Secrets and Spies Podcast: Espionage | Global Issues | Current Affairs

We have a guest host for today’s show, a first for the podcast. Indie thriller author Stephen England talks with the spy novelist and screenwriter Michael Frost Beckner about his “Spy Game” trilogy, which was adapted into the 2001 film starring Robert Redford and Brad Pitt. He joins Stephen for a deep-dive into the trilogy, his broader career as a writer, and drops some details on books still to c...

On todays episode we will be looking at what the Israeli Intelligence services may have known before the 7th October Hamas terrorist attack. We will then look at reports of traders who may have benefited from the attacks. We have a developing spy scandal involving an alleged Cuban mole within the US State Department, and we will wrap up looking at a developing situation between Venezuela and Guyan...

On today’s episode, Chris is joined again by Dr Taras Kuzio. They discuss the latest developments with Russia’s War on Ukraine and Dr Kuzio’s research on the Anti-Western Axis, which includes Russia, China, Iran and North Korea. Dr Kuzio is a professor in the Department of Political Science at the National University of Kyiv Mohyla and a research fellow at the Henry Jackson Society. He is the Winn...

On today’s episode, Matt is joined again by Phillip Smyth. Phillip is a leading expert on Iranian proxy groups, such as Hamas and Lebanese Hezbollah, and has conducted research at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy and the University of Maryland. They discuss the spate of attacks by Iranian-backed militias against US forces in the Middle East since the Gaza War began. Phillip tells us w...

Happy Thanksgiving to our listeners in the US! On today's episode we will be looking at the potential hostage deal with Hamas, we will also be looking at a few articles on how people are still coming to terms with the Hamas attacks, new information on the disastrous deal that led to Ukraine giving up it’s nuclear arsenal, and we will look at how political dysfunction is growing to be the number on...

There won’t be an Espresso Martini today. Instead, Chris is re-sharing the first-ever episode in which he is joined by the author Meredith Tax, and they discuss her book “The Double Bind”, which looks at the problematic relationship between Anglo American left and the Muslim right. Later in the podcast, they also discuss the role of Kurdish women in the fight against ISIS. You can get a copy of th...

On today's podcast, Chris is joined by Malcolm Nance, and they discuss the terrible 7th October attacks, the origins of Hamas, the Iranian connection and what may lie ahead for Israel’s war with Hamas. You can read more of Malcolm Nance’s work on his substance here: https://malcolmnance.substack.com/ And you can watch his video Podcast “Black Man Spy” here: https://www.youtube.com/@blackmanspy-bo1...

On Espresso Martini, we take a look at the complexity of Gaza hostage rescue efforts and Hamas’s intelligence efforts in preparation for the 7th October Attacks. We also look at Ukraine receiving much-needed ATACMS missiles, Russia’s Unit 29155’s assassination and sabotage operations in Europe, and to finish up, we look at Donald Trump’s plans to withdraw the US from NATO. On Extra Shot, our exclu...

On today's podcast, Chris is joined by author Aaron Stark, and they discuss Aaron’s book “Disrupting Time”, which looks at the battle between Swiss and American watch companies in the 1870s. You can find out more about Aaron’s book “Disrupting Time” here: https://www.aaronstarkbooks.com/ Get access to our new Patreon-only show, "Extra Shot." Go to the Secrets & Spies Patreon page and...

On today’s episode, Matt is joined by Phillip Smyth. Phillip is a leading expert on Iranian-backed terrorist groups, such as Hamas and Lebanese Hezbollah, and has conducted research at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy and the University of Maryland. They discuss Hamas’s attack on southern Israel, the question of Iran’s involvement, and the potential for the war to expand throughout th...

On today's podcast, we are joined by author Stuart A Reid, and we discuss his fantastic new book “The Lumumba Plot: The Secret History of the CIA and a Cold War Assassination”. The assassination target was the Congo’s first Prime Minister after independence from the Belgians, Patrice Lumumba. You can find out more about Stuart and the book here: https://www.stuartareid.com/the-lumumba-plot You can...

On this episode of Espresso Martini, we will focus on the appalling October 7th attack, in which the designated terrorist group Hamas launched a violent and bloody attack focused on Israeli civilians. For the sake of clarity, we have decided our conversation into these areas: * What happened * Who are Hamas * The geopolitics of what happened and the alleged role of outside support for Hamas * The...

In this episode, Matt talks with Kashif Hussain from the blog "Best Thriller Books.” Kashif is a prolific reader in the spy genre and has written hundreds of reviews, including novels from all the famous authors you know and probably some you don’t know yet. They have a light discussion about his perspective on different issues in the genre, including publishing trends, audience tastes, and a...

