Spies

To Catch a Spy – How the Spycatcher Affair Brought MI5 in from the Cold

  The Spycatcher affair remains one of the most intriguing moments in the history of British intelligence and a pivotal point in the public’s relationship with the murky world of espionage and security. Listen on Apple PodcastsListen on SpotifyListen on YouTubeBecome a Patron! It lifted the lid on alleged Soviet infiltration of British services and … Read more

The longest-held prisoner of war in American history

Jack Downey was the longest-held prisoner of war in American history. He was a CIA officer captured in China during the Korean War and imprisoned for twenty-one years. Listen on Apple PodcastsListen on SpotifyListen on Amazon MusicListen on Podcast AddictBecome a Patron! I speak with Barry Werth the author of Prisoner of Lies – Jack … Read more

Mafia Spies and the Plot to Kill Fidel Castro

  Thomas Maier an investigative journalist is our guide to the shadowy world of organized crime and espionage where shares insights from his extensive research and writing, including his latest book and drama documentary “Mafia Spies,” which explores the unlikely alliance between the CIA and the mafia in their attempts to assassinate Fidel Castro. Listen … Read more

The President’s Kill List – Assassination and US Foreign Policy since 1945

  Luca Trenta is an associate professor at Swansea University and has recently authored The President’s Kill List: Assassination and US Foreign Policy Since 1945. We dig in detail into the contents of the book delving into the history of Cold War CIA operations including instances of electoral interference and assassination. Listen on Apple PodcastsListen … Read more

My friend the Bridge of Spies spy Part 2

  Burt recounts the surreal experience of learning about Fisher’s true identity from a newspaper headline, the subsequent FBI interrogations, and the emotional courtroom testimony where he struggled to reconcile his friendship with the stark reality of espionage. Listen on Apple PodcastsListen on SpotifyListen on Google PodcastsBecome a Patron! Burt’s journey leads him to Moscow … Read more

My friend the Bridge of Spies spy Part 1

  In a riveting episode that peels back the layers of Cold War espionage, we sit down with Burt, an artist who unwittingly befriended a man better known as Colonel Abel, the infamous Bridge of Spies Spy who was exchanged for shot down US U2 pilot Gary Powers. Listen on Apple PodcastsListen on SpotifyListen on … Read more

Sex, spies and scandal : the John Vassall affair

Alex Grant’s new book Sex, Spies and Scandal The John Vassall Affair has everything: a honey trap, industrial-scale espionage, journalists jailed for not revealing their sources and the first modern tabloid witch-hunt, which resulted in a ministerial resignation and almost brought down Harold Macmillan’s government. Listen on Apple PodcastsListen on SpotifyListen on Google PodcastsBecome a … Read more

How To Catch A Cold War Spy

Listen on Apple PodcastsListen on SpotifyListen on Google PodcastsBecome a Patron! Since 1985, Ana Montes has been an asset of the Cuban intelligence service. In that time, she’s risen through the ranks to become one of the Pentagon’s most respected voices on Cuban affairs with easy access to classified documents. By night, she was working … Read more

The Cold War Atomic Spies

  On 29 August 1949 at 7:00 a.m. the Soviet Union exploded its first atomic bomb. Listen on Apple PodcastsListen on SpotifyListen on Google PodcastsBecome a Patron! The test stunned the Western powers. American intelligence had estimated that the Soviets would not produce an atomic weapon until 1953, while the British did not expect it … Read more