What kind of man was Osama bin Laden before he became the world's most wanted terrorist? How did his early life and radical beliefs shape the figure who would one day challenge the West? And what role did the Muslim Brotherhood play in his formative years? In this opening episode of a powerful new series, we journey back to Osama bin Laden's beginnings in Saudi Arabia. Through the lens of the CIA's relentless pursuit, we explore the man behind the myth, guided by those who knew him and the intel...
Jun 01, 2025•58 min•Season 1Ep. 51
He risked everything to expose the KGB's darkest secrets, but Vasily Mitrokhin had two non-negotiable demands: his family's safety and his archive's publication. How did MI6 navigate these unprecedented requests? What secret deal was struck with the Americans to fund his resettlement? And why did Mitrokhin himself express anger at his handlers? This episode delves deeper into the nail-biting exfiltration of Vasily Mitrokhin and his family from a turbulent post-Soviet landscape. From a comically ...
May 27, 2025•47 min•Season 1Ep. 50
The Cold War may have ended, but the hunt for dangerous secrets never truly stops. What happens when a disillusioned KGB archivist decides to betray his masters? How did he manage to steal masses of top-secret files from the heart of the Soviet Union? And what did the CIA miss that MI6 was able to seize? This is the incredible story of Vasily Mitrokhin, a man with a "profound, even spiritual hatred" for the KGB he served. For years, he meticulously copied secret documents, turning a hidden archi...
May 25, 2025•48 min•Season 1Ep. 49
Do we have any privacy in the modern era? Why did Snowden do the things he did? Was he successful? And what is the closest Gordon Corera ever came to being a spy? Listen as David McCloskey and Gordon Corera discuss the legacy of Edward Snowden. ------------------- To sign up to The Declassified Club, go to www.therestisclassified.com or click this link. To sign up to the free newsletter, go to: https://mailchi.mp/goalhanger.com/tric-free-newsletter-sign-up ------------------- Order a signed ...
May 20, 2025•55 min•Season 1Ep. 48
Stories continue to flood out of the Snowden leaks and it's not just American doing the spying. How were the British 'Mastering the Internet'? Should we be surprised that America are spying on their allies? And what damage will these revelations do? Listen as David McCloskey and Gordon Corera discuss how the stories from Edward Snowden's leaks continue to make headlines around the world. ------------------- To sign up to The Declassified Club, go to www.therestisclassified.com or click this lin...
May 18, 2025•41 min•Season 1Ep. 47
The world has met Edward Snowden and now he fears repercussions. How will he escape Hong Kong? Where will he go? And will any nation be willing to risk the fury of the USA and help him? Listen as David and Gordon continue the story of Edward Snowden and the leaks that changed the world. Exclusive INCOGNI Deal: To get an exclusive 60% off an annual Incogni plan, go to https://incogni.com/restisclassified Get our exclusive NordVPN deal here ➼ nordvpn.com/restisclassified It's risk-free with N...
May 13, 2025•40 min•Season 1Ep. 46
With Snowden now in possession of 1,500,000 secret American files, how can he get them in the public eye? Which journalists will he choose to help him? And why does he choose to hole himself up in a hotel room in Hong Kong? Listen as David McCloskey and Gordon Corera discuss just how Snowden and the journalists he was working with plan to publish one of the most consequential stories of the 21st century. Exclusive INCOGNI Deal: To get an exclusive 60% off an annual Incogni plan, go to https://in...
May 12, 2025•46 min•Season 1Ep. 45
Edward Snowden has decided he is going to leak some of America's biggest secrets, but first he needs to steal them. How do you steal from some of America's most secure facilities? Does he have the access he needs? And is he working alone? Listen as David McCloskey and Gordon Corera share how Edward Snowden stole 1,500,000 files from the American system. ------------------- To sign up to The Declassified Club, go to www.therestisclassified.com or click this link. To sign up to the free newslett...
May 06, 2025•38 min•Season 1Ep. 44
Who was Edward Snowden? Was he an ideologue or a disgruntled employee? And what led him to orchestrating the biggest leak in modern American history? Join David McCloskey and Gordon Corera as they discuss Edward Snowden, his life inside the American secret state, and his momentous decision to act against it. ------------------- To sign up to The Declassified Club, go to www.therestisclassified.com or click this link. To sign up to the free newsletter, go to: https://mailchi.mp/goalhanger.com/tri...
May 04, 2025•49 min•Season 1Ep. 43
The game is afoot, and the stakes are higher than ever. Who was the real villain in the Minions spy saga? How did a fintech tycoon become a key player in Russian espionage? And what does this case reveal about the Kremlin's increasingly brazen tactics? As the story of the Bulgarian spy ring unfolds, a web of deception and international intrigue emerges. The key to the puzzle lies in the identity of the handler, a man whose double life and connections to Russian intelligence raise troubling quest...
