True Spies: Espionage | Investigation | Crime | Murder | Detective | Politics

True Spies producer Morgan Childs joins author and Financial Times reporter Miles Johnson for a debrief on the international intelligence community's relationship to organised criminal groups. Miles' investigative journalism has unearthed frightening findings about the connections – and crimes – made possible by our globalized world. From SPYSCAPE, the home of secrets. A Cup And Nuzzle production....

Ever wondered how NOT to plan a coup? In the first ever telling of this story, Private Security professional Julian Fisher can teach you. It all comes down to forward planning, keen situational awareness - and a little bit of Frederick Forsyth. True Spies joins Julian as he travels to West Africa - and finds himself in a very sticky situation. From SPYSCAPE, the home of secrets. A Cup And Nuzzle p...

In the second season of Brief Histories, True Spies producer Joe Foley is your guide to the shadowy side of the world's Espionage capitals. In Moscow, we'll discover the origins of Russia's intelligence culture, go underground with the CIA"s Moscow Station, and hear a first-hand account from an FSB defector. From SPYSCAPE, the home of secrets and skills. A Cup And Nuzzle production. Series produce...

In the early 1950s, Iran elected a forward-thinking new leader. But where previous regimes had played ball with British and American oil companies in the country, Mohammed Mossadegh refused. In response, Western intelligence services mounted a deadly coup. In this classic episode of True Spies, Sophia Di Martino and historian Ervand Abrahamian unpick the shocking downfall of Iran's last democratic...

Writer Aaron Tracy joins Morgan Childs to discuss the complexities and controversies around Roald Dahl - a man whose reputation as a children's author leads many to overlook his previous life as a wartime spy for the British Security Coordination in America, and much more besides. From SPYSCAPE, the home of secrets. A Cup And Nuzzle production. Series producer: Joe Foley. Produced by Morgan Childs...

Content Warning: This episode contains sex references. Author Robert Verkaik unpicks the complex and fascinating relationship between two giants of the 20th Century - author and screenwriter Graham Greene, and Soviet super-spy, Kim Philby. When World War Two threw the two men together as MI6 spies, a strange yet enduring friendship blossomed. But how far did their loyalty to each-other go? From SP...

Ryan Hillsberg can be whoever you want him to be. As a CIA case officer, he recruited assets for the Agency by transforming himself into their ideal companion - a confidante par excellence. But maintaining a degree of professional detachment isn't always easy, as you'll discover in this classic episode of True Spies. From SPYSCAPE, the home of secrets. A Cup And Nuzzle production. Learn more about...

a new season of Brief Histories, True Spies producer Joe Foley is your guide to the shadowy side of the world's Espionage capitals. In New York, we'll visit the Revolutionary Culper Spy Ring, learn about the intelligence contributions of the Big Apples 'Blue Bloods' and learn about the city's radical history. From SPYSCAPE, the home of secrets and skills. A Cup And Nuzzle production. Series produc...

Former CIA officer Christina Hillsberg is the author of Agents of Change: The Women Who Transformed the CIA. In this conversation with True Spies producer Morgan Childs, Christina reflects on the lesser-known women who helped to build and reform the Agency, as well as discussing her own experience at Langley. From SPYSCAPE, the home of secrets. A Cup And Nuzzle production. Series producer: Joe Fol...

Christine Kuehn grew up believing that she was part of an ordinary, patriotic American family. But in 1994, a surprising letter revealed a darker side to her ancestry; a story that began in Nazi Germany. Christine and her husband, Mark Schiponi, spent 30 years unraveling the truth - an emotional journey that brought her face to face with one of the most famous and tragic disasters in American hist...

A single spy can change the course of history - for better, or for worse. In this Classic episode of True Spies, you'll meet one of them - Takeo Yoshikawa. Stationed in Honolulu, Yoshikawa's intelligence was used by the Japanese to launch a devastating attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941. The massacre brought the USA in to WW2, and ultimately led to Japan's crushing defeat. He shares his unsettling sto...

Terry Stiastny, award winning author and journalist, takes on a deep dive into the world of the British wartime propaganda machine. The ragtag group convened with one shared purpose: to create and distribute "believable lies" that would undermine the enemy morale at a vital time in history. The British propaganda vehicle known as the Political Warfare Executive used a network of radio stations to...

In a new season of Brief Histories, True Spies producer Joe Foley is your guide to the shadowy side of the world's Espionage capitals. In London, we'll delve into early-modern counter-terrorism, an influence campaign at the birth of a new nation, elite associations and dirty money. From SPYSCAPE, the home of secrets and skills. A Cup And Nuzzle production. Series producer: Joe Foley. Learn more ab...

