Why was succession at Crypto AG a crisis for U.S. intelligence?

THE REST IS CLASSIFIED LIVE 2026: Buy your tickets HERE on Friday 7th November at 12pm GMT.

In the latter half of the twentieth century, the CIA and its German counterpart, the BND, were listening to the encrypted messages of at least 62 countries around the world. This intelligence was then passed to allies and used to win wars, depose leaders and influence the world order.

From sharing secrets with British forces fighting in The Falklands War to monitoring Iran’s mullahs during the 1979 hostage crisis, the CIA knew almost everything going on in the corridors of power.

In the second part of their series on Crypto AG, David and Gordon unpack the recently declassified role of the CIA in some of the biggest geopolitical moments of the past seventy years.

-------------------

Join The Declassified Club: Start your free trial at ⁠⁠therestisclassified.com⁠⁠ - go deeper into the world of espionage with exclusive Q&As, interviews with top intelligence insiders, quarterly livestreams, ad-free listening, early access to episodes and live show tickets, and weekly deep dives into original spy stories. Members also get curated reading lists, special book discounts, prize draws, and access to our private chat community.

To sign up to the free newsletter, go to: ⁠⁠https://mailchi.mp/goalhanger.com/tric-free-newsletter-sign-up⁠ ⁠

-------------------

Step inside the real world of espionage as The Rest Is Classified takes to the London stage for the first time.

In this live edition of the hit podcast, former CIA analyst, David McCloskey, and national security journalist, Gordon Corera, look at history’s greatest intelligence failures, unpack iconic spy scenes from film and TV, and answer your burning questions.

From Cold War tactics to today’s digital surveillance, this is espionage as it really works: stranger, scarier, and sometimes funnier than fiction.

Access the members pre-sale by clicking ⁠HERE⁠. The top secret password for members of the Declassified Club will be emailed on the morning of Thursday 6th November to those who have signed-up via ⁠therestisclassified.com⁠.

If you have signed up via Apple Podcasts or YouTube, please email ⁠therestisclassified@goalhanger.com⁠ with proof of your subscription before 10am GMT on Thursday 6th November and we'll send you the code directly.

The non-members general sale will open on Friday 7th November at 12pm GMT. Tickets can be bought ⁠HERE⁠.

-------------------

Order a signed edition of Gordon's latest book, The Spy in the Archive, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠via this link.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Order a signed edition of David's latest book, The Seventh Floor, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠via this link.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

-------------------

Email: classified@goalhanger.com

Twitter: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@triclassified⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Social Producer: Emma Jackson

Producer: Becki Hills

Head of History: Dom Johnson

Exec Producer: Tony Pastor

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices