SpyCast
SpyCast
300 episodes
SpyCast, the official podcast of the International Spy Museum, is a journey into the shadows of international espionage. Each week, host Sasha Ingber brings you the latest insights and intriguing tales from spies, secret agents, and covert communicators, with a focus on how this secret world reaches us all in our everyday lives. Tune in to discover the critical role intelligence has played throughout history and today. Brought to you by N2K Networks, Podville Media, and the International Spy Museum.
More about the show
The Spy Museum does not endorse, approve, or support the opinions stated by guest speakers. Statements made by speakers do not represent the position or opinion of the International Spy Museum.
Episodes page 6 of 6
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“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 you’re looking to find a podcast that helps break down the complexities of Chinese foreign policy through…
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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 doesn’t matter in today’s world.” Intrigued? You should be. Avril and…
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“Special Operations & Intelligence” – A Conversation with the President of SOF’s “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…
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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, I’ve heard of the Ambassador…
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“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…
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“The Recruiter: Part 2 of 2” – Modern Spycraft with Doug London (Part 2)
Doug London is thoughtful and reflective – but he doesn’t 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…
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“The Recruiter: Part 1 of 2” – Modern SpyCraft with Doug London
This week’s guest believes that espionage is about the “human soul…[it’s] a very intimate profession…the relationship between a case officer and an agent and the need to really have…a profound insight window into their…
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“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…
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“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,”…
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“So, I’m a Spy & I’d 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…
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Introducing Shadow of Truth Podcast
Description: It’s one of the most haunting murder cases you’ll 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…
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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 America’s Pastime with baseball fanatic and…
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“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 week’s episode alongside the author of a new book telling the story of the first Americans behind…
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*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 – it’s quite fitting then, that in this week’s episode I speak to our very first historian…
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Cyberattacks, Espionage & Ransomware – “Inside Microsoft’s 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…
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“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…
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“One of CIA’s 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 haven’t worked…
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Curator’s 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 America’s long wars with al-Qaeda and its descendants. Bergen produced the first television interview…
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“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 VP’s National Security Advisor. Phil was Director for Gulf Affairs. They would go on…
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“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…
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“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.…
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“Afghanistan, the Mujahedeen, Al Qaeda” – My Time at CIA & State with Diana Bolsinger
It was the 1980’s. “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 members…I mean, you name it. It was just incredible!” Three years…
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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…
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CYBER AUGUST: “So, You Want to Be a Codebreaker?” – Elonka Dunin and Klaus Schmeh
Codes. Ciphers. Mysteries. This week’s 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…
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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…
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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 week’s guest has seen Cyber-beams glitter in the dark near the Tannhäuser Gate. How? He hosts no less than 10 podcasts per week…
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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…
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"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…
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“Special Operations, FBI, NSC, et al” – Serial Collaborator Karen Schaefer (Part 2)
Last week’s episode focused on “Karen Schaefer, CIA Operator,” while this week’s episode looks at her time as a “Serial Collaborator.” Karen specialized in making sure the heart, brain, left hand and right hand had a…
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“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…
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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…
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"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, you’ll need to listen to find out.
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Spy Satellites, Outer Space & the NRO - “Beyond the Kármán 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 it’s called a God’s eye view. You may not be as unfamiliar with satellites…
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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…
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“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 wasn’t a diplomat - it’s just that he did something else…
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“The Spymaster’s 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…
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“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 Afghanistan…the 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…
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“A Jewish Spy in Nazi Germany” – 101-Year-Old Marthe Cohn’s 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…
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“Intelligence & the World’s Largest Democracy” - Indian Spy Chief Vikram Sood
In a first for the show, this week’s guest is a former spy chief from the world’s largest democracy. Vikram Sood was the Director of India's Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW). Andrew and Vikram talk Pakistan, China,…
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“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…
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"The FBI Way" - Counterintelligence Spy Chief Frank Figliuzzi
This week’s 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…
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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…
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The Courier (2021) – The Director’s 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.…
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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)…
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Intelligence and the Presidency - WIth John Hedley
Continuing our journey through SpyCast’s 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…
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“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 Obama’s made their way overhead on a helicopter,…
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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 couldn’t make this one up, it has…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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