Episodes
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 Learn
Intelligence
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”...
Published 04/16/24
Summary
Andrew Hampton joins Andrew (X; LinkedIn) to discuss intelligence in New Zealand. Andrew is the Director General of the New Zealand Security Intelligence Service.
What You’ll Learn
Intelligence
The New Zealand Intelligence Community
How geography effects national security
The lasting impact of the Christchurch Mosque attacks
New Zealand’s relationship with China
Reflections
The power of community organization
The nuanced nature of global politics
And much, much more...
Published 04/09/24
Summary
David Oranchak (X, LinkedIn) joins Andrew (X; LinkedIn) to discuss his work helping to solve the 340 Zodiac cipher. Dave is a software developer and avid puzzle solver.
What You’ll Learn
Intelligence
The difference between codes and ciphers
The cryptological methods used by the Zodiac killer
The history of cryptography and its importance to intelligence
How Dave and his team cracked the 340 Cipher
Reflections
Persistence and dedication
Average citizens as avid...
Published 04/02/24
Summary
Mark Edlitz (X, LinkedIn) joins Andrew (X; LinkedIn) to discuss how James Bond lived on in literature after the death of Ian Fleming. Mark is an author and pop culture expert.
What You’ll Learn
Intelligence
The original Fleming novels
Intellectual property and author’s rights to iconic characters
The evolution of Bond as a literary character
The relationship between the Bond books and the Bond movies
Reflections
Can icons ever truly die?
Just how malleable are our favorite...
Published 03/26/24
Summary
Mark Zaid (X, LinkedIn) joins Andrew (X; LinkedIn) to discuss American intelligence and the law. You’ve heard of a “lawyer to the stars,” Mark is the “lawyer to the spies”
What You’ll Learn
Intelligence
The quirks of being a lawyer in this space
How the Espionage Act works in practice
The trial of the Rosenbergs
The origins of FOIA and its purpose
The Legal foundations underpinning espionage and intelligence
Reflections
Challenging authority
The delicate balance of...
Published 03/19/24
Summary
Dr. Sara Castro (LinkedIn, Bio) joins Andrew (X; LinkedIn) to discuss the history of US-China diplomacy. Sara is an Associate Professor of History at the United States Air Force Academy.
What You’ll Learn
Intelligence
The Dixie Mission
The history of US-China relations dating back to the Opium Wars
China’s involvement with the OSS during WWII
How Mao Zedong & Chiang Kai-shek built modern China
Reflections
Understanding and empathy
Knowledge is power
And much, much...
Published 03/12/24
Summary
Mike VanBlaricum (X; LinkedIn) joins Andrew (X; LinkedIn) to discuss his journey as a James Bond fanatic and collector. Mike is the President of the Ian Fleming Foundation.
What You’ll Learn
Intelligence
How Mike became an obsessive James Bond collector with 10,000 artifacts
Mike’s favorite Bond cars, movies, and books
How From Russia with Love was one of John F Kennedy’s favorite books
Mike’s tips on the best place to start if you want to read the Bond novels
Reflections
The...
Published 03/05/24
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 Learn
Intelligence
How psychology can be useful to national security
Historical examples of leadership analysis
Leadership personality assessments & the Cuban Missile Crisis
Psychoanalytic theory and...
Published 02/27/24
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 Learn
Intelligence
How psychology can be useful to national security
Historical examples of leadership analysis
Leadership personality assessments & the Cuban Missile Crisis
Psychoanalytic theory and...
Published 02/20/24
Summary
Leon Panetta (Panetta Institute) joins Andrew (X; LinkedIn) to discuss his lifetime of American public service. Secretary Panetta was the 2023 recipient of SPY’s William H. Webster Award.
What You’ll Learn
Intelligence
Directing the Central Intelligence Agency
Intelligence & the Abbottabad Raid
Working within the Clinton Administration
A life’s dedication to the safety of the American public
Reflections
The power of patience and the ability to listen
Handing immense...
Published 02/13/24
Summary
Rory Cormac (X) and Richard Aldrich join Andrew (X; LinkedIn) to discuss intelligence and the British Monarchy. The links between the royals and espionage prove the Crown to be far more than just a figurehead.
What You’ll Learn
Intelligence
Prince William’s internship with British Intelligence
How Elizabeth II knew perhaps more secrets that anyone else in history
King Charles' love of intelligence
Queen Victoria as Spymaster
MI5, MI6, and the Diana...
Published 02/06/24
Summary
Curators Alexis (LinkedIn) and Andrew (Twitter; LinkedIn) use James Bond artifacts in SPY’s collection to discuss all things 007. This year marks the 70th anniversary of the first Ian Fleming novel, Casino Royale.