In today's Espresso Martini, Matt & Chris dive into the assassination of Sikh dissident Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Canada. They look at fresh details about Chinese and Russian spies in the UK. They also explore an interview with Estonia’s outgoing military intelligence, who reflects on his dynamic career; and, after his liberation from a US prison, notorious arms dealer Viktor Bout embarks on a s...

On today’s episode, Matt welcomes back spy novelist and former CIA analyst David McCloskey. Best known for his critically acclaimed debut, Damascus Station, David returns with his latest thriller, Moscow X. Just as detailed, intricate, and vividly written as Damascus Station, Moscow X is set within the enigmatic layers of Putin’s Russia amidst the backdrop of the Ukraine War, where turmoil, intrig...

Espresso Martini & Extra returns a little later this month on Saturday, 30th September. Today, we are airing a taster episode of Extra Shot, which was recorded in June. If you enjoy Extra Shot and wish to listen to future episodes, you must be a Patreon subscriber. Go to the Secrets & Spies Patreon page and subscribe there to get access: www.patreon.com/SecretsAndSpies On this episode: Chr...

On today’s Espresso Martini , Matt & Chris look at a coup in Niger and Gabon, Prigozhin’s death, his legacy haunting us from the grave and a Russian pilot involved in a dramatic defection to Ukraine with his Mil Mi-8 helicopter. On "Extra Shot" , immediately following this show on Patreon, Chris & Matt take a look at concerns of a NATO collapse if Donald Trump is re-elected as Pr...

On today's Summer Special, author and literary agent Andrew Lownie joins us to discuss his excellent book “Stalin’s Englishman: The Lives of Guy Burgess.” You can find out more about the book here: https://www.andrewlownie.co.uk/authors/andrew-lownie/books/stalins-englishman-the-lives-of-guy-burgess The podcast will return with a new "Espresso Martini" and "Extra Shot" on Satur...

On today’s Espresso Martini and season seven finale, Matt & Chris look at the puzzlingly short tenure of the Chinese foreign minister Qin Gang; they unpack some hot gossip surrounding last month’s Wagner mutiny and discuss updates on the war in Ukraine, both at sea and on land. In the last story, they look at AI's potential threat in the 2024 US Elections and the 2025 UK general election. On E...

On this episode of Espresso Martini, Chris and Matt look at cluster munitions being supplied to Ukraine, Putin & Prigozhin’s post-mutiny meeting, and Ukraine’s future membership with NATO. On “Extra Shot ” that follows this show on Patreon, we will be looking at Russian spies in Switzerland, a MOSSAD operation in Iran, CIA Director William Burns's keynote speech at the Ditchley Foundation and...

On today’s episode, Matt welcomes back his friend and fellow indie spy writer, Stephen England, to discuss his new novel, “Soon Dies the Day.” They take a deep-dive into the book's development and unpack some of its more timely geopolitics themes, including the German far-right and infighting in Russian security services. If you’re a fan of realistic, thoroughly researched spy thrillers, this is a...

On today’s episode, Matt talks with Pate McMichael, a journalist and professor at the University of Arizona, about his book, "Operation Chrysler: Stolen Valor Behind Enemy Lines in World War II”. They explore the gripping true story of Operation Chrysler, an OSS mission deep inside Nazi-occupied Italy, and the decades-long investigation into the murder of its commanding officer, Major William...

On this special episode of Espresso (Vodka) Martini, join Chris, and Matt as they delve into the recent dramatic events in Russia. Like the rest of the world, they were taken aback when Yevgeny Prigozhin and his Wagner mercenaries orchestrated an armed convoy headed towards Moscow, seemingly attempting a coup. In this episode, Chris & Matt strive to shed light on what is known so far. If you e...

On this episode of Espresso Martini, Chris and Matt look at Former President Trump being accused of illegally retaining classified documents, new evidence suggesting Russian forces are responsible for destroying the Kakhvoka dam, and information on a Chinese spy base in Cuba. On Extra Shot, they look at the German intelligence service seeing more aggressive Russian intelligence efforts, Russian as...

On this episode of Espresso Martini, Chris and Matt look at the death of the Russian spy who was deep in the FBI, Robert Hanssen. Later in the episode, they are joined by Chemical, Biological and Radiological expert Dan Kaszeta who the UK Government Blacklisting has blacklisted for being critical of the government on Twitter. Dan discusses what that experience has been like and what he has since d...