I Spied

With a spate of suicides, murder-suicides and just plain murders, it appears that some of Russia's biggest companies are radically downsizing their executive cohorts with some terminal and involuntary redundancy packages. Who would have thought that then position of oligarch was suddenly the most dangerous job in the world? Does this signify a sudden rapid increase in executive depression? Or is V...

With the eviction of the Russian government from the site of their new embassy in Canberra, and the ACT government putting the land up for diplomatic tender, we thought this week would be the perfect time to look at the frontline of Cold War combat - Embassies. To what lengths have governments gone to compromise foreign missions in their countries, what steps do diplomats and spies take to protect...

It's not every day an ex-president gets raided, or an ex-PM gets caught giving himself jobs on the sly, but as the Chinese curse goes "May you live in interesting times". This week we have a look at the intelligence implications of Don's cache of classified documents and Scotty's secret cabinet of one. What were these two reprobates' plans? What does it mean for the US and Oz ICs? And what might h...

We all know how difficult senior citizens can make life, but no-one would have dreamed that a visit by an octogenarian could cause so much trouble. But that's what happened when Nancy Pelosi dropped in on Taiwan. The furious action in the South China sea over the last few weeks is of concern, but it also poses an interesting intelligence opportunity. With everyone moving pieces on the board, this...

As promised in our Assassination ep, this bite-size looks at the "Study in Assassination", the 1953 CIA file on the who, why, where, and how of extralegal killing centred on the CIA operations to overthrow the Guatemalan government. We also take a peek at the growing relationship between the CIA and JSOC - the US special operations group -  and how that is causing headaches for the US Congress. An...

With the recent drone strike on Al Qaeda head Ayman al Zawahiri and the very public shooting of former Japanese PM Shinzo Ade, it seems the darkest tool of the intelligence world is coming out of the shadows. Assassination is seen by many as an act of morally repugnant barbarism, but regarded by others as the ultimate precision weapon. This week we focus our cross hairs on the application of extra...

After a combination of a listener asking if we were enjoying Channel Ten's Hunted and David talking at length with a contact about the 1984 levels of public surveillance growing in China, this week we're looking at how difficult (or easy) it is to make a getaway. From the confected CCTV footage of Hunted, to the frighteningly real combination of facial recognition and AI analysis combined with exp...

Sex. We all enjoy it but even today it is surprising how much trouble it can get us into. With reports of honey traps, the use of clandestine sexual encounters, on the rise in the intelligence world, we take a look at how people can still find themselves in the stickiest of situations. We also take a peep at some of the more infamous cases, including one extraordinary tale involving an opera singe...

In part two of our dive into at possibly the greatest intelligence heist in history, we look at what Edward Snowdon got and what it means for the US and its allies. What does it mean for the US intelligence community, what effects has it had on the US' enemies and what might it mean for Five Eyes members like Australia? And with Snowdon now living in Moscow has it helped or hindered Putin in his b...

Who would have known that social occasions like dinners, soirees and cocktail parties were a prime place to find spies. But that's where so many initial contacts are made between the professional intelligence officer and potential agents. In this bite size we have a look at the process of recruiting an agent, as per the CIA Handbook of Recruitment. From lavish dinners to free tickets, if a diploma...

Described by a CIA co-worker as a "genius among geniuses", Edward Snowdon managed to pull off the greatest intelligence heist in history. He absconded with literally millions of classified documents, and left the US and allies still unsure of exactly what secrets he took. In this first part of a two part examination we look at how Snowdon found himself at the heart of the intelligence beast, how h...

With European governments booting Russian diplomats and intelligence assets from their countries, the question has to be asked: Where are they all going? The answer: Switzerland. Home of chocolate, cheese and almost every large international organisation, Switzerland is a spy's paradise, and the gateway to the rest of Europe. Keep your Swiss Army knife handy as we yodel our way through the Alps in...

