John Kiriakou's Dead Drop

Mini Episode 3: A Spy's Guide To... Sofia

THE BLURB: In this episode, we preview a new podcast series that we'll start dropping in Spring 2026 - "A Spy's Guide To" which will look at the great cities of the world (and the not-so-great) entirely from the perspective of spies and spying. It'll be like a travel guide for spooks. Since spies have to live in these cities (in addition to working them), we'll approach and appreciate our first city guide - to SOFIA, BULGARIA - as we will all of these cities - like a spy would. A City is a place to recruit agents, locate safe houses and begin collecting secrets. SHOW NOTES For more great podcasts like Dead Drop, please visit https://costardandtouchstone.com/ [https://costardandtouchstone.com/] ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

S1E5 Singin' In Bahrain

THE BLURB: At first glance Bahrain was a good starting assignment. It was a veritable paradise, a great place to learn without much pressure. The US Navy was based there. And, it was a literal paradise. Working (on the surface) for the State Department, John pissed off Bahrain's Prime Minister while charming its Emir. The days of no pressure ended with a literal bang when terrorists blew up the Khobar Tower, a building housing US Air Force personnel in nearby Saudi Arabia, plunging John into action. SHOW NOTES For more great podcasts like Dead Drop, please visit https://costardandtouchstone.com/ [https://costardandtouchstone.com/] ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

S1E4 Good Spies, Bad Endings

THE BLURB: Among the things that make spies tick is fear. Fear of being caught - and then tortured and/or killed. Stories like Beirut Station Chief Bill Bradley's are what keep spies like John Kiriakou up at night. Bradley came to the CIA from the US Army where he was a highly decorated special forces officer. Once recruited by the CIA, Bradley served successfully in places like Cambodia, Egypt and Pakistan. Beirut was another story - a difficult one filled with questions. SHOW NOTES You can find Fred Burton and Samuel Katz's Beirut Rules here - https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31019046-beirut-rules?from_search=true&from_srp=true&qid=wsCKRCuTSK&rank=1 [https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31019046-beirut-rules?from_search=true&from_srp=true&qid=wsCKRCuTSK&rank=1 ] For more great podcasts like Dead Drop, please visit https://costardandtouchstone.com/ [https://costardandtouchstone.com/] ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

Mini Episode 2: Pete Seeger, American Hero

THE BLURB: From the time he was 5 or 6 and became aware of him, John always admired and wanted to know folk singer and activist Pete Seeger. In fact, John vowed to become friends with the legend - which, in fact, John did: he and Pete did become friends. How an event that echoed across Pete's life also echoed across John's. SHOW NOTES For more great podcasts like Dead Drop, please visit https://costardandtouchstone.com/ [https://costardandtouchstone.com/] ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.

S1E3 Golden Boy

THE BLURB: Having been recruited into the CIA by legendary CIA officer Jerry Post - and by applying himself completely - John's CIA career took off with a bullet. If ever there was a CIA Golden Boy, John was it. That fact that he came up as a golden boy would prove ironic in the end. In this episode, John goes from briefing the President in the Oval Office to the theatre of war itself: Iraq. It's good to be a "Golden Boy". But it isn't all good. SHOW NOTES For more great podcasts like Dead Drop, please visit https://costardandtouchstone.com/ [https://costardandtouchstone.com/] You can find "Just The Photographer with David Swanson" here - https://shows.acast.com/just-the-photographer-with-david-swanson [https://shows.acast.com/just-the-photographer-with-david-swanson] ---------------------------------------- Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy [https://acast.com/privacy] for more information.