SPYCRAFT 101

Today, author and journalist John Pomfret shares details about the true story of an interesting alliance involving Polish spies aiding the United States. After years of working against each other, ex-communist spies in Poland following a democratic election ended up working hand in hand with the country they'd been pinned against for most of the Cold War.Connect with John:johnpomfret.comTwitter: @JEPomfretCheck out his book, From Warsaw with Love, here.https://www.amazon.com/Warsaw-Love-Forging-Unlikely-Alliance/dp/1250296056Connect with Spycraft 101:IG: @spycraft101Patreon: Spycraft 101Buy the book: here on AmazonSupport the show

Today, author and former special forces officer Greg Walker shares 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:IG: @spycraft101Patreon: Spycraft 101Buy the book: here on AmazonSupport the show

Today, author and renowned journalist Blaine Harden tells the unique story of Donald Nichols, a young intelligence officer operating in Korea. Nichols was known for being big, powerful, and morally ambiguous--but his accomplishments in Korea are virtually unknown. From warning General McArthur and the U.S. Army of the incoming Korean War (to no avail) to being falsely diagnosed with schizophrenia and undergoing electroshock therapy at the hands of the Air Force, Nichols lived a life full of surprises.Connect with Blaine:blaineharden.comCheck out Blaine's book on Nichols, King of Spies, here.https://www.amazon.com/dp/0143128868Connect with Spycraft 101:IG: @spycraft101Patreon: Spycraft 101Buy the book: here on AmazonSupport the show

Today, Justin sits down solo to discuss Operation Jaque. This noteworthy mission took place in Colombia, where the local military managed to rescue 15 hostages from the extremist Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC). FARC was known for its ruthlessness, and past rescue missions had resulted in death or injury for all but one hostage. In this unique situation, strategy percolated from the bottom of the ranks to the top, and the hostages (two of whom were Americans and a third a former Colombian presidential candidate) were successfully recovered thanks to unique intelligence.Connect with Spycraft 101:IG: @spycraft101Patreon: Spycraft 101Buy the book: here on AmazonSupport the show

Today, hear from author and counterintelligence professional Aden Magee. Aden discusses how Cold War espionage began in a relatively friendly manner and evolved into the high stakes stories we know today. Initial "liaison tours" served as methods of intelligence collection as tensions rose between the USSR and the other Allied powers. As boundaries on restricted areas were drawn, tours became more and more dangerous with the risk of Soviet or East German detention, vehicle ramming, and shooting of MLM officers who strayed too close to restricted lines.Connect with Aden:LinkedIn: Aden MageeCheck out Aden's book, The Cold War Wilderness of Mirrors, here.https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09672Q27C/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i1Connect with Spycraft 101:IG: @spycraft101Patreon: Spycraft 101Buy the book: here on AmazonSupport the show

Today, hear about the real experiences of Cold War pilots from expert Robert Hopkins III. Through a combination of personal experience as an overflight pilot, intense research, and varying interviews he shares the reality of aerial Cold War reconnaissance. From the infamous U2 incident of 1960 to stories the public has hardly heard, Robert provides an inside look into the lives and missions of pilots and aerial teams during one of the tensest eras of US history. Connect with Robert:Twitter: @CobraBall3Check out Robert's book, Spy Flights and Overflights, here.https://www.amazon.com/Spyflights-Overflights-Strategic-Reconnaissance-1945-1960/dp/1902109503Connect with Spycraft 101:IG: @spycraft101Patreon: Spycraft 101Buy the book: here on AmazonSupport the show

Today, hear from author, crisis manager, and public relations expert Eric Dezenhall about one of the strangest friendships in Cold War history. Jack Platt and Gennady Vasilenko forged a strong brotherly connection despite their respective loyalties to the CIA and the KGB. They shared a love of shooting and a thirst for adventure, but one of their greatest feats is revealing the FBI's most notorious double agent: Robert Hanssen. Listen to hear stories of Jack and Gennady's misadventures and what it took to bring down one of the worst spies in history.Connect with Eric:dezbooks.netBuy Eric's book, Best of Enemies, here or here on Amazon.https://www.amazon.com/Best-Enemies-Last-Great-Story/dp/1538761319Connect with Spycraft 101:IG: @spycraft101Patreon: Spycraft 101Buy the book: here on Amazonhttps://www.amazon.com/Spy-Shots-Tales-World-Espionage/dp/B09BY3WH71/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1628473373&sr=1-2Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/spycraft101)Support the show

Today, Dr. Serhii Plokhy shares the story of KGB assassin Bogdan Stashinsky. Stashinsky is best known for assassinating a man on a bridge using a gun that contained a poison pellet as opposed to a bullet, ultimately killing his target in a way that appeared to be natural causes. Following his defection, his case involved a highly publicized assassination trial in 1962. Thanks to his honesty, Soviet leaders were finally implicated in many of the killings they had ordered and the KGB was put under pressure to reform their cruel tactics.Check out Dr. Plokhy's book, The Man with the Poison Gun, here.https://www.amazon.com/Man-Poison-Gun-Cold-Story/dp/0465035906/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=Connect with Spycraft 101:IG: @spycraft101Patreon: Spycraft 101Buy the book: here on Amazonhttps://www.amazon.com/Spy-Shots-Tales-World-Espionage/dp/B09BY3WH71/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1628473373&sr=1-2Support the show

It's Mason, Peter Mason. Today, guest Dr. Richard Wooldridge dives into the interesting lives of talented MI6 agents Prudence and Peter Mason. Part of a specialized unit called the Baker Team that sought to even the score with war criminals who had faced no repercussions following World War II, Peter Mason was literally licensed by the British government to kill. Speculation suggests that Peter--who knew Ian Fleming himself--is the chief inspiration for the most famous fictional intelligence agent in our cultural lexicon: James Bond. And what about Prudence? Despite a slim information available, we know she played a formative part in many missions abroad (in high-stakes locations like British Palestine) thanks to her impressive linguistic skills.Check out the Combined Military Services Museum, founded by Dr. Wooldridge, here.https://cmsm.co.uk/Connect with Spycraft 101:IG: @spycraft101Patreon: Spycraft 101Buy the book: here on Amazonhttps://www.amazon.com/Spy-Shots-Tales-World-Espionage/dp/B09BY3WH71/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1628473373&sr=1-2Support the show

Today, Justin tells the story of former KGB officer Nikolai Evgenievich Khokhlov. Starting his career as a vaudeville performer before being recruited by pre-KGB Russian intelligence, Nikolai was highly skilled, and lived an incredible life. Hear all about his story from assassinating world leaders to testifying about the true cruelty of the KGB on national television.Connect with Spycraft 101:IG: @spycraft101Patreon: Spycraft 101Buy the book: here on Amazonhttps://www.amazon.com/Spy-Shots-Tales-World-Espionage/dp/B09BY3WH71/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1628473373&sr=1-2Support the show