prolonged interrogation of the captured Iraqi president. Get the book:http://www.spymuseumstore.org/spycast-books.html
Tue, 17 Jan 2017 12:52:39 -0000

Bioweapons Containment: An Interview with Dr. Hank Parker

SPY Historian Vince Houghton sat down with bioterrorism expert Hank Parker to discuss current threats and Parker's new book Containment.
Tue, 10 Jan 2017 12:00:00 -0000

Cyber Special Forces: An Interview with Dmitri Alperovitch

SPY Historian Vince Houghton sat down with Dmitri Alperovitch, the CTO and co-founder of CrowdStrike, the cybersecurity firm that detected the hack of the DNC, and traced the breach back to Russian intelligence.
Tue, 03 Jan 2017 12:00:00 -0000

From the Vault: The Tony and Jonna Mendez Edition, Part 3

The Iranian Hostage Crisis (September 1, 2008) In November 1979, radical Iranian students overran the U.S. embassy in Tehran, capturing most of the embassy staffexcept for six diplomats who found refuge with the Canadian embassy. Today, Peter talks with retired CIA officer Tony Mendez who, in an elaborate deception and disguise operation, managed to exfiltrate the six Americans from Tehran before the Iranians were able to track them down.
Tue, 03 Jan 2017 12:00:00 -0000

From the Vault: The Tony and Jonna Mendez Edition, Part 1

The Secret History of Disguises (November 1, 2006) Peter talks with Tony Mendez, former Chief of Disguise for the CIA. Peter and Tony discuss the intricacies of developing disguises for use in hostile environments, the advantages of selective aging, and the secret history of facial recognition technology.
Tue, 03 Jan 2017 12:00:00 -0000

From the Vault: The Tony and Jonna Mendez Edition, Part 2

Woman in Disguise - Jonna Mendez (November 18, 2008) Jonna Hiestand Mendez began her CIA career as a secretary and ended it as head of the agencys Office of Technical Services, overseeing the development of gadgets, disguises, and high-tech devices in support of espionage missions. Today, she discusses with Peter some of the operations she was involved in as well as opportunities for women in the intelligence community.
Tue, 27 Dec 2016 12:00:00 -0000

From the Vault: Russians Behaving Badly Edition, Part 3

An Army of Illegals: Assessing the Russian Spy Case (July 12, 2010) Two weeks ago on 27 June, the FBI arrested a network of 10 Russian "deep cover" spies. Peter sits down with former KGB Major General Oleg Kalugin to discuss this remarkable case and the historic spy swap which took place last Friday. Kalugin, who once ran agents in the United States, is forthright in expressing his views about what this case says about the state of Russian intelligence today.
Tue, 27 Dec 2016 12:00:00 -0000

From the Vault: Russians Behaving Badly Edition, Part 2

Leon Trotsky Murder in Mexico (September 1, 2007) Peters guest today is H. Keith Melton, renowned intelligence historian and owner of the largest collection of espionage artifacts. Keith sheds new light on one of the most notorious intelligence operations of all timethe assassination of exiled Russian revolutionary Leon Trotsky in Mexico in 1940. Keith reconstructs the operation in all its phases, including material from his own original research.
Tue, 27 Dec 2016 12:00:00 -0000

From the Vault: Russians Behaving Badly Edition, Part 1

The Litvinenko Murder and Other Riddles from Moscow (December 4, 2006) Peter sits down with former CIA officer Bob Rayle and Oleg Kalugin to talk Russia past and present. The three discuss their perspectives on the recent poisoning of former KGB spy Alexander Litvinenko. Then, they turn to 1967 and Bob's role in the extraordinary defection of Svetlana Alliluyeva, daughter of Josef Stalin.
Tue, 20 Dec 2016 12:00:00 -0000

The Last Diplomat: An Interview with Devlin Barrett of the WSJ and Adam Entous of the Washington Post

SPY Historian Vince Houghton sat down with Devlin Barrett and Adam Entous, co-authors of an exceptional long-form article, written for the Wall Street Journal, which highlights the tension between traditional diplomacy and the counterintelligence mission of the FBI.
Tue, 13 Dec 2016 12:00:00 -0000

High Risk, High Reward: An Interview with IARPA Dep. Director Dr. Stacey Dixon

SPY Historian Vince Houghton sat down with Dr. Stacey Dixon, the Deputy Director of the Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity. Drs. Houghton and Dixon discuss some of the advanced scientific and technological research that will transform intelligence far into the 21st Century.
Tue, 06 Dec 2016 11:17:27 -0000

Pearl Harbor at 75: An Interview with Steve Twomey

SPY Historian Vince Houghton sat down with Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Steve Twomey to discuss his new book about the attacks of December 7, 1941, Countdown to Pearl Harbor: The Twelve Days to the Attack.
Tue, 29 Nov 2016 12:00:00 -0000

CIAs Man in Havana: An Interview with Canadian Diplomat John Graham

SPY Historian Vince Houghton sat down with former Canadian diplomat John Graham to discuss his role as the eyes and ears of Western intelligence following the Cuban Missile Crisis. This story, as well as many others, are told in Grahams memoir, Whose Man in Havana: Adventures from the Far Side of Diplomacy.
Tue, 22 Nov 2016 12:00:00 -0000

Author Debriefing 100 Deadly Skills: The SEAL Operative's Survival Guide

SPY Historian Vince Houghton sat down (remotely) with former SEAL Team 6 member Clint Emerson to discuss his new book, 100 Deadly Skills: Survival Edition, a follow-up to his national bestseller 100 Deadly Skills. Buy100 Deadly Skillsfrom the Spy Museum Store
Tue, 15 Nov 2016 14:51:00 -0000

Able Archer 83: An Interview with Nate Jones

SPY Historian Vince Houghton sat down with Nate Jones, the Director of the Freedom of Information Act Project for the National Security Archive, and the author of the new book Able Archer 83: The Secret History of the NATO Exercise That Almost Triggered Nuclear War. Get the book: http://www.spymuseumstore.org/able-archer-83.html#.WIdjWrYrJTY
Tue, 08 Nov 2016 11:01:00 -0000

From the Vault: Election Spectacular, Part III - Why Mark Felt became Deep Throat

Intelligence officers and investigative journalists both depend on clandestine sources to divulge secrets. But why do people betray a trust? Peter interviews veteran journalist Max Holland about his new book, Leak, which probes the mind and motivations of one of the most famous clandestine sources in American history: Deep Throat. Hear why Mark Felt, the Deputy Director of the FBI, betrayed President Nixon by leaking to the Washington Post and Time about Watergate. Were Felts motives patriotic or self-servingor both? Get the book: http://www.spymuseumstore.org/leak-shy-mark-felt-became-deep-throat.html#.Vz3q4PkrIdU
Tue, 08 Nov 2016 11:00:00 -0000

From the Vault: Election Spectacular, Part I - An Interview with NBC Chief Political Correspondent Chuck Todd

SPY Historian Dr. Vince Houghton sat down with NBC News Political Director and Chief White House Correspondent Chuck Todd to discuss the growing role of intelligence tradecraft in American election politics. Todd, the host of MSNBCs The Daily Rundown, explains how political campaigns on both sides of the aisle use surveillance, propaganda, disinformation, deception, and covert action to give their candidates a political edge. This interview was recorded on July 29, 2014. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2g2F6lEJU_c
Tue, 08 Nov 2016 11:00:00 -0000

From the Vault: Election Spectacular, Part II - An Interview with Ken Vogel of POLITICO

SPY Historian Vince Houghton sat down with Ken Vogel, Chief Investigative Reporter for POLITICO and author of the article, The Koch Intelligence Agency. Houghton and Vogel (who tracks the confluence of money, politics, and influence for POLITICO) discuss the use of use surveillance, propaganda, disinformation, deception, and even covert action in modern political campaigns.
Tue, 01 Nov 2016 11:00:00 -0000

Stalins Englishman: An Interview with Andrew Lownie

SPY Historian Vince Houghton sat down with author and literary agent Andrew Lownie, who has been researching Guy Burgess and the Cambridge 5 for over three decades. The culmination of this research is Lownies book, Stalin's Englishman: Guy Burgess, the Cold War, and the Cambridge Spy Ring.
Tue, 25 Oct 2016 11:00:00 -0000

Rise of the Machines: An Interview with Dr. Thomas Rid

SPY Historian Vince Houghton sat down with Thomas Rid, professor in the Department of War Studies at Kings College London, and the author of Rise of the Machines. The book tells the sweeping story of how cybernetics, a late-1940s theory of machines, came to incite anarchy and war half a century later.
Tue, 18 Oct 2016 11:00:00 -0000

Countering Radicalism and Extremism: An Interview with Dr. Lorenzo Vidino and Jesse Morton

SPY Historian Vince Houghton sat down with Dr. Lorenzo Vidino and Jesse Morton from the Program on Extremism at the George Washington Universitys Center for Cyber & Homeland Security. Dr. Vidino, and expert on Islamism in Europe and North America, is the Programs Director, and Morton, a reformed, former extremist who was once a prominent radicalizer in the West, is a research fellow who sees this work as an opportunity to repair some of the damage caused by his radicalization.
Tue, 11 Oct 2016 11:00:00 -0000

Author Debriefing - True Believer: Stalins Last American Spy

At a live event at the International Spy Museum, SPY Historian Vince Houghton sat down with journalist Kati Marton to discuss Soviet spy Noel Field, the subject of Martons new book True Believer: Stalins Last American Spy.
Tue, 04 Oct 2016 11:00:00 -0000

From MI to UPI: An Interview with Newsweeks Jeff Stein

SPY Historian Vince Houghton sat down with Jeff Stein, who covers the spy agencies and foreign policy for Newsweek in Washington. An Army Intelligence case officer in Vietnam, Stein is an investigative reporter of long standing, specializing in intelligence, defense and foreign policy.
Tue, 27 Sep 2016 11:00:00 -0000

15 Years Later, Part 3: An Interview with Mark Zaid and Bradley Moss

SPY Historian Vince Houghton sat down with national security attorneys Mark Zaid and Brad Moss to discuss the impact of the attacks of 9/11 on the US Constitution, and the continuing legal legacy of that fateful day.
Tue, 20 Sep 2016 11:00:00 -0000

15 Years Later, Part 2: An Interview with Ambassador Cofer Black

SPY Historian Vince Houghton sat down with Cofer Black, the former Director of CIAs Counterterrorism Center (CTC), to discuss the role of the CTC before, during, and after the attacks on September 11, 2001.
Tue, 13 Sep 2016 14:04:38 -0000

15 Years Later, Part 1: An Interview with Dr. Barbara Sude

SPY Historian Vince Houghton sat down with former CIA analyst Barbara Sude to discuss the intelligence analysis leading up to the September 11, 2001 attacks. Dr. Sude was one of a team of analysts at CIA who focused on Al Qaeda and bin Laden starting in the 1990s.
Tue, 06 Sep 2016 11:00:00 -0000

Securing Cyberspace: An Interview with Charlie Mitchell

SPY Historian Vince Houghton sat down with Charlie Mitchell, editor and co-founder of Inside Cybersecurity, and the author of Hacked: The Inside Story of America's Struggle to Secure Cyberspace. Houghton and Mitchell discuss the ongoing congressional debates over cybersecurity, the landmark framework of cybersecurity standards crafted by the National Institute of Standards and Technology, and the policy ramifications of major hacking events.
Tue, 30 Aug 2016 11:00:01 -0000

When COIN Works: An Interview with Tom Ordeman

SPY Historian Vince Houghton sat down with antiterrorism advisor and risk management specialist Tom Ordeman to discuss the little-know case of the Dhofar Rebellion. Often called the Secret War (because so few people have heard of it), the Dhofar Rebellion is an example of COIN Theory implemented to perfection.
Tue, 23 Aug 2016 13:47:36 -0000

The Corrupted State: An interview with Ilya Zaslavskiy

SPY Historian Vince Houghton sat down with Ilya Zaslavskiy, who was falsely accused of espionage by Russian security services (the FSB). Unwilling to sit back and allow others to be victimized by a corrupt system, Ilya now dedicates his time to exposing those at the heart of the Russian kleptocracy. See his petition here: https://www.change.org/p/chancellor-chris-patten-oxford-university-and-other-academic-entities-review-cooperation-with-putin-s-oligarchs
Tue, 16 Aug 2016 11:00:01 -0000

GPS Declassified: An Interview with Richard Easton

SPY Historian Vince Houghton sat down with Richard Easton, author of GPS Declassified: From Smart Bombs to Smartphones, to discuss the development of GPS and its role in the military, intelligence, and civilian domains. Eastons father, Roger, led the Space Applications Branch of the Naval Research Laboratory from the Vanguard Satellite era to the early days of GPS development.
Tue, 09 Aug 2016 11:00:01 -0000

Blurred Lines: An Interview with Georgetown International Law Professor Rosa Brooks

Blurred Lines: An Interview with Georgetown International Law Professor Rosa Brooks SPY Historian Vince Houghton sat down with Rosa Brooks, professor of national security law, Senior Fellow at the New America Foundation, and author of the new book How Everything Became War and the Military Became Everything: Tales from the Pentagon.
Tue, 02 Aug 2016 11:00:01 -0000

Author Debriefing: NSAs Codebreakers and the Secret Intelligence War Against the Soviet Union

SPY Historian Vince Houghton sat down with Stephen Budiansky, the author of seventeen books about military history, intelligence and espionage, science, the natural world, and other subjects, to discuss the history of the NSA and his new book, NSAs Codebreakers and the Secret Intelligence War Against the Soviet Union.
Tue, 26 Jul 2016 11:00:00 -0000

A Lifetime in Intelligence: An Interview with ex-CIA Officer Stephen Slick

SPY Historian Vince Houghton sat down with former CIA officer Steve Slick, who spent more than three decades at the Agency as a case officer, chief of station, and senior executive. He is now the inaugural Director of the Intelligence Studies Project at the University of Texas, Austin.
Tue, 19 Jul 2016 20:07:00 -0000

Goat Staring and Other Oddities: An Interview with Jon Ronson

SPY Historian Vince Houghton traveled to Politicon in Pasadena, CA and sat down (before a live audience) with Jon Ronson, author of The Men Who Stare at Goats, and all-around interesting person.
Tue, 12 Jul 2016 11:00:00 -0000

The Secret History of WWII: An Interview with Sir Max Hastings

SPY Historian Vince Houghton sat down with prolific author Sir Max Hastings, whose 20+ books have set the standard for historical writing over the last 40 years. Dr. Houghton and Sir Max discuss the fascinating topic of Hastings new book, The Secret War: Spies, Ciphers, and Guerrillas, 1939-1945, arguably the best single-volume history of the secret side of the War.
Tue, 05 Jul 2016 15:04:49 -0000

Intel at Leyte: An Interview with John Prados

SPY Historian Vince Houghton sat down with Dr. John Prados, author of the new book Storm Over Leyte: The Philippine Invasion and the Destruction of the Japanese Navy. Drs. Houghton and Prados discuss the role of intelligence in the Pacific War and, specifically, how it impacted the Battle of Leyte Gulf the largest naval battle in world history.
Tue, 28 Jun 2016 14:07:05 -0000

Author Debriefing: Executing the Rosenbergs: Death and Diplomacy in a Cold War World

SPY Historian Vince Houghton sat down with Dr. Lori Clune, Associate Professor of History at California State University, Fresno, to discuss her new book on how the Rosenberg spy case affected American relations with the rest of the world. A completely new way of looking at this milestone in spy history.
Tue, 21 Jun 2016 11:00:01 -0000

Combating Extremism: An Interview with Dr. Tara Maller

SPY Historian Vince Houghton sat down with Dr. Tara Maller, the Spokesperson and a Senior Policy Advisor for the Counter Extremism Project (CEP), to discuss the growing threat and responses to online extremism. To learn more about the CEP, go to http://www.counterextremism.com
Tue, 14 Jun 2016 16:20:31 -0000

The Missing Man: An Interview with the NYTs Barry Meier

SPY Historian Vince Houghton sat down with Barry Meier of the New York Times to discuss the story of Bob Levinson, former FBI agent and CIA contract worker, who disappeared in Iran in 2007. Meiers book, Missing Man: The American Spy Who Vanished in Iran, drew on years of interviews and never-before-disclosed CIA files to weave together a riveting narrative of the ex-agent's journey to Iran and the hunt to rescue him.
Tue, 07 Jun 2016 11:00:00 -0000

From the SpyCast Vault: D-Day Anniversary Edition

Juan Pujol was the Walter Mitty of World War II, a nobody who at one doomed venture after another while dreaming of doing something interesting with his life -- saving Western civilization, if possible. Journalist Stephan Talty, whose work has appeared widely, including in the New York Times Magazine and GQ, has told the remarkable story of how against all the odds, Pujol did just that by becoming agent GARBO, the most important double agent of World War II. Hear Talty discuss his new book with SPY Historian Mark Stout in this author debriefing which took place on July 12, 2012.
Tue, 31 May 2016 15:32:29 -0000

The Blonde Bond: An Interview with Vanity Fairs Howard Blum

SPY Historian Vince Houghton sat down with Howard Blum, contributing editor at Vanity Fair and the author of The Last Goodnight: A World War II Story of Espionage, Adventure, and Betrayal, a book about one of the greatest spies of WWII, Betty Pack. Pack used seduction as her tradecraft, and stole some of the most consequential secrets of the war.
Tue, 24 May 2016 10:00:01 -0000

