SpyMasters

Hugh Wilford joins SpyMasters to talk about his brilliant new book: The CIA, An Imperial History. Hugh is Professor of United States History at California State University, and a leading expert on the history of the CIA. His new book is a groundbreaking study of the history of the world's most famous intelligence agency. The book places the history of the CIA into a global context, in which the Co...

Oliver Webb-Carter, the editor of Aspects of History, picks his top 5 books and his top 3 films about espionage. Some left-field options here from Oliver! Let us know what you think on X @spymasters We talk about the new SpyMasters anthology of top spy writing. And Ollie's picks: RISE and Kill First, Ronan Bergman. Buy. Operation Chiffon, Peter Taylor. Buy The Sympathiser, Viet Thanh Nguyen Buy Go...

In this episode, we talk to Roger Moorhouse, the acclaimed historian of Central and Eastern Europe. Roger's new book, The Forgers, is the fascinating story of how a group of Polish diplomats sought to save Jewish victims of the Holocaust by issuing false passports. Roger's book also covers the subject of espionage and the holocaust, and how the brave agents of Polish intelligence sought to bring n...

Top Spy novelist Alex gerlis joins Antonia Senior to talk about his new book, Every Spy a Traitor. The first in a new series, it follows the adventures of two British men who end up working for the NVKD in the run up to WW2. We talk about the 1930s, the mindset of spies, and the perils of intricate, multi-book plots. Buy the book: https://amzn.eu/d/fJMM8dx More on Alex: https://alexgerlis.co.uk/ L...

Top spy novelist Thomas Waugh talks to Antonia Senior about his trilogy featuring the reluctant spy Daniel Ambler. We talk Putin, oligarchs, publishing and more..... Buy End Game here: Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In the second of an epic two-part series about the espionage wars between East and West, top intelligence historian Calder Walton talks Putin, disinformation and the decline of the Soviet Union. We talk about how Putin, the former KGB officer, turned his former service into a private mafia army. We turn to the threat from China, whose intelligence gathering operation against the West is on a scale...

The first of two episodes with Dr Calder Walton. This one looks at the development of the intelligence war between the West and the Soviet Union from 1917, follows the story through the fulcrum period of the Second World War and pushes on into the intense espionage games of the Cold War. Based at Harvard's Kennedy Business School, Calder Walton is one of the world's leading experts on intelligence...

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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 t...

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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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 Learn more about your ad cho...

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. Learn more abo...

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: spymasters@aspectsofhistory.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoi...

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 th...