Episode description

This week, Justin sits down with author, professor, historian and former intelligence analyst for the state department and the CIA, Dr. Mark Stout.  Today, Mark shares his research on a mysterious early US intelligence entity known as the Pond. The Pond was a secret organization operating between 1942 and 1955, though its existence wasn't formally acknowledged by the US government until 2001. Headed by John V. Grombach, the Pond's unique espionage style was markedly different from the OSS and the CIA, though the quality of its intel has been brought to question. In the end, Grombach was his own worst enemy as his stark world view led to personality clashes  with the CIA, ultimately playing a major role in the end of the Pond.


Connect with Mark:
spymuseum.org
Twitter: @WWIPhD
Check some of Mark's articles on War on the Rocks, here.

https://warontherocks.com/author/mark-stout/


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Find Justin's first book, Spyshots: Volume One, here.
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