SpyCast

How do you catch an enemy’s submarine … and then make it vanish? That’s what the U.S. Navy’s elusive Tenth Fleet planned, as it tracked down Germany’s U-505 submarine. The mission came right before the Allies ran ashore on the beaches of Normandy in World War II. Historian Alexander Rose draws on long classified documents and intercepted transmissions to reveal the bold, salt-soaked heist. Alex's new book, Phantom Fleet: The Hunt for Nazi Submarine U-505 and World War II’s Most Daring Heist  is available now. If you liked this episode, check out these links: Agent Zo: The Extraordinary Woman Who Parachuted Into Nazi-Occupied Poland [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5MI3H640FAQ&t=335s] Enigma Traitors with Dermot Turing [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kx2k9drfxCM] The Heavy Water Sabotage Raid [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ThMF8DsX5eU] Prefer to watch your podcasts? Find us on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/@IntlSpyMuseum/podcasts [https://www.youtube.com/@IntlSpyMuseum/podcasts].  Subscribe to Sasha's Substack, HUMINT, to get more intelligence stories: https://sashaingber.substack.com/ [https://sashaingber.substack.com/]  And if you have feedback or want to hear about a particular topic, you can reach us by E-mail at SpyCast@Spymuseum.org [SpyCast@Spymuseum.org].  This show is brought to you from Goat Rodeo, Airwave, and the International Spy Museum in Washington, DC. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices [https://megaphone.fm/adchoices]

Most Americans would agree that the United States should be protected, but from whom … and how? Dr. Donell Harvin, the former Chief of Homeland Security and Intelligence for the District of Columbia, says the U.S. is taking its eye off the ball - focusing its large domestic intelligence apparatus in a direction that is politically expedient, but not in line with the most serious threats. If you liked this episode, check out these links: DOGE Layoffs and the Counterintelligence Threats They Pose | SpyCast [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=foLsTVQwBIg] Spy Chat with Chris Costa | Special Guest: Colin Clarke [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OgGKQg6FpUk&t=1s] Prefer to watch your podcasts? Find us on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/@IntlSpyMuseum/podcasts [https://www.youtube.com/@IntlSpyMuseum/podcasts].  Subscribe to Sasha's Substack, HUMINT, to get more intelligence stories: https://sashaingber.substack.com/ [https://sashaingber.substack.com/]  And if you have feedback or want to hear about a particular topic, you can reach us by E-mail at SpyCast@Spymuseum.org [SpyCast@Spymuseum.org].  This show is brought to you from Goat Rodeo, Airwave, and the International Spy Museum in Washington, DC. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices [https://megaphone.fm/adchoices]

After Russia’s full scale invasion of Ukraine, the U.S. rushed to create a secret center that set targets for the Ukrainians to destroy. But the counteroffensive of 2023 failed to achieve its goals. So, what went wrong? New York Times reporter Adam Entous spent more than a year reporting on this story. He joins SpyCast host Sasha Ingber to talk about what was going on behind the scenes, and the consequences that were felt acutely on the battlefield. Read Adam’s full report here [https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2025/03/29/world/europe/us-ukraine-military-war-wiesbaden.html].  The International Spy Museum has launched its first ever digital exhibition: Open Source: Ukraine & The Intelligence Revolution [https://osint.spymuseum.org/]. Give it a visit to learn more about the role of publicly accessible information in intelligence collection and analysis.  If you liked this episode, check out these links: SpyCast Live: Escalation: Tracking the US-Ukraine Relationship [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TRU_yhYhj_A&t=36s] An Evening with General David H. Petraeus [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j3c3T6HJmPE&t=8s] SpyCast - “Zelensky, Ukraine & Intelligence” – with Simon Shuster [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8_Hxq86npbM&t=33s] Prefer to watch your podcasts? Find us on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/@IntlSpyMuseum/podcasts [https://www.youtube.com/@IntlSpyMuseum/podcasts].  Subscribe to Sasha's Substack, HUMINT, to get more intelligence stories: https://sashaingber.substack.com/ [https://sashaingber.substack.com/]  And if you have feedback or want to hear about a particular topic, you can reach us by E-mail at SpyCast@Spymuseum.org [SpyCast@Spymuseum.org].  This show is brought to you from Goat Rodeo, Airwave, and the International Spy Museum in Washington, DC. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices [https://megaphone.fm/adchoices]

Conflict has been escalating between two nuclear powers–India and Pakistan. It started in April, after India blamed Pakistan for supporting militants who carried out a massacre in Kashmir. President Trump offered to help defuse the tensions.Throughout history, India and Pakistan’s hostility has been documented in the President's Daily Brief, a highly classified rundown of threats facing the United States. Former CIA officer David Priess, author of The President's Book of Secrets, tells us how the PDB mattered in relations between India and Pakistan. To learn more, check out David’s book, the President's Book of Secrets, the Untold Story of Intelligence briefings to America's Presidents. If you liked this episode, check out these links: Spy Chat with Chris Costa | Special Guest: Beth Sanner [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZdILnSbLCMc] The President's Book of Secrets - Understanding the President’s Daily Brief (PDB) with David Priess [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zHbRXsS3TYk] Hot Topics: Intelligence Challenges in an Election Year [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=og5BJnNlXKE&pp=0gcJCYsJAYcqIYzv] Prefer to watch your podcasts? Find us on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/@IntlSpyMuseum/podcasts [https://www.youtube.com/@IntlSpyMuseum/podcasts].  Subscribe to Sasha's Substack, HUMINT, to get more intelligence stories: https://sashaingber.substack.com/ [https://sashaingber.substack.com/]  And if you have feedback or want to hear about a particular topic, you can reach us by E-mail at SpyCast@Spymuseum.org [SpyCast@Spymuseum.org].  This show is brought to you from Goat Rodeo, Airwave, and the International Spy Museum in Washington, DC. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices [https://megaphone.fm/adchoices]

They were a spy cell like no other — operating from quiet British suburbs, hailing from Bulgaria, and working on behalf of Russia. Their handler dubbed them “The Minions,” and their plots stretched across Europe and spanned honeytraps, abductions, and murder. At the time of this recording, six have been convicted and await sentencing. To parse out the case, we spoke with Gordon Corera, a British author and co-host of The Rest is Classified podcast. Check out The Rest is Classified here [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-rest-is-classified/id1780384916], or wherever you get your podcasts.  If you liked this episode, check out these links: Spy Chat with Chris Costa | Special Guest: Paul Whelan [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j6NvRmYIoLM&list=PL8p1_ubNPTRkrUxiA3zhYLaNXUYB4Pu8e&index=11&t=3894s] Russian Assassinations in the UK: Inside Three Notorious Cases with Historian Nigel West [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XzkEMFnYQd8&list=PL8p1_ubNPTRkrUxiA3zhYLaNXUYB4Pu8e&index=15] Curator's Corner: Kevin P. Riehle on Russian Intelligence [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OmZqEsSSVwE&list=PL8p1_ubNPTRkrUxiA3zhYLaNXUYB4Pu8e&index=83] Prefer to watch your podcasts? Find us on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/@IntlSpyMuseum/podcasts [https://www.youtube.com/@IntlSpyMuseum/podcasts].  Subscribe to Sasha's Substack, HUMINT, to get more intelligence stories: https://sashaingber.substack.com/ [https://sashaingber.substack.com/]  And if you have feedback or want to hear about a particular topic, you can reach us by E-mail at SpyCast@Spymuseum.org [SpyCast@Spymuseum.org].  This show is brought to you from Goat Rodeo, Airwave, and the International Spy Museum in Washington, DC. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices [https://megaphone.fm/adchoices]