Eye Spy: The Intelligence History Podcast

Summary:

Our Man in Stockholm, as he's known on Substack, takes us behind the scenes of Sweden's secret Cold War. Johan Wennström, Research Fellow at the Swedish Defense University and author of The Stay Behinds: Sweden's Cold War Guardians pieces together a hidden history from archives, interviews, private diaries, and sheds light on the men behind the code words.

What You'll Learn:

• 'The Men of 1949' like Alvar Lindencrona, codenamed 'wild man' which evolved to 'shaggy man'
• Operation Metro
• Military thriller 'Operation Garbo' and the very real Soviet submarine incursions in the Swedish archipelagos

And much, much more...

Summary:

Dr. Filip Kovacevic is a research scholar of Soviet and Russian intelligence history and spy fiction. He has more than 25 years of university teaching experience and currently teaches at the University of San Francisco. His new book KGB Literati: Spy Fiction and State Security draws on KGB archival materials and Soviet publications to deliver the first English account of spy fiction written by Soviet intelligence and counterintelligence officers.

What You'll Learn:

• Dreams, fiction and espionage in the Soviet Union and Russia today
• Chekist Soviet and Russian heroes & the art of storytelling
• Famous and lesser known Soviet officers and fiction writers

And much, much more...

Summary:

Sean M. Wiswesser has nearly 30 years of experience working as a national security professional with intelligence, foreign service, and defense organizations. His book, Tradecraft, Tactics and Dirty Tricks: Russian Intelligence and Putin’s Secret War explores the tactics employed by the three main services of Russia’s intelligence apparatus: the SVR, GRU, and FSB.

What You'll Learn:

• Cold War Veterans and Today's New Cold War
• Nature of the Russian Surveillance State
• Training and deploying Illegals

And much, much more...

Summary:

Dr David Tuch is a technology entrepreneur and author. He holds a PhD from MIT and Harvard Medical School. His debut book, The Wireless Operator, sheds light on the remarkable true story of his cousin, Harold Derber, who pioneered the modern drug trade through his invention of the “drug mothership.”

What You'll Learn:

• Origins of the Modern Narcotics Trade in America
• Dynamics of Organized Crime during the Cold War and the ‘Mothership Loophole’
• Cuban–Colombian “guns-for-drugs” Trade

And much, much more...

Music Credit: Secret Room by Luminbird & Ophelia by Roo Walker

Summary:

Dr. Aaron Bateman is an assistant professor of history and international affairs at George Washington University. Prior to graduate school, he served as a US Air Force intelligence officer. In this episode, he discusses his book Weapons in Space: Technology, Politics, and the Rise and Fall of the Strategic Defense Initiative (MIT Press, 2024).

What You'll Learn:

• What the Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI) actually was and how it fit within the broader legal and political landscape governing military activities in space.
• Vulnerabilities in Cold War communication systems and the development of layered global networks stretching from undersea cables to satellites in space.
• The realities of space warfare today, from satellite hacking to the Golden Dome project.

And much, much more...

Music Credit: Secret Room by Luminbird & Endless Puzzle by AVBE

Summary:

Shaun Walker, The Guardian’s central and eastern Europe correspondent, discusses his latest book, The Illegals: Russia’s Most Audacious Spies and their century-long mission to infiltrate the West.

The Illegals is out in the US today and will be available in the UK on April 17.

What You'll Learn:

• The enduring nature of the illegals program, from the Bolsheviks through to the modern day
• The history and psychology of people living under false identities
• How “Virtual Illegals” carry forward the legacy of human intelligence

And much, much more...

Music Credit: Secret Room by Luminbird & Underworld by Revo

Summary:

Dr. David Alvarez, professor at Saint Mary's College of California, discusses his adventures researching in the Vatican Secret Archive, and delves into one of his books Spies in the Vatican: Espionage and Intrigue from Napoleon to the Holocaust.

What You'll Learn:

• The Catholic Church, the Vatican and the Soviets
• Nazi Germany's Operations against Vatican City
• “Vessel” and "Dusty": Virgilio Scattolini, the fabricator who provided false intelligence on the Vatican to the OSS

And much, much more...

Music Credit: Secret Room by Luminbird & Glimmering by Dan Phillipson

Summary:

Dr. David Alvarez, professor at Saint Mary's College of California, discusses his adventures researching in the Vatican Secret Archive, and delves into one of his books Spies in the Vatican: Espionage and Intrigue from Napoleon to the Holocaust.

Stay tuned for Part II of this discussion, which will be available a week from today.

What You'll Learn:

• How-to guide to navigating the Vatican Secret Archive, known today as the Vatican Apostolic Archive
• Evolving Role of Intelligence for the Papacy from the beginning of the 19th Century to World War II
• What makes the Vatican's relationship with intelligence distinct

And much, much more...

Music Credit: Secret Room by Luminbird & Glimmering by Dan Phillipson

Summary:

Dr. Kate Vigurs, historian and author of Mission France (2021) and Mission Europe (2025), is a research fellow at the University of Warwick and a fellow of the Royal Historical Society. In this episode, she discusses the history of the 39 women who served in the Special Operations Executive's F Section.

What You'll Learn:

• Approaches and Methods of writing about the SOE, including sources such as interviews of Pearl Witherington and Yvonne Baseden (as well as Bob Maloubier)
• The Process of Recruitment and Extensive Training of SOE agents
• The rise and fall of the PROSPER circuit and D-Day

And much, much more...

Music Credit: Secret Room by Luminbird & United in Purpose by Revo

Summary:

Dr. Niccolò Petrelli, Assistant Professor in the Department of International Studies at the University of Roma Tre and author of numerous works on international security, counterinsurgency, and war, discusses US-Italian intelligence cooperation during the Cold War, covert operations, and the evolution of Operation Gladio.

What You'll Learn:

• Evolution of the Asymmetric Relationship between US and Italian Intelligence Agencies
• James Jesus Angleton's role in Italo-American relations
• Network "Los Angeles"

And much, much more...

Music Credit: Secret Room by Luminbird & Dangerous Science by Apex Music