Episoder
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British aristocrat Donald Maclean, as a member of the Cambridge 5, worked his way to the top of the British Foreign Office while secretly working as KGB spy. His wife was in on it the whole time. How did an extremely wealthy and noticeable couple successfully spy for so long, and why? Learn about their backgrounds, deeds, and fates. This is the fourth episode to deal with the Cambridge 5. The other episodes are: Episode 7: Secret Agent Super Spy: Harold Kim Philby: The 1st in a series on the Cambridge 5, Episode 10: Kim Philby Part 2: I Really Must Be Going; The second episode on our series on the Cambridge 5, & Episode 11: Guy Burgess: I Gotta Be Me! This is the third episode in our series on the Cambridge 5. (First 2 are episodes 7 & 10)
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This is our third episode in a three part series on CIA Directors who shaped US policy towards the Soviet Union and now Russie. I give an overview of the life of John Brennan, a straight talking Irishman from New Jersey. The episode ends with anecdotes about a stateside former American sailor pretending to be in the Donbass while promoting pro-Kremlin propaganda, a Ukrainian operation to trick Russians into burning down their own recruitment stations, a hacker who steals from the FSB and gives to Ukraine and the FBIs prosecution of alleged Chinese agents on US soil. The agents allegedly have set up a covert police station and are harassing dissidents. *Correction: NAFO=North Atlantic Fella Association
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Manglende episoder?
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This is our second episode in a three part series on CIA Directors who shaped US policy towards the Soviet Union. I give an overview of the life of Robert Gates a proverbial and literal boyscout. We also give a brief news update about Wagner in Sudan and Armenia's frustration with Russia.
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From the OSS to CIA Director William Casey is the CIA Director who shaped America's Cold War policy and indirectly gave us GPS. Find out how. This is the first episode in a three part series on CIA Directors who influenced our present policy towards Russia. Though a sober man Casey was not without controversy.
At minute 19:00 there is an interview with Rebecca Maciorowski. She is an American nurse who is volunteering as a medic in Ukraine.
You may donate to her via paypal at [email protected], or at www.bymeacoffee.com/bekamaciorowski
Rebecca Maciorowski mentioned the need for the following items:
Gas Masks including theyse types-M50 Joint Services General Purpose Mask, Mestel Safety SGE 400/3 Gas Mask, Mestel Safety Multipurpose Filter 203 A2B2E2K2P3 RDMedical Equipment: Chest seals and vents, chest shears, IFAKs-Individual First Aid Kits, oxygen tanks, and oxygen compressors
This podcast was written and read by Brandon Givens
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We're taking a break from our weekly conversations to focus on our proper episodes. