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| Titre | Date | Durée | |
|---|---|---|---|
| “Two Decades at the International Spy Museum” – with Anna Slafer | 26 Nov 2024 | 00:53:03 | |
Summary
Anna Slafer (LinkedIn, Website) joins Andrew (X; LinkedIn) to discuss the history of the International Spy Museum. Anna was one of SPY’s first employees when the museum opened in 2002.
What You’ll Learn
Intelligence
Building the International Spy Museum
Milton Maltz: the visionary behind SPY
The role of historians and curators
Creating exhibits on espionage
Reflections
Institutional memory and evolution
The challenges and joys of storytelling
And much, much more …
Quotes of the Week
“We structured the museum so people could understand: How does [spying] work? Who does it? What is my role? And we wanted to look at the good, the bad, and the ugly.” – Anna Slafer.
Resources
SURFACE SKIM
*SpyCasts*
The World’s Preeminent Collection of SPY Artifacts with Laura Hicken and Lauren VonBechmann (2024)
Secrets Revealed – Curators Alexis and Andrew on SPY’s Pop-Up Exhibit (2023)
Peter Earnest Memorial: Spook, CIA Spokesman, Spy Museum Director (2022)
*Beginner Resources*
A look at the International Spy Museum in Washington D.C., FOX 5 Washington DC, YouTube (2023) [5 min. video]
About the Collection, International Spy Museum (n.d.) [Short article]
About Museums, American Alliance of Museums (n.d.) [Short Q&A]
DEEPER DIVE
Articles
Cracking the Spy Museum Code to Revitalize Stale Learning, J. A. Manning, Medium (2023)
A Reimagined Spy Museum in Washington Doesn’t Flinch From the Darker Side, S. Shane, The New York Times (2019)
From For-Profit to Nonprofit: Evolution of the International Spy Museum, E. Merritt, American Alliance of Museums (2019)
Spy Museum salutes '50 years of Bond Villains,' T. Wells, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (2012)
Role of museums in managing design education: a case study, H. Lee, International Journal of Education Through Art (2009)
Museum visitors hit the D.C. streets in spy game, B. Zongker, Seattle Times (2009)
*Wildcard Resource*
Museums have been a critical element of community building and historical memory for centuries.
One of the world’s first curators was a woman named Ennigaldi-Nanna from modern day Iraq. Dating from 530 B.C., Ennigaldi-Nanna’s museum of Mesopotamian artifacts is thought to be the world’s oldest museum. | |||
| Leadership & The United States Pacific Command with Ret. Lieutenant General Anthony Crutchfield | 19 Nov 2024 | 00:57:14 | |
Summary
Lieutenant General Anthony Crutchfield (Ret.) (LinkedIn, Wikipedia) joins Andrew (X; LinkedIn) to discuss his time as the Deputy Commander of United States Indo-Pacific Command. PACOM covers 52% of the globe.
What You’ll Learn
Intelligence
The role of intelligence in military operations
Ethical dilemmas in command decisions
Reflections on the impact of mentorship and outreach
The importance of remaining aware in today's pervasive world
Reflections
The challenges of leadership
Hard work, determination, and resilience
And much, much more …
Quotes of the Week
“I worked hard at everything I did. If somebody asked me to do a job, I didn’t say, ‘That’s not my job,’ I didn’t complain. There were places that I was sent that I didn’t want to go, but I went – And I didn’t complain about it…I did the best that I could and it was recognized.” – Anthony Crutchfield.
Resources
SURFACE SKIM
*SpyCasts*
Leading United States Central Command with General Frank McKenzie (2024)
CIA Director, Defense Secretary, Gentleman with Leon Panetta (2024)
David Petraeus on Ukraine & Intelligence with the former CIA Director & 4* General (2023)
Intelligence, Special Operations, and Strategy with Michael Vickers (2023)
DEEPER DIVE
Books
The Melting Point: High Command and War in the 21st Century, K. F. McKenzie (Naval Institute Press, 2024)
Conflict: The Evolution of Warfare from 1945 to Ukraine, D. Petraeus & A. Roberts (Harper, 2023)
Strategy in Crisis: The Pacific War, J. T. Kuehn (Naval Institute Press, 2023)
Fire on the Water: China, America, and the Future of the Pacific, R. J. Haddick (Naval Institute Press, 2014)
Primary Sources
U.S. Defense Infrastructure in the IndoPacific: Background and Issues for Congress (2023)
Pacific Partnership Strategy (2022)
Indo-Pacific Strategy of the United States (2022)
*Wildcard Resource*
PACOM is, by far, the largest geographical combatant command. The smallest, on the other hand, is the U.S. Central Command. Listen to our interview with General Frank McKenzie, 14th commander of CENTCOM, here! | |||
| The Future of OSINT and the Intelligence Community with Jason Barrett | 17 Sep 2024 | 01:03:29 | |
Summary
Jason Barrett (LinkedIn) joins Andrew (X; LinkedIn) to discuss the integration of open-source intelligence into the American Intelligence Community. Jason is the first-ever OSINT Executive.
What You’ll Learn
Intelligence
Historical examples of OSINT
The evolution of Open Source Intelligence
The challenges and unique opportunities OSINT presents
The future of OSINT within the Intelligence Community
Reflections
Trust and transparency
Efficiency in intelligence gathering
And much, much more …
Quotes of the Week
“We're living in an age when credibility and trust is really important to build. This is an opportunity for the IC to really build that trust, I think in important ways. So, it's an area I think you will see more of us being more transparent in our work.” – Jason Barrett.
