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Artwork for SPYCRAFT 101

SPYCRAFT 101

Justin Black
Cold War
Espionage
CIA
World War II
British Intelligence
FBI
Vietnam War
MI6
Soviet Union
World War I
China
KGB
Miami
American Civil War
Communism
Counterintelligence
The Troubles
Operation Just Cause
October Surprise
Irregular Warfare

Welcome to your clandestine classroom.

PublishesWeeklyEpisodes277Founded6 years ago
Number of ListenersCategories
HistoryGovernment

Listen to this Podcast

Artwork for SPYCRAFT 101

Latest Episodes

Today's guest is Mike Farris. Mike graduated from Texas Tech University's School of Law, then went into private practice focusing on commercial litigation and entertainment law, in particular in the movie and publishing industries. He is an adjunct p... more

Today Justin sits down with Geoff Shepard. Geoff graduated from Harvard Law with honors in 1969 and was selected as a White House fellow shortly thereafter. He then worked at the Department of the Treasury until he was hired in September 1970 to work... more

Today Justin talks with Miles Hargrove. Miles has worked for more than 20 years behind the scenes in the film industry as a cinematographer, editor, and camera operator, including on major feature films such as The Last Castle and the Harry Potter se... more

Today Justin talks with Elsa Johnson. Elsa is a student at Stanford University currently in her senior year. She is majoring in International Relations and East Asian Studies and is fluent in Mandarin Chinese. She is also the former managing editor o... more

Key Facts

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Find out how many people listen to this podcast per episode and each month.

Recent Guests

Geoff Shepard
Former White House staffer, Watergate defense team deputy counsel, and author
Episode: 272. The Untold Stories Behind Watergate with Geoff Shepard
Miles Hargrove
Cinematographer, editor, camera operator and filmmaker of Miracle Fishing: Kidnapped in Colombia
Episode: 271. Escaping FARC: A Father Held Hostage by Colombian Rebels with Miles Hargrove
Elsa Johnson
Stanford senior studying international relations and East Asian studies, and former managing editor of The Stanford Review
Stanford University
Episode: 270. A Stanford Student Targeted by China with Elsa Johnson
Jason Bell
Professor of philosophy at the University of New Brunswick and author of Operation Sparrow.
University of New Brunswick
Episode: 269. Operation Sparrow: Deceiving Hitler in WWII with Dr. Jason Bell
Ahana Datta Fasel
Cybersecurity researcher, former Financial Times cyber chief, and author of Full Stack Spies
Financial Times
Episode: 268. China's Cyber Spies: The Cyber Espionage Frontier with Dr. Ahana Datta Fasel
Joseph Gelman
Author of Confidential, The Life of Secret Agent Turned Hollywood Tycoon Arnon Milchan
Author/Researcher
Episode: 265. From Israel's Spycraft to Hollywood's Spotlight: The Arnon Milchan Saga with Joseph Gelman
Gene Coyle
Former CIA field officer who participated in the Moscow assignment
Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)
Episode: 264. CIA in Moscow: Behind Russian Lines with Gene Coyle
Robert Mazur
Former US federal agent, undercover money launderer, author of The Infiltrator
Former IRS/Customs agent turned consultant and author
Episode: 263. Infiltrating the Cartels with Robert Mazur
Nicholas Reynolds
Author of Ortiz's War
Author, Ortiz's War
Episode: 262. France's Secret Weapon Against the Nazis with Nicholas Reynolds

Host

Justin Black
Author and podcaster focused on espionage and Cold War history

Reviews

4.8 out of 5 stars from 849 ratings
  • Justin seems distracted and doesn't know when to simply listen

    I've listened to several episodes and Justin often offers these superficial, annoying responses that suggest he isn't paying close attention (because he's queuing up his next remark) and doesn't appreciate that sometimes the best thing to say is nothing at all. For instance, in his interview with Sam McKnight about detecting mass graves using satellite data, Sam remarks that he is profoundly effected by his work and Justin basically says something like, "Yeah, the world is a bad place but I'm su... more

    Apple Podcasts
    3
    DatingShame
    United States5 months ago
  • Great experience as guest and listener!

    Justin is a very professional podcast host and he cares about his guests. He did an excellent job and I was honored on to be on the show and am avid listener too! Good support too from Jesse as his producer and editor!

