What was it like to meet Anthony Blunt? How did the British Security Service try to stop Nigel West uncovering its secrets? And what qualities do you need to spend your career delving into the murky, shifting waters of intelligence?

Join Antonia Senior as she quizzes Nigel West about a lifetime writing about intelligence, and his brilliant memoir: Classified!: The Adventures of a Molehunter.

Buy the book here.

https://aspectsofhistory.com/spy-masters-podcasts/

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How did August revolutionise Roman intelligence? How connected was Caesar? What intelligence failures dogged the Roman republic?

All these questions answered and more by top novelist, Peter Tonkin.

Buy the the Caesar's Spies' omnibus here.

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Was SJ Parris's protagonist, Giordano Bruno, really a spy? What was his relationship with top Elizabethan spymaster Francis Walsingham?

To buy Alchemy, click here.

For more on SJ Parris, the pseudonym of writer and journalist Stephanie Merritt, click here.

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Former Director of the CIA, General David Petraeus, joins to talk about his book, Conflict, and the evolution of military intelligence. We talk about Iraq, Putin, Weapons of Mass destruction and AI.

General Petraeus Links:

Conflict: A Military History of the Evolution of Warfare from 1945 to Ukraine.

Spymaster links:

SpyMasterPod on X: @spymasterspod

Spymasters Website

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Dr Helen Fry, bestselling intelligence historian, joins us to talk about Edith Cavell, the famous World War One nurse and spy. Was she an intelligence agent for the British? What happened to Edith? We discuss the remarkable courage of a true heroine, and the wider story of women's role in intelligence.

Dr Helen Fry's links: https://www.helen-fry.com/

Buy Women in Intelligence, here.

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Former CIA analyst turned bestselling writer David McCloskey joins to talk about his new novel. We talk about storytelling, the nature of modern espionage and how David made the leap from the CIA to novelist.

David McCloskey Links

Moscow X

Damascus Station

David on X

Antonia Senior Links

Antonia on X

Email Antonia: [email protected]

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The podcast on espionage that brings you in from the cold. Episode One released Feb 1st with ex CIA office and bestselling novelist David McCloskey, author of Damascus Station and Moscow X.

SpyMasters is a new podcast from the team at Aspects of History. Every fortnight we will cover a story from the shadow lands of espionage. Fact and fiction, historical and contemporary, we will be talking to the best writers, established and emerging talents alike, about their books and worlds of spies and intelligence.

Early episodes include Francis Walsingham’s spying monk with S.J. Parris, the spy networks which uncovered the holocaust with Roger Moorhouse, and the incredible story of Edith Cavell, uncovered in the archives by acclaimed historian, Helen Fry.

The new podcast is hosted by journalist, writer and Aspects of History board member, Antonia Senior. Antonia studied intelligence history under Christopher Andrew at Cambridge University, and hoped to get the tap on the shoulder. It never came. Instead, Antonia became an award-winning journalist and author of several novels. She is currently writing a book on the Cambridge Five spy ring, due for publication in 2025.

Antonia can be found on X @Tonisenior

We have no intention of keeping SpyMasters a closely guarded secret. Do please follow us on X @SpyMastersPod and spread the word. We will be grateful for any and all support. Should you be an author, with a relevant new or backlist title, interested in appearing on the podcast do get in touch at [email protected]

Please understand that we will not be able to oblige all requests.

Thank you, and good night.

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