Resources
SURFACE SKIM
*SpyCasts*
U.S. Army Open-Source Intelligence (OSINT) with Dennis Eger & Shawn Nilius (2024)
Cybersecurity in The White House with Camille Stewart Gloster (2024)
David Petraeus on Ukraine & Intelligence with the former CIA Director & 4* General (2023)
Irregular Warfare & Intelligence with IWC Director Dennis Walters (2023)
DEEPER DIVE
Books
OSINT Techniques: Resources for Uncovering Online Information, M. Bazzell (2023)
Deep Dive: Exploring the Real-world Value of Open Source Intelligence, R. L. Baker (Wiley, 2023)
Open Source Intelligence Methods and Tools: A Practical Guide to Online Intelligence, N. A. Hassan & R. Hijazi (Apress, 2018)
Primary Sources
The IC OSINT Strategy 2024-2026 (2024)
DoS Open Source Intelligence Strategy (2024)
Ethical Frameworks in Open-Source Intelligence (2022)
Open-Source Intelligence, Department of the Army (2012)
Department of Defense OSINT Instruction (2010)
*Wildcard Resource*
You’ve probably practiced OSINT techniques many times before – Think, Facebook stalking your old college friends to see what they’re up to. Many video games also involve the usage of open-source collection techniques:
Return of the Obra Dinn (2018) is one such critically acclaimed video game. The game, set on an early 19th-century ship, challenges its player to solve the mystery of what happened to the crew onboard by piecing together scraps of information from journal entries and related documents. | |||
| From the Vault: "The IRA, The Troubles & Intelligence" – with Eleanor Williams and Thomas Leahy | 10 Jan 2023 | 01:03:33 | |
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 You’ll 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 60’s to the late 90’s 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 Ireland’s police and security intelligence force, the Garda Síochána, 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 here…the IRA was quite highly regional regionalized. That's actually quite key to explain why British intelligence had some difficulties against them…Initially, it was set up similar to armed forces. It would have brigades, battalions and companies…the IRA operated this kind of army structure up to 1975…the IRA then switched to this new strategy…And 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)
Britain’s Secret War Against the IRA, A. Edwards (Merrion, 2021)
Thatcher’s Spy, W. Carlin (Merrion, 2019)
The Accidental Spy, S. O’Driscoll (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 Britain’s 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) | |||
| From the Vault: "Black Ops: The Life of a Legendary CIA Shadow Warrior" - with Ric Prado | 03 Jan 2023 | 01:08:02 | |
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 Ric’s book, Black Ops, and support the International Spy Museum’s mission here.
What You’ll 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 Doctrine’s anti-communist spear, or as CIA Counterterrorist Center Chief of Ops during 9/11?
To find out, and to hear more about Ric’s storied career, Andrew sat down with him for this week’s 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 Ric’s communist uncle hadn’t alerted the family that his school intended to send him off to the Soviet Union as a promising student for further education…if he hadn’t taken an Oceanography class at Miami Dade College and met someone who led him to USAF Pararescue…if he hadn’t been tipped off that he was to be killed in a Contra camp during the night and extricated himself from the situation…as 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 dad…then the trip to the orphanage. And then definitely when I got into pararescue…being one of our special operations forces, the training is very, very intense…And making it through SERE school, making it through mountain climbing school. There's a certain level of conquering your emotions that you have to do…But 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 Path’s 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, “I’m 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) | |||
| “The Third Option” – US Covert Action with Loch Johnson (Part 2 of 2) | 27 Dec 2022 | 00:48:01 | |
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 You’ll 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 week’s exploration of covert action than Professor Emeritus at the University of Georgia Loch Johnson. Loch’s 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.
Loch’s 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 option…and it really comes in four packages. Package number one is propaganda… And then comes political covert actions…Thirdly is economic covert action…And 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 Spymaster’s 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 CIA’s 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 That’s Interesting (2022)
Video
Iran-Contra: Reagan’s 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 | |||
| “The Third Option” – US Covert Action with Loch Johnson (Part 1 of 2) | 20 Dec 2022 | 00:49:40 | |
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 You’ll 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 week’s exploration of covert action than Professor Emeritus at the University of Georgia Loch Johnson. Loch’s 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.
Loch’s 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 option…and it really comes in four packages. Package number one is propaganda… And then comes political covert actions…Thirdly is economic covert action…And 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 Spymaster’s 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 CIA’s 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 That’s Interesting (2022)
Video
Iran-Contra: Reagan’s 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 | |||
| “Spying and Start-Ups” – with former Assistant Director of the CIA John Mullen | 13 Dec 2022 | 00:59:42 | |
Summary
John Mullen (LinkedIn) joins Andrew (Twitter; LinkedIn) to discuss his life and career. He was awarded the Distinguished Intelligence Medal.