Apr 29, 2025•39 min•Season 1Ep. 42
What do a fading seaside hotel, a self-proclaimed Q, and an eyelash champion have in common? They're all part of a bizarre Russian spy ring operating in the UK. But beneath the absurdity lies a serious threat. What were these "Minions" really up to? And how close did they come to compromising Western security? This is the story of a group of Bulgarians, directed from Moscow, who engaged in a series of increasingly audacious espionage operations across Europe. From tracking journalists to plottin...
Apr 27, 2025•38 min•Season 1Ep. 41
The future of warfare is already here, and it's more terrifying than we imagined. How did Israel deploy a remote-controlled robotic gun to assassinate a high-profile target? What does this operation reveal about the rise of AI-assisted killings? And are we prepared for a world where drones and robots can kill without human intervention? In 2020, the killing of Iranian nuclear scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh demonstrated the deadly potential of remote-controlled weaponry. But this is just the beginn...
Apr 22, 2025•51 min•Season 1Ep. 40
How do Israeli and Iranian intelligence fight each other? Who's the man behind the Iranian nuclear programme? And what is the Mossad operation aimed at slowing it down? Listen as Gordon Corera and David McCloskey look into the shadow war between Iran and Israel and the Israeli attempts to slow down the Iranian nuclear programme. ------------------- Order a signed edition of David's latest book, The Seventh Floor, via this link. ------------------- Get our exclusive NordVPN deal here ➼ www.nordvp...
Apr 20, 2025•51 min•Season 1Ep. 39
Legacy, hosted by historian Peter Frankopan and broadcaster Afua Hirsch, delves into the lives of some of history’s most influential figures - from Margaret Thatcher to Napoleon, JFK to Cleopatra unpacking what their pasts reveal about our present. In their latest season, they’re exploring the legacy of Sigmund Freud, a man more involved in the world of espionage than you might expect... Listen here: https://wondery.com/shows/legacy/season/19/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoic...
Apr 17, 2025•9 min
How did Cold War paranoia fuel the CIA's mind control experiments? What did popular films like The Manchurian Candidate have to do with the agency's secret programs? And did the CIA really help shape the counterculture of the 1960s? In the shadowy world of espionage, the line between science fiction and reality blurred, and as the Cold War deepened, fears of communist brainwashing led the CIA down a twisted path of experimentation. But the agency's quest for mind control may have had unintended ...
Apr 15, 2025•46 min•Season 1Ep. 38
From LSD-fuelled hallucinations to medically-induced comas, the CIA explored every avenue in their search for mind control. But how did they justify these gross violations of human rights? And what does it reveal about the hidden history of the Cold War? In the clandestine world of espionage, the pursuit of knowledge can have a dark side. As the US and the USSR battled to come out on top, the CIA embarked on a series of top-secret experiments, pushing the boundaries of ethics and legality in the...
Apr 13, 2025•50 min•Season 1Ep. 37
Who was the eccentric chemist at the heart of the CIA's most controversial experiments? What happened when Langley was turned into a testing ground for mind-altering drugs? And how did the quest for a truth serum lead to a psychedelic free-for-all? Inside the CIA, the search for a mind control breakthrough took a bizarre turn. Driven by the relentless pursuit of Sidney Gottlieb, LSD was introduced into the daily lives of unsuspecting officers. From laced coffee to drug-fuelled office parties, th...
Apr 08, 2025•54 min•Season 1Ep. 36
What if the government knew how to control your mind? Could a secret program unlock the secrets of the human psyche? And how far would the CIA go to win the Cold War? In the shadowy world of espionage, the line between science and sinister experiments blurs. As the Cold War gripped the globe, the CIA embarked on a desperate quest to weaponise the mind. Unwitting Americans became guinea pigs in a series of covert experiments, pushing the boundaries of ethics and legality. Listen as Gordon and Dav...
Apr 06, 2025•46 min•Season 1Ep. 35
What did the West know about Russia’s invasion before it happened? How did Ukraine prepare for a war they weren’t sure would come? And why did Moscow underestimate its opponent so disastrously? Western intelligence agencies warned that Russia was preparing to invade Ukraine - but even they were surprised by how badly Moscow’s strategy would unravel. From supply chain breakdowns to failed attempts at a decapitation strike on Kyiv, the war’s first days exposed deep weaknesses in Russia’s military ...
Apr 01, 2025•40 min•Season 1Ep. 34
How did Russia’s invasion of Ukraine go so badly wrong? What crucial mistakes did the Kremlin make in the opening days? And why did Putin’s inner circle give him false intelligence about what would happen? When Russian forces rolled across the border with Ukraine in February 2022, they expected a swift victory. Instead, they encountered fierce resistance, logistical chaos, and intelligence failures that shattered their plans. As Ukraine fought back, the world watched in shock as war returned to ...
