SpyCast

Summary

Jonathan B. Smith (X; LinkedIn) joins Andrew (X; LinkedIn) to discuss the application of intelligence to entrepreneurship. Jonathan is an entrepreneur, author, and business strategist.

What You’ll Learn

Intelligence

Reflections

And much, much more …

Quotes of the Week

“I often switch languages …I'll speak from a medical CEO's perspective versus a financial services CEO perspective. And people, when you use their language, they tend to lean in. They're like, “Oh, you understand me.” It's fascinating – People don't want to know how much you know until they know how much you care.” – Jonathan B. Smith.

Resources 

SURFACE SKIM

*SpyCasts*

*Beginner Resources*

DEEPER DIVE

Books

Ean Forsythe joins Andrew to discuss the history of Cuban intelligence. Ean is the Counterintelligence and Security Center Chair at the National Intelligence University. 

• Watch Erin bake Ana Montes’ famous cheesecake recipe and dive deeper into Ana’s story in SPY's Declassified Desserts video! 

Eliot Higgins (X; Wikipedia) joins Andrew (X; LinkedIn) to discuss the work of Bellingcat. Eliot founded the open-source investigative website in 2014. 

“When I first started doing this work ... I would present geolocation and stuff on stage. The reaction was like I was doing magic tricks, but my point was that. This isn't magic – This is something that you can do and recreate and understand.” - Eliot Higgins.

Cameron Malin (LinkedIn) joins Andrew (X; LinkedIn) to discuss cyber and behavioral profiling. Cameron was the creator and founder of the FBI’s Cyber Behavioral Analysis Center. 

“We need to think about cybersecurity as not just hacking and malware and the obvious tangible or known weapons that are used, it includes mental malware … Deep fakes and disinformation, things that can cause erroneous decision making that are just as powerful.” – Cameron Malin

Chris Voss (X; LinkedIn) joins Andrew (X; LinkedIn) to discuss the art of negotiation. Chris formerly served as the FBI lead international hostage negotiator. 

“Never take advice from somebody that you wouldn’t trade places with. Never take directions from somebody who hasn’t been where you’re going … I’m coachable, but I know who to be coached by.” – Chris Voss.

Jim Himes (Website; X) joins Andrew (X; LinkedIn) to discuss the U.S. House Intelligence Committee. Jim has served as the U.S. representative for Connecticut’s 4th congressional district since 2009. 

“I get asked all the time, ‘Oh my gosh, you see all the threats. Do you sleep at night?’ … Yes, I do see with particularly exquisite detail the threats against us. I also get to see the detail of the assets and the people that we deploy against those threats. And because I get to see with great detail the assets and the tools that we have to address those threats, yes, I do sleep at night. Not because they will ever be perfect, but because these are incredibly dedicated people, the technology is amazing, and it is commensurate with the threats out there.” -Jim Himes

Jennifer Ewbank (LinkedIn) joins Andrew (X; LinkedIn) to discuss the integration of technology within intelligence. Jennifer recently retired from her role as Deputy Director of CIA for Digital Innovation.  

“Intelligence isn't about knowing exactly what's going to happen … It's about delivering a decision advantage to our policymakers. Decision advantage doesn't mean that I can tell you precisely what's going to happen and when. You never have perfect information, and you have to be able to move still. You can't be paralyzed by a desire to seek that last detail when, particularly in digital tech space, like the world is moving rapidly all around you.” – Jennifer Ewbank.

Pete Langman and Nadine Akkerman join Andrew to discuss espionage in Elizabethan England. Pete and Nadine are authors of the new book Spycraft: Tricks and Tools of the Dangerous Trade from Elizabeth I to the Restoration. 

“Spies are involved with bribery. They cheat and they lie, so it’s immoral, and often there are things that are just illegal in other instances, such as forgery of documents. Other people would get their ears clipped or their noses slit if they forged documents.If you are a spy, you are being asked to do that on the job. So it's a dangerous game and the lines are very thin.” – Nadine Akkerman.

Jason Barrett (LinkedIn) joins Andrew (X; LinkedIn) to discuss the integration of open-source intelligence into the American Intelligence Community. Jason is the first-ever OSINT Executive. 

“We're living in an age when credibility and trust is really important to build. This is an opportunity for the IC to really build that trust, I think in important ways. So, it's an area I think you will see more of us being more transparent in our work.” – Jason Barrett. 

Tim Tate (Website) joins Andrew (X; LinkedIn) to discuss the Spycatcher Affair. Tim is a best-selling author and award-winning filmmaker. 

"[Wright] found truly acres of paperwork from old files which had been disregarded and hadn't been properly followed up on and leads that hadn't been properly followed. And when he pulled at them, those threads of evidence, and when he chased it down, what he found, as often as not, was genuine reason to suspect that the penetration, the widespread penetration, was real and serious.” – Tim Tate

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