Re-upload notice - Oct 20th: This podcast was previously uploaded with a later episode's audio/video, meaning those who listened to it upon release wrongly heard episode 3 instead of episode 2.
This has since been rectified and replaced with the correct file. Please clear your downloads to hear the correct version of episode 2. Apologies for any inconve ... Show More
Dec 24
111. The Man Behind The CIA: Shooting In The White House (Ep 2)
Bill Donovan has set himself up across an entire floor of the swanky London hotel, Claridge’s. From here he is now running international intelligence operations and laying plans for the future of espionage in the United States. But, his arch nemesis, J. Edgar Hoover has an altern ... Show More
48m 59s
Sep 2025
601. Scandal in the White House
Who was Grover Cleveland, and why is he one of the most controversial American Presidents of all time? Why was the run up to his first term, in 1884 at the height of the Gilded Age, so pivotal to American politics? How did he rocket to the heights of political power? What dark se ... Show More
1h 11m
Oct 12
608. Nelson: Slaughter in Naples (Part 1)
What happened when the heroic Horatio Nelson, victor of the Battle of the Nile, sailed into the seething city of Naples? Why would his meeting with the glamorous celebrity, Lady Emma Hamilton, shape the rest of his life? And, why would his decision to lend his support to the fool ... Show More
1h 22m
Mar 2024
Fatal Neutrality: Lumumba, the CIA, and the Cold War
In 1960, the Congo gained independence from Belgium. Patrice Lumumba was elected prime minister and Joseph Kasavubu president. Within a year, Lumumba was deposed and assassinated. This week on Deconstructed, executive editor of Foreign Affairs and author Stuart Reid joins Ryan Gr ... Show More
46m 10s
Mar 2025
JFK Revisited: FBI Finds 2,000 More Documents
In early 2025, the FBI announced that they had found more than 2,000 new records related to John F. Kennedy’s assassination. What do they include? Why did it take so long to find them? How many will be made public? The world waits to find out. In late 2023, we sat down with journ ... Show More
59m 11s
Feb 2025
Bonus Episode: Satchmo and Secret Agents
This week, Jake is thinking about the CIA and its role in our culture. Has the CIA played a part not just in political dirty tricks overseas, but also in the music and culture that are part of our daily lives? Plus, We hear about Jake's grandfather, whose dream was to join the CI ... Show More
39m 7s
Aug 2025
Mossad, Terrifying CIA Technology, Blackwater & The Most Secret CIA Unit | John Kiriakou
John Kiriakou served 15 years in the CIA as a Case Officer and as CIA's Head of Counterterrorism Operations in Pakistan where he lead the raid that captured Abu Zubaydah. After his CIA career, he blew the whistle on the CIA's Enhanced Interrogation Program.John’s Links:Substack: ... Show More
4h 18m
Oct 16
‘It’s ****ing WEIRD, Man’ Former CIA Spy Andrew Bustamante on Kirk, JFK & RFK Shootings
Andrew Bustamante is a formerly-secret CIA agent, whose insights as Every Day Spy have been viewed by tens of millions of people around the world. Despite this, he plans to “completely disappear” in the next couple of years - but not before promoting his new book, Shadow Cell. He ... Show More
36m 3s