Mar 30, 2025•37 min•Season 1Ep. 33
How did Ukraine defy the odds against Russia? What role did Western intelligence play in preparing Kyiv for war? And what did Western intelligence know that Russia didn’t? For months, Western intelligence warned of an imminent Russian attack, but when the invasion finally came, it didn’t go according to Moscow’s script. Poor planning, logistical failures, and underestimating Ukrainian resistance turned what should have been a quick operation into a prolonged and costly war. Listen as Gordon and ...
Mar 26, 2025•45 min•Season 1Ep. 32
How did western intelligence services learn of Putin's plan to invade Ukraine? 2021 is drawing to a close and the CIA is becoming increasingly concerned that Putin is going to invade Ukraine. He's made it clear he sees it as part of Russia and so Bill Burns, CIA director, is going to be sent out to Moscow in a desperate attempt to dissuade him. Listen as Gordon and David break down the run up to the war and CIA attempts to stop it. ------------------- Order a signed edition of David's latest boo...
Mar 24, 2025•47 min•Season 1Ep. 31
What happens when the world’s most valuable spy is finally caught? How did British and American intelligence hunt him down? And, was Klaus Fuchs a hero, a villain, or something in between? Klaus Fuchs' final days as a free man were marked by growing suspicions, clandestine exchanges, and a relentless pursuit by MI5. The secrets he passed had already set the stage for a nuclear-armed Cold War, irreversibly altering the balance of global power. As the truth emerged, so too did the cost of his betr...
Mar 19, 2025•47 min•Season 1Ep. 30
How did a Russian spy end up at the heart of the Manhattan Project? What happened when Soviet intelligence lost track of their own spy? And how did one man hand Stalin the bomb on a silver platter? Klaus Fuchs was already one of the most valuable spies in history, feeding atomic secrets to the Soviet Union. But when he disappeared in 1944, his handlers feared the worst. In reality, he was about to get even closer to the ultimate prize: the blueprints for the atomic bomb. This week, Gordon and Da...
Mar 17, 2025•52 min•Season 1Ep. 29
What makes a man betray his closest friends? How did a German refugee help Stalin build the bomb? And why did British intelligence fail to spot the most dangerous spy in the Manhattan Project? Klaus Fuchs was brilliant, quiet, and unassuming. A physicist at the cutting edge of nuclear science, he worked at the heart of Britain’s secret atomic weapons program before being sent to the United States to join the Manhattan Project. But, all the while, Fuchs was passing the most closely guarded secret...
Mar 12, 2025•50 min•Season 1Ep. 28
Who was the Russian spy working under Oppenheimer to build the atomic bomb? Why was it so dangerous to be a communist in Nazi Germany? And how did a young science prodigy become one of the most notorious spies in history? Klaus Fuchs was born into a left-wing family at the beginning of the 20th century. Vehemently opposed to the fascist politics of his German homeland during the 1930s, Fuchs flees Hitler's repressive state and finds himself caught up in the horrors of World War Two. When a group...
Mar 10, 2025•49 min•Season 1Ep. 27
Donald Trump has paused all intelligence sharing with Ukraine. What does this mean? What intelligence was being shared? How dependent are Ukraine on this? And what impact will this have on the war? Listen as Gordon Corera and David McCloskey discuss the latest developments in Ukraine. ------------------- Order a signed edition of David's latest book, The Seventh Floor, via this link. ------------------- Get our exclusive NordVPN deal here ➼ www.nordvpn.com/restisclassified It’s risk-free with No...
Mar 06, 2025•27 min•Season 1Ep. 26
When the CIA is forced to downsize, who gets cut? What happens to the intelligence left behind? And how does political control change the way spies operate? In the late 1970s, Jimmy Carter’s CIA director launched a brutal purge, firing hundreds of intelligence officers in what became known as the Halloween Massacre. Now, with Trump taking his own axe to Langley, David and Gordon ask: is history repeating itself? And what happens when America’s spies become the target? ------------------- Order a...
Mar 05, 2025•44 min•Season 1Ep. 25
How do politicians control the CIA? What happens when politics affects the way it is run? And how often does the White House clash with Langley? Trump is trying to bring the CIA more directly under his control. He wants to reduce the size of it and re-order it's priorities. But he's not the first President to try to interfere at Langley. This week on The Rest Is Classified, David and Gordon look at Trump's CIA reforms but also take an eye to history to look at Jimmy Carter's CIA reforms that led...
Mar 03, 2025•54 min•Season 1Ep. 24
Can nuclear missiles really just disappear? Why is Greenland so important to the security of the United States? And will Donald Trump go all the way with his plan to buy this Arctic island? A plane carrying nuclear weapons crashes in the Arctic and the effects ricochet through history. From seals born with deformities to radioactive permafrost, the presence of nuclear weapons on Greenland is seismic and very controversial. So, with Donald Trump threatening to buy the world’s largest island, Davi...
Feb 26, 2025•41 min•Season 1Ep. 23