The Commander: An Interview with Gen. David Petraeus

SPY Historian Vince Houghton sat down with retired 4-star general David Petraeus, former Commanding General, Multi-National Force Iraq; Commander, US Central Command; commander of the International Security Assistance Force and Commander, US Forces Afghanistan; and Director of the Central Intelligence Agency, where he served from September, 2011, until November, 2012.
Tue, 17 May 2016 11:00:01 -0000

Author Debriefing: Eisenhower's Guerrillas: The Jedburghs, the Maquis, and the Liberation of France

SPY Executive Director Peter Earnest sat down with Ben Jones, Dean of Arts and Sciences and Associate Professor of History, Dakota State University. Dr. Jones also served as an advisor to the National Military Academy of Afghanistan and later as a liaison officer to the Afghan Ministries of Defense, Interior, and their National Directorate of Security for the effort to transition Afghan security from the coalition back to Afghanistan. Peter and Dr. Jones discuss Bens new book, Eisenhower's Guerrillas: The Jedburghs, the Maquis, and the Liberation of France.
Tue, 10 May 2016 15:00:59 -0000

Corporate Espionage: An Interview with CNBCs Eamon Javers

SPY Historian Vince Houghton discusses corporate espionage with CNBCs Washington Reporter Eamon Javers, who is also the author of the book Broker, Trader, Lawyer, Spy: The Secret World of Corporate Espionage. Get the book: http://www.spymuseumstore.org/broker-trader-lawyer-spy.html#.Vz3tD_krIdU
Tue, 03 May 2016 10:00:01 -0000

Playing to the Edge: An Interview with Gen. Michael Hayden

SPY Historian Vince Houghton sat down with former NSA and CIA Director Gen. Michael Hayden to discuss his role as the only person to head both of these key intelligence agencies. Get the book: http://www.spymuseumstore.org/playing-to-the-edge.html#.VyipoBUrJTY
Tue, 26 Apr 2016 11:00:00 -0000

Historian Roundtable, Part II: A Conversation with the SPY Historians

Current SPY Historian Vince Houghton sat down with all of his former colleagues to discuss listener questions. To submit your own questions, send them via email to spycast@spymuseum.org, or on Twitter, @intlspycast.
Tue, 19 Apr 2016 16:03:09 -0000

Victor in the Rubble: An Interview with Alex Finley

SPY Historian Vince Houghton sat down with Alex Finley, author of the new satirical novel about CIA and the War on Terror, Victor in the Rubble. Finley, herself a former officer in CIAs Directorate of Operations, provides a hilarious look at the bureaucratic absurdity of intelligence operations, and the great lengths capable officers will go to overcome it. BuyVictor in the Rubblefrom the Spy Museum Store
Tue, 12 Apr 2016 15:30:00 -0000

The President's Book of Secrets: The Untold Story of Intelligence Briefings to America's Presidents from Kennedy to Obama

SPY Executive Director Peter Earnest sat down with former CIA intelligence officer, manager, and daily intelligence briefer David Priess to discuss his new book centered on the Presidents Daily Brief (PDB). Every living former President and Vice President, along with most former CIA Directors, Secretaries of State and Defense, National Security Advisors, White House Chiefs of Staff, and senior intelligence leaders, shared with Priess their personal stories about the PDB. And by digging through both the extensive files of the Presidential libraries and millions of pages of declassified CIA raw intelligence reports, analytic assessments, and memosPriess emerges with a uniqueand fascinatinglook into the most tightly controlled document in modern world. Buy The President's Book of Secrets from the Spy Museum Store
Tue, 05 Apr 2016 08:00:00 -0000

Sold Out? Iraq, the CIA, and the Kurds: An Interview with Dr. Bryan Gibson

SPY Historian Vince Houghton sat down with historian Bryan Gibson to discuss the tumultuous history of US foreign policy in Iraq. From the end of the Second World War through today, Iraq has remained a key component in the American security calculus. Houghton and Gibson take a deep dive into this period, and Gibson demonstrates how Iraq should be considered an integral Cold War environment alongside such places as Cuba, Vietnam, and Afghanistan.
Tue, 29 Mar 2016 19:26:26 -0000

Author Debriefing: Queen of Spies: Daphne Park, Britain's Cold War Spy Master

SPY Historian Vince Houghton sat down with Paddy Hayes to discuss his book Queen of Spies: Daphne Park, Britain's Cold War Spy Master. Hayes recounts the fascinating story of the evolution of the British Secret Intelligence Service (SIS) from World War II to the Cold War through the eyes of Daphne Park, one of its outstanding and most unusual operatives. He gives one of the most intimate narratives yet of how the modern SIS actually went about its business whether in Moscow, Hanoi, or the Congo, and shows how Park was able to rise through the ranks of a field that had been comprised almost entirely of men. Queen of Spies captures all the paranoia, isolation, deception of Cold War intelligence work, and combines it with the personal story of one extraordinary woman trying to navigate this secretive world.
Tue, 22 Mar 2016 15:30:00 -0000

Defeating ISIS: An Interview with Malcolm Nance

SPY Historian Vince Houghton sat down with former Arabic speaking naval intelligence counter-terrorism and intelligence officer Malcolm Nance. After spending 35 years participating in field and combat intelligence activity including both covert and clandestine anti counter-terrorism support to national intelligence agencies, he is now a member of the Board of Advisors here at the International Spy Museum. Houghton and Nance discuss the rise of ISIS, the connection between Islam and terrorism, the spread of radicalism worldwide, and Nances prescription for the ultimate defeat of the Islamic State.
Tue, 22 Mar 2016 14:34:25 -0000

Special Breed of Warrior: An Interview with Former SEAL Clinton Emerson

SPY Historian Vince Houghton sat down with former SEAL Team 6 member Clinton Emerson to discuss the role of special operations forces in modern intelligence activities. Houghton and Emerson delve into Clints life as a SEAL, his work with the National Security Agency, and his new book 100 Deadly Skills: The SEAL Operative's Guide to Eluding Pursuers, Evading Capture, and Surviving Any Dangerous Situation. Get the book: http://www.spymuseumstore.org/100-deadly-skills.html#.VvVe-eIrKUk
Tue, 15 Mar 2016 15:30:00 -0000

Intelligence Analysis in the 21st Century: An Interview with Dr. Mark Lowenthal

SPY Historian Vince Houghton sat down with Mark Lowenthal, former Assistant Director of Central Intelligence for Analysis and Production and Vice Chairman for Evaluation on the National Intelligence Council and the man who (literally) wrote the book on intelligence analysis. Drs. Houghton and Lowenthal discuss the current state of intelligence education, the successes and failures of post-9/11 intelligence reform, and the controversial CIA analysis on Iraqi Weapons of Mass Destruction.
Mon, 07 Mar 2016 15:30:00 -0000

Army Intelligence: A View from the Top. An Interview with the Chief of Army Intel, LTG Mary Legere

SPY Historian Vince Houghton sat down with current Army G-2 LTG Mary Legere to discuss the current role and mission of Army Intelligence. LTG Legere, who has spent her entire career as an intelligence officer, also provides some historical context on how the dynamic environment of military intelligence has changed since the beginning of the War on Terror. Finally, LTG Legere provides invaluable insight into what it feels like to be a woman at the top of what has been traditionally considered a mans world in a double sense: both the military and the intelligence community and how she uses her position to help train and cultivate the next generation of Americas leaders.
Thu, 03 Mar 2016 15:30:00 -0000

Author Debriefing: United States of Jihad. An Interview with Peter Bergen

SPY Historian Vince Houghton sat down with author Peter Bergen to discuss his newest book, United States of Jihad: Investigating America's Homegrown Terrorists. Paced like a detective story, the book tells the entwined stories of the key actors on the American front. Drawing on his extensive network of intelligence contacts, from the National Counterterrorism Center and the FBI to the NYPD, Bergen also offers an inside look at the controversial tactics of the agencies tracking potential terroristsfrom infiltrating mosques to massive surveillance; at the bias experienced by innocent observant Muslims at the hands of law enforcement; at the critics and defenders of U.S. policies on terrorism; and at how social media has revolutionized terrorism. Get the book: http://www.spymuseumstore.org/united-states-of-jihad.html#.Vxk3s5MrJTY
Tue, 23 Feb 2016 15:30:00 -0000

History Roundtable: A Conversation with Drs. Alexis Albion, Thomas Boghardt, Mark Stout, and Vince Houghton

In what will hopefully become a series of conversations here at the Spy Museum, all of the past and present SPY historians sat down to discuss a key issue in the world of intelligence from a historical, but not-too-formal perspective. This weeks topic: who is your favorite spy? Join Alexis, Thomas, Mark, and Vince as they present their cases, and stick around to hear how you can find more information on each of our favorites.
Tue, 16 Feb 2016 15:30:00 -0000

The CI Professional: An Interview with Dr. John Schindler

SPY Historian Vince Houghton sat down with former NSA counterintelligence officer John Schindler to discuss his experiences in the Balkans, and his views on the current intelligence war against Russia. Houghton and Schindler also dive into Edward Snowden, WikiLeaks, and the unending battle against violent extremism.
Tue, 09 Feb 2016 15:30:00 -0000

Defense Intelligence in the 21st Century: An Interview with Former DIA Director Michael Flynn

SPY Historian Vince Houghton sat down with LTG (Ret) Michael Flynn, the Director of the Defense Intelligence Agency from 2012-2014. Houghton and Flynn discuss the challenges DIA has faced in the last several decades, including the sharp transitions from the Soviet threat to the asymmetrical threats of the modern day. They also discuss the ways DIA, and the IC as a whole, must adapt to meet the uncertainty of the future. For information about LTG Flynns upcoming book, visit http://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250106223.
Tue, 02 Feb 2016 15:30:00 -0000

The Real Story of the U-2 Incident: An Interview with Francis Gary Powers, Jr.

SPY Historian Vince Houghton sat down with Gary Powers, Jr., the son of the legendary U-2 pilot who was shot down over the Soviet Union in 1960. Vince and Gary discuss his fathers legacy, the incorrect assumptions about his fathers capture, and the retelling of his fathers story in the Spielberg movie Bridge of Spies, now available on Blu-Ray.
Tue, 26 Jan 2016 15:30:00 -0000

Higher, Faster, Stealthier: An Interview with SR-71 Pilot Buz Carpenter

SPY Historian Vince Houghton sat down with USAF Colonel (Ret.) Buz Carpenter, who flew some of the most incredible aircraft ever developed. As an RF-4C pilot in Vietnam, Col. Carpenter flew low level reconnaissance missions over enemy territory. Later, as the pilot of the SR-71, Buz took aviation to speeds and heights that have yet to be equaled (except by other SR-71s). Finally, at the end of his Air Force career, Col. Carpenter worked with the USAFs Blackworld program, helping to develop todays most advanced aircraft.
Tue, 19 Jan 2016 15:30:00 -0000

The Radicalization of Women in Islam: An Interview with Farhana Qazi

SPY Historian Vince Houghton sat down with Farhana Qazi, a scholar and speaker on conflicts in the Islamic world, and the first American Muslim woman to serve in the National Counter-Terrorism Center. Houghton and Qazi discuss the role of women in radical Islam, the fight against ISIS, The changing status of women in the Muslim world, the Syrian refugee crisis, and the current state of Pakistan and Kashmir. As a Muslim woman, Qazi provides unique insight into political Islam and the impact of war on Muslim populations.
Tue, 12 Jan 2016 15:30:00 -0000

Author Debriefing: JFK's Forgotten Crisis: Tibet, the CIA, and Sino-Indian War

During a public program at the Museum, SPY Historian Vince Houghton sat down with Bruce Riedel, author of JFK's Forgotten Crisis: Tibet, the CIA, and Sino-Indian War. Riedel, who is a senior fellow and director of the Brookings Intelligence Project, joined Brookings following a thirty-year career at the Central Intelligence Agency, serving as a senior adviser to the last four U.S. presidents on South Asia and the Middle East. His book is a story of war, diplomacy, and covert action, told with authority and perspective. He draws on newly declassified letters between Kennedy and Indian leader Jawaharlal Nehru, along with the diaries and memoirs of key players and other sources, to make this the definitive account of JFK's forgotten crisis.
Tue, 05 Jan 2016 15:30:00 -0000

Political Espionage: An Interview with Ken Vogel of POLITICO

SPY Historian Vince Houghton sat down with Ken Vogel, Chief Investigative Reporter for POLITICO and author of the article, The Koch Intelligence Agency. Houghton and Vogel (who tracks the confluence of money, politics, and influence for POLITICO) discuss the use of use surveillance, propaganda, disinformation, deception, and even covert action in modern political campaigns.
Tue, 29 Dec 2015 15:30:00 -0000

Author Debriefing: Ghost Fleet: A Novel of the Next World War

SPY Historian Vince Houghton sat down with PW Singer, co-author of Ghost Fleet: A Novel of the Next World War (which he wrote with August Cole). In the spirit of early Tom Clancy (especially Red Storm Rising), Ghost Fleet is a imagining of how World War III might play out. But what makes it even more notable is how the book smashes together the technothriller and nonfiction genres. It is a novel, but with 400 endnotes, showing how every trend and technology featured in book no matter how sci-fi it may seem is real. Singer, who is also a contributing editor at Popular Science, lays out the future of technology and war, while following a global cast of characters fighting at sea, on land, in the air and in two new places of conflict: outer space and cyberspace. For more on Ghost Fleet, check out ghostfleetbook.com.
Tue, 22 Dec 2015 15:30:00 -0000

The Whistleblower: An Interview with Thomas Drake

SPY Historian Vince Houghton sat down with Thomas Drake, former senior executive of the NSA and whistleblower who in 2010 was indicted on 10 felony counts; charges that would have carried decades of prison time had Drake been convicted. Instead, in early June 2011, the government dropped all of the charges and agreed not to seek any jail time in return for Drake's guilty plea to a misdemeanor of misusing the NSAs computer system. Although the legal case was settled, the controversy would continue, as a new wave of whistleblowers (or leakers depending on your perspective) burst on to the public scene, and dramatically changed the way many Americans viewed the power of their government.
Tue, 15 Dec 2015 15:30:00 -0000

Coast Guard Intelligence: An Interview with Captain Erich Telfer

SPY Historian Vince Houghton sat down with Captain Erich Telfer, the commanding officer of the Coast Guard Maritime Intelligence Fusion Center Atlantic in Virginia Beach, Virginia. Houghton and Telfer discuss the role of the Coast Guard in the broader American intelligence community, the professionalization of the Coast Guard intel branch, and CAPT Telfers research into the intelligence response to the 2010 BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. CAPT Telfers study can be read here: http://ni-u.edu/wp/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/Telfer_UnlimitedImpossibilites.pdf
Tue, 08 Dec 2015 15:30:00 -0000

Author Debriefing: Spies, Scouts, and Secrets in the Gettysburg Campaign

SPY Historian Vince Houghton sat down with Tom Ryan, former intelligence professional for the Department of Defense and author of Spies, Scouts, and Secrets in the Gettysburg Campaign. The first book to offer a unique and incisive comparative study of intelligence operations during what many consider the wars decisive campaign, Ryans study evaluates how Gen. Robert E. Lee used intelligence resources, including cavalry, civilians, newspapers, and spies to gather information about Union activities during his invasion of the North in June and July 1863, and how this intelligence influenced General Lees decisions. Simultaneously, Ryan explores the effectiveness of the Union Army of the Potomacs intelligence and counterintelligence operations. Both Maj. Gens. Joe Hooker and George G. Meade relied upon cavalry, the Signal Corps, and an intelligence staff known as the Bureau of Military Information that employed innovative concepts to gather, collate, and report vital information from a variety of sources. The result is an eye-opening, day-by-day analysis of how and why the respective army commanders implemented their strategy and tactics, with an evaluation of their respective performance as they engaged in a battle of wits to learn the enemys location, strength, and intentions.
Tue, 01 Dec 2015 15:30:00 -0000

The World of Global Jihad: A Conversation with Morten Storm

SPY Historian Vince Houghton talked to Morten Storm, who, after a decade of jihadi life, not only repudiated extremism but, in a quest for atonement, became a double agent for the CIA and British and Danish intelligence. He is now in hiding, fearful that some vengeful jihadist will try to kill him for his work with Western intelligence. However, this wont stop him from providing SpyCast with his insight and expertise on global terrorism. On a regular basis, SpyCast will send questions to Morten, he will record his answers, and we will post them here. To be a part of this conversation, send your questions for Morten Storm to spycast@spymuseum.org. We will take the best questions and send them to Morten for the next installment. Get the book: http://www.spymuseumstore.org/agen-storm-book.html#.Vz3lp_krIdU
Tue, 24 Nov 2015 15:30:00 -0000

The Publics Right to Know: An Interview with Sheryl Shenberger, the Director of the National Declassification Center

SPY Historian Vince Houghton sat down with Sheryl Shenberger, the Director of the National Declassification Center at the National Archives. President Obama pledged to preside over the most transparent government ever a vow that included declassifying as many documents as possible. Houghton and Shenberger discuss the process behind declassification, as the NDC tries to honor the Presidents promise by closely working with intelligence agencies to release documents to the public. Why do some historic records get released while others do not? Is automatic declassification after 25 or 50 years really automatic? When do we get to learn who really killed JFK?
Tue, 17 Nov 2015 15:30:00 -0000

