SPYCRAFT 101

This week just sits down with Jim Popkin, former senior investigative reporter and producer at N NBC News and on air correspondent. Jim's articles have appeared in publications like Washington Post Magazine, Wired, Newsweek, Slate, The Guardian, Washingtonian, and on National Public Radio. Jim is also an author, and today he's here to talk about Anna Montez, a Cuban spy who spent more than 16 years as an intelligence analyst with the Defense Intelligence Agency.  Anna had already been recruited to work for Cuban Intelligence as one of their spies within the US government before she joined DIA, to the eventual shock of her peers, her superiors, and most importantly her family.Connect with Jim:jimpopkin.combluewrenbook.com Twitter: @JimPopkinCheck out Jim's book, Code Name Blue Wren, here.https://www.amazon.com/Code-Name-Blue-Wren-Dangerous/dp/1335449884Connect with Spycraft 101:Check out Justin's latest release, Covert Arms, here.spycraft101.comIG: @spycraft101Shop: spycraft-101.myshopify.comPatreon: Spycraft 101Find Justin's first book, Spyshots: Volume One, here.Download the free eBook, The Clandestine Operative's Sidearm of Choice, here.15-Minute Cold WarUse your forces to attack opponents and defend yourself in this new card game.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 is joined by Colonel Rose Mary Sheldon, previous history professor at Virginia Military Institute world-renowned expert on intelligence and espionage in the ancient world. She earned her PhD from the University of Michigan and has published several books and many articles over the years, as well as serving as an editor for the International Journal of Intelligence and Counterintelligence, Small Wars and Insurgencies, and The Journal of Military History. Today, she discusses intelligence collection tactics and strategy in Ancient Rome.Check out Colonel Sheldon's book, Intelligence Activities in Ancient Rome, here.https://www.amazon.com/Intelligence-Activities-Ancient-Rome-Verify/dp/0415452716Connect with Spycraft 101:Check out Justin's latest release, Covert Arms, here.spycraft101.comIG: @spycraft101Shop: spycraft-101.myshopify.comPatreon: Spycraft 101Find Justin's first book, Spyshots: Volume One, here.Download the free eBook, The Clandestine Operative's Sidearm of Choice, here.15-Minute Cold WarUse your forces to attack opponents and defend yourself in this new card game.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

Today Justin speaks with with journalist and documentary filmmaker Justin Webster. Justin was a business reporter in the 90s before the release of his debut film on soccer team FC Barcelona in 2004. Since then, he's directed several more award-winning documentaries. Today he's here to discuss a six part series he created on the life and death of Alberto Nisman, a federal prosecutor in Argentina who was found dead at home in January, 2015. Nisman died hours before he was scheduled to testify on a 1994 antisemitic terrorist attack in Buenos Aires that killed dozens and wounded hundreds more, implicating Argentinian President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner in covering up supposed Iranian involvement. Connect with Justin:jwproductions.tvTwitter: @Justin_JWPNisman: The President, The Prosecutor, and The Spy is currently available on Netflix. You can watch it here. https://www.netflix.com/title/80197991Connect with Spycraft 101:Check out Justin's latest release, Covert Arms, here.spycraft101.comIG: @spycraft101Shop: spycraft-101.myshopify.comPatreon: Spycraft 101Find Justin's first book, Spyshots: Volume One, here.Download the free eBook, The Clandestine Operative's Sidearm of Choice, here.Support the show

Today Justin sits down with author and retired FBI special agent John Whiteside III. Since leaving the FBI after working 30 years of Cold War counterintelligence cases, John has worked as a private investigator and as a government consultant. Today, John discusses one of the highest profile cases of his career: the discovery and arrest of Robert Steven Lipka. Lipka was an Army solider assigned to the NSA who spent the mid 60s passing classified documents to the Soviet government. His acts of espionage weren't uncovered until 1992. when an investigative tip surfaced from a completely unexpected source, leading John and his fellow investigators into a lenghty investigation until they finally put Lipka under arrest. Connect with John:johnwhitesidebooks.comCheck out John's book, Fool's Mate, here.https://www.amazon.com/Fools-Mate-Espionage-National-Security/dp/1493597051Connect with Spycraft 101:Check out Justin's latest release, Covert Arms, here.spycraft101.comIG: @spycraft101Shop: spycraft-101.myshopify.comPatreon: Spycraft 101Find Justin's first book, Spyshots: Volume One, here.Download the free eBook, The Clandestine Operative's Sidearm of Choice, here.Clandestine LaboratoriesYour new favorite fragrance is here. I'm partial to Novochoc.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 brings on journalist and author Howard Blum.  Howard studied at Stanford University where he received both his bachelor's and master's degree and has worked as a reporter for the New York Times where he was nominated twice for the Pulitzer Prize. More recently, he was a contributing editor for Vanity Fair. He's also the author of several best selling non-fiction books, several of which have been optioned for films.  Today, Howard tells the story of the mysterious death of a senior agency employee, which might not have been a death at all. The employee was hunting a mole during the Cold War, but his quest notoriously divided the CIA into two factions--those who believed him, and those who thought he was a victim of a complex web of disinformation woven by his KGB source.Connect with Howard:howardblum.comTwitter: @HowardBlumCheck out Howard's book, The Spy Who Knew Too Much, here.https://www.amazon.com/Spy-Who-Knew-Too-Much/dp/0063054213#:~:text=Tennent%20%E2%80%9CPete%E2%80%9D%20Bagley%20was%20once,himself%20to%20be%20the%20mole.Connect with Spycraft 101:Check out Justin's latest release, Covert Arms, here.spycraft101.comIG: @spycraft101Shop: spycraft-101.myshopify.comPatreon: Spycraft 101Find Justin's first book, Spyshots: Volume One, here.Download the free eBook, The Clandestine Operative's Sidearm of Choice, here.Clandestine LaboratoriesYour new favorite fragrance is here. I'm partial to Novochoc.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 answers questions you've submitted via Instagram. He dives into  the deaths of Spanish espionage agents in Iraq and covers the story an American revolutionary. Tune in to hear about the weapons real spies carry every day, how Hollywood adapts real espionage events, and more. Keep a look out on Instagram for your next chance to submit your biggest questions about clandestine work.Connect with Spycraft 101:Check out Justin's latest release, Covert Arms, here.spycraft101.comIG: @spycraft101Shop: spycraft-101.myshopify.comPatreon: Spycraft 101Find Justin's first book, Spyshots: Volume One, here.Download the free eBook, The Clandestine Operative's Sidearm of Choice, here.Clandestine LaboratoriesYour new favorite fragrance is here. I'm partial to Novochoc.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