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Wissers73
    United States6 months ago
  • Worth it

    So good. I don’t usually listen to stuff like this but this has caught my heart. I have like a million downloaded episodes. I’m a spy now.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Warchild09
    United States10 months ago
  • Underrated

    10 ⭐ worthy

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Bandboxxer
    United States10 months ago
  • Hidden history

    Great conversations with people who were on the inside or close to those who were involved in intelligence work. Interesting variety of guests and topics as well.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Vegas Story
    United States10 months ago

Listeners Say

Key themes from listener reviews, highlighting what works and what could be improved about the show.

Guests are often described as knowledgeable and distinctive, and the range of subjects is a recurring strength.
Some listeners find the host's delivery flat or believe conversations can benefit from tighter focus and more active listening.
Many appreciate the host's open interview style and the space guests have to explain their stories.
Production feedback is mostly positive, though at least one listener reports poor sound quality.
Listeners value the detailed accounts, hidden history, and mix of firsthand experience and expert research.

Chart Rankings

How this podcast ranks in the Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube charts.

Apple Podcasts
#185
United States/History
Apple Podcasts
#210
United Kingdom/History
Apple Podcasts
#220
Canada/History
Apple Podcasts
#157
Australia/History
Apple Podcasts
#110
Philippines/History
Apple Podcasts
#118
Finland/History

Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

272. The Untold Stories Behind Watergate with Geoff Shepard
Q: How would things have turned out differently for the other players, not specifically for Nixon, but for the others who were prosecuted and sentenced and everything, had there not been this misconduct?
Shepard argues that John Dean was central to the cover-up and benefited from cooperating with prosecutors, while Haldeman and Ehrlichman were, in his view, only tangentially involved and might not have been prosecuted as principal figures under normal circumstances.
272. The Untold Stories Behind Watergate with Geoff Shepard
Q: Where do you think, and with who, did the idea originate that these events would ultimately be useful in or be used to take down President Nixon?
Shepard says he has found no evidence of a single meeting that initiated such a plan. He describes what he sees as a triangle involving the Watergate Special Prosecution Force, federal judges, and congressional committees, alleging secret meetings and politically driven coordination.
271. Escaping FARC: A Father Held Hostage by Colombian Rebels with Miles Hargrove
Q: So I know that ultimately you did make a ransom payment. Can you talk about how you settled on that amount and then how you actually delivered it?
After a prolonged period of silence, the family resumed negotiations and agreed to a payment. A professional drop man carried the cash into the mountains, following FARC instructions, but the first payment did not secure Thomas's release, and the family later negotiated and made another payment.
271. Escaping FARC: A Father Held Hostage by Colombian Rebels with Miles Hargrove
Q: So can you walk us through then what happened on the day of, or the day that he was taken?
Hargrove was at college when he learned from his uncle that his father had been kidnapped at a roadblock while traveling to work. His father was taken east toward the Andes, and pamphlets identified the captors as FARC's Sixth Front.
268. China's Cyber Spies: The Cyber Espionage Frontier with Dr. Ahana Datta Fasel
Q: Do you think that a cyberattack could be the catalyst for armed conflict?
She says cyber operations have generally complemented kinetic action, but ambiguity, misinterpretation, and AI-enabled efforts to mask or misattribute attacks could contribute to escalation.

Audience Metrics

Listeners, social reach, demographics and more for this podcast.

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Frequently Asked Questions About SPYCRAFT 101

What is SPYCRAFT 101 about and what kind of topics does it cover?

Long-form interviews and researched storytelling explore espionage, intelligence operations, covert action, and the people involved. Topics range from wartime deception and Cold War spying to counterterrorism, cyber operations, undercover investigations, and the legal and ethical questions surrounding intelligence work. Regular host Justin speaks with former intelligence and law-enforcement personnel, military veterans, journalists, historians, researchers, authors, and people with firsthand connections to major events. Guests often draw on personal experience or specialist research, and conversations give space to detailed accounts of operations, investigations, and historical context. The mix of firsthand testimony and lesser-known histor... more

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SPYCRAFT 101 launched 6 years ago and published 277 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.

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What guests have appeared on SPYCRAFT 101?

Recent guests on SPYCRAFT 101 include:

1. Geoff Shepard
2. Miles Hargrove
3. Elsa Johnson
4. Jason Bell
5. Ahana Datta Fasel
6. Joseph Gelman
7. Gene Coyle
8. Robert Mazur

To view more recent guests and their details, simply upgrade your Rephonic account. You'll also get access to a typical guest profile to help you decide if the show is worth pitching.

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