In this solo episode, Justin share some of his own research. Today he discusses the very unusual case of Richard Craig Smith. Craig was a former army counterintelligence agent who was arrested in April, 1984 for passing classified information to a KGB officer in Japan on several occasions. There are two very different versions of Craig's story. He did meet with a Soviet intelligence agent. He did give him information on American double agents and he was paid for this information. Craig did not dispute this during the trial, but his defense was that he'd done it at the behest of case officers from the CIA who had approached him and recruited him as a double agent against the KGB. If that was so, why was he ever brought to trial in the first place? Because the CIA did not claim him as one of their recruited agents. So, either he was a spy and a traitor... or he was a double agent left out in the cold by his own country.Connect with Spycraft 101:Get Justin's latest book, Murder, Intrigue, and Conspiracy: Stories from the Cold War and Beyond, here.spycraft101.comIG: @spycraft101Shop: shop.spycraft101.comPatreon: Spycraft 101Find Justin's first book, Spyshots: Volume One, here.Check out Justin's second book, Covert Arms, here.Download the free eBook, The Clandestine Operative's Sidearm of Choice, here.Grayman Briefing ClassifiedUse code GBCSpycraft to save 20% on your subscription.Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.Support the show

This week's guest is David Tyson. David served in the U. S. Army first as an enlisted artilleryman and later as an intelligence officer. During his time in the Army, he discovered he had an affinity for learning languages, and after leaving the service, he began working towards a graduate degree, focusing his studies on Central Asia. He was recruited by the Central Intelligence Agency in 1996, and five years later, was one of the first Americans to enter Afghanistan in November 2001.  David and the other members of his team worked side by side with members of the Northern Alliance as they fought their way through the country, culminating in the retaking of Kabul and a decisive battlefield victory over the Taliban within just a few weeks. Along the way, the team found themselves in serious danger, including the terrible and costly fight during the Kali Jangi prison uprising, which cost the life of Johnny Michael Spann, America's first casualty in Afghanistan.Connect with Spycraft 101:Get Justin's latest book, Murder, Intrigue, and Conspiracy: Stories from the Cold War and Beyond, here.spycraft101.comIG: @spycraft101Shop: shop.spycraft101.comPatreon: Spycraft 101Find Justin's first book, Spyshots: Volume One, here.Check out Justin's second book, Covert Arms, here.Download the free eBook, The Clandestine Operative's Sidearm of Choice, here.Support the show

Join Justin for a special review episode of The Sandbaggers, a British television series that ran for three seasons between 1978 and 1980 following characters who worked at MI6. In Justin's opinion, this show is one of the best ever fictional portrayals of covert operations and the day-to-day running of an intelligence agency. You can find more reviews on Patreon, and catch The Sandbaggers on Prime Video.Connect with Spycraft 101:Get Justin's latest book, Murder, Intrigue, and Conspiracy: Stories from the Cold War and Beyond, here.spycraft101.comIG: @spycraft101Shop: shop.spycraft101.comPatreon: Spycraft 101Find Justin's first book, Spyshots: Volume One, here.Check out Justin's second book, Covert Arms, here.Download the free eBook, The Clandestine Operative's Sidearm of Choice, here.Support the show

This week Justin sits down with Dr. Claire Hubbard-Hall. Claire received her doctorate in European history from the University of Hull. She has lectured and taught history courses at several British universities over the past 16 years with a particular focus on secret intelligence. She's also appeared in several television documentaries and written articles for many different publications. Today she discusses the story of the often overlooked contributions of many long serving and hard working women in Britain's MI5 and MI6, all the way back to the earliest years of those organizations. Connect with Claire:clairehubbardhall.comSubstack: https://substack.com/@clairehubbardhallIG: @clairehubbardhall Twitter/X: @SpyHistoryCheck out Claire's book, Her Secret Service, here.Connect with Spycraft 101:Get Justin's latest book, Murder, Intrigue, and Conspiracy: Stories from the Cold War and Beyond, here.spycraft101.comIG: @spycraft101Shop: shop.spycraft101.comPatreon: Spycraft 101Find Justin's first book, Spyshots: Volume One, here.Check out Justin's second book, Covert Arms, here.Download the free eBook, The Clandestine Operative's Sidearm of Choice, here.History by MailWho knew? Not me! Learn something new every month. Use code JUSTIN10 for 10% off your subscription.Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.Support the show

This week Justin talks with Robert Weingartner. Rob is a lifelong resident of Staten Island, New York. He graduated from Drake Business School in Manhattan in 2002, and he enjoys reading and learning about history. Over the past few years, Rob has been researching an espionage story that began right in his own hometown. I invited Rob onto the podcast to discuss his research into a German spy ring, which operated on Staten Island during World War II.Connect with Robert:Facebook Group: WWII German Spies of Staten Island - The Fred Lewis LettersConnect with Spycraft 101:Get Justin's latest book, Murder, Intrigue, and Conspiracy: Stories from the Cold War and Beyond, here.spycraft101.comIG: @spycraft101Shop: shop.spycraft101.comPatreon: Spycraft 101Find Justin's first book, Spyshots: Volume One, here.Check out Justin's second book, Covert Arms, here.Download the free eBook, The Clandestine Operative's Sidearm of Choice, here.Support the show