The Real Story of Rudolph Abel: An Interview with Vin Arthey

SPY Historian Vince Houghton sat down with Vin Arthey, who has spent most of his adult life researching the life of KGB Colonel William Fisher better known as Rudolf Abel. Working with secret sources and inside information, Arthey turned this lifelong study into a fascinating book, Abel: The True Story of the Spy They Swapped for Gary Powers. Houghton and Arthey trace the adventures (and misadventures) of one of the most extraordinary characters in the history of the Cold War.
Tue, 10 Nov 2015 15:30:00 -0000

Author Debriefing: Disciples: The World War II Missions of the CIA Directors Who Fought for Wild Bill Donovan

SPY Historian Vince Houghton sat down with author Doug Waller to discuss his new book Disciples: The World War II Missions of the CIA Directors Who Fought for Wild Bill Donovan. The author of the critically acclaimed bestseller Wild Bill Donovan, Waller tells Houghton the story of four OSS warriors of World War II. All four later led the CIA. They are the most famous and controversial directors the CIA has ever hadAllen Dulles, Richard Helms, William Colby, and William Casey. Disciples is the story of these dynamic agents and their daring espionage and sabotage in wartime Europe under OSS Director Bill Donovan.
Tue, 03 Nov 2015 15:30:00 -0000

Hitler in Los Angeles: An Interview with Professor Steve Ross

SPY Historian Vince Houghton sat down with University of Southern California history professor Steve Ross to discuss the ongoing research for his upcoming book Hitler in Los Angeles: How Jews and their Spies Foiled Nazi Plots Against Hollywood and America. Ross explains how a group of patriotic citizens refused to wait for the authorities to act on the Nazi menace in America, and instead took matters into their own hands. A never-before-told true story of classic infiltration and espionage in the 1930s and World War II.
Tue, 20 Oct 2015 15:30:00 -0000

From the Vault: The Cuban Missile Crisis - Blind Over Cuba

Professor David Barrett discusses his book Blind over Cuba: The Photo Gap and the Missile Crisis which he wrote with Max Holland. He describes to former SPY Historian Mark Stout how the Kennedy Administration impeded reconnaissance flights over Cuba in the weeks before the crisis and how the Administration successfully covered up that fact. From October 2012.
Tue, 20 Oct 2015 15:30:00 -0000

From the Vault: The Cuban Missile Crisis - Russian Intelligence Past and Present

SPY Executive Director Peter Earnest and former KGB General Oleg Kalugin discuss the current espionage conflict between Russia and Georgia, reminisce about the Cuban Missile Crisis, and bring an old question to light: Was Isaac Stone a Russian spy? From October 2006.
Tue, 13 Oct 2015 15:30:00 -0000

Author Debriefing: Church of Spies: The Popes Secret War Against Hitler

SPY Executive Director Peter Earnest sat down with author Mark Riebling to discuss his new book on the wartime espionage of the Catholic Church. The Vaticans silence in the face of Nazi atrocities remains one of the great controversies of our time. History has accused wartime pontiff Pius the Twelfth of complicity in the Holocaust and dubbed him Hitlers Pope. But a key part of the story has remained untold. In fact, Pius ran the worlds largest church, smallest state, and oldest spy service. Saintly but secretive, he skimmed from church charities to pay covert couriers, and surreptitiously tape-recorded his meetings with top Nazis. When he learned of the Holocaust, Pius played his cards close to his chest. He sent birthday cards to Hitlerwhile secretly plotting to kill him. Church of Spies documents this cloak and dagger intrigue in shocking detail. Gun-toting Jesuits stole blueprints to Hitlers homes. A Catholic book publisher flew a sports plane over the Alps with secrets filched from the head of Hitlers bodyguard. The keeper of the Vatican crypt ran a spy ring that betrayed German war plans and wounded Hitler in a briefcase bombing.
Tue, 06 Oct 2015 15:30:00 -0000

Author Debriefing: Spy Secrets That Can Save Your Life: A Former CIA Officer Reveals Safety and Survival Techniques to Keep You and Your Family Protected

When Jason Hanson joined the CIA in 2003, he never imagined that the same tactics he used as a CIA officer for counter intelligence, surveillance, and protecting agency personnel would prove to be essential in everyday civilian life. In addition to escaping handcuffs, picking locks, and spotting when someone is telling a lie, he can improvise a self-defense weapon, pack a perfect emergency kit, and even disappear off the grid if necessary. He has also honed his "positive awareness" a heightened sense of his surroundings that allows him to spot suspicious and potentially dangerous behavior on the street, in a taxi, at the airport, when dining out, or in any other situation. With the skill of a trained operative and the relatability of a suburban dad, Hanson brings his top-level training to everyday Americans in this guide to staying safe in an increasingly dangerous world.
Tue, 29 Sep 2015 15:30:00 -0000

Author Debriefing: The Pentagons Brain: An Uncensored History of DARPA, Americas Top-Secret Military Research Agency

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is the radical force behind the nations most revolutionary, high-tech military initiatives over the past half century. To write the first definitive history of the worlds most powerful and productive military science agency, bestselling author Annie Jacobsen tracked down DARPA scientists, past and present, including current neuroscientists building an artificial brain, cell biologists working on limb regeneration, and even the Nobel Laureate who invented the laser. From conflict-tested science experiments, like Agent Orange and electronic barriers on the battlefield during Vietnam, to War on Terror insect drones, smart rockets, camera-filled war zones and advanced computer programs, she tracks DARPA from its Cold War inception to present day research controversies. Jacobsen shared her journey to the heart of the military-industrial complexa place where science fiction and military science collideand revealed a future that is fascinating and potentially frightening.
Tue, 15 Sep 2015 15:30:00 -0000

Covering Intelligence, Part 2: An Interview with Ali Watkins of the Huffington Post

In Part 2 of this three-part series, SPY Historian Dr. Vince Houghton sat down with Ali Watkins, who covers intelligence and national security for the Huffington Post. Houghton and Watkins discuss the difficulties in reporting on this most secret of topics, the dangers and benefits of using anonymous sources, and the ever-changing nature of intelligence and national security journalism. Part 1 of this series was with Mark Mazzetti of the New York Times, and Part 3 will be with Greg Miller of the Washington Post.
Tue, 15 Sep 2015 15:30:00 -0000

Covering Intelligence, Part 3: An Interview with Greg Miller of the Washington Post

In Part 3 of this three-part series, SPY Historian Dr. Vince Houghton sat down with Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Greg Miller, who covers intelligence and national security for the Washington Post. Houghton and Miller discuss the difficulties in reporting on this most secret of topics, the dangers and benefits of using anonymous sources, and the ever-changing nature of intelligence and national security journalism. Part 1 of this series was with Mark Mazzetti of the New York Times, and Part 2 was with Ali Watkins of the Huffington Post.
Tue, 08 Sep 2015 15:30:00 -0000

Covering Intelligence, Part 1: An Interview with Mark Mazzetti of the New York Times

In Part 1 of this three-part series, SPY Historian Dr. Vince Houghton sat down with Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Mark Mazzetti, who covers intelligence and national security for the New York Times. Houghton and Mazzetti discuss the difficulties in reporting on this most secret of topics, the dangers and benefits of using anonymous sources, and the ever-changing nature of intelligence and national security journalism. Part 2 of this series will be with Ali Watkins of the Huffington Post, and Part 3 will be with Greg Miller of the Washington Post.
Tue, 01 Sep 2015 15:30:00 -0000

Author Debriefing: Climate Change and Conflict Prevention

SPY Historian Dr. Vince Houghton sat down with career US Foreign Service Officer J. Andrew Plowman to discuss his book, Climate Change and Conflict Prevention. Plowman uses the Darfur conflict as a case study to examine how the effects of climate change might lead to future violent conflicts, and he assesses the best way to prevent these conflicts. Mr. Plowmans service with the State Department has included assignments to Peru, Panama, Kazakhstan, and Brazil, as well as Washington assignments with the Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs and the Economics, Energy, and Business Affairs Bureau.
Tue, 25 Aug 2015 15:30:00 -0000

Cuba Libre: An Interview with Intelligence Legend Felix Rodriguez (Part III)

SPY Historian Dr. Vince Houghton sat down with Cuban-exile-turned-CIA-officer Felix Rodriguez to discuss his extraordinary intelligence career. As a teenager, Rodriguez joined the effort to overthrow (and kill) Fidel Castro. After that mission failed, he trained and led the team that hunted and captured the guerilla Che Guevara in Bolivia. By the late 1960s, he took his counterinsurgency experience and applied it in covert operations against Americas enemies in Vietnam. This, and much more. Warning: This podcast contains some salty language. Consider it PG-13.
Tue, 18 Aug 2015 15:30:00 -0000

Cuba Libre: An Interview with Intelligence Legend Felix Rodriguez (Part II)

SPY Historian Dr. Vince Houghton sat down with Cuban-exile-turned-CIA-officer Felix Rodriguez to discuss his extraordinary intelligence career. As a teenager, Rodriguez joined the effort to overthrow (and kill) Fidel Castro. After that mission failed, he trained and led the team that hunted and captured the guerilla Che Guevara in Bolivia. By the late 1960s, he took his counterinsurgency experience and applied it in covert operations against Americas enemies in Vietnam. This, and much more.
Tue, 11 Aug 2015 15:30:00 -0000

Cuba Libre: An Interview with Intelligence Legend Felix Rodriguez (Part I)

SPY Historian Dr. Vince Houghton sat down with Cuban-exile-turned-CIA-officer Felix Rodriguez to discuss his extraordinary intelligence career. As a teenager, Rodriguez joined the effort to overthrow (and kill) Fidel Castro. After that mission failed, he trained and led the team that hunted and captured the guerilla Che Guevara in Bolivia. By the late 1960s, he took his counterinsurgency experience and applied it in covert operations against Americas enemies in Vietnam. This, and much more.
Thu, 16 Jul 2015 15:30:00 -0000

Author Debriefing: The Billion Dollar Spy

While getting into his car on the evening of February 16, 1978, the chief of the CIA's Moscow station was handed an envelope by an unknown Russian. Its contents stunned the Americans: details of top secret Soviet research and development in military technology that was totally unknown to the United States. From David Hoffman, the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Dead Hand, comes the riveting story of the CIA's most valuable spy in the Soviet Union and an evocative portrait of the agency's Moscow station, an outpost of daring espionage in the last years of the Cold War. Drawing on previously secret documents obtained from the CIA, as well as interviews with participants, Hoffman will reveal how the depredations of the Soviet state motivated one man to master the craft of spying against his own nation until he was betrayed to the KGB by a disgruntled former CIA trainee. No one has ever told this story before in such detail, and Hoffman's deep knowledge of spycraft, the Cold War, and military technology makes him uniquely qualified to bring to the International Spy Museum this real life espionage thriller.
Tue, 30 Jun 2015 15:30:00 -0000

From the CIA to the Classroom: An Interview with Joe Wippl

SPY Historian Vince Houghton sat down with Joe Wippl, the Director of Graduate Studies and Professor of the Practice of International Relations, Boston University Pardee School of Global Studies. Wippl is also a former CIA officer, who spent a 30 year career as an operations officer in the National Clandestine Service at the time (as it is again) the Directorate of Operations. Houghton and Wippl discuss his time serving overseas as an operations officer and operations manager in Bonn, West Germany; Guatemala City; Luxembourg; Madrid, Spain; Mexico City; Vienna, Austria; and Berlin, Germany where he was the Station Chief. Later, while on assignments in CIA headquarters, he served as the Deputy Chief of Human Resources, as the Senior NCS representative to the Aldrich Ames Damage Assessment Team, as Chief of Europe Division and as the CIAs Director of Congressional Affairs.
Fri, 26 Jun 2015 15:30:00 -0000

Author Debriefing: How to Catch a Russian Spy

For three nerve-wracking years, Naveed Jamali spied on the United States for the Russians or so the Russians believed. Hear Naveed bring his unbelievable, yet true, story to life. By trading thumb drives of sensitive technical data for envelopes of cash, he pretended to sell out his own country across noisy restaurant tables and in quiet parking lots. Although he had no formal espionage training, with the help of an initially reluctant FBI duo he ended up at the center of a highly successful counterintelligence operation that targeted Russian espionage in New York City. With news about Russias disintegrating relationship with the United States a frequent headline and political hot topic, How to Catch a Russian Spy is the one-of-a-kind story of how one young mans post-college adventure became a real-life US counter-intelligence coup. Get the book: http://www.spymuseumstore.org/how-to-catch-a-russian-spy.html#.Vz3ixZMrJTY
Tue, 16 Jun 2015 15:30:00 -0000

Author Debriefing: Manchu Princess, Japanese Spy: The Story of Kawashima Yoshiko, the Cross-Dressing Spy Who Commanded Her Own Army

SPY Historian Vince Houghton sat down (remotely) with biographer Phyllis Birnbaum to discuss her newest book, based on the life of Kawashima Yoshiko, who supported the puppet Manchu state established by the Japanese in 1932--one reason she was executed for treason after Japan's 1945 defeat. The truth of Yoshiko's life is still a source of contention between China and Japan: some believe she was exploited by powerful men, others claim she relished her role as political provocateur. China holds her responsible for unspeakable crimes, while Japan has forgiven her transgressions. This biography presents the richest and most accurate portrait to date of the controversial princess spy, recognizing her truly novel role in conflicts that transformed East Asia.
Tue, 19 May 2015 15:30:00 -0000

Author Debriefing: When Should State Secrets Stay Secret?: Accountability, Democratic Governance, and Intelligence

SPY Historian Vince Houghton sat down with Dr. Gen Lester to discuss her new book, When Should State Secrets Stay Secret. Lesters book examines the oversight mechanisms that have developed within all three branches of government, how they interact, and what types of historical pivot points have driven change among them. She suggests ways to improve oversight mechanisms based on her expert analysis. The book also includes a fascinating chapter on the inner workings of the CIA to which a number of CIA officers contributed.
Tue, 12 May 2015 15:30:00 -0000

From CIA to Congress: An Interview with US Congressman Will Hurd

SPY Historian Vince Houghton sat down with Representative Will Hurd, a Republican from Texas 23rd Congressional District, to discuss his unique background as a former CIA officer who is now a Member of the US House of Representatives. After spending most of a decade working in Pakistan, India, and Afghanistan, Rep. Hurd brought his experiences and lessons-learned to the Halls of Congress, where he serves on key committees, including Homeland Security and Oversight and Government Reform.
Thu, 30 Apr 2015 15:30:00 -0000

The Rosenbergs: The Definitive Debate

More than sixty years after their execution in June 1953 for conspiring to steal atomic secrets for the Soviet Union, debate still rages about the Rosenbergs. Mike Meeropol, the son of Julius and Ethel, has spent his life in pursuit of the real story behind his parents secret lives, their trials, their convictions for espionage, and ultimately their executions. Sam Roberts, journalist for The New York Times, is the author of The Brother, a book written with exclusive access to David Greenglass, Ethels brother, whose testimony almost single-handedly convicted the couple. In this extraordinary debate, these renowned Rosenberg scholars with very different perspectivestake on the divisive issues and key questions that remain despite the declassification of intelligence files from the United States and the Soviet Union. Dr. Vince Houghton, historian and curator of the International Spy Museum and an expert on nuclear intelligence, moderated this authoritative debate on the Rosenberg case. This event took place April 21, 2015.
Tue, 28 Apr 2015 15:30:00 -0000

Intelligence and Arms Control: An Interview with Kelsey Davenport

SPY Historian Vince Houghton sat down with Kelsey Davenport, the Director for Nonproliferation Policy at the Arms Control Association, where she provides research and analysis on the nuclear and missile programs in Iran, North Korea, India, and Pakistan and on nuclear security issues. Vince and Kelsey discuss the complexity of the arms control process, the role of intelligence in verifying the status of nuclear weapon states, and the hope for a future without the danger of nuclear proliferation.
Tue, 14 Apr 2015 15:30:00 -0000

Washingtons Spies: An Interview with Alexander Rose

SPY Historian Vince Houghton sat down with historian and author Alex Rose, whose book Washingtons Spies: The Story of Americas First Spy Ring, is the source material for AMC Networks series TURN. Drs. Houghton and Rose (who is a writer and co-producer of TURN) discuss history on TV, and the plotline of the second season of the hit series. They also take time to focus on the real history of the period, what is history and what is Hollywood, the Culper spy ring, and the importance of intelligence during the American Revolution.
Tue, 31 Mar 2015 15:30:00 -0000

From the SpyCast Vault: An Interview with Major General Michael Ennis

Former SPY Historian Mark Stout sat down with Marine Maj. Gen. (ret.) Mike Ennis to discuss human intelligence (HUMINT) within the Defense Department and the CIA. In 1998, Ennis commanded the Joint Intelligence Center of the United States Pacific Command, was later named Director of Marine Corps Intelligence Command in 2000, and was the Director of HUMINT for the DIA. In 2006, he was named Deputy Director of Community HUMINT of the Central Intelligence Agencys National Clandestine Service, his final government posting before his retirement in 2007. This SpyCast was recorded on February 11, 2013.
Thu, 19 Mar 2015 15:30:00 -0000

Author Debriefing | Operation Chowhound: The Most Risky, Most Glorious US Bomber Mission of WWII

SPY Historian Vince Houghton sat down (remotely) with Australian author Stephen Dando-Collins to discuss his new book, Operation Chowhound. Beginning with a crazy plan hatched by a suspect prince, and an even crazier reliance on the word of the Nazis, Operation Chowhound was devised. Between May 1 and May 8, 1945, 2,268 military units flown by the USAAF, dropped food to 3.5 million starving Dutch civilians in German-occupied Holland. Dando-Collins takes the reader into the rooms where Operation Chowhound was born, into the aircraft flying the mission, and onto the ground in the Netherlands with the civilians who so desperately needed help. James Bond creator Ian Fleming, Hollywood actress Audrey Hepburn, as well as Roosevelt, Eisenhower, and Churchill all play a part in this compelling story.
Tue, 17 Feb 2015 15:30:00 -0000

Intelligence in the Early Republic: An Interview with Ken Daigler

The history of American intelligence in the Revolution and Civil War has been extensively covered by both professional and amateur historians. But what about the time in between the wars? SPY historian Vince Houghton sat down with retired career CIA operations officer and historian Ken Daigler to discuss American espionage during the earliest period of United States history. Who were the first foreign agents sent to collect HUMINT? Can we look at the Lewis and Clark expedition as an intelligence operation? How well did American intelligence function during the War of 1812? The Mexican-American War? Daigler, author of Spies, Patriots, and Traitors: American Intelligence in the Revolutionary War and two seminal articles on early American intelligence for the CIAs Studies in Intelligence, provides the answers.
Tue, 03 Feb 2015 15:30:00 -0000

Author Debriefing: The Hundred-Year Marathon: China's Secret Strategy to Replace America as the Global Superpower

For more than forty years, the United States has played an indispensable role helping the Chinese government build a booming economy, develop its scientific and military capabilities, and take its place on the world stage, in the belief that Chinas rise will bring us cooperation, diplomacy, and free trade. But what if the "China Dream" is to replace us, just as America replaced the British Empire, without firing a shot? Mike Pillsbury, a fluent Mandarin speaker who has served in senior national security positions in the U.S. government since the days of Richard Nixon and Henry Kissinger, draws on his decades of contact with the "hawks" in Chinas military and intelligence agencies and translates their documents, speeches, and books to show how the teachings of traditional Chinese statecraft underpin their actions. He offers an inside look at how the Chinese really view America and its leaders as barbarians who will be the architects of their own demise.
Tue, 27 Jan 2015 15:30:00 -0000

Defending a Spy: An Interview with Espionage Attorney Plato Cacheris

What do Aldrich Ames, Robert Hanssen, and Ana Montes have in common? Two things: they all spied against the United States, and they all had Plato Cacheris as their lawyer. SPY Historian Vince Houghton and Executive Director Peter Earnest sat down with the legendary defense attorney to discuss many of his most (in)famous clients including Ames, Hanssen, Montes who stole some of Americas most guarded secrets.
Tue, 13 Jan 2015 15:30:00 -0000

Author Debriefing | Iran-Contra: Reagans Scandal and the Unchecked Abuse of Presidential Power

Through exhaustive use of declassified documents, previously unavailable investigative materials, and wide-ranging interviews, Malcolm Byrne explores what made the Iran-Contra scandal possible and meticulously relates how it unfoldedincluding clarifying minor myths about cakes, keys, bibles, diversion memos, and shredding parties. Byrne, the Deputy Director and Research Director at the National Security Archive, demonstrates that the affair could not have occurred without awareness and approval at the top levels of the US government. He reveals an unmistakable pattern of dubious behaviorincluding potentially illegal conduct by the president, vice president, the secretaries of state and defense, the CIA director and othersthat formed the true core of the scandal.
Tue, 16 Dec 2014 15:30:00 -0000

Drones: Past, Present, and Future: An Interview with Dr. Trevor McCrisken

Guest host Dr. Chris Moran of Warwick University (UK) sat down with his colleague, Dr. Trevor McCrisken, for a SpyCast on the role of drones in modern surveillance, warfighting, and counterterrorism. McCrisken, whose biography can be found here, discusses the weaponization of drones, the targeted killing program of the Bush and Obama administrations, the perception in the West that the drone war is costless, and the possibility of what he calls the perpetual war against global terrorism.
Tue, 02 Dec 2014 15:30:00 -0000

Inside the Stasi Archives: An Interview with Dr. Doug Selvage

SPY Historian Vince Houghton sat down with historian Doug Selvage to discuss the archives of the East German Ministry of State Security, the Stasi. Dr. Selvage, Project Director in the Office of the Federal Commissioner for the Stasi Records in Berlin, has published widely on the CSCE process, Polish-German relations under communism, and the history of the Soviet bloc. He and Houghton focus on the history of the Stasi, its role in the Cold War struggle between East and West, the devious disinformation campaign to convince the world that the United States was responsible for the AIDS epidemic, and the monumental effort to reconstruct millions of secret documents shredded at the end of the Cold War.
Tue, 25 Nov 2014 15:30:00 -0000

Spies, Policymakers, and Nuclear Weapons: An Interview with Gregg Herken (Part 1)

SPY Historian Vince Houghton sat down with historian Gregg Herken to discuss his new book The Georgetown Set: Friends and Rivals in Cold War Washington. Herken, the professor emeritus of modern American diplomatic history at the University of California, gives a behind-the-scenes history of postwar Washington the close-knit group of journalists, spies, and government officials who planned and waged the Cold War over cocktails and dinner.
Tue, 25 Nov 2014 15:30:00 -0000

Spies, Policymakers, and Nuclear Weapons: An Interview with Gregg Herken (Part 2)

SPY Historian Vince Houghton continues his conversation with historian Gregg Herken, focusing on his previous four books on US nuclear policy. Brotherhood of the Bomb, Cardinal Choices, Counsels of War, and The Winning Weapon redefined the ways historians and policymakers have viewed nuclear weapons. Houghton who himself is a historian of nuclear weapons and intelligence and Herken discuss the challenges faced by American policymakers and intelligence professionals in dealing with the worlds most dangerous weapon.
Mon, 17 Nov 2014 15:30:00 -0000

Can a Drone Read Your Email? : An Interview with Mike Tassey and Rich Perkins

SPY Historian Vince Houghton sat down with Mike Tassey and Rich Perkins, creators of the Wireless Aerial Surveillance Platform, a state-of-the-art cyber drone. Mike and Rich built their unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) in their garage using off-the-shelf electronics, and with the intention of proving that a drone could be used to launch a cyber-attack. With only an Internet connection, a hacker sitting on a beach anywhere in the world could use their UAV to intercept cell phone conversations, steal financial information, or access secret government documents. The prototype was a success and the race is now on to develop the next generation of cyber drones.
Wed, 12 Nov 2014 15:30:00 -0000

From Bletchley to Bond: An Interview with Journalist and Author Sinclair McKay (Part 2)

Half of the worlds population has seen a James Bond movie. The historical and cultural impact of this franchises 23 (and counting) films is unrivaled by anything else in contemporary pop culture. SPY Historian Vince Houghton is joined by British journalist Sinclair McKay, who is the author of the seminal book on Bonds cultural impact, The Man With the Golden Touch. They discuss Sean, George, Roger, Timothy, Pierce, and Daniel, and the legacy of Ian Flemings secret agent who has now saved the world for more than 50 years and who might continue to save the world for 50 more.
Wed, 12 Nov 2014 15:30:00 -0000

From Bletchley to Bond: An Interview with Journalist and Author Sinclair McKay (Part 1)

SPY Historian Vince Houghton sat down with British author and journalist Sinclair McKay for a two-part SpyCast. In Part 1, Vince and Sinclair discuss the role played by the codebreakers at Bletchley Park in the Allied victory in the Second World War. The author of three books and numerous articles on the topic, McKay provides compelling historical insight into a subject that you only think you really know.
Tue, 11 Nov 2014 15:30:00 -0000

Author Debriefing: Good Hunting, An American Spymasters Story

Jack Devine is one of the legendary spymasters of our time. He was in Chile when Allende fell; he ran Charlie Wilsons war in Afghanistan; he had too much to do with Iran-Contra for his own taste, though he tried to stop it; he caught Pablo Escobar in Colombia; and he tried to warn George Tenet that there was a bullet coming from Iraq with his name on it. His new book, Good Hunting, is Devines guide to the art of spycraft and his belief in the CIAs vital importance as a tool of American statecraft. Although it has been caricatured by Hollywood, lionized by the right, and pilloried by the left, Devine believes the CIA remains one of the least understood instruments of the United States government.
Tue, 11 Nov 2014 15:30:00 -0000

Author Debriefing: The Catcher Was a Spy: The Mysterious Life of Moe Berg

Moe Bergthe major league baseball player, OSS operative and legendary linguistwas one of the most remarkable secret agents ever deployed by the US. Whether authorized by the government as an atomic spy or choosing to surreptitiously film Tokyo of his own volition, Berg relished and accomplished his espionage missions, yet he died penniless and with little acclaim. Nicholas Dawidoff brought Moe Bergs achievements to light in his best-selling 1994 book The Catcher Was a Spy. In honor of the Pennant Race, Dawidoff will share his latest thoughts on the only Major League baseball player to have his card on display at CIA headquarters.
Mon, 10 Nov 2014 15:30:00 -0000

Author Debriefing: Double Agent, The First Hero of World War II and How the FBI Outwitted and Destroyed a Nazi Spy Ring

Leading up to the US entry into WWII, Germany set up a sophisticated and productive espionage ring, which effectively utilized well-placed German Americans in the States. They were able to infiltrate key military and industrial facilities, and succeeded in obtaining critical information, including plans for the exceptionally accurate and very secret Norden bombsite device. When naturalized American William Sebold visited his native Germany in 1939, German intelligence officers saw him as a prime target for recruitment. Threatened with arrest, Sebold seemingly agreed to work for the Germans, but they woefully misjudged him. Returning to New York, he contacted the FBI and told all. In his new book Double Agent, journalist Peter Duffy uncovers how Sebold became the center of a 16-month investigation that led to the arrest of 33 enemy agents in June 1941. Known as the Duquesne Spy Ring, the colorful cast of traitors included military contractors, a South African adventurer with an exotic accent and a monocle, and even a Jewish femme fatale.
Tue, 28 Oct 2014 15:30:00 -0000

Tinker, Tailor, Shortstop, Spy: An Interview with Former CIA Analyst Bryan Soderholm-Difatte Part 1

Baseball has been played in the United States since the mid-19th Century, and from the very beginning teams were trying to gain a competitive edge against their rivals. In many cases, this involved stealing signs the messages passed from coaches to players or from catchers to pitchers. In essence, this is a signals intelligence operation: one team is encrypting its messages, while the other is attempting to intercept these messages, decrypt them, and use the resulting intelligence to their advantage. SPY Historian Vince Houghton sat down with Bryan Soderholm, a former CIA analyst who is now putting his training to use analyzing baseball statistics and history. They discussed the influence of spycraft on the game of baseball in particular, the infamous case of the 1951 New York Giants, who set the standard for baseball espionage.
Thu, 11 Sep 2014 15:30:00 -0000

Terrorists, Double Agents, and European Domination (Part 1)

SPY Historian Vince Houghton sat down with Paul Cruickshank and Tim Lister of CNN to discuss their new book Agent Storm: My Life Inside Al Qaeda and the CIA. The book, which they co-wrote with terrorist-turned-double-agent Morten Storm, traces an improbable journey of conversion, radicalization, reassessment, and redemption. Join Vince, Paul, and Tim as they reflect upon a story that is so incredible it would be completely unbelievable if it wasnt completely true. This interview was conducted September 8, 2014
Thu, 11 Sep 2014 15:30:00 -0000

Terrorists, Double Agents, and European Domination (Part 2)

Join SPY Historian Vince Houghton as he continues his conversation with Paul Cruickshank and Tim Lister of CNN. Both men share their expertise on ISIS and the threat of Islamic Jihadism, and Tim, who has traveled to Ukraine on four different occasions this year alone, provides his insight into the current conflict between Ukrainian separatists, the Ukrainian government, and Russia. This interview was conducted September 8, 2014
Thu, 04 Sep 2014 15:30:00 -0000

Author Debriefing: Spies, Patriots, and Traitors: American Intelligence in the Revolutionary War

Nathan Hale and Benedict Arnold may be the most famous spies of the American Revolution, but they were hardly alone. George Washingtons use of spy networks and wider intelligence efforts were critical to the fight for independence. In Spies, Patriots, and Traitors, former CIA officer Kenneth Daigler closely examines American intelligence activities during the era of the Revolutionary War from 1765 to 1783. Daigler will explain how Americas founders learned and practiced their intelligence role, providing insight from an intelligence professionals perspective and revealing how many of the principles of the eras intelligence practice are still relevant today. After the talk, see the Museums famous George Washington spy letter. This event took place July 15, 2014.
Mon, 11 Aug 2014 15:30:00 -0000

Election Espionage: An Interview with NBC Chief Political Correspondent Chuck Todd

SPY Historian Dr. Vince Houghton sat down with NBC News Political Director and Chief White House Correspondent Chuck Todd to discuss the growing role of intelligence tradecraft in American election politics.Todd, the host of MSNBCs The Daily Rundown, explains how political campaigns on both sides of the aisle use surveillance, propaganda, disinformation, deception, and covert action to give their candidates a political edge. This interview was recorded on July 29, 2014. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2g2F6lEJU_c
Tue, 01 Jul 2014 15:30:00 -0000

The Birth of British Intelligence Coordination: The Joint Intelligence Committee

SPY Historian Vince Houghton in joined by Dr. Michael Goodman of Kings College in London. Dr. Goodman is the official historian for the British Joint Intelligence Committee, and in that role he has published the book The Official History of the Joint Intelligence Committee: Volume I: From the Approach of the Second World War to the Suez Crisis. Drs. Houghton and Goodman discuss the early development of British intelligence coordination, which spans two of the most momentous decades of the Twentieth Century, and includes events such as the Spanish Civil War, WWII, the end of the British colonial empire, the Cold War, and the Suez Crisis. This interview took place on June 16, 2014
Wed, 25 Jun 2014 15:30:00 -0000

Author Debriefing: The Good Spy: The Life and Death of Robert Ames

Pulitzer Prize- winning biographer Kai Bird gives the inside story of his compelling portrait of the remarkable life and death of one of the most important operatives in CIA history, Robert Ames. Through Birds personal connection to Ames family, he gained access to his personal correspondence and range of contacts. Eventually more than forty retired CIA and Mossad officers told Bird their memories of Ames. Those seasoned spies all seemed to feel that they had been waiting for someone to tell the incredible story of Bob Ames, and how he carefully cultivated his ten-year relationship with Ali Hassan Salameh, Yasir Arafats intelligence chief. This highly clandestine relationship between the CIA and the PLO planted the seeds for the Oslo peace process. Get the book: http://www.spymuseumstore.org/the-good-spy-book.html#.Vz3puPkrIdU
Wed, 25 Jun 2014 15:30:00 -0000

Author Debriefing: The Zhivago Affair: The Kremlin, the CIA, and the Battle Over a Forbidden Book

Travel back to a time when literature had the power to influence the world. Washington Post national security correspondent and former bureau chief in Moscow, Peter Finn tells the dramatic first account of how a forbidden book in the Soviet Union became a secret weapon in the battle between East and West. The CIA secretly printed Doctor Zhivago in Russian and smuggled it into the Soviet Union. It was snapped up on the black market and passed surreptitiously from friend to friend fueling flames of dissent. Finn shares how he and his co-author used their special access to otherwise classified CIA files, to create an irresistible portrait of the charming and passionate Pasternak and a twisty thriller that takes readers back to a fascinating period of the Cold War.
Mon, 23 Jun 2014 15:30:00 -0000

The Beginnings of US Overhead Reconnaissance

The development of overhead reconnaissance technology is one of the most important if not the most important advances in the history of intelligence. Policymakers today use IMINT from spy planes and satellites in their daily assessments of global threats, but did you know that overhead reconnaissance technology predates the advent of powered flight? SPY Historian Vince Houghton is joined by Dr. Jim Green, Director of the Planetary Science Division at NASA, to discuss Civil War balloon reconnaissance. Dr. Green, an expert in the field, explains the role of balloons in the greater Union strategy, their impact on the war effort, and the numerous and significant innovations developed by Union aeronauts (including the first aircraft carriers!). This interview took place May 30, 2014
Tue, 10 Jun 2014 15:30:00 -0000

Spy in the Sky - The KH-9 Hexagon

SPY Historian Vince Houghton sits down with engineer Phil Pressel to discuss his role in developing the KH-9 Hexagon spy satellite. The Hexagon, which was the last US spy satellite to use film, was declassified in 2011, allowing Pressel to write his book, Meeting the Challenge: The Hexagon KH-9 Reconnaissance Satellite. Houghton and Pressel discuss the formation of the project, the daunting technological hurdles, the impact of the satellite on US national security, and the top secret mission to recover film lost in the deepest waters of the Pacific Ocean.Video of interview available on the Spy Museum youtube page. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MmWlw8Ufo6Q This interview took place May 8th, 2014.
Mon, 05 May 2014 15:30:00 -0000

