logo
episode-header-image
May 2024
1 h

149. The Triads, the CIA, and the Nugan ...

Justin Black
About this episode

This weak Justin chats with Peter Butt. Peter is an author and award -winning documentary filmmaker. He is the founder of Blackwattle Films and his work has appeared on BBC, National Geographic, The History Channel and elsewhere. Peter has focused particularly on the Cold War, the nuclear arms race and espionage activities, particularly in Australia. Today he discusses his work investigating Frank Nugan and Michael John Hand, founders of the Nugan Hand Bank. Their small financial institution quickly grew and opened branches all over Asia and Australia and financed drug smugglers, arms traffickers, and clandestine intelligence operation, but it all came to a head in 1980 with law enforcement investigations, the death of one of the founders, and the disappearance of the other.

Connect with Peter:
blackwattlefilms.com.au

Check out Peter's book, Merchants of Menace, here.

https://www.amazon.com/Merchants-Menace-Story-Nugan-Scandal/dp/0992325285

Connect with Spycraft 101:
Check out Justin's latest release, Covert Arms, here.
spycraft101.com
IG: @spycraft101
Shop: spycraft-101.myshopify.com
Patreon: Spycraft 101

Find Justin's first book, Spyshots: Volume One, here.
Download the free eBook, The Clandestine Operative's Sidearm of Choice, here.

Tenderfoot TV
Real. Powerful. Storytelling. Tune in to "To Die For" wherever you listen to podcasts.

S.O.E. Expeditions
Follow in the footsteps of legends and retrace some of the most famous operations of WWII.

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.

Support the show

Up next
Jul 7
203. A Diplomat’s Journey in Cold War Romania with Ernest Latham
*Ernest joined us via telephone call, so some parts of this interview may be difficult to understand due to unreliable audio quality. We apologize for the inconvenience.Today's guest is Ernest Latham. Ernest is a graduate of Dartmouth College and Roosevelt University. During his ... Show More
1 h
Jun 23
202. Britain's SOE Jungle Warrior in Burma with Dr. Richard Duckett
Today Justin talks with Dr. Richard Duckett. Richard received a master's degree from the University of Reading and a doctorate from Open University. He's taught history and politics for more than 20 years. He's also the author of three previous books on British military history i ... Show More
1h 11m
Jun 16
201. Psychic Spying: The Truth about Remote Viewing with Dr. Paul H. Smith
Today Justin sits down with Dr. Paul H. Smith. Paul is a retired Army intelligence officer and a veteran of Operation Desert Storm. He has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Middle Eastern Studies from Brigham Young University, a Master of Science degree in Strategic Intelligence from ... Show More
58m 3s
Recommended Episodes
Mar 2021
37. Spies, with Ben MacIntyre
History is littered with stories of espionage and its capacity to change the course of events. But does spying truly matter and has the human operative finally been replaced by the computer?Ben MacIntyre, author of books including Agent Zigzag and The Spy and the Traitor, joins T ... Show More
46m 41s
Nov 2021
125. The CIA
The USA's Central Intelligence Agency is a mysterious organisation which has used covert methods to assassinate enemies, influence governments and tip whole countries into revolution - or so countless films, TV series and books would have us believe. How much of it is true? Hugh ... Show More
57m 4s
Feb 2023
Spies in the Sky
Spy balloons are really blowing up right now. The US has shot down one confirmed Chinese balloon and has engaged several other unidentified flying objects. But like so many things we cover on this podcast, it's an old method in a new outfit. Spy balloons for reconnaissance go bac ... Show More
29m 8s
Apr 2024
Hollywood Spy: The British WW1 Hero Who Helped Japan Attack Pearl Harbour
Frederick Rutland was one of Britain's finest naval pilots and a celebrated hero of the First World War. And yet in the interwar period, he would become a turncoat, feeding information to Japanese intelligence whilst living undercover in the glitz and glamour of 1930s Hollywood. ... Show More
25m 28s
Aug 2024
Lawrence of Arabia
The famed British officer who fought alongside Arab guerrilla forces in WW1. Best known for his legendary exploits as an intelligence officer in the Middle East, Thomas Edward Lawrence was also an archaeologist, scholar and photographer. His life was one of adventure and espionag ... Show More
59m 29s
Sep 2022
The Atomic Bomb & the Secret City
In 1939 Franklin D Roosevelt received a letter from Albert Einstein, warning him that the Nazis might be developing nuclear weapons. America has to act fast. What follows is the creation of a secret city in the rural area of Oak Ridge, Tennessee. Around 75,000 people moved to the ... Show More
31m 15s
Jan 2023
The Truth About Area 51
Fake moon landings, aliens and secret weapons; conspiracy theories about Area 51 abound but what exactly is it, and do we know anything about it with certainty? Dan is joined by Annie Jacobsen, investigative journalist and author of Area 51: An Uncensored History of America's Top ... Show More
22m 33s
Oct 2021
The Sociopathic Spy
Location - unknown. Time period - classified. Hero? You decide. Jim Lawler is one of the CIA's most successful recruiters of foreign spies. But even he had to start somewhere. Vanessa Kirby joins Jim on his first foreign posting. His mission? To enlist a crucial intelligence asse ... Show More
46m 55s
Apr 2022
Operation Mincemeat: The Deception that Changed WWII
It’s 1943. The Allies are determined to break Hitler’s grip on occupied Europe and plan an all-out assault on Sicily, but they face an impossible challenge - how to protect a massive invasion force from a potential massacre. It falls to two remarkable intelligence officers, Ewen ... Show More
29m 26s