“St. Ermin’s Hotel, London” – The History of a Legendary Spy Site, with Stephen Duffy

This year, Britain’s domestic security service, MI5, celebrates its 100th anniversary. Cambridge University professor Christopher Andrew, the author of MI5’s official history, Defend the Realm, reveals the agency’s strengths and weaknesses, and relates some of the most intriguing stories involving Britain’s spy catchers. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

1 Dec 200928min

Melissa Hathaway served as acting senior director for cyberspace for the National Security Council, heading a 60-Day Cyberspace Policy Review for President Obama that resulted in a comprehensive report with recommendations for action. Today, she discusses the massive and growing challenges of cyberspace—such as identity theft, cyber espionage, and cyber wars—and what needs to be done to deal with this threat. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

1 Nov 200930min

How has the sustained U.S. effort to destroy Al Qaeda affected the terrorist organization, and how important is the current struggle against the Taliban in Afghanistan for the future of Al Qaeda? A former Deputy Assistant to the President and Deputy National Security Advisor for Combating Terrorism, Juan C. Zarate discusses America’s struggle with Al Qaeda and comments on the organization’s current state. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

1 Okt 200927min

Could intelligence have prevented the terrorist attacks of 9/11, and has the Intelligence Community been sufficiently reformed to deal with current and future threats? These are the questions that Amy Zegart discusses on the eighth anniversary of 9/11. An intelligence scholar, Amy has worked on President Clinton’s National Security Council and is currently teaching intelligence and national security at UCLA. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

11 Sep 200924min

Since biblical times, spies and intelligence services have used sexual entrapment and emotional blackmail to recruit agents and gather secret information. International Spy Museum advisory board member and espionage author H. Keith Melton discusses the means, methods, and effectiveness of “sexpionage,” and elaborates on specific examples, such as the Russian honeytrap and the East German Romeo agent. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

1 Sep 200925min

In the 1930s, five young Cambridge University students were recruited by Soviet intelligence to penetrate the British intelligence community. In the course of their decade-long espionage career, the Five did enormous damage to Western security. British intelligence author Nigel West examines their motivations and activities, and reveals new evidence he has unearthed in Soviet intelligence archives. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

15 Aug 200926min

Richard H. Cummings served for fifteen years as Director of Security for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL). He reviews the propaganda activities of RFE/RL during the Cold War and describes Soviet bloc operations against the stations, including the 1978 murder of RFE scriptwriter Georgi Markov in London, and the 1981 bombing of RFE/RL headquarters in Munich by the terrorist Carlos the Jackal. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

1 Aug 200928min

"Pakistan is the most dangerous country in the world today," asserts Bruce Riedel, a 30-year CIA veteran and currently a senior fellow at the Saban Center for Middle East Policy at the Brookings Institution. Bruce discusses the various threats emanating from Pakistan, including the rise of the Taliban, the security of the country’s nuclear weapons, the murky role of its Inter-Services Intelligence agency (ISI), and the precarious relationship with neighboring India. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

1 Juli 200928min