In this solo episode, Justin dives into some of the most intriguing and suspicious deaths related to espionage in the last 80 years.  While the USA and the USSR never saw combat with each other during the Cold War, their clandestine operations resulted in many casualties and fatalities over the years. Apparent suicides, murders without explanation, and plane crashes abound.  Some of these deaths appear straightforward, but become suspicious when an informed eye takes a closer look.Connect with Spycraft 101:Check out Justin's latest release, Covert Arms, here.spycraft101.comIG: @spycraft101Shop: spycraft-101.myshopify.comPatreon: Spycraft 101Find Justin's first book, Spyshots: Volume One, here.Download the free eBook, The Clandestine Operative's Sidearm of Choice, here.15-Minute Cold WarUse your forces to attack opponents and defend yourself in this new card game.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 has his first repeat guest. Lee Gossett is back to talk CIA missions. Lee first joined us for episode 13. In his last episode, Lee and Justin dove into Lee's time as a smoker jumper and the years he spent working for Air America in the Secret War in Laos, and this time Lee is sharing stories of his time flying all over the world for the CIA after Air America went under. From Laos to El Salvador, Columbia, Honduras, and more, Lee has seen it all and lived to tell the tale.Check out Lee's first interview in episode 13 here.https://www.buzzsprout.com/1780478/9032468Connect with Lee:Check out his book, Smoke Jumper to Global Pilot: a True Odyssey, here. Available soon on Kindle. https://www.amazon.com/Smokejumper-Global-Pilot-True-Odyssey/dp/0578614715Connect with Spycraft 101:Check out Justin's latest release, Covert Arms, here.spycraft101.comIG: @spycraft101Shop: spycraft-101.myshopify.comPatreon: Spycraft 101Find Justin's first book, Spyshots: Volume One, here.Download the free eBook, The Clandestine Operative's Sidearm of Choice, here.15-Minute Cold WarUse your forces to attack opponents and defend yourself in this new card game.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 chats with author and Air Force intelligence veteran Brian Morra. Brian was an intelligence officer in the US Air Force and Air Force Reserve for 15 years before shifting his focus  to the aerospace and defense industry, where he spent many years managing intelligence programs. Brian finally retired as a senior Vice President at the end of 2016 and began writing his debut novel. Today, we focus on a  pivotal event that took place 1983, what some historians call the most dangerous year on Earth. This  a little-known Soviet fiasco brought the world to the brink of nuclear war. Brian's book, The Able Archers, covers this event and his real experience as a young intelligence officer dealing with its repercussions in real time.Connect with Brian:brianjmorra.comRead a free sample of Brian's book, The Able Archers, here.https://the-able-archers.subscribemenow.com/Buy the book here.https://www.amazon.com/Able-Archers-Brian-J-Morra/dp/1646635647Connect with Spycraft 101:Check out Justin's latest release, Covert Arms, here.spycraft101.comIG: @spycraft101Shop: spycraft-101.myshopify.comPatreon: Spycraft 101Find Justin's first book, Spyshots: Volume One, here.Download the free eBook, The Clandestine Operative's Sidearm of Choice, here.15-Minute Cold WarUse your forces to attack opponents and defend yourself in this new card game.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

Today Justin sits down with anonymous source known as Sarah.Sarah is veteran member of the special operations and intelligence community, having served as an NCO with the US Air Force for more than 10 years. She has also worked as an Arabic linguist, spending much of her time in the Middle East and Africa. She is a reputable source Justin knows personally, and has requested anonymity in the episode due to privacy concerns.For the first time, we'll really dive in to 21st century intelligence and espionage from the realities of the Snowden case to the threat of Chinese hegemony.For more information, check out Unrestricted Warfare, the literature mentioned in this episode, here.https://Unrestricted-Warfare.subscribemenow.comConnect with Spycraft 101:Check out Justin's latest release, Covert Arms, here.spycraft101.comIG: @spycraft101Shop: spycraft-101.myshopify.comPatreon: Spycraft 101Find Justin's first book, Spyshots: Volume One, here.Download the free eBook, The Clandestine Operative's Sidearm of Choice, here.15-Minute Cold WarUse your forces to attack opponents and defend yourself in this new card game.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