The podcast is a book titled "Operation Underworld" by Matthew Black, which examines the secret collaboration between the U.S. Navy and the Mafia during World War II. Black recounts how a naval intelligence officer named Commander Charles Haffenden, assigned to protect the Port of New York from sabotage, formed an unlikely alliance with notorious mob boss Lucky Luciano to combat enemy spies and subversives on the waterfront. Through interviews with key figures and access to previously classified files, Black reveals the complex, and sometimes ethically dubious, methods used by Haffenden and his team, as they deployed mob informants and undercover agents to root out German saboteurs and gather valuable intelligence. The book explores the motivations and personalities of those involved, highlighting the lengths to which Haffenden went to defend his country and his legacy, while simultaneously exposing the potential consequences of his unorthodox approach to espionage.