SPYCRAFT 101

In this episode, Justin sits down with retired CIA paramilitary operations officer, Felix Rodriguez. Felix took part in many of the pivotal events of the Cold War from covert action against Fidel Castro in Cuba to operations in the Vietnam War and Laos to supporting to the Contras in Nicaragua. Most famously, he was one of two Cubans that took part in the hunt for Che Guevara in Bolivia. Today, Felix shares his journey to the CIA, what it was like growing up in Cuba as the likes of Guevara and Castro took power, and more.  A bonus episode detailing time Felix spent interviewing Che Guevara after his capture is available now on Patreon.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.Support the show Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

This week, Justin sits down with journalist Chris Carola. Chris spent many years following the story of Jack Wilpers, one of the last surviving men on a team of World War II soldiers that captured Hideki Tojo, prime minister of Japan during WWII and a convicted war criminal. Jack was difficult to get ahold of, but Chris never backed down. Hear about Jack's interesting upbringing, his journey to counterintelligence, and key details of the events that led to Tojo's capture--and  Jack's CIA career to follow.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.Support the show Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Today, Justin sits down with Terry McIntosh. Terry enlisted in the army at age 17, and joined special forces at age 18. He soon became one of the youngest men to wear a green beret in Vietnam. Terry was involved in the infamous Green Beret Affair, in which a Vietnamese double agent was identified and killed by his special forces team. Terry shares his journey to special forces, his experiences in the war, including serving on a special forces A-team and earning a combat badge.Connect with Terry:Email: terry@usajourney.usCheck out his book, The Youngest Green Beret, here.Learn more about Terry's missionary nonprofit: usajourney.ushttps://www.amazon.com/YOUNGEST-GREEN-BERET-Vietnam-1968-1969/dp/173151784XConnect 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 Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Today, Justin chats with writer, academic, and engineer George Bearfield. George is the grandson of Jaroslav Bublík, one of the last men to parachute into Bohemia and Moravia (now Czechoslovakia) in World War II. Jaroslav and his cousin Josef conducted espionage operations in the region while it was occupied by Nazi Germany until Josef was famously killed in Prague soon after assassinating German SS officer Reinhard Heydrich. George dives into the details of their dangerous parachute missions, the legacy they left in modern Czechia, and the rest of his grandfather's life.An extended edition of this episode featuring 11 minutes of additional interview content, including more on Operation Anthropoid and Heydrich's assassination, is available now on Patreon.Connect with George:Twitter:  @GeorgeBearfield@TheLastParachutist IG: @TheLastParachutistCheck out George's book, Foursquare: The Last Parachutist, here.https://www.amazon.com/Foursquare-Last-Parachutist-George-Bearfield/dp/1527286568Connect 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 Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

This week, Justin chats with Enrique "Ric" Prado, a retired case officer and Paramilitary operative of the CIA.  Ric is also the author of his memoir, Black Ops.  Ric dives into his career, from fleeing the Peter Pan Project and his home country of Cuba to serving in Nicaragua with the Contras, including past guest Mike Lima AKA Luis Moreno.  Soon after his time in Latin America and a few years in the Phillippines, Ric was contracted by the CIA to form the very task force that eventually took down Osama bin Laden. Outed by newspapers as CIA in 2009, Ric is the highest-ranking American covert operator to share his story publicly.An extended edition of this episode, featuring 26 minutes of additional interview content, is available now on Patreon.Check out Episode 34: Life as a Nicaraguan Contra with Luis Moreno for more on the Contras, the Sandinistas, and Nicaraguan counterrevolution.Connect with Ric:ricprado.comBuy his book, Black Ops:  The Life of a CIA Shadow Warrior, here.https://www.amazon.com/Black-Ops-Life-Shadow-Warrior/dp/1250271843LinkedIn: Enrique (Ric) PradoConnect with Spycraft 101:Check out Justin's latest release, Covert Arms, here.spycraft101.comIG: @spycraft101Shop: spycraft-101.myshopify.comPatreon: Spycraft 101 Find Justin's first book, Spyshots: Volume One, here.Download the free eBook, The Clandestine Operative's Sidearm of Choice, here.Support the show Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

This week, Justin sits down with John Capello, former Air Force Lieutenant Colonel and air attache and founder and president of the Halyard Mission Foundation. The mission itself involved rescuing over 500 US airmen from occupied Serbia in WWII with the help of Serbian nationals.  John shares his own experiences as an air attache in Israel and Serbia. Each country posed difference challenges and attitudes due to differences in the progress of their relationships with the US. Then, John dives into the true story of the Halyard Mission--including just how important the Serbs were to the mission's success. This incredible military feat operated in secret right under the enemy's nose with no losses over a period of five months thanks to protection from brave Serbian civilians. Connect with John:halyardmission.orgConnect 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 Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In this episode, Justin reflects on the one-year anniversary of the Spycraft 101 Podcast. He details the history of Spycraft 101 from book ideas to the Instagram account finally the podcast, and gives shoutouts to those who have helped him along the way. Tune in for this special anniversary retrospective from your favorite espionage enthusiast.Previous episodes mentioned this week:Episode 01 - The Life and Lies of Fritz Joubert Duquesne with Andrew Blasco (here)Episode 02 - The Reality of Life in the CIA with Doug Patteson (here)Episode 03 - The Man in Moscow with Michael D. Sellers (here)Epsiode 43 - The Assassins Immortalized on Russia's Stamps with Mark Pruett (here)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.Support the show Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

This week Justin chats with author and former Navy SEAL and CIA contractor Jim Hawes. Jim served in Vietnam and worked with the CIA in the Congo to counter the spread of communist  ideals and anti-western rebel activities. Today, Jim tells his story and shares details of his experiences, from becoming a SEAL and early in the life of the program to his role in the Gulf of Tonkin incident and finally locating Che Guevara, among several intelligence feats. Connect with Jim:Check out his book, Cold War Navy SEAL, here.https://www.amazon.com/Cold-War-Navy-SEAL-Communist/dp/151073418XConnect 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 Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

This week Justin sits down with author and Historian Dr. Kate Vigurs. Kate shares the story of the women hired by Britain's Special Operations Executive, a mysterious organization that operated during World War II to conduct sabotage, reconnaissance, and espionage missions in occupied Europe. These brave women had to prove themselves as strong and worthy of dangerous work to compete with their male colleagues.  From members of the Women's Auxiliary Air Force to women who were heard speaking excellent French at parties, female SOE personnel came from all walks of life. The work of the SOE and the women who joined it ultimately contributed to Allied victory and the fall of the Nazi regime.Connect with Dr. Vigurs:katevigurs.comTwitter: @historical_kateCheck out her book, Mission France, here.https://www.amazon.com/Mission-France-True-History-Women/dp/030020857XConnect 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 showSupport the show Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

This week, Justin sits down with author, professor, historian and former intelligence analyst for the state department and the CIA, Dr. Mark Stout.  Today, Mark shares his research on a mysterious early US intelligence entity known as the Pond. The Pond was a secret organization operating between 1942 and 1955, though its existence wasn't formally acknowledged by the US government until 2001. Headed by John V. Grombach, the Pond's unique espionage style was markedly different from the OSS and the CIA, though the quality of its intel has been brought to question. In the end, Grombach was his own worst enemy as his stark world view led to personality clashes  with the CIA, ultimately playing a major role in the end of the Pond.Connect with Mark:spymuseum.orgTwitter: @WWIPhDCheck some of Mark's articles on War on the Rocks, here.https://warontherocks.com/author/mark-stout/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.Support the show Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.