SpyCast

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*

• Kenya, East Africa, and America with African Intelligence Chief Wilson Boinett (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 IRA, The Troubles & Intelligence with Eleanor Williams and Thomas Leahy (2022)

*Beginner Resources*

• A Brief History of Ireland, T. Lambert, Local Histories, n.d. [Short article]
• Our History, An Garda Síochána, n.d. [Web page]
• The Troubles, J. Wallenfeldt, Encyclopedia Britannica [Encyclopedia entry]

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

• Gárda Síochána (Temporary Provisions) Act (1923)
• Royal Irish Constabulary Office Preliminary Arrangements for Disbandment, Garda Archives (1922)
• Orders for the Guidance of the Troops, Garda Archives (1919)
• National Union of Police and Prison Officers, National Museum of Ireland (1919)
• The Police and the Nation, Garda Archives (1916)
• 1916 Proclamation, National Museum of Ireland (1916)

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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*

• Irregular Warfare & Intelligence with IWC Director Dennis Walters (2023)
• Israeli Military Intelligence with IDF Brig. General (Res.) Yossi Kuperwasser (2023)
• Keeping Secrets/Disclosing Secrets with Spy Chief turned DG of Australia’s National Archives David Fricker (2022)
• Intelligence & the World’s Largest Democracy with Former Indian Intelligence Director Vikram Sood (2021)

*Beginner Resources*

• National Security Definition and Examples, R. Longley, ThoughtCo (2021) [Short article]
• What Was the Iran-Contra Affair?, HISTORY, YouTube (2018) [5 min. video]
• A 60-Second Guide To The Arab Spring, G. Wyler, Insider (2011) [Short article]

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

• Trilateral Statement on the Middle East Summit at David Peace, The Avalon Project (2000)
• The Wye River Memorandum (1998)
• The Washington Declaration, Jewish Virtual Library (1994)
• Report of the Congressional Committees Investigating the Iran-Contra Affair, CIA FOIA (1987)
• Israel’s “Peace for the Galilee” Operation in Lebanon – Some Initial Perspectives, Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs (1982)
• Sitting 145 of the Ninth Knesset (1978)

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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)
• 

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