Log in

goodpods headphones icon

To access all our features

Open the Goodpods app
Close icon
headphones
SpyCast

SpyCast

SpyCast

1 Creator

Star filled black icon

4.0

(1)

1 Creator

TOP SECRET Personal Attention, SpyCast Listeners Known to be the podcast real spies listen to -(STOP)- eavesdrop on conversations with high level sources from around the world -(STOP)- spychiefs molehunters defectors covert operators analysts cyberwarriors and researchers debriefed by SPY Historian Hammond -(STOP) stories secrets tradecraft and technology discussed -(STOP)- HUMINT SIGINT OSINT IMINT GEOINT and more -(STOP)- rumored to be professional education internal communication and public information -(STOP)- entire back catalog available online for free -(STOP)- please investigate this claim with all possible haste -(STOP)- SPY Historian Hammond said to have a Scottish accent -(STOP)- is this a countermeasure or a hearts-and-minds campaign? (END TELEGRAM)
profile image
profile image

4 Listeners

Star filled black icon

4.0

(1)

bookmark
Share icon

All episodes

Best episodes

Seasons

Top 10 SpyCast Episodes

Goodpods has curated a list of the 10 best SpyCast episodes, ranked by the number of listens and likes each episode have garnered from our listeners. If you are listening to SpyCast for the first time, there's no better place to start than with one of these standout episodes. If you are a fan of the show, vote for your favorite SpyCast episode by adding your comments to the episode page.

Summary

Uzi Arad (Wikipedia) joins Andrew (Twitter; LinkedIn) to discuss intelligence and policy at the highest level. Uzi was also a former foreign policy advisor to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Director of Intelligence for the Mossad.

What You’ll LearnIntelligence

  • National security in Israel
  • Israel’s position within the Middle East
  • State leaders as consumers of intelligence
  • Uzi’s relationship with PM Netanyahu

Reflections

  • Handling intense pressure
  • Power, proximity, and influence

And much, much more ...Resources SURFACE SKIM*SpyCasts*

*Beginner Resources*

DEEPER DIVEBooks

  • Eighteen Days in October: The Yom Kippur War and How It Created the Modern Middle East, U. Kaufman (St. Martin’s Press, 2023)
  • Bibi: The Turbulent Life and Times of Benjamin Netanyahu, A. Pfeffer (Basic Books, 2018)
  • Gideon's Spies: The Secret History of the Mossad, G. Thomas (St. Martin’s Griffin, 2015)
  • Six Days of War: June 1967 and the Making of the Modern Middle East, M. B. Oren (Presidio Press, 2006)

Primary Sources

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

1 Listener

bookmark
plus icon
share episode

Summary

Robert Wittman (Website; Twitter) joins Andrew (Twitter; LinkedIn) to discuss his career and the FBI’s Art Crime Team. Bob recovered over $300 million worth of stolen art and cultural property over the course of his career.

What You’ll LearnIntelligence

  • How the FBI’s Art Crime Team (ACT) was formed
  • The intelligence angle when investigating provenance
  • Living and working undercover abroad
  • Museums & Intelligence

Reflections

  • The importance of cultural property
  • Questions of ownership and belonging

And much, much more ...Quotes of the Week

“The motivation for writing the book was to get the word out how important cultural heritage is. It really is important to make the public realize that this is an important program that should be supported by law enforcement both local and federal.” – Robert Wittman.

Resources SURFACE SKIM*Featured Resource*

  • Priceless: How I Went Undercover to Rescue the World’s Stolen Treasures, R. Wittman (Crown Publishing, 2011)

*SpyCasts*

*Beginner Resources*

  • Why art gets stolen time and again, R. Pryor, The Art Newspaper (2020) [Short article]
  • FBI Art Theft Program, FBI, YouTube (2013) [6 min. video]
  • What is cultural property?, Information and Heritage Inspectorate (n.d.) [Short article]

DEEPER DIVEPrimary Sources

  • Crystal Sphere, Collection of the University of Pennsylvania Museum
  • Mask of the Man with the Broken Nose, Collection of the Philadelphia Museum of Art
  • Christ in the Storm on the Sea of Galilee, Collection of the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum
  • The Concert, Collection of the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum
  • The Rosenberg Diary, Collection of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
  • Museums and the theft of works of art (1973)

*Wildcard Resource*

  • Can you identify famous pieces and artists like an art detective?
  • Take this Google Arts & Culture quiz to see if you’re cut out for the job!

