Two young CIA agents were flown to northern China in 1952, part of a bizarre Cold War operation to overthrow Mao Zedong. The plane crashed. The two Americans were arrested, and jailed for 20 years. We fast forward to today and turn the tables: How does China spy on the US now? Who is ahead in the fight over the new technologies?
Guests: John DeLury, author, ... Show More
Oct 2024
The New Cold Wars: A Conversation with David Sanger
In this bonus episode, Jane Perlez sits down with New York Times national security and White House correspondent David Sanger. In this candid conversation, they talk about his new bestseller: New Cold Wars: China's Rise, Russia's Invasion, and America's Struggle to Defend the Wes ... Show More
53m 21s
Jun 2023
Behind the Bamboo Curtain | CIA
When two CIA officers were captured in an ambush on Chinese territory, it seemed as though their story was over. In fact, their ordeal had only just begun. Two decades later, their fates still hung in the balance between the power-players of Beijing and Washington. Professor John ... Show More
50m 20s
Mar 2024
67. A Tale of Two Spies: The former heads of MI5 and MI6 on the Iraq War, double agents, and the IRA
Should spies be allowed to break the law while undercover? What should the relationship between government and intelligence look like? Do we overestimate or underestimate the power and reach of Russia’s FSB and China’s intelligence service?
On today’s special episode of Leading, ... Show More
1h 11m
Nov 2024
‘I gave my life to the CIA. They betrayed me.’
On Sept 12, 2001, Blerim Skoro was approached by a man and a woman while he was in prison. They turned out to be CIA agents. That one meeting would change the course of his life and lead him on a journey across countries, inside terrorist groups, as he tried to make it home to hi ... Show More
36m 40s
Mar 2025
30. The Spy Who Betrayed Oppenheimer: Showdown with MI5 (Ep 4)
What happens when the world’s most valuable spy is finally caught? How did British and American intelligence hunt him down? And, was Klaus Fuchs a hero, a villain, or something in between?
Klaus Fuchs' final days as a free man were marked by growing suspicions, clandestine excha ... Show More
44m 52s
Nov 2024
A CIA Man in China: 20 Years Imprisoned
<p>This is the story of America's longest held prisoner of war. John 'Jack' Downey, an American CIA operative, was imprisoned by the Chinese for 21 years during the Cold War.</p><br><p>Don speaks to Barry Wirth, author of 'Prisoner of Lies: Jack Downey's Cold War.' They explore w ... Show More
40m 26s
Apr 2021
A CIA Spy in Syria, and US Responses to Russian, Chinese and Other Adversary Hacking
This week, in the debut edition of the SpyTalk podcast, co-host Jeff Stein talks to the Washington Post’s Joby Warrick about an extraordinary CIA operation in Syria, as told in his new book, Red Line. Jeff and co-host Jeanne Meserve also discuss the Biden administration’s recent ... Show More
54m 16s
Oct 2021
A Troubling C.I.A. Admission
<p>The C.I.A. sent a short but explosive message last week to all of its stations and bases around the world.</p><p>The cable, which said dozens of sources had been arrested, killed or turned against the United States, highlights the struggle the agency is having as it works to r ... Show More
23m 34s