What You’ll 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 it’d 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 haven’t 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
*Andrew’s Recommendation*
The Pacific War, WELT (2021) [documentary]
*Beginner Resources*
What We Know About China’s 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 Schrödinger'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: China’s State Capitalism Is Not Colliding With Its Technological Ambitions, Strider (2021)
Video
Made in Beijing: The Plan for Global Market Domination, FBI (2022)
China's New Quantum Computing Breakthrough Shocks American Scientists, YouTube (2022)
Seattle’s 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 ABMC’s Burial Search to locate their records. | |||
| “Honey Trapped: Sex, Betrayal & Love” – with Henry Schlesinger | 06 Dec 2022 | 01:00:48 | |
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 You’ll 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 1960’s, 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 Henry’s 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
*Andrew’s 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’: What’s 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! | |||
| “The FBI & Cyber” – with Cyber Division Chief Bryan Vorndran (Part 2 of 2) | 29 Nov 2022 | 00:38:18 | |
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 You’ll 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 Quantico’s vigorous training schedule. Now, almost 20 years later, Bryan serves as the Assistant Director of the FBI’s 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 week’s 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 FBI’s 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 Microsoft’s 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)
Made in Beijing: 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 FBI’s Role in Cyber Security (2014)
*Wildcard Resource*
Quiz: Test your knowledge of the FBI in pop culture! | |||
| “The FBI & Cyber” – with Cyber Division Chief Bryan Vorndran (Part 1 of 2) | 22 Nov 2022 | 00:48:33 | |
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 You’ll 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 Quantico’s vigorous training schedule. Now, almost 20 years later, Brian serves as the Assistant Director of the FBI’s 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 week’s 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 FBI’s 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 Microsoft’s 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)
Made in Beijing: 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 FBI’s Role in Cyber Security (2014)
*Wildcard Resource*
Quiz: Test your knowledge of the FBI in pop culture! | |||
| "Trafficking Data: The Digital Struggle – with China" with Aynne Kokas | 15 Nov 2022 | 01:03:32 | |
Summary
Aynne Kokas (LinkedIn; Twitter) joins Andrew (Twitter; LinkedIn) to discuss her book "Trafficking Data: How China is Winning the Battle for Digital Sovereignty." | |||
| “Nazis on the Potomac” – with former National Park Service Chief Historian Bob Sutton | 08 Nov 2022 | 01:09:00 | |
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 You’ll 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 Army’s Order of Battle
Reflections
The National Park Service & History
Politicizing Interpretation
And much, much more…
Episode Notes
This week’s 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 found…That's relatively unusual." – Bob Sutton
Resources
SURFACE SKIM
*Andrew’s 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! | |||
| The Spycatcher Affair & MI5: The Scandal that Shook Britain with Tim Tate | 10 Sep 2024 | 01:06:50 | |
Summary
Tim Tate (Website) joins Andrew (X; LinkedIn) to discuss the Spycatcher Affair. Tim is a best-selling author and award-winning filmmaker.
What You’ll Learn
Intelligence
Peter Wright: His background and motives
The contents of Spycatcher including the exposure of alleged soviet moles
The UK’s efforts to keep their secrets secret
The lasting effects of the Spycatcher Affair
Reflections
Personal secrecy vs. public security
Censorship and free speech
And much, much more …
Quotes of the Week
"[Wright] found truly acres of paperwork from old files which had been disregarded and hadn't been properly followed up on and leads that hadn't been properly followed. And when he pulled at them, those threads of evidence, and when he chased it down, what he found, as often as not, was genuine reason to suspect that the penetration, the widespread penetration, was real and serious.” – Tim Tate
.
Resources
SURFACE SKIM
*Spotlight Resource*
To Catch a Spy: How the Spycatcher Affair brought MI5 in from the Cold, Tim Tate (Icon Books, 2024)
*SpyCasts*
The Counterintelligence Chief with FBI Assistant Director Alan Kohler (2023)
St. Ermin’s Hotel, London – The History of a Legendary Spy Site with Stephen Duffy (2023)
The Information Battlespace – Foreign Denial and Deception with Bill Parquette (2022)
Dealing with Russia – A Conversation with Counterintelligence Legend Jim Olson (2022)
DEEPER DIVE
Books
To Catch a Spy: The Art of Counterintelligence, J. Olson (Georgetown University Press, 2021)
Traitors Among Us: Inside the Spy Catcher's World, S. A. Herrington (Harvest Books, 2000)
The Spycatcher Affair, C. Pincher (St. Martin’s Press, 1988)
Spycatcher, P. Wright (Heinemann, 1987)
Primary Sources
Peter Wright Case (Part 1) (1987)
Peter Wright Case (Part 2) (1987)
Retired Spy Claims Cover Up in British Service (1984)
The Hollis Affair (1981)
The “Zinoviev” Letter Investigation (1924)
The Zimmermann Telegram (1917)
*Wildcard Resource*
Areopagitica (1644) by John Milton
Illegally published in the UK in protest to the Licensing Order of 1643, this polemic has since become one of the most influential documents defending the right to free speech and free publication. | |||
| “Baseball & Espionage” –with World Series Champion Ryan Zimmerman & Marc Polymeropoulos (Part 2 of 2) | 01 Nov 2022 | 01:08:51 | |
Summary
Ryan Zimmerman (MLB Stats; Wikipedia) and Marc Polymeropoulos (Twitter; LinkedIn) join Andrew to discuss intelligence and America’s pastime. From the SpyCast Field of Dreams.