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

1 Listener

bookmark
plus icon
share episode

Summary

James Crossland (Twitter) joins Andrew (Twitter; LinkedIn) to discuss the origins of modern terrorism. James is an expert on terrorism, intelligence, and propaganda.

What You’ll LearnIntelligence

-The origins of modern terrorism

-19th century spymasters

-Covert action and assassinations

-Intelligence as a weapon

Reflections

-Philosophy and ideology’s effect on history

-The power of fear

And much, much more ...Quotes of the Week

“These waves of repression that feed into discontent and create more radical strains of discontent, that is a process that's really observable during this period. The reason why I think this is the first real age of terrorism is because you have all this stuff coming together: Communications that you need to promote terrorist activities to gain the attention you need, societal discontent, dangerous ideas ... and it's all moving around together as part of the same process.” – James Crossland.

Resources SURFACE SKIM*Spotlight Resource*

-The Rise of Devils: Fear and the Origins of Modern Terrorism, J. Crossland (Manchester University Press, 2023)

*SpyCasts*

-Venice’s Secret Service with Ioanna Iordanou (2023)

-St. Ermin’s Hotel, London – The History of a Legendary Spy Site, with Stephen Duffy (2023)

-Espionage and the Two Queens with Kent Tiernan (2023)

-The Lion and the Fox – Civil War Spy vs. Spy with Alexander Rose (2023)

*Beginner Resources*

-Terrorism, J. P. Jenkins, Encyclopaedia Brittanica (2023) [Short article / definition]

-What Were The Most Important Events of the 19th Century?, C. Seaver, History Defined (2022) [Short article]

-Marxism in Under 5 Minutes, Theory in 5, YouTube (2020) [3 min. video]

DEEPER DIVEBooks

-Sofia Perovskaya, Terrorist Princess: The Plot to Kill Tsar Alexander II and the Woman Who Led It, R. R. Riggs (Global Harmony Press Inc., 2018)

-The Pursuit of Power: Europe 1815-1914, R. J. Evans (Penguin Books, 2017)

-Blood and Rage: A Cultural History of Terrorism, M. Burleigh (Harper, 2009)

Primary Sources

-The assassination, who is responsible? (1901)

-New York Times “Empress of Austria Slain” Article (1898)

-New York Times “War On Terrorism” Article (1881)

-La vérité sur Orsini (1872) [The Truth about Orsini]

-Manifesto of the Paris Commune (1871)

-The Revolutionary Catechism (1869)

-On the Fenian Prisoners in Manchester (1867)

-Procès de Orsini (1858) [The Trial of Orsini]

*Wildcard Resource*

-You may have already read his classic play Crime and Punishment, but have you read Dostoevsky’s The Idiot (1869)?

This novel is known as Dostoevsky’s most personal work, a story that clearly shows the threads of his own life experiences during 19th century Russia. The novel explores many of the same questions of philosophy and politics explored in this episode of SpyCast.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

1 Listener

bookmark
plus icon
share episode

Summary

Vappala Balachandran (Wikipedia) joins Andrew (Twitter; LinkedIn) to discuss his career and the ancient roots of espionage in India. Bala formerly served as Special Secretary for India’s Cabinet Secretariat.

What You’ll LearnIntelligence

  • India’s Research and Analysis Wing
  • The Tamil Tigers’ threat to Indian national security
  • Intelligence considerations within India-Pakistan relations
  • Lessons in intelligence from Ancient India

Reflections

  • Intelligence, the 2nd oldest profession
  • Transitioning from leader to student

And much, much more ...Quotes of the Week

“There was a lot of pressure. There was a lot of pressure, especially, for example: Certain incidents happening – What would be the repercussions in India? Now, anything that happens in Pakistan, it will have some repercussions in India. And, same thing in Afghanistan, and then all the neighboring countries, we are to watch them.” – Vappala Balachandran.

