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

Today, author and journalist Toby Harnden provides timely reflection on the events leading up to and following the September 11th attack on the World Trade Center. Hear unique details on the CIA mission launched to avenge those lost, as well as an interesting comparison between the current state of global politics and the very beginning of the war on terror. Connect with Toby:www.tobyharnden.comTwitter: @tobyharndenCheck out Toby's book, First Casualty: The Untold Story of the CIA Mission to Avenge 9/11, here.https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08RYQY1KQ/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i0Connect 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

In this episode, Dr. Eric Haseltine  (self-proclaimed neuroscientist gone bad) tells the story of NSA agent Charles Gandy. Gandy was part of an uncharacteristic collaboration between the CIA and the NSA to find out what was happening in Cold War-era Moscow. Secret information was constantly ending up in Soviet hands, and assets were compromised left and right. It's a true tale of American hubris (and psychology) Haseltine believes we can learn from today. There may be people out there who are smarter than we are--and have better tech. Instead of ignoring or laughing off these threats, it's imperative to investigate and prepare. Connect with Dr. Haseltine:www.drhaseltine.comCheck out Dr. Hasletine's book, The Spy in Moscow Station, here.https://www.amazon.com/Spy-Moscow-Station-Counterspys-Deadly/dp/125078137X/ref=tmm_pap_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

This week, Fred Burton shares details on the Cold War-era murder of an Israeli diplomat, Colonel Joe Alon, in the US. Fred is a former special agent and current executive director for the center for protective intelligence at ONTIC. Hear him share his personal connections to the case as well as what it took to finally solve who pulled the trigger. Connect with Fred:officialfredburton.comTwitter: @fred_burtonIG: @officialfredburtonFred's book, Chasing Shadows here on Amazon.https://www.amazon.com/Chasing-Shadows-Special-Lifelong-Assassin/dp/0230620558Connect 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

This week, Author and BBC reporter Helena Merriman shares the story of the covert construction of the Berlin Wall, and the way it tore families apart. Hear heartbreaking accounts of "orphaned" children whose parents were alive and well on the other side, lovers separated, and the desperate measures East German citizens took in attempts to escape oppression. How many were able to flee?Helana's book, Tunnel 29: The True Story of an Extraordinary Escape Beneath the Berlin Wall https://www.amazon.com/Tunnel-29-Extraordinary-Escape-Beneath/dp/1541788842Connect 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

Lee Gossett (friend of  Spycraft 101 alumnus Neil Hansen) shares his experience from starting his flight career as a smoke jumper fighting remote forest firs to flying for Air America, the CIA's secret airline, in Laos. Lee shares stories about friends who passed and what it was like flying above Laos and Vietnam. Do you know the difference between hard rice and soft rice? (Hint: one isn't actually rice.)Check out Lee's book:Smoke Jumper to Global Pilot: a True Odyssey here.https://www.amazon.com/Smokejumper-Global-Pilot-True-Odyssey/dp/0578614715Connect 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

What you do if you found the man responsible for sharing classified Navy secrets with the Chinese government? Former FBI agent James Gaylord shares his story.  From covert house searches to arresting Chinese spies at the airport tune in to this episode to hear what it's really like working counterterrorism for the FBI.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

In this episode, David E. Hoffman goes into detail on the long-running espionage of Russian radar scientist, Adolf Tolkachev. Tolkachev was so determined to bring down the USSR that he approached the CIA in Moscow himself and risked his life to bring the US hundreds of secret documents that would prove invaluable.Connect with Spycraft 101:IG: @spycraft101Patreon: Spycraft 101Support the show