What You’ll Learn
Intelligence
Bond vs. Real Life Spies
The birth of James Bond
Ian Fleming’s intelligence past
Bond and MI6
Reflections
What makes a character timeless?
Pop culture mirroring real life
And much, much more …
*FULL SHOWNOTES & FULL TRANSCRIPT...
Published 01/30/24
Summary
John Blaxland (Twitter, LinkedIn) joins Andrew (Twitter; LinkedIn) to discuss intelligence in Australia and Oceania. John is a widely recognized as a leading expert in this area.
What You’ll Learn
Intelligence
-Australia’s Intelligence Community
-SIGINT in Australia during WWII
-Australia’s relationship with South Asia
-The Pine Gap facility
Reflections
-The implications of geography
-The power of collaboration
And much, much more …
Quotes of the Week
“The shift from the analog...
Published 01/23/24
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 Learn
Intelligence
-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...
Published 01/16/24
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...
Published 01/09/24
Summary
Alan Kohler joins Andrew to discuss the FBI’s counterintelligence division. He is a recipient of the FBI Director’s Award for Outstanding Counterintelligence Investigation.
***FULL SHOWNOTES AVAILABLE HERE***
What You’ll Learn
Intelligence
-Counterintelligence vs. Counterespionage
-How the FBI recruit’s foreign agents
-Ideological motivations behind spying
-Effect of technology on counterintelligence
Reflections
-Staying grounded under pressure
-The value of...
Published 01/02/24
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...
Published 12/26/23
Summary
Bonny Lin (Biography) joins Andrew (Twitter; LinkedIn) to discuss the current state of China and intelligence. Bonny is the Director of the ChinaPower Project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
What You’ll Learn
Intelligence
-China’s economic power and status
-The current landscape of Chinese intelligence
-China’s relationship with Taiwan
-The ChinaPower Project
Reflections
-Power and prominence
-The global community as a complicated ecosystem
And much, much...
Published 12/19/23
Summary
Barry Zulauf (Twitter; LinkedIn) joins Andrew (Twitter; LinkedIn) to discuss his extensive experience working across the American intelligence community. Barry is the President of the International Association for Intelligence Education.
What You’ll Learn
Intelligence
What is the “Intelligence Community?”
The organizational structure of American intelligence
The establishment of the ODNI
The intelligence components of the DEA
Reflections
A life of service
Passion to serve...
Published 12/12/23
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 Learn
Intelligence
How the FBI’s Art Crime Team (ACT) was formed
The intelligence angle when investigating provenance
Living and working undercover abroad
Museums &...
Published 12/05/23
Summary
Dina Rezk (LinkedIn) joins Andrew (Twitter; LinkedIn) to discuss Egyptian intelligence. Dina is an Associate Professor of Modern Middle Eastern History at the University of Reading.
What You’ll Learn
Intelligence
Egyptian leadership & intelligence
The intelligence landscape of Egypt
Egypt’s relationship with neighboring countries
Ashraf Marwan’s story from the Egyptian perspective
Reflections
Leadership, power, and opposition
International perspectives and changing...
Published 11/28/23
Summary
Rear Admiral Tim Woods (Biography) joins Andrew (Twitter; LinkedIn) to discuss his role as Britain’s Defence Attaché to the United States. Tim previously served as the British Defence Attaché in Kyiv, Ukraine.
What You’ll Learn
Intelligence
What does a Defense Attaché do
How intelligence impacts military strategy
Admiral Woods’ experience of the 2021 Russian invasion of Ukraine
What it’s like to constantly be surveilled
Reflections
The power of relationships and...
Published 11/21/23
Summary
Laura Tohe (Website) joins Andrew (Twitter; LinkedIn) to discuss the stories of the WWII Navajo Code Talkers. Laura is a Diné author and the Poet Laureate of the Navajo Nation.
What You’ll Learn
Intelligence
How the Code Talking units were formed
How the Navajo people used their language as a weapon
Laura’s father, Benson Tohe’s story
Did the Japanese ever break the code?
Reflections
The relationship between language and the state
Storytelling and the power of oral...
Published 11/14/23
Summary
Andrew leads a SPY Museum panel discussion between four experts on the most damaging mole in FBI history, Robert Hanssen. This program was in collaboration with CBS/Paramount on their new podcast “Agent of Betrayal"
What You’ll Learn
Intelligence
The story of Robert Hanssen
How his colleagues reacted to his betrayal
A psychological analysis of Hanssen
How the Hanssen case has impacted the FBI and U.S. intelligence
Reflections
Disillusionment and betrayal
“The child is father...
Published 11/07/23