The Rest Is Classified 97. Selling The World's Secrets: Why The Brits Won The Falklands War (Ep 2)
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Nov 5, 2025 Dive into the intricate world of espionage as the hosts explore the CIA's secretive role in major geopolitical events. Discover how the agency collaborated with the German BND to buy Crypto AG, manipulating encrypted communications across nations. The conversation highlights the impact of this on the Falklands War and showcases thrilling anecdotes of intelligence wins, all while grappling with the dangers faced by unsuspecting engineers. They even draw parallels between past operations and today’s tech challenges, keeping listeners gripped until the end.
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Friendship Fueled A Global Espionage Engine
- Crypto AG began as a personal partnership between Boris Hagelin and William Friedman that shaped decades of global spying.
- That friendship let the US insert vulnerabilities into widely sold encryption machines and harvest vast diplomatic intelligence.
Heir's Death Cleared A Path
- Bo Jr. was groomed as CEO and sold top machines to new markets, unaware of his father's secret with US intelligence.
- His unexpected death in a 1970 Beltway car crash removed a key succession hurdle and eased CIA acquisition plans.
Ownership Hidden Behind Shells
- The CIA and Germany's BND covertly bought Crypto AG through shell companies and Liechtenstein vehicles to hide ownership.
- Payments and transfers were so secretive that staff and many partners never knew who controlled the company.
