Eye Spy: The Intelligence History Podcast

Summary: Dr. Filip Kovacevic is a research scholar of Soviet and Russian intelligence history and spy fiction. He has more than 25 years of university teaching experience and currently teaches at the University of San Francisco. His new book KGB Literati: Spy Fiction and State Security draws on KGB archival materials and Soviet publications to deliver the first English account of spy fiction writt...

Summary: Sean M. Wiswesser has nearly 30 years of experience working as a national security professional with intelligence, foreign service, and defense organizations. His book, Tradecraft, Tactics and Dirty Tricks: Russian Intelligence and Putin’s Secret War explores the tactics employed by the three main services of Russia’s intelligence apparatus: the SVR, GRU, and FSB. What You'll Learn About:...

Summary: Dr David Tuch is a technology entrepreneur and author. He holds a PhD from MIT and Harvard Medical School. His debut book, The Wireless Operator , sheds light on the remarkable true story of his cousin, Harold Derber, who pioneered the modern drug trade through his invention of the “drug mothership.” What You'll Learn: Origins of the Modern Narcotics Trade in America Dynamics of Organized...

Summary: Dr. Aaron Bateman is an assistant professor of history and international affairs at George Washington University. Prior to graduate school, he served as a US Air Force intelligence officer. In this episode, he discusses his book Weapons in Space: Technology, Politics, and the Rise and Fall of the Strategic Defense Initiative (MIT Press, 2024). What You'll Learn: What the Strategic Defense...

Summary: Shaun Walker, The Guardian’s central and eastern Europe correspondent, discusses his latest book, The Illegals: Russia’s Most Audacious Spies and their century-long mission to infiltrate the West . The Illegals is out in the US today and will be available in the UK on April 17. What You'll Learn: The enduring nature of the illegals program, from the Bolsheviks through to the modern day Th...

Summary: Dr. David Alvarez, professor at Saint Mary's College of California, discusses his adventures researching in the Vatican Secret Archive, and delves into one of his books Spies in the Vatican: Espionage and Intrigue from Napoleon to the Holocaust . What You'll Learn: The Catholic Church, the Vatican and the Soviets Nazi Germany's Operations against Vatican City “Vessel” and "Dusty": Virgili...

Summary: Dr. David Alvarez, professor at Saint Mary's College of California, discusses his adventures researching in the Vatican Secret Archive, and delves into one of his books Spies in the Vatican: Espionage and Intrigue from Napoleon to the Holocaust . Stay tuned for Part II of this discussion, which will be available a week from today. What You'll Learn: How-to guide to navigating the Vatican...

Summary: Dr. Kate Vigurs, historian and author of Mission France (2021) and Mission Europe (2025), is a research fellow at the University of Warwick and a fellow of the Royal Historical Society. In this episode, she discusses the history of the 39 women who served in the Special Operations Executive's F Section. What You'll Learn: Approaches and Methods of writing about the SOE, including sources...

Summary: Dr. Niccolò Petrelli, Assistant Professor in the Department of International Studies at the University of Roma Tre and author of numerous works on international security, counterinsurgency, and war, discusses US-Italian intelligence cooperation during the Cold War, covert operations, and the evolution of Operation Gladio. What You'll Learn: Evolution of the Asymmetric Relationship between...

Summary: Steven R. Ward, a retired CIA intelligence analyst who specializes in Iran and the Middle East and is currently working for the Joint Chiefs of Staff History and Research Office, talks about his recently published book Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence: A Concise History . What You'll Learn: The Ministry of Intelligence of the Islamic Republic of Iran’s origins and operations The role of Po...

Summary: Dr. Kevin P. Riehle, a lecturer in Intelligence and Security Studies at Brunel University London and a professional with over thirty years of experience in the U.S. national security sector, discusses his latest book, The Russian FSB: A Concise History of the Federal Security Service . What You'll Learn: Methods and challenges of researching the Russian FSB The pre-Soviet, Soviet-era and...

Summary: Bestselling author and historian Dr Helen Fry talks about her book, Women in Intelligence: The Hidden History of Two World Wars. What You'll Learn: Recruitment of women in WWI and WWII Diverse roles of Women in Intelligence and Double agents like Olga Gray The image of women within intelligence institutions versus the public at large And much, much more... Music Credit: Secret Room by Lum...

Summary Dr Evren Altinkas, Adjunct Professor in the Department of History at the University of Guelph, talks about his article Istanbul Under Allied Occupation: Venues Of Resistance and future work on intelligence. What You'll Learn Surveillance and Intrigue in Istanbul Covert Activities of Secret Societies like the Committee of Union and Progress Karakol Organization, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk (coden...

Summary: Professor Luca Trenta discusses his book, The President’s Kill List: Assassination and US Foreign Policy since 1945 , reflecting on the US government’s involvement in the assassination of foreign leaders and officials from the early Cold War to the present. What You'll Learn: Direct and Indirect Methods of Assassination Origins and Motivations behind the Ban on Assassination Evolution of...

Summary: Dr Henry Thomson, Associate Professor in the School of Politics and Global Studies at Arizona State University, discusses his new book Watching the Watchers: Communist Elites, the Secret Police and Social Order in Cold War Europe. What You'll Learn: Elite cohesion, coercive capacity and social order in Authoritarian Regimes Stalinism and Post-Stalinist Transitions Comparative Case Study:...

Summary: Dr Lewis Sage-Passant, adjunct professor teaching intelligence at Sciences Po Paris and founder of Encyclopedia Geopolitica as well as the thrilling podcast “How to Get on a Watchlist," discusses his new book Beyond States and Spies: The Security Intelligence Services of the Private Sector . What You'll Learn: Key debates and trends in Private Sector Intelligence and 'Traditional' State I...

Summary: Professor Nadine Akkerman and Dr Pete Langman discuss some of their latest archival finds in their book Spycraft: Tricks and Tools of the Dangerous Trade from Elizabeth I to the Restoration . What You'll Learn: Key Methods of Espionage and Counterespionage in Early modern Europe Significance of Invisible Actors Ciphers and codes and recipes for making and revealing invisible ink And much,...

Summary: Dr Paul McGarr, lecturer in Intelligence Studies at King’s College London, discusses his new book Spying in South Asia: Britain, the United States and India’s Secret Cold War. What You'll Learn: The history of the Cold War from the Perspective of the Global South and how this recalibrates our traditional conception of ideology and power British, American and Soviet Competition and Influen...

Summary: Dr Jeff Rogg, Senior Research Fellow at the Global and National Security Institute at the University of South Florida, discusses his upcoming book The Spy and the State: The History of American Intelligence. What You'll learn: Evolution of Civil-Intelligence Relations Trends in Domestic Intelligence from the Revolutionary War Origins of the 'Deep State' Narrative And much, much more... Mu...