Peter Earnest: My Life in the CIA

Former SPY Historian Mark Stout sat down with SPY Executive Director Peter Earnest to discuss Peters CIA career. After his recruitment and espionage training at the Farm, Peters entry into the world of spying came at an important turning point in the Cold War. From his posts overseas in hot spots while living undercover, Peters fascinating career culminated in a very public role as the Agencys spokesperson. Join Peter for this reflection on a life in the shadows. This interview was conducted June 1, 2012.
Thu, 24 Apr 2014 15:30:00 -0000

The Future of Intelligence

The world sends 3 million emails every second. How do Western intelligence agencies cope with such massive amounts of data? The Spy Museum's Executive Director Peter Earnest sits down to discuss the future of intelligence with historian Richard Aldrich, Professor of International Security at the University of Warwick (UK) and Director of the Institute of Advanced Study. With the prevalence of the internet, social media, integrated communications systems, and surveillance capabilities, everyone is now a de facto member of the intelligence community. Dr. Aldrich discusses Snowden, leakers, whistleblowers, and what he calls the end of secrecy. Who and when will be the next Snowden? This interview took place April 3, 2014.
Thu, 20 Mar 2014 15:30:00 -0000

Putins End Game in Ukraine

Peter and SPY Historian Vince Houghton are joined by retired KGB Major General Oleg Kalugin. They discuss the current confrontation between Russia and Ukraine over Crimea, Crimeas strategic place in Russian history, and the potential conflict over Ukraines strategic shift toward Europe and away from Russia. They then discuss the role intelligence and special operations forces might play in any future war between Russia and Ukraine. This interview took place March 14, 2014.
Tue, 04 Mar 2014 15:30:00 -0000

America's Great Game: The CIA's Secret Arabists and the Shaping of the Modern Middle East

Intelligence historian Hugh Wilford reveals the surprising history of the CIAs pro-Arab operations in the 1940s and 50s by tracing the work of the agencys three most influentialand colorfulofficers in the Middle East: Kermit Roosevelt, Archie Roosevelt, and Miles Copeland. With their deep knowledge of Middle Eastern affairs, the three men were heirs to an American missionary tradition that engaged Arabs and Muslims with respect and empathy. These Arabists propped up authoritarian regimes, attempted secretly to sway public opinion in America against support for the new state of Israel, and staged coups that destabilized the nations with which they empathized. They were fascinated by imperial intrigue, and were eager to play a modern rematch of the Great Game, the nineteenth century struggle between Britain and Russia for control over central Asia. This event took place January 7, 2014.
Thu, 05 Dec 2013 15:30:00 -0000

Author Debriefing: Cyber War Will Not Take Place

Is cyber war really coming? Renowned scholar Thomas Rid of the Department of War Studies at Kings College London argues that the focus on war distracts from the real challenge of cyberspace: non-violent confrontation that may rival or even replace violence in surprising ways. In this provocative talk, the author will trace the most significant hacks and attacks and explore some key questions: What are cyber weapons? How have they changed the meaning of violence? How likely and how dangerous is crowd-sourced subversive activity? Why has there never been a lethal cyber-attack against a country's critical infrastructure? How serious is the threat of cyber-espionage? And who is most vulnerable in the cyber realm? This event took place on September 10, 2013 .http://www.spymuseumstore.org/
Thu, 05 Dec 2013 15:30:00 -0000

Enemies Within: Inside the NYPD's Secret Spying Unit and bin Ladens Final Plot Against America

Six months after the 9/11 attacks, New York Police Commissioner Ray Kelly initiated a straightforward, yet audacious, antiterrorist plan to be implemented in the Big Apple, dispatching a vast network of undercover officers and informants to track suspected terrorists. In Enemies Within, Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative journalists Matt Apuzzo and Adam Goldman for Associated Press reveal the effectiveness of the domestic spying plan. Based on hundreds of previously unpublished New York Police Department internal memos and exclusive interviews with intelligence sources, including 25-year FBI veteran Don Borelli who assisted with the book, they found that many of those strategies arent even close to being useful, functional, or successful. As Assistant Special Agent in Charge in the New York Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF), Borelli was responsible for top investigations and counterterrorism missions that spanned the globe. Join Apuzzo and Borelli for an unbridled look at the breathtaking race to avert a second devastating terrorist attack on American soil. This event took place September 26, 2013. Get the book: http://www.spymuseumstore.org/enemy-within-book.html#.Vz3rRfkrIdU
Tue, 19 Nov 2013 15:30:00 -0000

Shadow Warrior: William Egan Colby and the CIA

Historian Randall B. Woods of the University of Arkansas discusses his new biography of one of the most fascinating and controversial figures of the postwar period: William Egan Colby. World War II commando, Cold War spy, CIA station chief in Saigon, and ultimately CIA director under Presidents Nixon and Ford, Colby played a critical role in some of the most pivotal events in twentieth-century history. Despite his strong commitment to global democracy and economic and social justice, he was also drawn to the shadowy world of covert action This event took place on April 18, 2013.
Sun, 27 Oct 2013 15:30:00 -0000

The Life of a Military Attach: Moscow, Almaty, and Warsaw in the 1990s (Part 2)

In this continuation of the discussion with US Army Colonel James Cox, we hear about the day-to-day work of US military attachs: being military diplomats for the Defense Intelligence Agency. Colonel Cox tells SPY Historian Mark Stout what it was like working in Moscow after the failure of the 1991 coup. He also shares his experiences in Almaty, the capital of the newly independent country of Kazakhstan and later in Poland, a once-communist country, as it joined the NATO alliance.
Sun, 27 Oct 2013 15:30:00 -0000

The Secret Rescue: An Untold Story of American Nurses and Medics Behind Nazi Lines

When 26 Army nurses and medics boarded a transport plane in November, 1943, they never anticipated the crash landing in Nazi-occupied Albania that would lead to their months-long struggle for survival. The group dodged bullets and battled blinding winter storms as they climbed mountains and fought to survive, aided by courageous villagers who risked death at Nazi hands as well as Britains Special Operations Executive (SOE) and the American OSS. Listen to author Cate Lineberry, a former writer and editor for Smithsonian Magazine, tell this mesmerizing tale of World War II courage and heroism. This event took place August 13, 2013. Get the book: http://www.spymuseumstore.org/the-secret-rescue-book.html#.Vz3qN_krIdU
Mon, 16 Sep 2013 15:30:00 -0000

The CIA Analyst and the Polish Colonel

During the 1970s, Colonel Ryszard Kuklinski was a rising star in the Polish General Staff during the Cold War. He was also a spy for the CIA. Colonel Aris Pappas was a rising star in the CIAs analytic ranks whose specialty was Poland. Pappas sat down with SPY Historian Mark Stout to discuss the Kuklinski case, the important information that Kuklinski passed about the Soviet and Warsaw Pact militaries and the imposition of martial law in Poland, and how he and Kuklinski eventually met and became friends.
Tue, 03 Sep 2013 15:30:00 -0000

The Life of a Military Attach: Moscow During the Coup (Part 1)

In the summer of 1991, US Army Colonel James Cox arrived in Moscow, the capital of the Soviet Union, to serve as Assistant Army Attach. Little did he know that Communist hardliners were about to launch a coup. When the coup started, the intelligence agencies in Washington immediately needed up-to-the-minute information on developments, so the attachs went out on the streets to get it. Hear Colonel Cox tell SPY Historian Mark Stout what it was like chasing tanks on the streets of Moscow and witnessing Boris Yeltsin make his stand at the Russian White House.
Mon, 05 Aug 2013 15:30:00 -0000

Espionage in Traditional China

Sun Tzus 2500 year old book The Art of War contains a famous chapter on spies. However, Master Sun was not the only Chinese author to address this topic centuries before Westerners did. In fact, many Chinese authors built on his work. SPY Historian Mark Stout met up with Ralph Sawyer, the translator of the definitive edition of The Art of War and the author of The Tao of Spycraft, to discuss the sophisticated theory and remarkable practice of espionage in traditional China.
Thu, 11 Jul 2013 07:30:00 -0000

The OSS in Burma: Jungle War Against the Japanese

One could not choose a worse place for fighting the Japanese, said Winston Churchill of northern Burma, but it was there that the fledgling Office of Strategic Services conducted its most successful combat operations of World War II. Troy Sacquety, an Historian for the US Armys Special Operations Command, ventures into Burmas steaming jungles in the first book to fully cover the exploits and contributions of the OSSs Detachment 101 against the Japanese Imperial Army. In this Author Debriefing, Sacquety describes how Detachment 101 succeeded and created a prototype for todays Special Forces. This event took place on May 13, 2013. Get the book: http://www.spymuseumstore.org/oss-burma-book.html#.Vxk39JMrJTY
Wed, 26 Jun 2013 15:30:00 -0000

Deceiving the Iraqis in Operation Desert Storm

Military deception was an important part of Operation Desert Storm, the 1991 coalition effort to eject the Iraqi Army from Kuwait. The man in charge of that U.S. Marine Corps part of that deception was Brigadier General Tom Draude. Despite the fact that he had no previous background in deception, General Draude and his team of clever American planners put together an elegant and effective deception plan. Hear him tell Peter how they exploited the expectations of Iraq's military to put them off guard and out of place. Also learn about the role in that books such as The Man Who Never Was and John Le Carres The Little Drummer Girl played in General Draudes thinking.
Mon, 24 Jun 2013 15:30:00 -0000

A Legal Perspective on the Snowden Case

Mark Zaid is one of the nations top national security lawyers and has defended many alleged whistleblowers and leakers. SPY Historian, Mark Stout, called him in for a consultation on the case of Edward Snowden who has admitted leaking to the press top secret material from the National Security Agency. Hear them discuss Snowdens present legal position, the options open to a would-be whistleblower, and the actual meanings of treason and asylum.
Sun, 26 May 2013 15:30:00 -0000

A Western Spy among Terrorists in Yemen

Morten Storm was a Danish convert to Islam who became a close associate of Anwar al-Awlaki, the American imam who was a senior member of Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) in Yemen. He even ate in Awlakis home and helped find him a wife. When Storm repented of his radical ways, he turned to the Danish intelligence service and offered inside access to AQAP. Hear him tell SPY Historian Mark Stout how MI6 and CIA came into the picture and how he helped tracked down Awlaki, who died in a controversial CIA drone attack in September 2011.
Fri, 03 May 2013 15:30:00 -0000

Spying in America: Espionage from the Revolutionary War to the Dawn of the Cold War

Can you keep a secret? Maybe you can, but the United States government cant. Since the birth of our country, nations from Russia and China to Ghana and Ecuador, have stolen some of our countrys most precious secrets. Michael Sulick, former director of the CIA's National Clandestine Service, discusses his book, Spying in America, which presents a history of more than thirty espionage cases inside the United States. This event took place on January 15, 2013. Get the book: http://www.spymuseumstore.org/spying-in-america-book.html#.Vxk4FpMrJTY
Fri, 03 May 2013 15:30:00 -0000

The Rice Paddy Navy: U.S. Sailors Undercover in China

After the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, the US Navy knew it would need vital information from the Pacific. Captain Milton Mary Miles journeyed to China to set up weather stations and monitor the Chinese coastlineand to spy on the Japanese. After a handshake agreement with Chiang Kai-shek's spymaster, General Dai Li, the Sino-American Cooperative Organization (SACO) was born. This top-secret network worked hand in hand with the Nationalist Chinese to fight the Japanese invasion of China while erecting crucial weather stations, providing critical information to the US military, intercepting Japanese communications, blowing up enemy supply depots, laying mines, destroying bridges, and training Chinese peasants in guerrilla warfare. Join author Linda Kush as she reveals the story of one of the most successful covert operation efforts of World War II. This event took place on March 5, 2013.
Fri, 19 Apr 2013 15:30:00 -0000

The United States Military Liaison Mission in East Germany

Major General Michael Ennis was one of the rare Marine officers admitted to the Foreign Area Officer program where he became a specialist on the Soviet Union. This led to an assignment as a translator on the Washington-Moscow Hotline at the White House and then got him a license to spy in communist East Germany in the 1980s as part of the US Military Liaison Mission. Hear him tell SPY Historian Mark Stout what its like to penetrate a Soviet command bunker at night or be chased by a Soviet tank, and learn the intelligence value of a hunk of concrete.
Mon, 01 Apr 2013 15:30:00 -0000

American Communism and Soviet Espionage: A Look Back with John Earl Haynes

In the 1970s, historian John Earl Haynes was researching the American labor movement when he discovered interesting connections to the Communist party. Fast forward 20 years to the 1990s, when that ongoing research on the Communist party led him into the murky world of Soviet espionage. SPY Historian Mark Stout sits down with this groundbreaking historian to look back on his career and learn how he became a leading and unlikely expert on Soviet espionage in the America. Follow along on this fascinating journey from Minnesota, to the halls of power in Washington DC, to dusty archives in Moscow.
Mon, 11 Feb 2013 15:30:00 -0000

Born Under an Assumed Name

Looking back on her childhood, Sarah Taber remembers that my identity was problematic because of moving from country to country and the overall atmosphere of growing up in the CIA. As an adult she wrote about what it was like to be raised in a culture of secrecy, stoicism and silence in her book Born Under an Assumed Name: The Memoir of a Cold War Spys Daughter. Feel the stresses and learn the secrets of a CIA family in this heart-to-heart talk between Sarah and Peter, himself a CIA father.
Mon, 11 Feb 2013 15:30:00 -0000

Intelligence in Support of UN Peacekeeping in Bosnia during the 1990s

The United Nations thinks intelligence is a dirty word but it still needs intelligence to conduct peacekeeping operations. The result is a euphemism: military information. SPY Historian Mark Stout talks with Tom Quiggin, a former Canadian intelligence officer who worked alongside Americans, Swedes, Jordanians, Russians, and others in the Military Information Office supporting UN peacekeeping operations in Bosnia during the 1990s. Hear what its like to pass through a checkpoint manned by drunken teenage soldiers or to know that your warnings of an upcoming massacre in Srebrenica are being ignored.
Tue, 22 Jan 2013 15:30:00 -0000

From Nazi Germany to the OSS to the CIA (Part 2)

In this Spycast Peter finishes his conversation with Peter Sichel. Listen to this insider talking about CIA operations in Germany after World War II, the futile support for anti-communist guerrillas in Ukraine and China during the 1940s and 1950s, the strains of leading an undercover life and his friendship with legendary CIA counterintelligence chief James Jesus Angleton.
Thu, 10 Jan 2013 15:30:00 -0000

Canadas Security Intelligence Service in the Post-Cold War World

Canadas Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) operates on a very different model from the American CIA, being neither strictly a foreign intelligence agency nor a domestic intelligence agency. Today SPY Historian Mark Stout discusses CSIS with Ray Boisvert, who was one of the founding members of the Service in 1984 and rose to become its Assistant Director, Intelligence, a position from which he retired in 2012. Hear them talk about the concept of security intelligence in a democratic society and explore the dilemmas which the Service faces in an era of terrorism emanating from groups such as al Qaeda and foreign covert influence from nation states.
Mon, 31 Dec 2012 15:30:00 -0000

The Zimmermann Telegram: Intelligence, Diplomacy, and America's Entry into World War I

In January 1917, British naval intelligence intercepted what became the most important telegram in all of American history. It was a daring proposition from Germany's foreign secretary, Arthur Zimmermann, offering German support to Mexico for regaining Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona in exchange for a Mexican attack on America. Five weeks later, America entered World War I. Former SPY Historian Dr. Thomas Boghardt who is now at the US Armys Center of Military History talks about his new account of the Zimmerman Telegram. This event took place on, November 27, 2012. Get the book: http://www.spymuseumstore.org/zimmermann-telegram-book.html#.Vxk4aZMrJTY
Fri, 21 Dec 2012 15:30:00 -0000

From Nazi Germany to the OSS to the CIA (Part 1)

Today Peter begins a conversation with the remarkable Peter Sichel, OSS veteran, senior CIA official of the 1950s, and onetime head of Blue Nun wines. After fleeing Nazi Germany with his family in the 1930s and eventually finding himself in the United States, Sichel joined the OSS and in 1944 he went back to Europe where he recruited German prisoners of war to spy for the US 7th Army. Hear him talk about his operations in Europe and his friendship with future Director of the CIA, Richard Helms.
Wed, 14 Nov 2012 15:30:00 -0000

The Evolution of Spy Fiction: Bond and His Brethren

The modern spy novel was born in early twentieth century Britain with writers such as Erskine Childers and William LeQueux whose one-dimensional heroes were English gentlemen holding back the barbarians. How did we get from there to the gray and morally ambiguous world of John Le Carr? And how does all this relate to James Bond and even George Orwells 1984? Listen to SPY Historian Mark Stout discuss the development and importance of spy fiction with intelligence historian Wesley Wark.
Thu, 08 Nov 2012 15:30:00 -0000

Author Debriefing: The Twilight War: The Secret History of Americas Thirty-Year Conflict with Iran

