Chris and Brandon discuss a few things happening around the world. 

Brandon and I go over the rising tensions between Russia, Ukraine, and the West. Brandon gives us some historical context for where things are at now, and he makes a prediction or two.

After having lived and worked in Kazakhstan for some time, Brandon gives us a breakdown of what led to the recent mass protests and subsequent violence. What caused the uprising? Were the protests started by outside agitators? Did foreign terrorists take advantage of national unrest to attempt a coup? And if so, were key government officials involved in some way? 

Toward the end of the Second World War, many Americans had rather strong feelings about Fascists, mostly, that Fascists were evil and tyrranical, fueled by hatred and a total disregard for human life.

But there were some who didn’t feel that the Fascists were all that bad. Some Americans actually thought that perhaps the Fascists actually had some good points, if you didn’t get too hung up on the violent anti-semitism.

Jim Angleton fell solidly in the latter category. As a young man, he was intrigued by the ideology of Fascism. As he grew up, Jim denounced fascism in all the appropriate meetings and hearings. But behind the scenes, he helped facilitate the migration of Nazis and Italian fascists into the service and protection of the United States government.

Were it not for a handful of loud, persistent voices shouting “Fire” about Stalin’s intentions toward Western Values, the Cold War may well have never occurred, or may at least have been less brutal, less deadly. And maybe the United States wouldn’t have compromised its stated moral codes so egregiously in the decades following the end of the Second World War.

A liberal Southern lawyer was one of those few, loud voices. Frank Wisner, a man socially ahead of his time, did what he thought was necessary to stop what he considered a spreading scourge of tyranny and violence. And in doing so, he enabled innumerable crimes against humanity.

Kim Philby was born into peculiar circumstances at a pivotal moment in world history, and he played his part in the struggle between ideologies that shaped our modern world. But to ask who he was is perhaps too big a question to ever fully understand.

It can be said of Philby that he was a genial man -- pleasant and inquisitive. People tended to trust him instinctively, and he was always a willing confidant to anyone with something to get off of their chest.

He suffered from a slight stutter early in life, which some have speculated he used to his advantage whenever he needed an extra moment to think of a lie on the spot. Philby inspired loyalty, trust, and a sense of security in those who moved within his sphere of influence. It was this ability that allowed Philby to work for Moscow in secret for so many years without drawing suspicion

Sadly, we had to postpone this week's episode. But I do discuss a man who deserves his own episode somewhere down the road: St John Philby, father of notorious double-agent Kim Philby. We thought this might help understand Kim Philby, whom we will be covering with the next episode. See you soon! (Well, not literally "see you soon," but we'll have a new episode out soon and we hope you listen to it!)

Somebody had to teach Americans how to conduct espionage, and British spymaster William Samuel Stephenson was just the man for the job. He taught American spies how to lie, cheat, and use the media to manipulate the populace. He laid the groundwork for practices that would ultimately undermine public trust in the government, leading to where we are today.

As the war between the U.S. and the Taliban comes to an end after 20 years, Brandon and Chris discuss the history behind the current situation, conditions surrounding the withdrawal of U.S. troops, and what might be next for Afghanistan.

Hey there, valued assets, I mean agents, I mean audience. How's it going? 

Just wanted to say that we've gotten behind on production. I'm in the process of relocating my base of operations. And Brandon is on extended holiday, touring Eastern Europe with his family. 

But we've got more episodes coming soon. So continue to monitor this communications channel for intel drops. 

We'll see you soon, although you probably won't see us.