Resources SURFACE SKIM*SpyCasts*

*Beginner Resources*

DEEPER DIVEPrimary Sources

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

1 Listener

bookmark
plus icon
share episode

Summary

Uri Bar-Joseph (LinkedIn) joins Andrew (Twitter; LinkedIn) to discuss the intelligence failure of the Yom Kippur War. Uri is an author and professor emeritus at Haifa University.

What You’ll LearnIntelligence

  • How Israel failed to predict the Yom Kippur War
  • Egyptian spy Ashraf Marwan’s role in the War
  • How Israeli intelligence evolved post-War
  • Israeli leadership’s accountability for the failure

Reflections

  • Learning and adapting from mistakes
  • Catastrophe and national trauma

And much, much more ...Resources SURFACE SKIM*SpyCasts*

*Beginner Resources*

DEEPER DIVEBooks

  • Eighteen Days in October: The Yom Kippur War and How It Created the Modern Middle East, U. Kaufman (St. Martin Press, 2023)
  • THE ANGEL: The Egyptian Spy Who Saved Israel, U. Bar-Joseph (Harper Publishing, 2017)
  • The Watchmen Fell Asleep: The Surprise of Yom Kippur and Its Sources, U. Bar-Joseph (State University of New York Press, 2005)
  • The Yom Kippur War: The Epic Encounter That Transformed the Middle East, A. Rabinovich (Shocken, 2004)

Primary Sources

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

1 Listener

bookmark
plus icon
share episode

Summary

Mark Stout (X; LinkedIn) joins Andrew (X; LinkedIn) to discuss his new book, World War I and the Foundations of American Intelligence. Mark Stout is a former intelligence analyst and former SPY Historian.

What You’ll LearnIntelligence

  • The first American intelligence “agencies”
  • Codebreaking during WWI
  • The American Protective League and spy paranoia
  • WWI’s effect on American culture and politics

Reflections

  • Challenging common historical thought
  • Studying the “forgotten” wars

And much, much more ...Quotes of the Week

“[After World War I] there will never be a time again when the United States won't have squadrons in the Army Air Corps, later the U. S. Air Force, and similarly the Navy. We would never again be without aerial reconnaissance squadrons. There would never again be a time when the United States didn't have at least one code-breaking organization.” – Mark Stout.

Resources SURFACE SKIM*Spotlight Resource*

  • World War I and the Foundations of American Intelligence, Mark Stout (University Press of Kansas, 2023)

*SpyCasts*

*Beginner Resources*

DEEPER DIVEBooks

  • Manipulating the Masses: Woodrow Wilson and the Birth of American Propaganda, J. M. Hamilton (LSU Press, 2020)
  • Codes, Ciphers and Spies: Tales of Military Intelligence in World War I, J. F. Dooley (Copernicus, 2016)
  • The Zimmermann Telegram: Intelligence, Diplomacy, and America's Entry into World War I, T. Boghardt (Naval Institute Press, 2012)

Primary Sources

*Wildcard Resource*

  • 12 Step Method to Reveal Secret Writing (ca. 1913-1924)
  • Germany was particularly fond of invisible ink as a tactic of spycraft during World War I. If you came across a document suspected of secret...
profile image

1 Listener

bookmark
plus icon
share episode

Summary

Shane Harris (Twitter, LinkedIn) joins Andrew (Twitter; LinkedIn) to discuss the role of intelligence in the Ukraine conflict one year after it began. Shane reports on intelligence for the Washington Post and is the author of two books.