High in the Himalayan mountains, a team of climbers are attempting to plant a device that will give them eyes on a growing threat. But they'll leave behind more than they bargained for. In this shocking episode, Investigative reporter Jeffrey Gettleman is your guide to a tale of high altitude and higher stakes in the 1960s - and one that still resounds in the present. From SPYSCAPE, the home of se...

In this classic episode of True Spies, Vanessa Kirby meets Pat and Jean Owtram, two British sisters who played crucial roles as Allied codebreakers during World War 2. Bound by the Official Secrets Act, neither sister knew that the other was a spy until decades later. In their 90s, they reveal their hidden hands in planning D-Day, aiding the Resistance, and cracking the Enigma code. Tune in to Tru...

Robert Hannigan is the former director of the British Government Communications Headquarters or GCHQ, and the author of the recent book, Counterintelligence: What the Secret World Can Teach Us About Problem Solving and Creativity. In this Debrief, Robert joins Morgan Childs to explore how the WW2 codebreakers at Britain's Bletchley Park pioneered better ways of working. From SPYSCAPE, the home of...

In the heart of New York City, a secret campaign of influence and espionage aimed to bring America in to a generational conflict. It was helped along by a man who, to this day, is all but invisible. Author and investigative journalist Thomas Maier reveals the half-forgotten history of Ernest Cuneo - the White House fixer who facilitated British espionage in the U.S.A in the lead-up to World War Tw...

At the peak of his career, Jack Devine was one of the world's top spymasters. But everybody starts somewhere. In this classic, follow Vanessa Kirby as she recounts the tale of Jack Devine's first overseas assignment, in Chile. It's 1971, and the CIA is determined to undermine the country's socialist government. But as a military coup plot begins to gather steam, he's about to learn an important le...

Gordon Corera, veteran security journalist and co-host of The Rest is Classified, joins Morgan Childs to discuss the central figure in his latest book - Vasili Mitrokhin. Mitrokhin was a KGB archivist who defected to the West in 1992, bringing with him a trove of Russian secrets. From SPYSCAPE, the home of secrets. A Cup And Nuzzle production. Series producer: Joe Foley. Produced by Morgan Childs....

During the turbulent 1960s, New York City faced the most destructive wave of domestic terror since the Anarchist bombings of the early 20th century. In True Spies' 300th week, author, military intelligence professional and academic Dr. David Viola tells the story of the Melville Collective - a far-Left cell who became the focus of a joint operation by the FBI and NYPD after a spree of high-profile...

The tools in a spy's arsenal are more varied than you might think. But they all come under one name: Tradecraft. In our eleventh round of insights from the world of espionage, Rhiannon Neads looks back on Medieval spymasters, high-octane extractions, and the undercover heroes of WW2. From SPYSCAPE, the HQ of secrets. A Cup And Nuzzle production. Series producer: Joe Foley. Produced by Alex Burnard...

The tools in a spy's arsenal are more varied than you might think. But they all come under one name: Tradecraft. In our tenth round of insights from the world of espionage, Rhiannon Neads looks back on gadget masters, Cold War tunnel-digging and the art of the Mobile Debrief. From SPYSCAPE, the HQ of secrets. A Cup And Nuzzle production. Series producer: Joe Foley. Produced by Alex Burnard. Music...

FBI agent Giovanni Rocco grew up playing in the back yards of New Jersey's criminal class. As an adult, he went undercover to take them down. In this classic episode of True Spies, Vanessa Kirby follows Giovanni's descent into the violent world that inspired HBO's hit series, The Sopranos. From SPYSCAPE, the home of secrets. A Cup And Nuzzle production. Series producer: Joe Foley. Produced by Leo...

Anthony Vinci is a former DIA case officer who went on to serve at the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency before entering the private sector. His new book, The Fourth Intelligence Revolution, bridges the divide between the intelligence community and the tech world. Anthony spoke with True Spies producer Morgan Childs about why this new era puts intelligence in the hands of everyday people, an...

When Dr David Tuch started investigating his family tree, he found much more than he bargained for. A distant cousin. A sailor. A man who led a life of adventure - and changed the world of crime forever. In Part One of this True Spies story, you'll meet him too - and discover the first steps on a dark, dangerous and fascinating journey. Dr. David Tuch is the author of The Wireless Operator: The Un...