logo
episode-header-image
Apr 2020
28m 4s

The CIA Paid War Spies with Stuff From t...

iHeartPodcasts
About this episode

When CIA agent Jon Wiant began growing a spy operation in Vietnam, he ran into a pickle: the locals he wanted to hire lived in rural areas along the boarder with Laos, and they existed primarily in a barter economy -- they wanted some sort of payment, but they didn't want currency. What's a spymaster to do? Listen in to learn how Jon Wiant used the famous Sears catalog to create a barter system of his own.

Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Up next
Yesterday
CLASSIC: Teddy Roosevelt May Just Have Saved Modern (American) Football
In recent years the public has become increasingly aware of the long-term dangers posed by sports injuries -- but at the turn of the 20th century this wasn't the case. Football players didn't wear protective gear, and in 1905 alone more than 15 players died from game-related inju ... Show More
24m 46s
Apr 16
Eurovision, Chapter Two: Pop Music as Problematic Diplomacy
Now, we know this is going to sound weird, but... it turns out one of the world's most popular pop music contests is also one of the world's best examples of 'soft diplomacy'. So what happens when countries that hate each other get together to determine the year's best song? Spoi ... Show More
44m 26s
Apr 14
Eurovision, Chapter One: A Ridiculous Origin Story -- and A Smash Success
The Eurovision Song Contest is one of the most popular talent shows on the planet, with multiple countries showcasing their culture through pop music spectacles in an effort to win the day. Some of the songs are utter bangers, some become one-hit wonders, and others are downright ... Show More
42m 21s
Recommended Episodes
Sep 2020
Inside the CIA: How the Intelligence Agency Help Shape History
Author Chris Whipple pulls back the curtain on the CIA and its often secretive directors in his new book, "The Spymasters: How the CIA Directors Shape History and the Future," published by Scribner an imprint of Simon & Schuster a division of ViacomCBS. Having spoken to almost ev ... Show More
30m 1s
Feb 2021
CIA Agent and Former Spy - John Braddock
John Braddock is a former CIA officer and spy and was responsible for recruiting and handling sources on weapons proliferation, counter-terrorism and political-military issues. In this interview, he gives us an insider's guide into what it takes to be a spy, what it took to track ... Show More
49m 7s
Mar 2021
The Cassandra
Frank Snepp was a CIA analyst based in Saigon during the Vietnam War. In April of 1975, he discovered that Communist forces were preparing a large-scale attack on Saigon—but the higher ups refused to believe it. When the attack began later that month, the Americans conducted a fr ... Show More
26m 21s
Sep 2022
"Wild" Bill Donovan, Super Spy Extraordinaire
On this episode of Our American Stories, Drew Newman, of JC Newman Cigars, tells the story of cigars in the United States, a story his family played a big part in. “Wild Bill" Donovan was one of America’s most exciting and secretive generals—the man President Franklin Roosevelt m ... Show More
38m 16s
Jun 2022
The Skeptic
Long before Joe Weisberg created the award-winning television show The Americans, he served in the CIA. His brief period in the agency informed story lines in the show and helped shape Weisberg's views on espionage. Eventually, he came to believe that spying does more harm than g ... Show More
35m 3s
Jan 2022
Selects: Project Azorian: The CIA's Super 70s Mission To Steal A Sunken Soviet Sub
<p>In 1974 the CIA undertook one of its most brazen operations – secretly raising a sunken Soviet submarine lost in the middle of the Pacific Ocean right under the noses of the Russian Navy. With the help of billionaire recluse Howard Hughes, obviously. Learn all about it in this ... Show More
51m 2s
Nov 2019
Episode 1: The Spy
Igor Ostrovskiy is a private investigator in New York. In 2017, he was contracted to surveil Ronan Farrow on behalf of a secret client. Igor would eventually learn that the secret client was Black Cube, an Israel-based agency with roots in the Mossad, and they were working on beh ... Show More
35m 35s