What You’ll 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? You’ve 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." - Ryan Zimmerman
"You know, you have to have that mentality in these professions." - Marc Polymeropoulos
Resources
*Andrew’s 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)
Baseball’s 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 CIA’s Analytic Front-Lines, B. Pease, JHU (2022)
Sabermetrics 101: Baseball Analytics, A. Andres, Talks at Google (2016)
CIA’s Chief Information Officer - Advanced Analytics, D. Wolfe, O’Reilly (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! | |||
| “Baseball & Espionage” –with World Series Champion Ryan Zimmerman & Marc Polymeropoulos (Part 1 of 2) | 25 Oct 2022 | 01:00:53 | |
Summary
Ryan Zimmerman (MLB Stats; Wikipedia) and Marc Polymeropoulos (Twitter; LinkedIn) join Andrew to discuss intelligence and America’s pastime. From the SpyCast Field of Dreams.
What You’ll 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? You’ve 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." - Ryan Zimmerman
"You know, you have to have that mentality in these professions." - Marc Polymeropoulos
Resources
*Andrew’s 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)
Baseball’s 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 CIA’s Analytic Front-Lines, B. Pease, JHU (2022)
Sabermetrics 101: Baseball Analytics, A. Andres, Talks at Google (2016)
CIA’s Chief Information Officer - Advanced Analytics, D. Wolfe, O’Reilly (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! | |||
| From the Vault: “On the Streets, Location Unknown” - CIA Operator Karen Schaefer (Part I) | 18 Oct 2022 | 00:58:54 | |
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 haven’t even met Karen yet…but seriously, it was a pleasure to talk to this week’s 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… | |||
| “Sure, I Can Hack Your Organization” – with Eric Escobar (Part 2 of 2) | 11 Oct 2022 | 00:45:56 | |
Summary
Eric Escobar (Twitter; LinkedIn) joins Andrew (Twitter; LinkedIn) to discuss compromising networks and information security. He has a coveted DEFCON Black Badge.
What You’ll 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 didn’t 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, it’s 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 60’s 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 balance…and 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 alive…So really interesting to see those types of things because they interact with really big, expensive hardware…there'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
*Andrew’s Recommendation*
Word Notes
From beginner thru advanced, you’ll find some helpful definitions of things like “Web 3.0,” “NFT’s” and “Digital Transformation” on this Cyberwire audio glossary.
*SpyCasts*
Inside Microsoft’s 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 Cuckoo’s 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! | |||
| “Sure, I Can Hack Your Organization” – with Eric Escobar (Part 1 of 2) | 05 Oct 2022 | 00:56:30 | |
Summary
Eric Escobar (Twitter; LinkedIn) joins Andrew (Twitter; LinkedIn) to discuss compromising networks and information security. He has a coveted DEFCON Black Badge.
What You’ll 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 didn’t 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, it’s 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 60’s 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 balance…and 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 alive…So really interesting to see those types of things because they interact with really big, expensive hardware…there'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
*Andrew’s Recommendation*
Word Notes
From beginner thru advanced, you’ll find some helpful definitions of things like “Web 3.0,” “NFT’s” and “Digital Transformation” on this Cyberwire audio glossary.
*SpyCasts*
Inside Microsoft’s 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 Cuckoo’s 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! | |||
| “The Past 75 Years” – with Historian of the CIA Rhodri Jeffreys-Jones | 27 Sep 2022 | 01:02:39 | |
Summary
Rhodri Jeffreys-Jones (Website; Wikipedia) joins Andrew (Twitter; LinkedIn) to discuss his book. He has studied American intelligence for 50 years.
What You’ll 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 week’s 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 week’s 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. David’s Society). Espionage in Welsh is ysbïo.
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
*Andrew’s 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. Martin’s, 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 can’t? | |||
| “The 75th Anniversary of the CIA” – with former Director Robert Gates | 20 Sep 2022 | 01:02:40 | |
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 You’ll Learn
Intelligence
His reflections on the CIA at 75
How the CIA’s story intersected with his own
His take on the organization’s 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 CIA’s 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.
Wouldn’t you love to know his take on the CIA at 75? Well, we’ve 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 University’s Cooper Field can hold 3,750; William & Mary’s Zable Stadium can hold 12,259; Indiana University’s Memorial Stadium can hold 52,626; and Texas A&M’s 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 knew…they were probably the smartest, most honest people I've ever met and worked with." – Robert Gates.
Resources
*Andrew’s Recommendation*
“Reorganization in the Intel. Community,” DCI Gates (1992)
Watch this prescient clip on historical naivete, or if you’re 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 Director’s Portrait Gallery, CIA (n.d.) [online gallery]
Impact of President G.H.W. Bush’s 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. We’re all in the same alphabet soup.” | |||
| "CIA Reports Officer, Russian Yacht Watcher, Satirist” – with Alex Finley | 13 Sep 2022 | 01:04:11 | |
Summary
Alex Finley (Twitter; Website) joins Andrew (Twitter; LinkedIn) to discuss life as a CIA Reports Officer turned author. She lives in Barcelona.
What You’ll 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 it’s 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 Hitchhiker’s 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 where…how did I end up here? This makes zero sense. And then there were the bureaucratic Catch-22s." – Alex Finley.
Resources
*Andrew’s 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]
Russia’s Top Five Disinformation Narratives, State (2022) [webpage]
Books
Victor in Trouble, A. Finley (Smiling Hippo, 2022)
The Revenge of Power, M. Naim (St. Martin’s, 2022)
Active Measures, T. Rid (Picador, 2021)
The Misinformation Age, C. O’Connor & 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 Russia’s 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 | |||
| "The Counterterrorism and Counter WMD Strategist" – with Dexter Ingram. | 06 Sep 2022 | 00:56:14 | |
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 You’ll 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 Dexter’s career that intersect with intelligence.