What You’ll Learn Intelligence

-Where we are with the war in Ukraine

-The role intelligence agencies are playing in the conflict

-The leadership of Zelensky and Putin

-What it’s like to report on spies

-Dealing with sources inside the intelligence agencies

Reflections

-The tenacity of the Ukrainian people and army

-History as both repetitive and unpredictable

Episode Notes

This week on SpyCast, Shane Harris of The Washington Post joins Andrew to reflect on the previous year and discuss the role of intelligence within the war in Ukraine. He has been writing about these issues for more than two decades, including a period with the Wall Street Journal. He is the author of two books, The Watchers, on the rise of surveillance in the US, and @War, on the rise of the military-internet complex. He was part of a team that won the Pulitzer Prize for Public Service in 2021.

Quote of the Week

“At the outset, [I] believed that what we were looking at was probably a pretty swift Russian victory ... They would come in, they would decapitate the central government in Kiev in the first 72 hours, and it would be bloody, and it would be violent, but that Russia would prevail because they were deemed to have the superior military in terms of technology experience numbers. Turns out, all those things were spectacularly wrong.” – Shane Harris.

Resources *SpyCasts*

-How Artificial Intelligence is Changing the Spy Game with Mike Susong (2023)

-Dealing with Russia A Conversation with Counterintelligence Legend Jim Olson (2022)

-Becoming a Russian Intelligence Officer with Janosh Neumann (2022)

-The Information Battlespace: Foreign Denial and Deception with Bill Parquette (2022)

*Beginner Resources*

-Has Putin's war failed and what does Russia want?, P. Kirby, BBC (2023)

-A Brief History of Modern Ukraine, BBC (2022) [YouTube video]

-Russia-Ukraine Relations in 60 Seconds, CBC News (2022)

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

1 Listener

bookmark
plus icon
share episode

Summary

Brig. Gen. (res.) Erez David Maisel (Twitter, LinkedIn) joins Andrew (Twitter; LinkedIn) to provide a crash-course in Israeli Intelligence history. Erez is a researcher and former head of the IDF’s International Cooperation Division.

*FULL SHOWNOTES & FULL TRANSCRIPT HERE*What You’ll LearnIntelligence

  • Early history of intelligence in Israel
  • The origins of Israeli intelligence organizations
  • Preparing for a Nazi invasion of British Palestine
  • The shift from British to American influence on Israeli intelligence

Reflections

  • The challenge of survival
  • Conflict and compromise, or lack thereof

And much, much more ...*FULL SHOWNOTES & FULL TRANSCRIPT HERE*Episode Notes

This week on SpyCast, Andrew was joined by Erez David Maisel to discuss an overview of the history of intelligence and espionage in Israel. This episode is the first in our 5-part series on Israeli Intelligence. In this month-long series, SpyCast takes a deep dive into the ins and outs of intelligence and espionage in Israel – its intricate history, agencies, major successes and failures, and current state. In this first episode, Erez helps us to lay out a broad roadmap of the history of Israeli intelligence, providing an excellent foundation of knowledge to build upon in the coming weeks. Stay tuned!

And...

Erez is an alumni of the University of Haifa, which sits atop the northeastern slope of Israel’s Mount Caramel mountain rage. On the western side of the range, you can find the The Nahal Me’arot / Wadi el-Mughara Caves, a UNESCO World Heritage Site that documents over 500,000 years of the history human evolution.

Quotes of the Week

“I would say that from 1909 until probably the early eighties of the 20th century, the biggest threat is survival. You know, this fear that somebody ... would come and do something. And we have to protect ourselves from that.” – Erez David Maisel.

*FULL SHOWNOTES & FULL TRANSCRIPT HERE*Resources SURFACE SKIM*SpyCasts*

*Beginner Resources*

*FULL SHOWNOTES & FULL TRANSCRIPT HERE*DEEPER DIVEBooks

  • A State at Any Cost: The Life of David Ben-Gurion, T. Segev (Farrar, Straus, and Giroux, 2019)
  • A History of the First Arab-Israeli War, B. Morris (Yale University Press, 2009)
  • The Sword And The Olive: A Critical History Of The Israeli Defense Force, M. Van Creveld (PublicAffairs, 2002)
  • One Palestine, Complete: Jews and Arabs Under the British Mandate, T. Segev (Picador, 2001)

Primary Sources

Summary

Michael McElgunn (LinkedIn) joins Andrew (Twitter; LinkedIn) to discuss intelligence in the Republic of Ireland. Michael is the Assistant Commissioner of An Garda Síochána’s Crime and Security Intelligence Service.

