Episodes
Hello I Spy listeners. We're back in your feed to introduce you to a remarkable new podcast made by the producers of I Spy called: After Hotel Rwanda. The show tells the story of Paul Rusesabagina, who in 2020 was lured from his home in San Antonio, Texas, to his former country of Rwanda, were he was tried on terrorism charges and sentenced to 25 years in prison. Rusesabagina had been a national hero in Rwanda for saving the lives of more than twelve hundred people during the 1994 genocide...
Published 04/24/24
Published 04/24/24
Hey there I Spy listeners. Here at Foreign Policy, we’re dropping season 3 of our podcast, The Negotiators. On each episode, one former diplomat or troubleshooter tells the story of one dramatic negotiation. If the tagline sounds familiar, that's by design. We think of The Negotiators as the sister show of I Spy. We’re actually inserting the season 2 finale of The Negotiators into this feed because it’s especially I Spy like. It’s about a Texas rabbi who is taken hostage at his own...
Published 09/28/23
This week, we’re sharing an episode of Alphabet Boys. Alphabet Boys takes you inside secret investigations that the FBI, DEA, CIA, and other alphabet agencies never wanted the public to know about. These cases are both dangerous and absurd … and they raise a troubling question: Are America’s top cops catching criminals -- or creating them? In this episode, you’ll hear real audio from an illegal arms deal and meet our central character, who, despite being arrested, claims he works for the CIA....
Published 06/29/23
Our friends at Yahoo News produce this seasonal show about conspiracies, real and imagined. We liked season 4 so much, we decided to share the first episode with our listeners.
Published 12/15/22
Hey there I Spy listeners. Here at Foreign Policy, we're about to release season 2 of our podcast, The Negotiators. On each episode, one former diplomat or troubleshooter tells the story of one dramatic negotiation. If the tagline sounds familiar, that's by design. We think of The Negotiators as the sister show of I Spy.   We're releasing the first episode of the season here in this feed. It's part one of a dramatic story about Danny Fenster, an American journalist sentenced in 2021 to 11...
Published 09/27/22
Long before Joe Weisberg created the award-winning television show The Americans, he served in the CIA. His brief period in the agency informed story lines in the show and helped shape Weisberg's views on espionage. Eventually, he came to believe that spying does more harm than good in the world. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Published 06/28/22
The Secret Service is known for its VIP protection unit but it also investigates international crimes, including hacking cases. On this episode, we feature a Secret Service agent who helped nab one of the biggest hackers in the world, Roman Seleznev. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Published 06/21/22
Michele Rigby Assad joined the CIA just weeks after the attacks of September 11, 2001, and spent much of the next decade working undercover in the Middle East. In 2007, she helped investigate an ambush in Iraq that killed an American woman.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Published 06/14/22
This is part two of Eric O'Neill's story. O'Neill was an FBI agent who went undercover to catch a suspected spy in the bureau: Robert Hanssen.   If you haven't signed up for our newsletter yet, go to https://foreignpolicy.com/ispynewsletter/. Each week we'll send you bonus content you won't find anywhere else, including photos, illustrations, and expanded show notes—for free. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Published 06/07/22
On this episode, FBI agent Eric O'Neill goes undercover to catch a suspected spy in the bureau: Robert Hanssen. O'Neill is just 26 at the time. Hanssen turns out to be one of the most damaging spies in U.S. history.   This is part one of a two-part story.   If you haven't signed up for our newsletter yet, go to https://foreignpolicy.com/ispynewsletter/. Each week we'll send you bonus content you won't find anywhere else, including photos, illustrations, and expanded show notes—for free. See...
Published 05/31/22
Well, listeners, it's taken us a while but here it is: the first episode of our fourth season. We begin with Ric Prado, a former CIA officer who trained the Contras in Central America in the 1980s. For those of you who don't remember, the Contras were trying to overthrow the Sandinista regime in Nicaragua. America's support for the group eventually led to the Iran-Contra affair, a government scandal that nearly brought down the Reagan administration. For more on the Contras, go back and...