The United States and Iran have been at daggers drawn for more than thirty years. While this rivalry has never erupted into open war, it has been an enduring twilight war in which spies and terrorists often play the lead role. US Government historian David Crist will discuss his groundbreaking book which pulls back the curtain on many of the deepest secrets of this lethal struggle. Among other fascinating revelations, hear about the massive spy network that the CIA developed in Iran with German help in the 1980s, how these spies communicated with their handlers using invisible ink, and how their discovery led to the deaths of more than two dozen people. This event took place on 1 August 2012.
Tue, 06 Nov 2012 15:30:00 -0000

Author Debrief: Castro's Secrets: The CIA and Cuba's Intelligence Machine

In Castros Secrets, Brian Latell, former National Intelligence Officer for Latin America and long-time Cuba analyst, offers a strikingly original image of Fidel Castro as Cuba's supreme spymaster. Latell exposes many long-buried secrets of Castro's lengthy reign, including the extent of Cubas double agent operations against the United States. In writing this book, Latell spoke with many high-level defectors from Cubas powerful intelligence and security services; some had never told their stories on the record before. He also probed dispassionately into the CIA's plots against Cuba, including previously obscure schemes to assassinate Castro and presents dramatic new conclusions about what Castro actually knew of Lee Harvey Oswald prior to the assassination of John F. Kennedy. This event took place on October 10 2012.
Tue, 25 Sep 2012 15:30:00 -0000

Author Debriefing: The Art of Intelligence: Lessons from a Life in the CIAs Clandestine Service

In the days after 9/11, the CIA directed Henry Crumpton to organize and lead its covert action campaign in Afghanistan. In less than 90 days Al Qaeda and the Taliban were routed. The Art of Intelligence draws from the full arc of Crumptons espionage and covert action exploits to explain what Americas spies do and why their service is more valuable than ever. This event took place 12 June 2012.
Thu, 23 Aug 2012 15:30:00 -0000

The Red Cell: Fact and Fiction

The surprise of September 11 2001 was, in part, a failure of imagination and CIA Director George Tenet did not want that to happen again. On September 13 he created the Red Cell and staffed it with people who were willing to take their analysis to a whole new zip code. CIA analyst Mark Henshaws first novel, Red Cell, is about the adventures of two analysts assigned to that team during a military crisis with China. The story is fiction, but it draws on Henshaws three years in the Red Cell. Join him and SPY Historian Mark Stout as they discuss what goes on in Room 2G31 at CIA Headquarters.
Tue, 21 Aug 2012 15:30:00 -0000

Agent Garbo: How a Brilliant & Eccentric Double Agent Tricked the Nazis & Saved D-Day

Juan Pujol was the Walter Mitty of World War II, a nobody who at one doomed venture after another while dreaming of doing something interesting with his life -- saving Western civilization, if possible. Journalist Stephan Talty, whose work has appeared widely, including in the New York Times Magazine and GQ, has told the remarkable story of how against all the odds, Pujol did just that by becoming agent GARBO, the most important double agent of World War II. Hear Talty discuss his new book with SPY Historian Mark Stout in this author debriefing which took place on July 12, 2012.
Mon, 06 Aug 2012 15:30:00 -0000

Our Man in the Middle East (Part 3)

Peter concludes his conversation with longtime CIA officer George Cave with a brief discussion of some of the funny and unusual events that took place in the course of his career in the Clandestine Service.
Thu, 26 Jul 2012 15:30:00 -0000

Spies Against Armageddon: Inside Israel's Secret Wars

The history of Israels intelligence communityled by the feared and famous Mossadincludes stunning successes and embarrassing failures with important implications for war and peace today. CBS journalist Dan Raviv co-author with Israeli journalist Yossi Melman, of Spies Against Armageddon, traces this history from the countrys independence in 1948 right up to the crises of today.
Fri, 13 Jul 2012 15:30:00 -0000

Spies and Commissars: The Early Years of the Russian Revolution

Russia was a chaotic hotspot after the Revolution of 1917 and an extraordinary collection of spies, adventurers, and opportunists poured into the roiling Russian political scene. Outsized characters like Sidney Ace of Spies Reilly, communist activist John Reed, and author/spy Somerset Maugham all played their partsunder the watchful eye of Feliks Dzerzhinsky, the head of the ruthless Cheka, the first of the Soviet state security organizations. Listen to renown British historian Robert Service discuss his thrilling new book about this turning point of twentieth century history.
Mon, 09 Jul 2012 15:30:00 -0000

Our Man in the Middle East (Part 2)

Peter continues his discussion with career CIA officer George Cave. They cover Caves time in Saudi Arabiafrom which he was expelled when a candid cable he wrote about Saudi politics leaked to the pressand back in Washington where he became embroiled in the Iran-Contra Affair. Hear his account of a clandestine trip with Robert McFarlane and Oliver North for talks with Ayatollah Khomeinis government and other inside details of this scandal.
Thu, 21 Jun 2012 15:30:00 -0000

Our Man in the Middle East (Part 1)

George Cave is a legend in the CIAs Clandestine Service. He was recruited into the CIA in 1956 as a fluent Farsi speaker and was pulled out of his entry training and sent to Afghanistan to deal with an urgent operation there. He never looked back. Join Peter and George as they relive the assassination attempts in Iran against the US Ambassador and George himself in the early 1970s and discuss CIAs operations in the Middle East over three decades.
Fri, 01 Jun 2012 15:30:00 -0000

Dick Holm: the Perils and Rewards of a Life in the CIA, Part 2

Peter continues his discussion with legendary case officer Dick Holm, the author of The Craft We Chose: My Life in the CIA. Holm discusses several highlights and low points of his career. Learn about his work with Belgian intelligence in thwarting a Belgian Air Force officer who was spying for Russia and his role in the embarrassing spy flap when he was the CIA chief in Paris. Get the book: http://www.spymuseumstore.org/craft-we-chose-life-in-cia-book.html#.Vz3rhPkrIdU
Fri, 25 May 2012 15:30:00 -0000

Author Debriefing: Alger Hiss - Why He Chose Treason

In 1948, when Whittaker Chambers accused Ivy League-educated senior diplomat Alger Hiss of spying for the Soviets, few Americans were willing to believe him. In fact, Hiss went to his grave protesting his innocence, but now it seems clear that he was guilty, given the evidence available since the end of the Cold War. Retired counterintelligence officer Christina Shelton has written a new biography of Hiss. She highlights the many missed opportunities and poor judgments in the Hiss case, and discusses them in the context of wide-scale Soviet infiltration and espionage. Join Shelton and SPY historian Mark Stout for a discussion of this provocative new book about one of Americas most controversial icons. Get the book: http://www.spymuseumstore.org/zimmermann-telegram-book.html#.Vxk4aZMrJTY
Fri, 18 May 2012 15:30:00 -0000

The Hunt for KSM: Inside the Pursuit and Takedown of the Real 9/11 Mastermind, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed

Josh Meyer, co-author with Terry McDermott of The Hunt for KSM, visits the International Spy Museum to talk about the decade-long FBI and CIA effort to capture Khalid Sheikh Mohammed. Meyer discusses the repeated failed attempts to find the evil genius who had plotted to kill the Pope and President Clinton and explode a dozen planes over the Pacific Ocean, all before masterminding the 9/11 attacks. Finally, hear how the US finally grabbed KSM as a result of the interrogation of another terrorist, Abu Zubaydah.
Fri, 11 May 2012 15:30:00 -0000

Dick Holm: the Perils and Rewards of a Life in the CIA, Part 1

Today Peter starts a conversation with Dick Holm, a legendary CIA operations officer, who has served all over the world. Dick, the author of The Craft We Chose: My Life in the CIA, talks about the importance of intelligence and reveals the terrible price that he paid for serving his country as a young officer in the Congo in the 1960s. Get the book: http://www.spymuseumstore.org/craft-we-chose-life-in-cia-book.html#.Vz3rhPkrIdU
Thu, 26 Apr 2012 15:30:00 -0000

Leak: Why Mark Felt became Deep Throat

Intelligence officers and investigative journalists both depend on clandestine sources to divulge secrets. But why do people betray a trust? Peter interviews veteran journalist Max Holland about his new book, Leak, which probes the mind and motivations of one of the most famous clandestine sources in American history: Deep Throat. Hear why Mark Felt, the Deputy Director of the FBI, betrayed President Nixon by leaking to the Washington Post and Time about Watergate. Were Felts motives patriotic or self-servingor both? Get the book: http://www.spymuseumstore.org/leak-shy-mark-felt-became-deep-throat.html#.Vz3q4PkrIdU
Mon, 02 Apr 2012 15:30:00 -0000

Author Debriefing: Shadow Commander: The Epic Story of Donald D. Blackburn-Guerrilla Leader and Special Forces Hero

During the Vietnam War, perhaps the US Armys most secretive unit was the Studies and Observations Group (SOG). This unit conducted reconnaissance missions, captured enemy prisoners for interrogation and rescued American POWs. It also ran teams of clandestine agents, and conducted psychological operations. The leader of this group in the mid-1960s was a legendary Army officer, Donald Blackburn. Listen to author Mike Guardia describe Blackburns colorful life in this event which took place on 16 February 2012.
Wed, 28 Mar 2012 15:30:00 -0000

Eavesdropping in Vietnam: One Mans Experience

SPY Historian Mark Stout explores the importance of signals intelligence (SIGINT) to the Vietnam War with retired National Security Agency cryptanalyst Tom Glenn. Glenn served more time in country than any other civilian of the NSA. Hear about the sixth sense that good SIGINTers need to have, the difficulties of working in foreign languages, and how Glenn and his colleagues were able to predict every major Communist offensive. Learn also why American commanders did not always believe them. Finally, hear the wrenching story of Glenns last days in Saigon in 1975 as the city was falling to the North Vietnamese Army.
Wed, 21 Mar 2012 15:00:00 -0000

The Power of Open Source Intelligence

With the ever increasing global connectivity, more and more information is available merely for the asking. This has led to a flourishing of the discipline of open source intelligence collection. SPY Historian Mark Stout has a probing discussion with one of the worlds leading practitioners of this art: Arno Reuser of the Dutch military intelligence service. With the growth of open source, can we stop stealing secrets?
Fri, 17 Feb 2012 20:00:00 -0000

Author Debriefing: Smersh: Stalin's Secret Weapon: Soviet Military Counterintelligence in WWII

In the early James Bond novels, the hero battled the villainous forces of Smersh, a shadowy Soviet intelligence organization. Bond was fictional, but Smersh really existed. Drawing its name from smert shpionam Russian for death to spies, it was Stalins wartime terror apparatus and it cut a bloody swath of death across Eastern Europe. Its job was to filter the Red Army for spies and it was responsible for the arrest, torture, and execution of many thousands of innocent people. Listen to historian Vadim J. Birstein as he discusses this bloodthirsty organization and discusses the evidence suggesting that Raoul Wallenberg was one of its victims. This event took place on 12 January 2012.
Wed, 08 Feb 2012 15:00:00 -0000

Investigating Historical Spies

Researching spy history is a difficult business. Spies carefully cover their tracks and intelligence agencies classify everything and release their records only after many years, if at all. Given these difficulties how do historians reconstruct espionage history? SPY Historian Mark Stout explores this issue with Dr. R. Bruce Craig, the author of Treasonable Doubt: The Harry Dexter White Spy Case. Hear Craig describe how a receipt for $1.25 allowed him to discover the real identity of the mysterious Agent Zero who spied for the Soviets before World War II. Also listen as Craig tells of his forthcoming book about Alger Hiss and how he has brought lawsuits that forced the government to open up sealed grand jury records for Hiss and Julius and Ethel Rosenberg.
Wed, 18 Jan 2012 15:00:00 -0000

The Intelligence War Against Terrorism

Since 9/11, the United States Intelligence Community has expanded into an $80 billion behemoth and taken on many new tasks, for instance spying on terrorists in cyberspace and even becoming a combat organization in its own right. Are we getting value for our money? To what extent did the invasion of Iraq divert important intelligence resources from Afghanistan? And why is the FBI flying reconnaissance flights over northwest D.C.? Intelligence historian, Matthew Aid, the author of the new book Intel Wars: The Secret History of the Fight Against Terror, grapples with these and other questions in a discussion with SPY Historian Mark Stout.
Fri, 13 Jan 2012 16:00:00 -0000

Intelligence and Espionage in the U.S. Civil War

Spies, cavalry, and telescopes were the traditional intelligence tools available during the Civil War, but there was also cutting edge high tech: the telegraph and the observation balloon. How did Civil War generals combine these to help make strategic decisions? As we observe the 150th anniversary of the Civil War, SPY Historian Mark Stout discusses this question with Professor William Feis of Buena Vista University, the author of Grants Secret Service: The Intelligence War from Belmont to Appomattox.
Mon, 19 Dec 2011 15:00:00 -0000

Author Debriefing: MH/CHAOS: The CIAs Campaign against the Radical New Left and the Black Panthers

Operation MHCHAOS was the code name for a secret domestic spying program conducted by the Central Intelligence Agency in the late 1960s and early 1970s charged with unmasking any foreign influences on left wing protestors. CIA counterintelligence officer Frank Rafalko was a part of that operation. When The New York Times revealed MHCHAOS in 1974 and Congress investigated, MHCHAOS took its place in the pantheon of intelligence abuses. However, in his new book Rafalko says that the operation was justified and that the CIA was the logical agency to conduct it. Listen as he defends his perspective with dramatic intelligence collected on the New Left and black radicals. This event took place on 26 October 2011.
Fri, 16 Dec 2011 15:00:00 -0000

The Silent Listener: British Eavesdropping in the Falklands War

D. J. Thorp, a signals intelligence officer in the British Army, spent many years eavesdropping on the hot spots of the Cold War in Europe and the Middle East. In 1982 he found himself on board a Royal Navy ship intercepting signals from the Argentinean military as it fought the British in the Falklands War. Listen in as Major Thorp describes to SPY Historian Mark Stout how signals intelligence influenced the course of that war, how his team uncovered an Argentinean plan for a counterattack that could have turned the tide of the war, and even how a signals intercept led British naval personnel to shave off their beards!
Tue, 06 Dec 2011 21:00:00 -0000

J. Edgar Hoover: Fact vs. Fiction

Clint Eastwoods movie, J. Edgar, gives a Hollywood take on the controversial Director of the FBI. However, many people have criticized the movie for whitewashing Hoovers abuses while others have criticized it for its implication that Hoover may have been gay. Peter addresses these issues in discussion with Ray Batvinis, a former FBI special agent, a former Executive Director of the J. Edgar Hoover Foundation, and the author of the book, The Origins of FBI Counterintelligence.
Thu, 17 Nov 2011 22:00:00 -0000

Uncompromised: The Rise, Fall, and Redemption of an Arab American Patriot in the CIA

After a childhood in war-torn Lebanon with an abusive father, Nada Prouty jumped at the chance to forge her own path in America, a path that led to undercover work in the FBI, then the CIA. Her work earned her great respect from her colleagues but her promising career came to an end when federal investigators charged Prouty with passing intelligence to Hezbollah. Lacking sufficient evidence to make their case in court, prosecutors went to the media, suggesting that she had committed treason. Though the CIA and a federal judge eventually exonerated Prouty, she was dismissed from the Agency and stripped of her citizenship. In Uncompromised, Prouty tells her story in a bid to restore her name and reputation. This event took place on 15 November 2011.
Sun, 09 Oct 2011 15:00:00 -0000

Identity, Espionage, and Social Media

Who are your friends on Facebook? Are you sure? Thomas Ryan, co-founder of Provide Security, knows that you cant always be certain. Why? Because he created the fictional Robin Sage, a cyber femme fatale, who quickly wormed her way into the confidence of national security professionals who should have known better. He conceived the experiment to expose weaknesses in the nation's defense and intelligence communities, but even he was surprised by its success. Robin Sage is just one of the fascinating and disturbing tricks of the online espionage trade that Ryan shared with SPY Historian Mark Stout. You may never friend anyone again
Fri, 23 Sep 2011 15:00:00 -0000

Interrogating a High Value Detainee: A Morality Tale

What would you do if you were told to do whatever was necessary to get a prisoner to talk? This is the situation that career CIA officer Glenn Carle found himself in when he was made the lead interrogator for a detainee who was said to be a member of Al Qaedas top echelon. Carle, the author of the recently published book, The Interrogator: An Education, tells Peter what it was like to be in this position. And, he describes how he got on the wrong side of CIA Headquarters (HQ) when he objected to the treatment of the detainee, who he came to believe was not who CIA HQ said he was. Listen in on a discussion that raises profound questions about American values and the struggle against terrorism.
Fri, 09 Sep 2011 16:00:00 -0000

In the Counterterrorism Center on 9/11: One Analysts Story

The war with Osama Bin Laden and Al Qaeda did not begin on September 11th. CIA analyst Cindy Storer was there from the beginning in the early 1990s, a member of a small band of mostly female analysts who worked on Al Qaeda long before September 11. They faced a frustrating uphill battle convincing others about this new threat and were subjected to ridicule for their supposedly excessive passion right up until September 11th. Hear Cindy discuss with SPY Historian Mark Stout what it was like to be in the building on that day and the amazing combination of emotion, professionalism, and commitment that characterized the following days.
Tue, 16 Aug 2011 16:00:00 -0000