And…
Hampton University, where Dexter studied for his undergrad, is one of over 100 Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU’s) 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 HBCU’s, 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
*Andrew’s Recommendation*
“Shall We All Commit Suicide?” (1924)
One of Churchill’s 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 State’s 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 Britain’s 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. | |||
| “POW’s, Vietnam and Intelligence” – with Pritzker Curator James Brundage | 30 Aug 2022 | 01:00:54 | |
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 You’ll 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 prisoner’s 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 don’t 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 week’s 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 Japan…the death rate was almost 40%. A lot of that was the conditions of the camp…in 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
*Andrew’s Recommendation*
The Railway Man: A POW’s 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]
POW’s: 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.)
OSS’s Role in Ho Chi Minh’s 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! | |||
| The Director-General of the Australian Signals Directorate with Rachel Noble | 03 Sep 2024 | 01:02:15 | |
Summary
Rachel Noble joins Andrew to discuss her role as Director-General of the Australian Signals Directorate. Rachel is the first woman to hold this position.
What You’ll Learn
Intelligence
The Australian Signals Directorate: Its purpose and mission
The true story of the Pine Gap spy facility
Leadership in Intelligence
The SIGINT origins of the Five Eyes alliance
Reflections
The value of team
The importance of work-life balance
And much, much more …
Quotes of the Week
“Women lead differently. We talk differently, we engage in different ways. And I've had to learn to own that about myself and not be tempted to try to be like the guys, compete with them on their own terms, or to adopt male behaviors in order to be heard … [Doing that] doesn't really help other women who might come after me.” – Rachel Noble.
Resources
SURFACE SKIM
*SpyCasts*
Codebreaking and Codemaking Down Under with John Blaxland and Clare Birgin (2024)
Australian National Day Special: Intelligence Down Under with John Blaxland (2024)
SPY CHIEFS: Director-General of Security Mike Burgess - ASIO, Australia & America (2022)
Keeping Secrets/Disclosing Secrets with Spy Chief turned DG of Australia’s National Archives David Fricker (2022)
*Beginner Resources*
What is SIGINT? YouTube (2020) [2 min. video]
Who we are, Australian Signals Directorate (2020) [Short article]
Our Agencies, National Intelligence Community of Australia (n.d.) [Overview of each agency in the Australian IC]
DEEPER DIVE
Primary Sources
REDSPICE Blueprint (2022)
Report of the Royal Commission on Intelligence and Security (1977)
Australian Treaty Series: Five Power Defence Agreements (1971)
Australian Treaty Series: Agreement between the Government of the Commonwealth of Australia and the Government of the United States of America relating to the Establishment of a Joint Defence Space Research Facility (1966)
Policy file containing Cabinet approval of establishment of Joint Intelligence Organisation and participation of New Zealand Government (1946)
ASD Role and effectiveness of Signals Intelligence in World War II (1945)
*Wildcard Resource*
Rachel mentioned in this podcast episode that one of her favorite treats when coming to the States are Snickerdoodles – A delectable sugar cookie showered in cinnamon-sugar topping.
In the cookie world, snickerdoodles are a more recent invention with their first written mention being in an 1889 cookbook. Learn more about the history of cookies here! | |||
| “The Beverly Hills Spy” – with The Hollywood Reporter’s Seth Abramovitch | 23 Aug 2022 | 00:52:30 | |
Summary
Seth Abramovitch (Twitter; LinkedIn) joins Andrew (Twitter; LinkedIn) to discuss the British war-hero who spied on behalf of the Japanese during Hollywood’s Golden Age. This is a story-and-a-half, by jingo!
What You’ll 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 Ono’s father
The spy ring’s 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 officer’s wife, he tries to live an ordinary vanilla life, but still craves his action-packed days of old…ultimately, 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). Don’t forget Fritz Lang’s 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)
Andrew’s 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 Director’s 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 Emperor’s 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 | |||
| “The Information Battlespace” – Foreign Denial and Deception with Bill Parquette | 16 Aug 2022 | 00:54:23 | |
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 You’ll 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 week’s 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 society…it's a natural thing to deny. I didn't mom I didn't take that cookie." – Bill Parquette
Resources
Headline Resources
Bill Parquette’s 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)
Andrew’s 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
Secretary’s 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), | |||
| “CIA Officers Turned Authors” – with David McCloskey & James Stejskal | 09 Aug 2022 | 01:03:30 | |
Summary
David McCloskey (Twitter; Website) and James Stejskal (Twitter; LinkedIn) join Andrew to discuss writing about espionage. They are both former intelligence officers.
What You’ll 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 involving…US 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)
Andrew’s Recommendation
The Looking Glass War, J. Le Carre (1965)
Le Carre doubles down on disabusing the public’s 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 | |||
| “Becoming a Russian Intelligence Officer” – with Janosh Neumann | 02 Aug 2022 | 01:06:26 | |
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 You’ll 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 it’d be like to be given three choices, shoot yourself, get shot, or go on the run?
If so, you’ll enjoy this week’s episode with Jan Neumann, who was born Alexy Yurievich Artamonov in the former Soviet Union.