Today Justin sits down with Peter Merlin. Peter is an author, historian, and college instructor. He received his Bachelor's of Science degree in Aeronautical Studies from Embry Riddle Aeronautical University and has just completed his Master's degree in Aviation Management from Southern Illinois University. He's been a freelance writer and researcher for more than 30 years and has worked as a historian and archivist at NASA's Armstrong Flight Research Center at Edwards, California. He currently teaches several courses in aviation management at the school of aviation at Southern Illinois university. Peter has been researching and writing about Area 51 for many years, and his latest book represents the culmination of all his work to date. He has documented Area 51 from the beginning, when it was little more than a dry lake bed, through its growth as a CIA facility for development and testing of cutting edge aircraft and aviation technology. Connect with Peter:thexhunters.comdreamlandresort.comCheck out the book, Dreamland, here.https://a.co/d/fNR2b6KConnect with Spycraft 101:Get Justin's latest book, Murder, Intrigue, and Conspiracy: Stories from the Cold War and Beyond, here.spycraft101.comIG: @spycraft101Shop: shop.spycraft101.comPatreon: Spycraft 101Find Justin's first book, Spyshots: Volume One, here.Check out Justin's second book, Covert Arms, here.Download the free eBook, The Clandestine Operative's Sidearm of Choice, here.History by MailWho knew? Not me! Learn something new every month. Use code JUSTIN10 for 10% off your subscription.Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.Support the show

This week Justin replays one of his personal favorite episodes, number 26, when author and former special forces officer Greg Walker shared the little-known story of a David Baez, a green beret defector. Baez was a Nicaraguan national whose father was killed by U.S.-backed President Samosa after voicing his displeasure with inequalities that had risen under Samosa's rule. After immigrating the U.S. and joining the Army (and then Special Forces), Baez found himself in El Salvador watching the country he served try to re-institute the rule of a dynasty that had done personal harm to his own family. Baez defected to Nicaragua in support of Sandinista revolutionary forces--despite the danger it posed to his American brothers in arms.Connect with Greg:LinkedIn: Gregory WalkerCheck out Part 1 of Greg's series on Baez, A defector in place: The strange and terrible saga of a Green Beret Sandinista, here.https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/defector-place-strange-terrible-saga-green-beret-part-greg-walker/Connect with Spycraft 101:Get Justin's latest book, Murder, Intrigue, and Conspiracy: Stories from the Cold War and Beyond, here.spycraft101.comIG: @spycraft101Shop: shop.spycraft101.comPatreon: Spycraft 101Find Justin's first book, Spyshots: Volume One, here.Check out Justin's second book, Covert Arms, here.Download the free eBook, The Clandestine Operative's Sidearm of Choice, here.Support the show

Today Justin sits down with repeat guest Tim Tate. Tim has worked as a documentary filmmaker and an investigative journalist for more than 40 years, and in that time has published 19 books and produced 80 documentaries. Some of the topics he's covered in the past include China's slave labor gulags, the worst child murderer in British history, and the orphans left behind after the Vietnam War. Today he discusses the topic of his latest book. It's the story of Peter Wright, MI5 senior counterintelligence officer who came to suspect in the 1960s that the agency's director, Roger Hollis, was himself a Soviet spy.Check out Tim's first appearance on episode 30, A Counterintelligence Agent Turned Romanov Heir, here.Connect with Tim:timtate.co.ukTwitter: @TimTateBooksCheck out To Catch a Spy here.https://a.co/d/7TlKCywConnect with Spycraft 101:Get Justin's latest book, Murder, Intrigue, and Conspiracy: Stories from the Cold War and Beyond, here.spycraft101.comIG: @spycraft101Shop: shop.spycraft101.comPatreon: Spycraft 101Find Justin's first book, Spyshots: Volume One, here.Check out Justin's second book, Covert Arms, here.Download the free eBook, The Clandestine Operative's Sidearm of Choice, here.Tenderfoot TVReal. Powerful. Storytelling. Tune in to "To Die For" wherever you listen to podcasts.History by MailWho knew? Not me! Learn something new every month. Use code JUSTIN10 for 10% off your subscription.Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.Support the show

Dr. Lewis Sage-Passant, a former British military intelligence officer and current global head of intelligence for a major European company, dives into the evolving role of intelligence in the corporate world. He discusses how firms are adopting intelligence practices akin to state actors, and the ethical implications of these shifts. The podcast also highlights eBay's controversial intelligence tactics and the urgent need for stronger ethical guidelines. Lewis emphasizes the growing importance of corporate intelligence teams in navigating geopolitical risks and enhancing security.

This week, Justin welcomes back Patrick K. O'Donnell. Patrick is a combat historian who has covered the war in Fallujah, Iraq in 2004, where he was armed and participated in the battle alongside the U.S. Marines. He's an expert on special operations units and irregular warfare. He's published 13 books so far on combat history, covering stories from the American Revolution, World War II, The Global War on Terror and more. He's also the author of The Brenner Assignment, which informed episode number 90 of the podcast with Jack Chappell, the son of OSS officer Howard Chappell, who was one of the primary subjects of Patrick's book. You may remember Patrick from episode number 146  earlier this year. This is the first time an author has returned to the show to discuss the same book once again, and that's because The Unvanquished is so full of incredible stories that we barely scratched the surface the first time around.Check out Patrick's first appearance on the podcast, Civil War Special Operations Units.Connect with Patrick:patrickkodonnell.comTwitter/X: @combathistorianThe Unvanquished is available here.https://www.amazon.com/Unvanquished-Lincolns-Special-Americas-Operations/dp/080216286XConnect with Spycraft 101:Get Justin's latest book, Murder, Intrigue, and Conspiracy: Stories from the Cold War and Beyond, here.spycraft101.comIG: @spycraft101Shop: shop.spycraft101.comPatreon: Spycraft 101Find Justin's first book, Spyshots: Volume One, here.Check out Justin's second book, Covert Arms, here.Download the free eBook, The Clandestine Operative's Sidearm of Choice, here.History by MailWho knew? Not me! Learn something new every month. Use code JUSTIN10 for 10% off your subscription.Tenderfoot TVReal. Powerful. Storytelling. Tune in to "To Die For" wherever you listen to podcasts.Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.Support the show