The Triple Agent: The al-Qaeda Mole Who Infiltrated the CIA

In 2009, the CIAs partners in the Jordanian General Intelligence Directorate had a source named Humam Khalil al-Balawi working inside Al Qaeda and he knew where Ayman al-Zawahiri, the number two man in al Qaeda wasor so they thought. In fact, Al Qaeda was running a deception. In December 2009 al-Balawi came to a CIA base in Khost, Afghanistan and detonated bomb strapped to his chest, killing seven CIA officers and one Jordanian intelligence officer. It was the CIAs greatest loss of life in decades. Join Pulitzer Prize winning author Joby Warrick for this gripping true story of miscalculation, deception, and revenge, and learn how Al Qaeda fooled the worlds greatest intelligence service. This event took place on 20 July 2011.
Tue, 02 Aug 2011 16:00:00 -0000

The Aftermath of Bin Ladens Death: The Lessons of Strategic Manhunting

The 13-year search for Osama Bin Laden may have seemed unprecedented, but actually such events have not been uncommon in American history. Since the days of Geronimo, the United States has embarked on at least eleven such strategic manhunts. Benjamin Runkle, the author of the new book Wanted Dead or Alive: Manhunts from Geronimo to Bin Laden, sits down with SPY Historian Mark Stout to discuss what we can learn from the history of these manhunts. Find out what kind of intelligence it takes to track down an evasive enemy leader and learn what the strategic pay-off can be from a successful manhunt. Part three of a series.
Mon, 01 Aug 2011 16:00:00 -0000

Mastermind: The Many Faces of the 9/11 Architect, Khalid Shaikh Mohammed

Khalid Shaikh Mohammed was behind many of the most heinous terrorist plots of the past twenty years, including the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, the Millenium Plots, and 9/11 itself. He even claims to have personally beheaded Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl. Investigative journalist Richard Miniter brings to life the remarkable story of KSM, including his time living in the United States. Based on interviews with government officials, generals, diplomats and spies from around the world, Miniter reveals never before reported Al Qaeda plots and remarkable new details about the 9/11 attacks. He also lets us into the ultimately successful clandestine operations of American and Pakistani intelligence officers to capture this notorious killer. This event took place on May 19, 2011.
Wed, 13 Jul 2011 19:00:00 -0000

Author Debriefing: "Wild Bill" Donovan

Wild Bill Donovan was a World War I hero with a Medal of Honor to prove it, a millionaire Wall Street lawyer, and a prominent Republican. Democratic President Franklin Roosevelt chose this brilliant yet disorganized visionary to be his spymaster, head of the World War II Office of Strategic Services (OSS). Veteran journalist Douglas Waller has written a compelling biography of William Donovan. He describes Donovans reckless nature: how he needlessly risked his life on foreign battlefields and engaged in extramarital affairs that emboldened his enemies in Washington. Waller also recounts the OSSs daring operations overseas and the vicious political battles that Donovan had to fight with Winston Churchill, J. Edgar Hoover, and the Pentagon. Donovans plans to continue the OSS after the war were defeated, yet the CIA rose like a phoenix from the OSS ashes. This event took place February 17, 2011. Get the book: http://www.spymuseumstore.org/wild-bill-donovan-book.html#.Vxk4yJMrJTY
Fri, 01 Jul 2011 15:00:00 -0000

Modern Intelligence Analysis: From Art to Science?

A great deal of public attention goes to the CIAs case officers who recruit and run agents and steal secrets. However, few people pay attention to the fact that those secrets are stolen so that they can be put on desks of intelligence analysts. Analysts, then, must put together information from both secret sources and open sources to produce insightful assessments to inform the nations leaders. Randy Pherson, a former senior official at the CIA and the President of Pherson Associates, teaches advanced analytic techniques to the US Intelligence Community. Join him as he discusses with SPY Historian Mark Stout his efforts to move the vital field of intelligence analysis toward greater rigor.
Thu, 16 Jun 2011 14:30:00 -0000

The Aftermath of Bin Ladens Death: Inside al Qaedas Hard Drive

After killing Osama bin Laden, the SEALs reportedly took hundreds of drives, disks, and computers from the house in Abbottabad, Pakistan. What challenges will American intelligence agencies face in exploiting bin Ladens computers and what can be learned from the computer of a terrorist mastermind? SPY Historian Mark Stout discusses the complexities of digital dumpster diving with Wall Street Journal reporter Alan Cullison, who in 2001 purchased and exploited a computer used by Ayman al-Zawahiri, now the heir apparent to lead al Qaeda. Part two of a series.
Fri, 20 May 2011 15:00:00 -0000

The Aftermath of bin Ladens Death: Winning the War While Staying in the Right

What are the implications of Osama bin Ladens death for the al Qaeda movement? What role did waterboarding and enhanced interrogation techniques play in tracking down Bin Laden and should we reassess our views of torture? Peter explores these provocative questions with naval intelligence veteran and counterterrorism expert Malcolm Nance, the author of An End to al Qaeda: Destroying bin Ladens Jihad and Restoring Americas Honor. As a SERE instructor, Nance has been waterboarded and has conducted waterboardings. He has even given expert testimony on the issue before Congress. Part one of a series.
Mon, 09 May 2011 22:00:00 -0000

Spy versus Spy in East Germany

The East German security service, the Stasi, was infamous for surveilling and oppressing the East German population. However, it also hunted Western spies and there were many to be found; the CIA, the West German BND, and Britains MI-6 were all very active. In fact, from 1955 to 1989 the Stasi uncovered more than 1300 foreign spies operating in East Germany. Join SPY Historian Mark Stout as he discusses Stasi counterespionage with Professor Paul Maddrell who has been working in the Stasi archives. Learn about Western espionage in East Germany and find out the grim fate of the spies who were uncovered.
Thu, 21 Apr 2011 15:00:00 -0000

Stalking Terrorists Online

Montana resident Shannen Rossmiller is proof that things are not as they seem online. Before September 11, she was a judge, a wife, and a mother but not an expert on terrorism or an Arabic speaker. After September 11, she taught herself Arabic and started to explore the world of online jihadism, pretending to be a male terrorist. She soon found that real jihadists were willing to share their secrets with her. She turned these secrets over to the FBI and as a result some of her online acquaintances are now in jail. Listen in as Peter, who used to steal secrets in the real world, compares notes with Shannen who used to steal secrets in the virtual world.
Wed, 16 Mar 2011 23:00:00 -0000

Dropping Spies from the Sky during the Korean War

During the Korean War, US military intelligence worked with anti-communist Korean agents and partisans to collect information from behind North Korean lines. SPY Historian Mark Stout interviews Colonel Douglas Dillard, USA (Ret.) who led AVIARY operations, the airborne insertion of the agents and partisans, and Mr. James M. H. Lee, a native of North Korea, who worked at his side as an interpreter. Learn what it was like flying at night over North Korea in a blacked out plane and hear about the courage of the Korean volunteers who parachuted into the dark, many of them never to return.
Tue, 01 Feb 2011 22:00:00 -0000

Social Media: Tools of Liberation or Repression?

Social mediaFacebook, Twitter, YouTube, and othersare held up as powerful tools for peoples trying to overthrow police states. Irans Twitter Revolution electrified the world and the Egyptian government shut off Internet access as demonstrations swept that country. However, Evgeny Morozov of Stanford University, one of the leading thinkers about the political impact of new media, explains to SPY Historian, Mark Stout that they are less powerful than we normally think; worse, the KGB wants you to join Facebook.Social mediaFacebook, Twitter, YouTube, and othersare held up as powerful tools for peoples trying to overthrow police states. Irans Twitter Revolution electrified the world and the Egyptian government shut off Internet access as demonstrations swept that country. However, Evgeny Morozov of Stanford University, one of the leading thinkers about the political impact of new media, explains to SPY Historian, Mark Stout that they are less powerful than we normally think; worse, the KGB wants you to join Facebook.
Wed, 26 Jan 2011 21:00:00 -0000

Intelligence and Analysis in the National Football League

In 2007, the New England Patriots were caught videotaping the New York Jets sideline defensive signals. That was illegal, but its remarkable what is allowed, even routine. From surveillance films, to secure communications, to briefing books, and deception operations, the intelligence activity conducted for the gridiron warriors is as intense as that conducted for the US military. T. J. Waters joins Peter Earnest and Dan Treado of the International Spy Museum to discuss his new ebook, Prior to the Snap: How the NFLs Hyperperformance Strategy Safeguards the Worlds Most Successful Team Sport. Youll never look at football the same way again.
Wed, 05 Jan 2011 22:00:00 -0000

Spying on the Soviet Army in East Germany

During the Cold War, the United States, the United Kingdom, and France each had a military liaison mission authorized to roam East Germany. While the fiction was that they existed to coordinate military affairs with the Soviets in Germany, the reality was that they collected intelligence on the Soviet military. Join Spy Museum Historian Mark Stout as he talks with Brigadier General Roland Lajoie, a former chief of the US Military Liaison Mission, about the accomplishments, adventures, and tragedies of these little known spies in uniform.
Fri, 17 Dec 2010 16:00:00 -0000

A Young Woman on the Front Lines of the Cold War

Shirley Perry was recruited to join the CIA in 1951, a time when applications were handed out under the counter at the university job office, and when the CIA lived in rodent-infested temporary buildings on the National Mall. What was it like to be a young woman in the Agency at that time, and to be sent to Viennathe front line of the Cold Warto support intelligence operations? Shirley Perry, former CIA case officer, reminisces with Peter about those early days and talks about her new memoir, After Many Years.
Mon, 06 Dec 2010 21:00:00 -0000

David Kahn on Codebreaking from Ancient Times to the Internet Era

David Kahn is the author of the classic book The Codebreakers. When it was first published in 1967, the National Security Agency was concerned that the book might reveal sensitive secrets. Over the years, however, NSA changed from perceiving Kahn as an enemy of the people to depending on him as a popularizer of codebreaking. Join Peter and David Kahn as they discuss Kahns career, some of the greatest triumphs of American signals intelligence history, and the challenges facing todays codebreakers.
Mon, 01 Nov 2010 21:00:00 -0000

The Real History of MI6

Britains Secret Intelligence Service, better known as MI6, is James Bonds home agency and one of the worlds most secretive organizations. The British government did not even admit that it existed until the 1990s. Yet, in connection with its centennial year, the service has commissioned an outside scholar to write an official history of its first forty years. Peter chats with Professor Keith Jeffery, the only outsider who has ever seen the MI6 archives and given their penchant for secrecy perhaps the only one who ever will in our lifetimes. Drawing on his new book, The Secret History of MI6, 1909-1949, Professor Jeffery shares how it actually was and how its actually done.
Thu, 14 Oct 2010 17:00:00 -0000

Escape from Tehran, 1979: Part II

American diplomats Mark and Cora Lijek were hiding at the home of a Canadian diplomat as the Iranian Revolution swirled around them. Peter continues his discussion with the Lijeks and also welcomes Tony Mendez, the CIA officer who led the daring operation to bring them home. Hear how they escaped the country posing as Hollywood filmmakers and the joy they felt as they finally left Iranian airspace.
Tue, 28 Sep 2010 19:00:00 -0000

Escape from Tehran, 1979: Part I

When Iranian militants stormed the US Embassy in Tehran, Mark and Cora Lijek and four other American diplomats slipped out a side exit and found themselves on the run in a hostile country. Before long, Canadian diplomats gave them shelter but now they had to avoid discovery while Washington hatched an audacious plan to rescue them. The Lijeks discuss with Peter their ordeal and how they prepared to escape.
Mon, 16 Aug 2010 22:00:00 -0000

From the Vault: The Cuban Missile Crisis - Peering Over the Iron Curtain: Overhead Photography and the Cold War

Today Peter converses with Dino Brugioni, a pioneer of the art of photo interpretation and a living legend of the US Intelligence Community. Dino shares his personal experiences briefing Presidents and describes the role that he and overhead photography played in such seminal Cold War events as the missile gap and the Cuban Missile Crisis. Dino Brugioni has looked inside the most secret places on earthfrom above..
Wed, 21 Jul 2010 20:15:00 -0000

A Spy in the Iranian Revolutionary Guard

A young student in the US when the Iranian Revolution happened in 1979, Reza Kahlili rejoiced and hurried back to his native country, but he soon found that "every promise that Khomeini had made was vividly a lie." In the early 1980s, he made contact with the CIA, agreeing to risk his life and his family's wellbeing as a spy within Iran. He discusses with Peter how he burrowed inside the regime's elite Revolutionary Guard to report what he found, balancing his constant fear against his Persian patriotism.
Mon, 12 Jul 2010 20:30:00 -0000

An Army of Illegals: Assessing the Russian Spy Case

Two weeks ago on 27 June, the FBI arrested a network of 10 Russian "deep cover" spies. Peter sits down with former KGB Major General Oleg Kalugin to discuss this remarkable case and the historic spy swap which took place last Friday. Kalugin, who once ran agents in the United States, is forthright in expressing his views about what this case says about the state of Russian intelligence today.
Fri, 02 Jul 2010 05:01:00 -0000

Son of Hamas, Spy for Israel

Mosab Hassan Yousef was the nearest thing to royalty in the terrorist group Hamas: the son of one of its founding members. He was also a spy for Shin Bet, Israel's internal security agency, which dubbed him the "Green Prince." Today Mosab and his Shin Bet handler sit down with Peter to discuss their dangerous game and his book Son of Hamas.
Fri, 04 Jun 2010 05:01:00 -0000

Caught by the KGB

Martha Peterson, a 32 year CIA veteran, was the first female case officer assigned to Moscow. Today she talks with Peter about her sudden capture by the Soviet KGB while executing a covert operation in Moscow.
Fri, 07 May 2010 05:01:00 -0000

Military Intelligence from the Cold War to Cyber War

In 1973 Captain Gail Harris became the first woman to hold a combat intelligence job in the U.S. Navy. Her 28 year career included hands-on leadership in the intelligence community during every major conflict from the Cold War to Desert Storm to Kosovo. Today, she discusses with Peter her unique experience providing intelligence support to military operations and the challenges of developing policies for defense against cyber warfare.
Mon, 19 Apr 2010 05:01:00 -0000

Evolution of Government Surveillance Programs

Shane Harris is a staff correspondent for National Journal and the former technology editor of Government Executive magazine. In his new book, The Watchers, he chronicles the governments efforts to create a computer system capable of analyzing data and identifying terrorist activity. Harris contends that while pinpointing threats remains difficult, the governments can now spy on U.S. citizens with ease. He joins Peter today to discuss the evolution of surveillance, Americas changing views on privacy, and the human element behind computerized data collecting.
Mon, 01 Mar 2010 05:01:00 -0000

Tales from the OSS, part II

Elizabeth Macintosh continues to offer her insights into OSS. This time, she talks about the many fascinating and colorful people she met at OSS, including Director William Wild Bill Donovan and Virginia Hall.
Wed, 17 Feb 2010 05:01:00 -0000

Cyber Security and Covert Action

Dr. Herbert Lin is chief scientist at the Computer Science and Telecommunications Board, National Research Council of the National Academies. An expert on cyber security, Herb discusses various aspects of cyber attacks, including ways in which cyber weapons can be used for covert action. To view his co-edited report on this subject, visit: http://www.anagram.com/berson/nrcoiw.pdf
Wed, 20 Jan 2010 05:01:00 -0000

Intelligence in a War Zone (Melissa Mahle)

Melissa Mahle served from 1988-2002 at the CIA, much of the time as a case officer dealing with terrorist issues in the Middle East, running agents and gathering intelligence. Today, she discusses with Peter her perspective on the recent suicide bombing of a CIA base in Afghanistan, the perils of collecting intelligence in a war zone, as well as the terrorist challenge.
Fri, 08 Jan 2010 05:01:00 -0000

The Terrorist Challenge

The U.S. authorities' failure to prevent a Nigerian suicide bomber from boarding a Detroit-bound plane on Christmas Day, and the suicide bombing at a CIA base in Afghanistan have roiled the intelligence community. International Spy Museum historian Dr. Thomas Boghardt discusses with SpyCast host and CIA veteran Peter Earnest how these incidents unfolded and their implications for intelligence reform.
Fri, 01 Jan 2010 05:01:00 -0000

Tales from the OSS, Part I

Elizabeth Macintosh served in the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) during World War II. Today, she discusses her personal experience working for OSS, the role of women in it, as well as some of the agencys most exciting operations.
Tue, 01 Dec 2009 05:01:00 -0000

The MI5 Centenary

This year, Britains domestic security service, MI5, celebrates its 100th anniversary. Cambridge University professor Christopher Andrew, the author of MI5s official history, Defend the Realm, reveals the agencys strengths and weaknesses, and relates some of the most intriguing stories involving Britains spy catchers.
Sun, 01 Nov 2009 05:01:00 -0000

Cyber Threats: Challenges and Solutions

Melissa Hathaway served as acting senior director for cyberspace for the National Security Council, heading a 60-Day Cyberspace Policy Review for President Obama that resulted in a comprehensive report with recommendations for action. Today, she discusses the massive and growing challenges of cyberspacesuch as identity theft, cyber espionage, and cyber warsand what needs to be done to deal with this threat.
Thu, 01 Oct 2009 05:01:00 -0000