Jan’s 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)
Andrew’s 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 Spymaster’s 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: Russia’s 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
Putin’s 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! | |||
| “The Spies Who Came in From the Cold” – with Chris Costa and John Quattrocki at the Pritzker Military Museum & Library in Chicago | 26 Jul 2022 | 01:05:07 | |
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 You’ll Learn
Intelligence
Two Cold War intelligence experiences
Two perspectives on the U.S. intel. community in the 80’s & early 90’s
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 – there’s three additional attractions right there – you will not be disappointed. SPY teamed up with PMML to put on what would become this week’s 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 & Library’s mission is to “increase the public’s understanding of military history.” The International Spy Museum’s 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.” | |||
| SPY@20 – “The Spy of the Century” – Curators Alexis and Andrew on Kim Philby | 19 Jul 2022 | 01:13:52 | |
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 SPY’s 20th Anniversary.
What You’ll Learn
Intelligence
Why Philby has been called “The Spy of the Century”
Philby the man, the ideologue, the spy, and the traitor
Philby’s 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 week’s 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 Philby’s 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 Kipling’s 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
*Andrew’s 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*
Stalin’s 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]
India’s 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! | |||
| “Dealing with Russia” – A Conversation with Counterintelligence Legend Jim Olson | 12 Jul 2022 | 01:07:20 | |
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 You’ll Learn
Intelligence
His views on Russia and its trajectory since the Cold War’s 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 week’s 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 doesn’t pull any punches reflecting on his trajectory in this episode.
And…
Jim grew up in a small town in Iowa where, “we didn’t really follow international affairs, we joked among ourselves…if it didn’t affect the price of corn, we weren’t 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 Spymaster’s Prism” – with Jack Devine (2021)
“Russians Among Us: The Hunt for Putin’s Spies” – with Gordon Corera (2020)
“The Corrupted State” – with Ilya Zaslavskiy (2016)
“Putin’s 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.)
Putin’s Revisionist History of Russia and Ukraine, I. Chotiner, New Yorker (2022)
Books
Putin’s People, C. Belton (Picador, 2022)
Operative in the Kremlin, F. Hill & C. Gaddy (Brookings, 2015)
One Soldier’s 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 Putin’s 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. | |||
| 4th of July Special: “The Wall of Spies Experience” – Espionage, Sabotage and Betrayal in America with John Gise | 05 Jul 2022 | 01:06:23 | |
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 You’ll Learn
Intelligence
America’s 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 public’s understanding of the history of intelligence and espionage.
This week’s 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 awake…and while asleep.
And…
If you’ve ever wondered why you can’t visit the Statue of Liberty’s 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 (we’ll give you a clue…it’s the opposite of White Jerry).
Quote of the Week
"We've now posted online…the digital revolutionary war spies, the digital civil war spies…And we're talking in the revolutionary war about 30 continental army spies and British spies…for 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)
Washington’s 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 Wright’s 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 André (1780)
John André 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!) | |||
| “Intelligence & the World’s Largest Democracy” – Former Indian Intelligence Director Vikram Sood [from the vault] | 28 Jun 2022 | 00:58:12 | |
Summary
Vikram Sood (Twitter, Blog) joins Andrew (Twitter; LinkedIn) to discuss intelligence in the world’s largest democracy. He was the chief of India’s Research & Analysis Wing (R&AW).
What You’ll 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 India’s 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 India’s 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 Chief’s Insights into Espionage (Penguin, 2018)
Beginner Resources
[Video] How Was R&AW Started: Story of India’s External Intelligence Agency, WION (2022)
[Article] RAW: A History of India’s Covert Operations, Yatish Yadav, New Indian Express (2020)
Books
The War that Made R&AW, A. Nandakumar (Westland, 2021)
JFK’s 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)
India’s External Intelligence, V.K. Singh (ManasPub, 2007)
Articles
History of RAW, Sachidananda Mohanty, Frontline (2022)
A Peek Into India’s 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! | |||
| SPY CHIEFS: “From Navy Analyst to State Dept. Intelligence Chief” – Ellen McCarthy’s Journey (Part 2 of 2) | 21 Jun 2022 | 00:33:36 | |
Summary
Ellen McCarthy (Twitter; LinkedIn) joins Andrew (Twitter; LinkedIn) to discuss her career and time as head of the State Department’s intelligence agency. INR is one of the 18 U.S. intelligence agencies.
What You’ll 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 Ukraine’s ability to withstand Russia than its peers. “They get paid attention to because they’re 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 INR…And 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: NGA’s 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 | |||
| Lethal Action - Understanding Poison with Neil Bradbury | 27 Aug 2024 | 01:03:10 | |
Summary
Neil Bradbury (Website, LinkedIn) joins Andrew (X; LinkedIn) to discuss the deadly history of poison and espionage. Neil is an author and biochemist.
What You’ll Learn
Intelligence
How different poisons affect the human body
The usage of poisons as a covert assassination method
The deaths of defectors Alexander Litvinenko and Georgi Markov
The Soviet Union’s Lab X and the production and research of poisons on the state level
Reflections
The double edge of creativity
The necessity for research and experimentation
And much, much more …
Quotes of the Week
“In order to counteract lots of the poisons, you have to know how they work, and you have to be able to develop your own. So, yes, undoubtedly, Western governments are just as actively involved in creating these chemicals and also the antidotes to them.” – Dr. Neil Bradbury.
