# From NFL to Espionage: The Story of Ernest Cuneo

An episode of [SpyCast](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/podcast/201680433), 4 Mar 2025, 26 min.

Audio: https://pdst.fm/e/tracking.swap.fm/track/YfZO4tERxneauNcW9Fgn/traffic.megaphone.fm/ARML5505427459.mp3?updated=1741037167

He was an American spy before an American spy agency existed. NFL player Ernest Cuneo, a little known first generation Italian American, worked with British intelligence to convince the United States to join World War II, and helped lay the groundwork for modern day espionage. Thomas Maier traces Cuneo’s extraordinary life in his new book, The Invisible Spy, out March 25th. If you liked this episode, check out these links: Agent Link: The Spy Erased from History | With former FBI Counterintelligence Expert The Dirty Tricks Department with John Lisle Operation Underworld with Matthew Black Subscribe to Sasha's Substack, HUMINT, to get more intelligence stories: https://sashaingber.substack.com/ And if you have feedback or want to hear about a particular topic, you can reach us by E-mail at SpyCast@Spymuseum.org, This show is brought to you from Goat Rodeo, Airwave, and the International Spy Museum in Washington, DC.

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