Published 05/31/22
Hey there I Spy listeners, here's the trailer for season 4. We'll have new episodes starting May 31. More spies, more Margo Martindale. This season, we'll also have an I Spy newsletter, with photos, very cool illustrations, and a bunch of other bonus content you won't find anywhere else. Yes, it's free. Sign up at foreignpolicy.com/ispynewsletter. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Published 05/18/22
While you wait for more episodes of I Spy, enjoy this new show from Foreign Policy and Doha Debates called... The Negotiators. The format might sound familiar. We think of it as a kind of sister show to this podcast. Check out I Spy's merch by going to https://store.dftba.com/collections/i-spy See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Published 10/20/21
While we're working on our new season, we wanted to share with you an episode of another podcast we're enjoying: Cautionary Tales. On the show, host Tim Harford tells stories of awful human error, tragic catastrophes, daring heists and hilarious fiascos. In this episode, Tim describes the trial of an art forger who fooled revered art connoisseurs... and even the Nazis. You can hear more episodes of Cautionary Tales on your favorite podcast app. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit...
Published 05/07/21
This is part 2 of Frank Snepp's story. Snepp was a CIA analyst based in Saigon during the Vietnam War. In April of 1975, he discovered that Communist forces were preparing a large-scale attack on Saigon—but the higher ups refused to believe it. When the attack began later that month, the Americans conducted a frenzied evacuation, leaving behind many Vietnamese allies.
Published 03/09/21
Frank Snepp was a CIA analyst based in Saigon during the Vietnam War. In April of 1975, he discovered that Communist forces were preparing a large-scale attack on Saigon—but the higher ups refused to believe it. When the attack began later that month, the Americans conducted a frenzied evacuation, leaving behind many Vietnamese allies.
Published 03/02/21
The FBI's Ali Soufan specialized in Al Qaeda investigations both before and after the attacks of September 11th. In 2002 he was sent to question Abu Zubaydah, a high-level jihadi captured in Pakistan. But after several rounds of interrogation at the secret site, he was sidelined by a CIA contractor who had helped develop a new torture program for the agency.  
Published 02/23/21
Jay Dobyns was a special agent for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. In 2002, he infiltrated the Hells Angels biker gang and spent two years undercover—a period in which he says he worried every single day about getting exposed and killed by the group.   Check out I Spy's merch by going to https://store.dftba.com/collections/i-spy Save 15% on FP subscriptions. Visit https://foreignpolicy.com/subscribe/ and enter code ISPY at checkout to claim this offer.
Published 02/16/21
The British spy agency MI5 recruited Willie Carlin to infiltrate Sinn Fein in Northern Ireland. He spied on the group for 11 years until his cover was blown.   Check out I Spy's merch by going to https://store.dftba.com/collections/i-spy Save 15% on FP subscriptions. Visit https://foreignpolicy.com/subscribe/ and enter code ISPY at checkout to claim this offer.
Published 02/09/21
FBI special agent George Piro spent seven months interrogating deposed Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein, establishing a rapport and then getting him to reveal the truth about the country's weapons of mass destruction. Check out I Spy's merch by going to https://store.dftba.com/collections/i-spy Save 15% on FP subscriptions. Visit https://foreignpolicy.com/subscribe/ and enter code ISPY at checkout to claim this offer.
Published 02/02/21
This is part 2 of the story with DEA special agent Steve Murphy, who goes to Bogota, Colombia, to hunt for the head of the Medellin Cartel, Pablo Escobar. Check out I Spy's merch by going to https://store.dftba.com/collections/i-spy Save 15% on FP subscriptions. Visit https://foreignpolicy.com/subscribe/ and enter code ISPY at checkout to claim this offer. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Published 01/28/21
Welcome to Season 3 of I Spy. On this episode, DEA special agent Steve Murphy is sent to Bogota, Colombia to hunt for the head of the Medellin Cartel, Pablo Escobar.
Published 01/19/21
More spies, more Margo Martindale. Hey there I Spy listeners, here's the trailer for season 3. We'll have eight new episodes starting January 19.
Published 01/12/21
CIA analyst Sarah Carlson spent a year at the U.S. Mission in Libya after the attack that killed four Americans in Benghazi. When battles between rival Libyan militias edged closer and closer to the U.S. compound, she and the other personnel there were forced to flee the country in a harrowing overland journey. Carlson’s story wraps up Season 2 of I Spy. We’ll be back soon with more episodes.
Published 06/16/20