Resources
SURFACE SKIM
*Spotlight Resource*
A Taste for Poison: Eleven Deadly Molecules and the Killers Who Used Them, Neil Bradbury (St. Martin’s Press, 2022)
*SpyCasts*
The Murder of an IRA Spy with Henry Hemming (2024)
I Helped Solve the Final Zodiac Killer Cipher with David Oranchak (2024)
The North Korean Defector with Former DPRK Agent Kim, Hyun Woo (2023)
Spies: The Epic Intelligence War Between East vs. West with Calder Walton (2023)
DEEPER DIVE
Books
Poison: The History of Potions, Powders and Murderous Practitioners, B. Hubbard (Welbeck Publishing, 2020)
Poison: A History: An Account of the Deadly Art and its Most Infamous Practitioners, J. Davis (Chartwell Books, 2018)
The KGB's Poison Factory: From Lenin to Litvinenko, B. Volodarsky (Zenith Press, 2010)
Primary Sources
Press Release on the Poisoning of Alexei Navalny (2020)
Update on the Use of Nerve Agent in Salisbury, UK (2018)
The Litvinenko Inquiry (2016)
Situation Report on Piesteritz (1953)
Analysis of Madame Lefarge’s Arsenic Trial (1840)
*Wildcard Resource*
This week’s companion song can only be Waterloo Sunset (1967) by The Kinks.
Heralded as one of the most beautiful songs of the swingin’ sixties, “Waterloo Sunset” is appropriately incorporated into the title of Neil’s chapter on the assassination of Georgi Markov, which took place on London’s Waterloo Bridge. | |||
| SPY CHIEFS: “From Navy Analyst to State Dept. Intelligence Chief” – Ellen McCarthy’s Journey (Part 1 of 2) | 14 Jun 2022 | 00:53:39 | |
Summary
Ellen McCarthy (Twitter; LinkedIn) joins Andrew (Twitter; LinkedIn) to discuss her career and time as head of the State Department’s intelligence agency. INR is one of the 18 U.S. intelligence agencies.
What You’ll 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 Ukraine’s ability to withstand Russia than its peers. “They get paid attention to because they’re 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 INR…And 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: NGA’s 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 | |||
| SPY CHIEFS: Director-General of Security Mike Burgess - ASIO, Australia & America | 07 Jun 2022 | 01:01:53 | |
Summary
Mike Burgess (Website; Twitter) joins Andrew (Twitter; LinkedIn) to discuss his agency and the enduring strength of Australia’s alliances. ASIO is the second intelligence agency he has directed.
What You’ll 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 relationships…It's unique because…it was born through WWII. It's an interesting phenomenon because it started its life as a signals intelligence relationship…at its core, it's an intelligence relationship that really has made a difference to each of those five nations’ respective national security…And we do trust each other, and we share our most intimate secrets.
Resources
*SpyCasts*
“Keeping Secrets/Disclosing Secrets” – with Spy Chief turned DG of Australia’s 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-General’s 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 you’ve ever wondered why Canberra is the capital… | |||
| “My Life Looking at Spies & the Media” – with Paul Lashmar | 31 May 2022 | 01:03:03 | |
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 You’ll 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 week’s 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, Britain’s 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. It’s 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 London…it's leather Chesterfields, gentleman walking around getting your gin and tonic. It was all of that, in those days it was all informal…there 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 Didn’t 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! | |||
| “Amazon to Darien, Atlantic to Pacific” – Intelligence in Colombia with former Head of its Navy Admiral Hernando Wills | 24 May 2022 | 01:07:22 | |
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 You’ll 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 Vélez.
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. Mejía (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. Army’s 7th Special Forces Group, K. Higgins, Taylor Francis (2021)
Plan Colombia: Effectiveness & Costs, D. Mejía, 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! | |||
| “Peter Earnest Memorial: Spook, CIA Spokesman, Spy Museum Director – [from the vault] | 17 May 2022 | 00:53:12 | |
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 You’ll 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 week’s 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 General’s office and as the CIA’s Senate liaison, concluding his career as the CIA’s 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-Powell’s 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 Spy’s 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 | |||
| “America's Most Damaging Russian Spy, FBI Agent Robert Hanssen" – with Lis Wiehl | 10 May 2022 | 00:53:51 | |
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 You’ll 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
Hanssen’s impact on the FBI and American Intelligence
How the Hanssen case effected the FBI-CIA relationship
Reflections
Technology’s 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 Hanssen’s 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 don’t, and they believed him because he was a computer guy…they 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 Hollywood’s Take on Espionage” – Eric O’Neill (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 | |||
| “CIA Case Officer, Cyber Entrepreneur, Burning Man Volunteer” – with Mike Susong (Part 2 of 2) | 03 May 2022 | 00:39:07 | |
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 You’ll Learn
Intelligence
Applying aspects of Mike’s training to the private sector using “competitive intelligence”
Mike’s 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 Mike’s 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 them…I 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 Microsoft’s 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 CEO’s 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. | |||
| “CIA Case Officer, Cyber Entrepreneur, Burning Man Volunteer” – with Mike Susong (Part 1 of 2) | 26 Apr 2022 | 00:47:32 | |
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 You’ll 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 Mike’s 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
"It’s analogous to business. So, there's closers, people who are really the salesman…but then they're not good at the kind of that long-term relationship, reassuring, working over time…And 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 Microsoft’s 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 CEO’s 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. | |||
| “El Chapo, the Sinaloa Cartel & Intelligence” – with Trial Reporter Noah Hurowitz | 19 Apr 2022 | 00:58:01 | |
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 You’ll Learn
Intelligence
El Chapo’s internal surveillance operation
The cartel’s 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
Joaquín Archivaldo Guzmán 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 ángel de los pobres) as well as the Sinaloan narcos (el narcosantón), 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 communications…he 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 that…it 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. Joaquín Guzmán Loera (2017)
Trial Transcripts of El Chapo Text Messages with His Mistress (2012)
Official Report on Mexico’s “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 Joaquín Guzmán Loera, starting at the year of his birth, 1957, might be enough; but to understand “El Chapo” it might help to go deeper still… | |||
| "ISIS Leader al-Mawla: Caliph. Scholar. Canary. Snitch." – with Daniel Milton, West Point CTC Director (Part 2 of 2) | 12 Apr 2022 | 00:38:34 | |
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 You’ll 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)
ISIS’S 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 State’s “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 State’s Method of Insurgency, H. Ingram, GW (2021)
Web
Operation Inherent Resolve
Primary Sources
President Biden on a Successful Counterterrorism Operation (2022)
Cyber Command’s 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. | |||
| The JFK Assassination – a Debate with Jefferson Morley and Mark Zaid (Part 2) | 20 Aug 2024 | 00:53:19 | |
Summary
Jefferson Morley and Mark Zaid join Andrew in a debate over the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. Mark and Jeff are longtime friends and colleagues with very different viewpoints of what truly happened on November 22nd, 1963.