The recent attempted hacking of an undersea communications cable off Hawaii gives us the perfect chance to look beneath the surface of telecommunications security, particularly that of ocean-spanning cables. Starting with the legendary Operation Ivy Bells, we examine the how, who and why these trunk lines are hacked, how common it is, and just what it might mean for an island like Australia. Take...

Another listener request, this week about surveillance, how to spot it and how to avoid it. In the age of CCTV, internet tracking and electronic chicanery, the old trade craft of foot, vehicle and static surveillance is still going strong (although if you think you're being followed it probably says more about you than it does about the police state). Then again, as the old saying goes: Just becau...

Further damning revelations from the January 6 Committee paint a picture of a United States in crisis. From the Proud Boys running the January 6 storming of the Capitol building as an incognito military assault, to the GOP gaming the US electoral system, to Trumpist Senators, Congressmen and lawyers queueing up for pardons, could we be watching the fall of an empire in real time? And what does thi...

A bite-size episode to answer a question from a listener: Are spies criminally liable? We explore the legal and not-so legal aspects of an intelligence officer's life on the edge of the law, find out just what, why and how a spy can get away with dastardly deeds, and exactly which legislation they'll need to know to get out of trouble. Better bring a lawyer, Bond. Better bring a real good one! See...

Just in time for the 50th anniversary of the Watergate hearings, the US Congress has started their prime time hearings into the January 6 insurrection. What are the parallels between this hearing and the one into Nixon's White House? What does it mean for the future of US politics and the GOP? And will the Don and his cronies ever face any real consequences? Keep your lawyer on speed dial for this...

Just last week, everything seemed to be on the up-and-up with China, until it was revealed that some sky-hi-jinks between an RAAF surveillance flight and a PLAAF fighter nearly brought the whole thing undone. So what really  happened? What is China up to? And just why was an Australian Air Force plane flying around the Sth China Sea anyway? And just when is an island not an island? Make sure...

With the new Australian government out of the blocks with a flying start, we look at what an Albanese administration means for our intelligence community. What changes have already taken place? Who are the new ministers responsible for national security? When, if ever, will Penny Wong see her family again? And just what was going on with the Chinese spy ship off WA during the election that got Pet...

With the US reeling from yet another school shooting, this week we look at the relationship between the Australian intelligence community and firearms. Which of our spies are armed, when can they carry a gun and what are the regulations around going locked and loaded into the field? And how does American gun culture affect the US intelligence experience? Keep your pistol in your pocket and leave y...

Now the election is over, it's time to get back to the real world of intelligence, and what better way than to dive into the greatest black op/conspiracy nursery in intelligence history. Operation Gladio started as an idea to fight off a possible Soviet invasion of Europe, but became a sinister web of intrigue that spanned the globe and decades, involving the CIA, the drug trade, the Mafia, the Ma...

With the election drawing to a close, China is rearing its substantial head yet again and just in time for us to look at both sides of the Sino-intelligence coin. From a possible PRC parliamentary plant in the LNP's Gladys Liu, to the potential growth in Australia's Chinese informants in Beijing, we look at how Australia is playing the spy game both in and outside the country. And just what does A...

With the war in Ukraine dragging and the world still trying to grasp how it all went so wrong for Vladimir Putin, we have a look at how the very structure of the Russian military may be the problem. From the doctrine of no limits adopted from the Russian Mafia, to a conscripted army with no NCOs to guide them, to brutal hazing straight out of the gulags, could it be that the Russian bear isn't the...

We're back! And what a time to return, with the federal election being thrown into chaos with a genuine national security crisis! What is really happening in the Solomons? How did the government drop the ball and are our intelligence services to blame? What does this growing Chinese influence in Australia's back yard mean for us? And just what game is Xi playing now? This little trip to the Pacifi...

With Vladimir Putin placing members of his intelligence service under house arrest, we look at the critical and often misunderstood relationship between governments and the intelligence community that advises them. How much control does a government need to have over its spies? Is too much control a bad thing? And should you start worrying if Putin sends you a hot tub to install in your third floo...