This is the second in our two-parter with Dr. Matthew Brazil, a historian of Chinese Communist Party (CCP) intelligence operations. Andrew and Matt discuss everything from recruitment, ideology, and foreign tourism, to modern history and contemporary politics – all the biggies really. Ever wondered about the “century of humiliation” or the “Great Firewall of China”? This might be the episode for you (but don’t forget Part 1!). Matt spent over twenty years working in East and South Asia. Even bet...
Jan 05, 2021•49 min•Ep. 462
Edward Snowden is back in the news. I know what you are thinking: shocker! As we move into the new year from the annus horribilis that was 2020, however, one of the main intelligence stories is will Snowden receive a presidential pardon. Come to think of it, does he even deserve one? Back in what now seems like the mists of time, 2013, Mark Stout sat down with one of the nation’s top national security lawyers, Mark Zaid, for a legal perspective on the then recent Snowden case. Like a smoky 8 yea...
Dec 29, 2020•47 min•Ep. 461
Nothing makes me happier than a conversation with whip smart people on the past, present or future of intelligence: enter Heather Williams, a senior policy researcher at RAND, and Zachery Tyson Brown, a strategic futurist and founder of Consilient Strategies. With decades of experience at multiple agencies, multiple deployments overseas, advanced degrees from the National Intelligence University and a network of contacts that would do any Rolodex proud, they have oodles to offer. We talk the inf...
Dec 22, 2020•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 460
Bet you are wondering which adversary caused him the most sleepless nights, right? From the Red Army to New Jersey street gangs, from terrorists to the Taliban – Dean Barrata has analyzed them all. During a 30+ year career in intelligence, Dean has been everywhere from West Germany to Afghanistan, from the Pennsylvania National Guard to a New Jersey Police Street Gang Unit. If you have ever wondered if there was life beyond the three letter agencies (CIA, NSA, DIA), this just might be the episod...
Dec 15, 2020•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 459
The second in a double-header on Israeli intelligence. This week we walk the story up to the present day – including the election of Joe Biden and the recent assassination of Iranian nuclear scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh. We also hear how Israeli intelligence is retooling for the twenty-first century. Andrew is joined by journalist Yossi Melman, a reporter for Haaretz and advisor on the Netflix Series Inside the Mossad, and Dan Raviv, who was at CBS for over 40 years. They are the authors of Ever...
Dec 08, 2020•1 hr•Ep. 458
Mossad. Shin Bet. Aman. Legendary names from the world of secret intelligence. Adolf Eichmann. Wrath of God. Stuxnet. Israel’s intelligence agencies never seem to be far from the history books…or the headlines. Were they behind the recent killing of the so-called Iranian Robert Oppenheimer, nuclear scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh? To provide some context, best-selling author Dan Raviv spoke about his co-authored book Spies Against Armageddon, back in 2012. Hear about the history of Israeli intellig...
Dec 01, 2020•1 hr 5 min•Ep. 457
Ever thought you were the smartest person in the room? You’ve never been in a room with Sir David Omand. My former professor – no slouch himself – described Sir David as “the brightest person I have ever met.” It is certainly difficult to think of anyone more qualified to appear on SpyCast: former Director of GCHQ, former Chair of the Joint Intelligence Committee, formulator of current British counter-terrorism policy, he also happens to be one of the world’s deepest thinkers on intelligence and...
Nov 24, 2020•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 456
If 1985 was “The Year of the Spy,” was 2019 its equivalent in the sporting world? The Patriots were accused of spying on the Bengals, Leeds Utd. of surveilling Derby County, and the Houston Astros of stealing-signs from, well, everybody. Just before Super Bowl XLV (2011), high-school quarterback, artist and Spy Museum stalwart Dan Treado sat down with ex-intelligence officer, analyst, consultant and author T.J. Waters to discuss the secret world of the NFL. Briefing books. Secure Comms. Deceptio...
Nov 17, 2020•27 min•Ep. 455
Join Andrew and former Baltimore Sun reporter Liz Atwood as they dig into the fascinating life of multi-lingual Baltimore socialite Marguerite Harrison: path-breaking journalist, documentary actor, co-founder of the Society of Women Geographers…double agent. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Nov 10, 2020•58 min•Ep. 454
Fact vs. Fake. Truth vs. Lies. Information vs. Disinformation. For voters trying to choose between competing parties and candidates the distinction between them would seem to be central. But is it still possible to tell which is which? In this week’s SpyCast Andrew is joined by two analysts from the Alliance for Securing Democracy – Russia watcher Brad Hanlon and China watcher Bryce Barros – to try to get to the bottom of what is going on. Is “disinformation” fake news and malarkey, or a serious...