What You’ll Learn
Intelligence
The lasting questions surrounding the Kennedy assassination
Lee Harvey Oswald’s intelligence connections
The Warren Commission and the JFK Assassination Records
The strangest theories Mark and Jeff have heard, and the most plausible explanations of who killed President Kennedy
Reflections
Public distrust and the search for truth
Reactions and responses to tragedy
And much, much more …
Quotes of the Week
”That's why I think they probably have something to hide. Because it doesn't make sense otherwise … If they had access to that kind of straightforward story, we would get that.” – Jefferson Morley.
Resources
SURFACE SKIM
*SpyCasts*
The Skinny on American Intelligence & the Law with D.C. “Super Lawyer” Mark Zaid (2024)
Rise of Devils: The Origins of Modern Terrorism with James Crossland (2024)
Havana Syndrome – A Panel featuring Nicky Woolf, Marc Polymeropoulos, and Mark Zaid (2023)
The Past 75 Years with Historian of the CIA Rhodri Jeffreys-Jones (2022)
*Beginner Resources*
Lee Harvey Oswald, Britannica (2024) [Short biography]
JFK Files: What we're learning from newly released Kennedy assassination records, CBS News, YouTube (2022) [6 min. video]
Kennedy Assassination Timeline, The Sixth Floor Museum (n.d.) [Timeline of events]
DEEPER DIVE
Books
The Devil's Chessboard: Allen Dulles, the CIA, and the Rise of America's Secret Government, D. Talbot (Harper Perennial, 2016)
JFK and the Unspeakable: Why He Died and Why It Matters, J. W. Douglass (Touchstone, 2010)
Our Man in Mexico: Winston Scott and the Hidden History of the CIA, J. Morley (University Press of Kansas, 2008)
Primary Sources
President John F. Kennedy Assassination Records Collection Act (1992)
Select Committee on Assassinations Report (1978)
Warren Commission Report (1964)
LBJ Address to Congress (1963)
Interrogation of Lee Harvey Oswald (1963)
JFK Autopsy Report (1963)
The President John F. Kennedy Assassination Records Collection
*Wildcard Resource*
Test how you would do in Kennedy’s shoes by playing 13 Days: The Cuban Missile Crisis, 1962 – A two-player board game that tests your quick-thinking strategy and conflict resolution skills. | |||
| "ISIS Leader al-Mawla: Caliph. Scholar. Canary. Snitch." – with Daniel Milton, West Point CTC Director (Part 1 of 2) | 05 Apr 2022 | 00:47:32 | |
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 You’ll 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 fight…and the next one
The trade-off between a short-term view and a longer-term view
And much, much more…
Episode Notes
This week’s 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 that…well, 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 as The 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)
ISIS’S 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 State’s “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 Command’s 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)
Zawahiri’s 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. | |||
| "The IRA, The Troubles & Intelligence" – with Eleanor Williams and Thomas Leahy | 29 Mar 2022 | 01:03:33 | |
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 You’ll 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 60’s to the late 90’s 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 Ireland’s police and security intelligence force, the Garda Síochána, 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 here…the IRA was quite highly regional regionalized. That's actually quite key to explain why British intelligence had some difficulties against them…Initially, it was set up similar to armed forces. It would have brigades, battalions and companies…the IRA operated this kind of army structure up to 1975…the IRA then switched to this new strategy…And 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)
Britain’s Secret War Against the IRA, A. Edwards (Merrion, 2021)
Thatcher’s Spy, W. Carlin (Merrion, 2019)
The Accidental Spy, S. O’Driscoll (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 Britain’s 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) | |||
| “The Nuclear Doomsday Machine” – with Sean Maloney on Cold War Emergency Plans | 22 Mar 2022 | 00:59:37 | |
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 You’ll 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. “I’ve 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 pronouncements…We have the media and academic discussion of the public pronouncements, but then there's the strategy itself. Which is usually highly classified…that's what I'm getting at with the Emergency War Plan book…you can see all the factors that fed into that, including the intelligence and the intelligence directly affects the plan…there 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 target…that'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” | |||
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