What You’ll LearnIntelligence

  • The history of An Garda Síochána
  • The intelligence components of the Garda
  • The present state of Northern Ireland relations
  • Current threats to Irish national security

Reflections

  • The value of collaboration
  • Evolving alongside a changing world

And much, much more ...Quote of the Week

“I think people should in general take comfort from the work that is done by intelligence services and the exceptional collaboration that there is with these services to keep people safe. And that is not just at home, that's abroad – Where we come into possession of a piece of intelligence that we feel will be a value elsewhere, we'll share that elsewhere.” – Michael McElgunn.

Resources SURFACE SKIM*SpyCasts*

*Beginner Resources*

DEEPER DIVEBooks

  • We Don't Know Ourselves: A Personal History of Modern Ireland, F. O’Toole (Liveright, 2023)
  • Say Nothing: A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland, P. R. Keefe (Anchor, 2020)
  • Policing Twentieth Century Ireland: A History of An Garda Síochána, V. Conway (Routledge, 2013)
  • The Guarding of Ireland – The Garda Síochána and the Irish State 1960–2014: A History of the Irish Police Force, C. Brady (Gill Books, 2014)

Primary Sources

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

1 Listener

bookmark
plus icon
share episode

Summary

Dr. Ursula Wilder (LinkedIn) joins Andrew (X; LinkedIn) to discuss the intersections between psychology and intelligence. Ursula is a clinical psychologist with over two decades of experience working at the Central Intelligence Agency.

What You’ll LearnIntelligence

  • How psychology can be useful to national security
  • Historical examples of leadership analysis
  • Leadership personality assessments & the Cuban Missile Crisis
  • Psychoanalytic theory and espionage

Reflections

  • Human nature throughout history
  • History repeating itself

And much, much more ...Quotes of the Week

“Together, these documents are quite powerful. The psych assessments are very, very carefully, tightly held and are classified at a high level. Every intelligence officer has this fantasy about seeing the file that's kept on them by the opponents.”

Resources SURFACE SKIM*SpyCasts*

*Beginner Resources*

DEEPER DIVEBooks

  • Freud and Beyond, S. A. Mitchell (Basic Books, 2016)
  • Narcissism and Politics: Dreams of Glory, J. M. Post (Cambridge University Press, 2014)
  • The True Believer: Thoughts on the Nature of Mass Movements, E. Hoffer (Harper Perennial Modern Classics, 2010)
  • Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln, D. K. Goodwin (Simon & Schuster, 2004)
  • Leaders, Fools, and Impostors: Essays on the Psychology of Leadership, M. F. R. Kets de Vries (iUniverse, 2003)

Primary Sources

*Wildcard Resource*

  • On Dreams by Sigmund Freud (1901)
  • In this simplified version of the father of psychoanalysis’ seminal book The Interpretation of Dreams, you can get a small taste for Freudian philosophy. Freud believed that dreams were a reflection of the subconscious mind and that studying a person’s dreams can elucidate their inner wants an...

1 Listener

bookmark
plus icon
share episode

Show more best episodes

Toggle view more icon

Featured in these lists

FAQ

How many episodes does SpyCast have?

SpyCast currently has 664 episodes available.

What topics does SpyCast cover?

The podcast is about News, History and Podcasts.

What is the most popular episode on SpyCast?

The episode title '“Former Israeli National Security Advisor” – with Uzi Arad' is the most popular.

What is the average episode length on SpyCast?

The average episode length on SpyCast is 54 minutes.

How often are episodes of SpyCast released?

Episodes of SpyCast are typically released every 7 days.

When was the first episode of SpyCast?

The first episode of SpyCast was released on Nov 1, 2006.

Show more FAQ

Toggle view more icon

Comments