The Changing Face of Al Qaeda

How has the sustained U.S. effort to destroy Al Qaeda affected the terrorist organization, and how important is the current struggle against the Taliban in Afghanistan for the future of Al Qaeda? A former Deputy Assistant to the President and Deputy National Security Advisor for Combating Terrorism, Juan C. Zarate discusses Americas struggle with Al Qaeda and comments on the organizations current state.
Fri, 11 Sep 2009 05:01:00 -0000

Intelligence and 9/11 with Amy Zegart

Could intelligence have prevented the terrorist attacks of 9/11, and has the Intelligence Community been sufficiently reformed to deal with current and future threats? These are the questions that Amy Zegart discusses on the eighth anniversary of 9/11. An intelligence scholar, Amy has worked on President Clintons National Security Council and is currently teaching intelligence and national security at UCLA.
Tue, 01 Sep 2009 05:01:00 -0000

Sexpionage

Since biblical times, spies and intelligence services have used sexual entrapment and emotional blackmail to recruit agents and gather secret information. International Spy Museum advisory board member and espionage author H. Keith Melton discusses the means, methods, and effectiveness of sexpionage, and elaborates on specific examples, such as the Russian honeytrap and the East German Romeo agent.
Sat, 15 Aug 2009 05:01:00 -0000

The Cambridge Five

In the 1930s, five young Cambridge University students were recruited by Soviet intelligence to penetrate the British intelligence community. In the course of their decade-long espionage career, the Five did enormous damage to Western security. British intelligence author Nigel West examines their motivations and activities, and reveals new evidence he has unearthed in Soviet intelligence archives.
Sat, 01 Aug 2009 05:01:00 -0000

Cold War Radio

Richard H. Cummings served for fifteen years as Director of Security for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL). He reviews the propaganda activities of RFE/RL during the Cold War and describes Soviet bloc operations against the stations, including the 1978 murder of RFE scriptwriter Georgi Markov in London, and the 1981 bombing of RFE/RL headquarters in Munich by the terrorist Carlos the Jackal.
Wed, 01 Jul 2009 05:01:00 -0000

Intelligence on Pakistan

"Pakistan is the most dangerous country in the world today," asserts Bruce Riedel, a 30-year CIA veteran and currently a senior fellow at the Saban Center for Middle East Policy at the Brookings Institution. Bruce discusses the various threats emanating from Pakistan, including the rise of the Taliban, the security of the countrys nuclear weapons, the murky role of its Inter-Services Intelligence agency (ISI), and the precarious relationship with neighboring India.
Mon, 15 Jun 2009 05:01:00 -0000

Intelligence in Cyberspace

Cyber threats, information warfare, and internet espionage are growing challenges for business companies, private individuals, and the intelligence community alike. A former CIA operations officer and current president of the cyber intelligence company Cyveillance, Dr. Terry Gudaitis discusses specific examples of cyber threats as well as techniques to counter them.
Mon, 01 Jun 2009 05:01:00 -0000

Inside the National Security Agency

The National Security Agency (NSA), Americas premier cryptanalytic organization, is the largest and most secretive member of the American intelligence community. Discussing NSAs mission, capabilities, and past exploits, former NSA Chief of Information Policy Mike Levin reveals some of the mysterious agencys secrets.
Fri, 01 May 2009 05:01:00 -0000

U.S. Military IntelligencePast and Present

A West Point graduate, Brian G. Shellum was U.S. Army attach in Germany, served in the armed forces during the first Gulf War, and worked for over a decade as historian for the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA). Today, Brian discusses the history and purpose of American military intelligence, describing the DIA and the role of the military attachs posted abroad.
Tue, 14 Apr 2009 05:01:00 -0000

U.S. Naval Intelligence in World War II

Rear-Admiral Donald Mac Showers joined the U.S. Navys codebreakers at Pearl Harbor in 1942 and went on to serve three decades in the American intelligence community. Today, he talks about the contribution of codebreaking to the defeat of Japanese naval forces at Midway in 1942, and he reveals how cryptanalysts helped U.S. forces locate and kill Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto, the mastermind of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.
Wed, 01 Apr 2009 05:01:00 -0000

Intelligence and Conspiracy Theories II

During the Cold War, Soviet intelligence used disinformation to malign the United States, for example, by spreading the rumor that AIDS resulted from U.S. Army bacteriological warfare experiments. U.S. State Department Counter-Misinformation officer Todd Leventhal discusses some of the most notorious Soviet-inspired conspiracy theories and explains how the United States sought to counter them.
Wed, 04 Mar 2009 05:01:00 -0000

Intelligence and Conspiracy Theories I

What makes conspiracy theories so appealing, and why have they become so prevalent in this day and age? Do some of them contain a grain of truth? And who stands to gain from spreading these ideas? To answer these questions, Peter interviews Professor Robert Alan Goldberg, author of Enemies Within, and a leading authority on conspiracy thinking.
Thu, 19 Feb 2009 05:01:00 -0000

Intelligence Lessons from Vietnam

Working for the Saigon Military Mission and the CIA, Rufus Phillips spent ten years in South East Asia during the Vietnam War. Drawing on this experience, Rufus talks about psychological warfare and counter-insurgency tactics in Vietnam, and lessons for Americas present engagement in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Mon, 02 Feb 2009 05:01:00 -0000

Robert De Niro on Intelligence

Today, Peter chats with actor and film producer Robert De Niro. De Niro talks about his long-standing interest in the world of intelligence and discusses his latest espionage movie The Good Shepherd about the early history of the CIA. He also provides an insider look at the making of the humorous polygraph scene in Meet the Parents.
Fri, 02 Jan 2009 05:01:00 -0000

U.S. Intelligence in Decline?

A senior fellow at the Center for International Policy, Melvin A. Goodman served many years as an analyst at the CIA and the State Departments Bureau of Intelligence and Research. A critical observer of the intelligence community, he elaborates on his thesis about the decline of U.S. intelligence, specifically its militarization, privatization, and deteriorating analysis capacities.
Fri, 05 Dec 2008 05:01:00 -0000

The CIA and the End of the Cold War

As CIA station chief in Pakistan, Nigeria, Sudan, and Germany in the 1980s and early 90s, Milt Bearden observedand influencedthe end of the Cold War from a unique vantage point. Today, he talks with Peter about U.S. support of Afghani mujahideen against the Soviet invaders, intelligence community reforms, and his work as a consultant on spycraft in Hollywood.
Tue, 18 Nov 2008 05:01:00 -0000

Woman in Disguise - Jonna Mendez

Jonna Hiestand Mendez began her CIA career as a secretary and ended it as head of the agencys Office of Technical Services, overseeing the development of gadgets, disguises, and high-tech devices in support of espionage missions. Today, she discusses with Peter some of the operations she was involved in as well as opportunities for women in the intelligence community.
Sat, 01 Nov 2008 05:01:00 -0000

Intelligence and the Presidential Elections II

Judge William H. Webster, the only person who directed both the FBI (1978-87) and the CIA (1987-91), taps into his vast expertise to discuss with Peter the guidance he would offer to the next U.S. president. In addition, he provides insight on the ever-present tension between civil liberties and national security, and issues of intelligence oversight.
Mon, 20 Oct 2008 05:01:00 -0000

Inspecting the CIA

Peters guest today is Frederick Hitz, the CIAs first inspector general subject to U.S. Senate Confirmation (1990-98) and now a lecturer on intelligence at the University of Virginia. In a wide-ranging discussion, Fred talks about intelligence oversight, leadership issues, and terrorism. He also discusses career options in intelligence for young people.
Wed, 01 Oct 2008 05:01:00 -0000

Intelligence and the Presidential Elections I

A former station chief in Moscow and head of the CIAs Soviet/East Europe division, Burton Gerber now lectures on intelligence and national security at Georgetown University. Today, Peter interviews him about the post 9/11 reforms of the intelligence community and what guidance he would offer to the next occupant of the White House.
Mon, 01 Sep 2008 05:01:00 -0000

The Iranian Hostage Crisis

In November 1979, radical Iranian students overran the U.S. embassy in Tehran, capturing most of the embassy staffexcept for six diplomats who found refuge with the Canadian embassy. Today, Peter talks with retired CIA officer Tony Mendez who, in an elaborate deception and disguise operation, managed to exfiltrate the six Americans from Tehran before the Iranians were able to track them down.
Fri, 01 Aug 2008 05:01:00 -0000

Intelligence and the Presidency

How is information from the intelligence community (IC) conveyed to the president, and how have different administrations incorporated intelligence in the political decision-making process? John Hedley, former CIA officer and editor of the Presidents Daily Brief (PDB), reviews the relationship between the IC and presidents since World War II, in the course revealing fascinating episodes from his personal experience in dealing with several administrations.
Tue, 01 Jul 2008 05:01:00 -0000

Gizmos and Gadgetsthe World of Spycraft

Peter interviews Robert Wallace, director of the CIAs Office of Technical Services (OTS, the department in charge of gadgetry) from 1998 to 2002. Bob explains some of his favorite devices, such as the T-100 subminiature camera, and compares OTS performance to that of its adversaries. He also reviews the role of OTS in some high-profile spy cases and discusses the capabilities and limitations of technical support in intelligence operations.
Sun, 01 Jun 2008 05:01:00 -0000

Predicting Terrorism

Peters guest today is Malcolm W. Nance. A 20 year veteran of the US intelligence community, Malcolm has participated in numerous counter-terrorism operations in the Balkans, the Middle East, and sub-Saharan Africa. The author of The Terrorist Recognition Handbook and The Terrorists of Iraq, Malcolm discusses with Peter the role of Osama Bin Laden, Al Qaeda operations in Iraq, and the threat of domestic terrorism in the United States. He also talks about means and methods of effective anti-terrorist operations and cautions against overreactions.
Thu, 01 May 2008 05:01:00 -0000

Congressional Perspectives on U.S. Intelligence

Peters guest today is former Democratic Congressman Louis Stokes from Ohio, who chaired the House Intelligence Committee in the 1980s and the House Select Committee on Assassinations in the 1970s. Congressman Stokes discusses Congress role in overseeing the intelligence community and the value of intelligence to national security, and his committees investigation of the deaths of President John F. Kennedy and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Tue, 01 Apr 2008 05:01:00 -0000

Comrade J and Russian Espionage in the U.S.

Today, Peter interviews espionage writer Pete Earley about one of the most senior Russian intelligence defectors ever, Col. Sergei Tretyakov or Comrade J. Pete reveals some of the secrets Tretyakov covertly betrayed to the FBI/CIA while serving as SVR (Russian foreign intelligence) deputy resident in New York in the late 1990s. He also sheds light on Tretyakovs complex motivations for defecting.
Wed, 05 Mar 2008 05:01:00 -0000

Intelligence and the WMD Fiasco - Part II

Looking further into the U.S. intelligence communitys faulty assessment of Iraqs WMD program, Peter interviews Bob Drogin, author of Curveball: Spies, Lies and the Conman Who Caused a War. Bob reveals how fabricated information about Saddams WMD program from the Iraqi defector Curveball could make it all the way to the White House and consequently became one of the primary rationales for war against Iraq.
Fri, 01 Feb 2008 05:01:00 -0000

Intelligence and the WMD Fiasco

Today, Peter interviews Tyler Drumheller, the former chief of CIA covert operations in Europe. In the run-up to the Iraq war, Tyler consistently questioned affirmative intelligence on the existence of Saddams WMD program. He recounts his often frustrating efforts to prevent questionable information, such as that provided by the Iraqi defector "Curveball," from distorting intelligence assessments on Iraq.
Wed, 02 Jan 2008 05:01:00 -0000

Valerie Plame Speaks

Peters guest today is Valerie Plame, a covert CIA officer who recently left the Agency after her name was leaked to the press. Valerie discusses her time at the CIA, the controversy surrounding her case, and the administrations drive to war against Iraq. She also reveals how suddenly becoming a focus of public attention affected her marriage and family.
Mon, 03 Dec 2007 05:01:00 -0000

On Assignment to Congo

Today, Peter chats with Larry Devlin, the CIAs legendary station chief in Congo during the 1960s. Larry reflects on his reasons for joining the CIA, the political situation in Congo at the time, and the face-off with the Soviets in the Third World. He also discusses his response to the controversial directive from headquarters to have Congos Prime Minister Patrice Lumumba killed.
Thu, 01 Nov 2007 05:01:00 -0000

Intelligence and the Middle East with Robert Baer

Peters guest today is Robert Baer who served for many years as a CIA operative in the Middle East. Among other things, Bob talks about his tour of duty in Lebanon, the psychology of suicide bombers, and the emerging threat of Iran. He also discusses the movie Syriana, which is based on his book, See No Evil.
Mon, 01 Oct 2007 05:01:00 -0000

The Polygraph Science or Art?

Peter interviews John Sullivan, the CIAs longest serving polygrapher. The lie detector has supporters and detractors, and John confronts the controversy surrounding it head-on. He frankly discusses the role of the polygraph in the Agencys security process and offers his candid opinion on the possibilities and limitations of this device.
Sat, 01 Sep 2007 05:01:00 -0000

Leon Trotsky Murder in Mexico

Peters guest today is H. Keith Melton, renowned intelligence historian and owner of the largest collection of espionage artifacts. Keith sheds new light on one of the most notorious intelligence operations of all timethe assassination of exiled Russian revolutionary Leon Trotsky in Mexico in 1940. Keith reconstructs the operation in all its phases, including material from his own original research.
Wed, 01 Aug 2007 05:01:00 -0000

Cuban Intelligence and the Ana Montes Spy Case

Peters guest this month is Scott Carmichael of the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA). As the DIAs senior counterintelligence investigator, Scott identified one of the most damaging spies in recent U.S. history, the Agencys own chief Cuba analyst, Ana Belen Montes. Scott discusses Montes motivations, the damage she did, and the continuing threat of Cuban intelligence to the United States.
Mon, 02 Jul 2007 05:01:00 -0000

From the Secret Files of the CIA

Peter interviews Tom Blanton of the National Security Archive about a recently declassified set of documents regarding illegal CIA activities in the early Cold War. Putting these "Family Jewels" in historical perspective, Tom and Peter discuss the CIAs participation in domestic wiretapping, assassination attempts at Fidel Castro, and the popular notion of the Agency as a "rogue elephant."
Fri, 01 Jun 2007 05:01:00 -0000

British IntelligencePast and Present

Peter interviews Dame Stella Rimington, former Director-General of MI5, the British domestic security service. Dame Stella compares American and British approaches to intelligence and offers her view on the terrorist threat and the Litvinenko murder. She also discusses the authenticity of spy fiction and reveals her favorite espionage writer.
Tue, 01 May 2007 05:01:00 -0000

Counterterrorism, Intelligence, and the Iraq War

After responding to inquiries from listeners, Peter interviews Melissa Mahle who served for over a decade in the CIAs clandestine service in the Middle East. Melissa provides a unique intelligence perspective on 9/11, terrorist threats, and Americas continuing engagement in Iraq. She also discusses career opportunities in the intelligence community and the changing role of women in the CIA.
Mon, 02 Apr 2007 05:01:00 -0000

FBI Counterintelligence and the Robert Hanssen Spy Case

Peter discusses the Robert Hanssen spy case with retired Senior FBI Supervisory Special Agent David Major who knew Hanssen for over 20 years and was one of his supervisors. Dave shares his thoughts on Hanssens personality and reasons for spying for the Russians. Last not least, Dave offers his perspective on how the movie Breach captures and misses aspects of the Hanssen espionage case.
Thu, 01 Mar 2007 05:01:00 -0000

The Movie Breach and Hollywoods Take on Espionage

Peter interviews Eric ONeill, the FBI investigator who went undercover as Robert Hanssens clerk during the final months before Hanssen was arrested for espionage.ONeill is the model for Ryan Phillippes character in the current movie Breach.ONeill talks about the ways the film mirrorsand divergesfrom his real experiences with one of Americas most damaging spies.
Thu, 01 Feb 2007 05:01:00 -0000

Israeli Intelligence and the Jonathan Pollard Spy Case

Peter sits down with Ron Olive, former special agent in charge of counterintelligence for the Naval Investigative Service, to discuss Olives role in the capture of Jonathan Pollard, one of the most controversial spies in history. Ron talks about investigating and interrogating Pollard, explores Pollards motivations and significance, and reveals the real significance of gift cacti.
Sat, 06 Jan 2007 05:01:00 -0000

Reviewing Robert De Niros The Good Shepherd

Peter discusses the film The Good Shepherd with former CIA officer Jack Platt and AFIO (Association for Intelligence Officers) Director Elizabeth Bancroft, comparing fact and fiction in the OSS and CIA.Enjoy a bonus spoiler in which the three debate the meaning of the endingand the best way to destroy secret information.
Mon, 04 Dec 2006 05:01:00 -0000

The Litvinenko Murder and Other Riddles from Moscow

Peter sits down with former CIA officer Bob Rayle and Oleg Kalugin to talk Russia past and present. The three discuss their perspectives on the recent poisoning of former KGB spy Alexander Litvinenko. Then, they turn to 1967 and Bob's role in the extraordinary defection of Svetlana Alliluyeva, daughter of Josef Stalin.
Wed, 01 Nov 2006 05:01:00 -0000

The Secret History of Disguises

Peter talks with Tony Mendez, former Chief of Disguise for the CIA. Peter and Tony discuss the intricacies of developing disguises for use in hostile environments, the advantages of selective aging, and the secret history of facial recognition technology.