Nov 03, 2020•49 min•Ep. 453
For Andrew Hammond, a Scotsman and the historian and curator of the International Spy Museum, the loss of iconic actor Sean Connery this week at the age of 90 hits particularly hard. “As a Scot, someone from the same country, it’s a great loss and a deep loss,” Hammond told WTOP. “For spy fans and people who are from Scotland, but also for anyone who’s ever loved having the lights out and escaping through the lens of cinema, it’s just a great loss.” James Bond movies, Hammond said, have taught l...
Nov 02, 2020•5 min•Ep. 452
What do you get if you cross a Harvard historian with a UCLA trained political scientist and an award winning doctoral researcher? One word: context. Join Andrew and his guests – Calder Walton, Dov Levin and Magda Long – as they drill down into intelligence agencies and electoral intervention. Transcript available at https://www.spymuseum.org/spycast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Oct 27, 2020•1 hr 13 min•Ep. 451
Authorized History of a Secret Intelligence Agency –(STOP)– author debriefed by Spy Historian Hammond –(STOP)– WW1 WW2 Cold War –(STOP)– reevaluation of Western Front Bletchley Park Ultra Falklands War –(STOP)– discuss Authorized Histories “Cyber Rifles” and coming century –(STOP)– Podcast released on same day as Ferris book –(STOP) – a coincidence? (END TELEGRAM) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Oct 20, 2020•54 min•Ep. 450
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Oct 14, 2020•44 min•Ep. 449
SPY Curator Alexis Albion asks author Ben Macintyre “Can women spies have it all?”, as they discuss his latest book on the extraordinary Ursula Kuczynski aka Agent Sonya. Transcript available at https://www.spymuseum.org/spycast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Sep 29, 2020•1 hr 8 min•Ep. 448
In the second of our “changing of the guard” episodes, the new SpyCast host Andrew Hammond sits down with Vince. It’s Been Emotional. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Sep 22, 2020•53 min•Ep. 447
Author Chris Whipple discusses his new book, The Spymasters:How the CIA Directors Shape History and the Future with SPY Executive Director Chris Costa. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Sep 15, 2020•1 hr 18 min•Ep. 446
Dr. Vince Houghton sat down for a conversation with the new International Spy Museum historian, Dr. Andrew Hammond. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Sep 08, 2020•48 min•Ep. 445
SPY Executive Director Chris Costa sat down with Kristin Wood who spent more than two decades with CIA in a number of roles. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Sep 01, 2020•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 444
SPY Historian sat down with some of the leadership of the Bureau of Intelligence and Research for a candid conversation Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Aug 25, 2020•1 hr•Ep. 443
SPY Historian Vince Houghton sat down with former CIA operations officer Alison Bouwmeester to discuss her career, and how she’s been helping people transition from government service to the private sector. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Aug 18, 2020•57 min•Ep. 442
Executive Director Chris Costa sits down with Professor Kevin King to learn more about his career traveling the world, and how that led to him being held by the Taliban for over three years. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Aug 11, 2020•47 min•Ep. 441
On July 23rd, we had a great conversation with Jonna Mendez about spies in Hollywood. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Aug 04, 2020•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 440
SPY Historian Vince Houghton sat down with former US Navy officer and double agent Art Lindberg to discuss his career and the sting operation that snared multiple Soviet spies. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Jul 28, 2020•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 439
SPY Historian Vince Houghton sat down with bestselling thriller author Brad Thor to discuss his writing career, his process, book research, and how novelists can play a vital role in US national security Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Jul 21, 2020•52 min•Ep. 438
SPY Historian Vince Houghton sat down with an extraordinary panel to have a candid discussion about racial issues in the intelligence community. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Jul 14, 2020•1 hr 12 min•Ep. 437
SPY Executive Director Chris Costa sat down with GEOINT pioneer Keith Masback to discuss all things geospatial. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Jul 07, 2020•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 436
SPY Historian Vince Houghton sat down with 4 of your favorite spy fiction authors to discuss how they entertain and educate. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Jun 30, 2020•1 hr 5 min•Ep. 435
SPY Historian Vince Houghton sat down with author Nancy Greenspan to discuss the life of notorious Soviet spy Klaus Fuchs, the fascinating subject of her new book, Atomic Spy: The Dark Lives of Klaus Fuchs Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Jun 23, 2020•46 min•Ep. 434
It's February 2nd 1922, and all of Hollywood is about to wake up and learn that William Desmond Taylor, the most famous film director in town, was murdered in his home last night. The investigation will shine a light on some of Hollywood's most scandalous affairs, backroom deals, and underground drug dens. This real life Murder Mystery is one of the most iconic "whodunnit" cases of the 20th century that will leave you guessing and second guessing who killed William Desmond Taylor for weeks to co...
Jun 17, 2020•6 min•Ep. 433
