SPYCRAFT 101

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.org
Twitter: @WWIPhD
Check 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.com
IG: @spycraft101
Shop: spycraft-101.myshopify.com
Patreon: Spycraft 101

Find Justin's first book, Spyshots: Volume One, here.
Download the free eBook, The Clandestine Operative's Sidearm of Choice, here.

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Today, Justin sits down with business expert, university instructor, and author Mark Pruett. Mark dives into the world of Russia's stamp men--counterintelligence heroes hailed for their victories and honored for their work by having their faces immortalized on national postage. Mark tells the true stories of the heinous acts these Cheka (secret police) committed, covers their unfortunate endings, and asks why Putin chose to reinvigorate Chekist nationalism through postal propoganda.

Connect with Mark:
markwpruett.com
Check out Mark's book, Putin's Boys: The Stamp Men, here.

https://www.amazon.com/Putins-Boys-Stamp-Mark-Pruett/dp/1734498900/?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_w=h0Zs2&pf_rd_p=91202c6f-1c11-4e3d-b51a-3af958cedd30&pf_rd_r=NWH18WHEMMP1B8ZD7VZP&pd_rd_r=f259ac65-4432-43c4-a46f-d95104974740&pd_rd_wg=1eVVN&ref_=aufs_ap_sc_dsk

Connect with Spycraft 101:
Check out Justin's latest release, Covert Arms, here.
spycraft101.com
IG: @spycraft101
Shop: spycraft-101.myshopify.com
Patreon: 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.

Today, Justin chats with Janet Ray. Janet lost her father, Pete Ray, when his plane was shot down by Cuban defenses in the invasion of the Bay of Pigs, an effort to retake Cuba from Castro. Met with lies and secrecy from the US government, Janet spent years finding answers on what happened to father as well as other men who didn't come home--including fighting to have their remains returned from Cuba. Justin hopes her story can shed light on how espionage and covert operations affect families around the world.

Connect with Spycraft 101:
IG: @spycraft101
Patreon: Spycraft 101
Buy the book: here on Amazon
Download the free eBook: The Clandestine Operative's Sidearm of Choice: here.

https://spycraft101-400d7.gr8.com/

Support the show

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Tune back in for part two of Justin's interview with former diplomat and former non-commission officer in the United States Marine Corps, Shane Partlow. In this installment, Shane gets into the nitty gritty of Ukraine's 2014 Maidan Revolution, following the Euromaidan protests against former president Viktor Yanukovych. He discusses efforts to stay hidden at protests and rallies as well as what happened when the Yanukovych regime suddenly fell and Russian troops made an opportunistic play to invade Crimea.

Connect with Shane:
Twitter: @Shane_Partlow
Check out the book Shane read from, Christopher Smith's Ukraine's Revolt, Russia's Revenge, here.

https://www.amazon.com/Ukraines-Revolt-Russias-Revenge-Revolution/dp/0815739249

Connect with Spycraft 101:
IG: @spycraft101
Patreon: Spycraft 101
Buy the book: here on Amazon
Download the free eBook: The Clandestine Operative's Sidearm of Choice: here.

https://spycraft101-400d7.gr8.com/

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 former diplomat and former non-commission officer in the United States Marine Corps, Shane Partlow. Shane was an assistant defense attache in the Ukraine during their 2014 Maidan Revolution, following the Euromaidan protests against former president Viktor Yanukovych. Shane recounts the events that led to violence, corruption within the central government, and his own experiences as a Marine at the embassy. This interview is split into two parts, so be sure to tune in next week to hear more of Shane's account, including how the tables turned as revolution went on and Russia stepped into the ring.

Connect with Shane:
Twitter: @Shane_Partlow
Check out the book Shane read from, Christopher Smith's Ukraine's Revolt, Russia's Revenge, here.

https://www.amazon.com/Ukraines-Revolt-Russias-Revenge-Revolution/dp/0815739249

Connect with Spycraft 101:
IG: @spycraft101
Patreon: Spycraft 101
Buy the book: here on Amazon
Download the free eBook: The Clandestine Operative's Sidearm of Choice: here.

https://spycraft101-400d7.gr8.com/

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 describes research on an intelligence agency unique to one of the countries that makes up the former Soviet Bloc: Czechoslovakia's Státní Bezpečnost, also know as the StB. Hear stories of StB success from the 1940s to the 1980s, including suppression of rebellion and scuffles with MI6 and the CIA. Brutal and shockingly effective, the StB was one of Western intelligence's most formidable but little-known adversaries of the Cold War.

Connect with Spycraft 101:
IG: @spycraft101
Patreon: Spycraft 101
Buy the book: here on Amazon
Download the free eBook: The Clandestine Operative's Sidearm of Choice: here.

https://spycraft101-400d7.gr8.com/

Support the show

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Today, author Ian Townsend shares the harrowing story of young Dickie Manson. Along with his mother, stepfather, uncle, and a family friend, Dickie was convicted as a spy and executed in during World War II. When the Australian government could not reinforce its troops in Rabaul, New Guinea, it left over a thousand Australian citizens behind, many of whom were tried for espionage by the Japanese. Though Americans and Australians alike forget the importance of the battle for Rabaul in the Pacific,  it serves as a startling reminder that there are few real winners in war--and many more emotional casualties than we dare to think.

Connect with Ian:
iantownsend.com.au
By his book, Line of Fire, here.

https://www.booktopia.com.au/line-of-fire-ian-townsend/book/9781460750926.html?SUBID1=&SUBID2=&clickid=yCCXWJWu5xyIUmYwXw0GD0odUkGTaqzXPz4HTs0&bk_source_id=345721&utm_campaign=Ian%20Townsend&utm_medium=affiliate&utm_source=APD&bk_source=APD

Connect with Spycraft 101:
IG: @spycraft101
Patreon: Spycraft 101
Buy the book: here on Amazon
Download the free eBook: The Clandestine Operative's Sidearm of Choice: here.

https://spycraft101-400d7.gr8.com/

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 interviews educator and author Jonathan Gill on the riveting tale of Boris Morros. A refugee of the Bolshevik Revolution turned film producer in the Golden Age of Hollywood, Boris was a mysterious and remarkable man. While many details of his life are thought to be exaggerated and the absolute truth remains unclear, Boris led a unique and eventful life. He became a Soviet spy during the Cold War only to turn on the USSR and act as a double agent for the United States. Tune in for an episode full of twists and turns.

Connect with Jonathan:
Get the book, Hollywood Double Agent, here.

https://www.amazon.com/Hollywood-Double-Agent-Morros-Producer/dp/1419747916#:~:text=OK-,Hollywood%20Double%20Agent%3A%20The%20True%20Tale%20of%20Boris%20Morros%2C%20Film,Spy%20Paperback%20%E2%80%93%20April%2013%2C%202021&text=Find%20all%20the%20books%2C%20read%20about%20the%20author%2C%20and%20more.

Connect with Spycraft 101:
IG: @spycraft101
Patreon: Spycraft 101
Buy the book: here on Amazon
Download the free eBook: The Clandestine Operative's Sidearm of Choice: here.

https://spycraft101-400d7.gr8.com/

Support the show

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Today, Justin shares riveting stories about the  poisons and people that enabled several Soviet and Russian assassinations. From chemistry to radioactivity, learn about the way poison has captivated Russian power players since 1918.  Hear of poison-coated bullets, the dangers of cyanide, and why we don't really know how many died at the hands of these methods.

Connect with Spycraft 101:
IG: @spycraft101
Patreon: Spycraft 101
Buy the book: here on Amazon
Download the free eBook: The Clandestine Operative's Sidearm of Choice: here.

https://spycraft101-400d7.gr8.com/

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, Alexandra Costa shares the story of her defection from the Soviet Union. Also known as Yelena Mitrokhina, Alexandra was wife to the first secretary of the Russian Embassy in the US.  She discusses growing up in the USSR, the real dangers of defecting, and her treatment by both the FBI and the CIA. Ultimately, Alexandra chose a better future for herself and her children despite immense risk. From teaching Marxism to young communists to peacefully renouncing the Soviet Union and becoming and entrepreneur, her life story is full of twists and turns.

Check out Alexandra's book, Stepping Down from the Star, here.

https://www.amazon.com/Stepping-Down-Stars-Soviet-Defectors/dp/0399131957

Connect with Spycraft 101:
IG: @spycraft101
Patreon: Spycraft 101
Buy the book: here on Amazon

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.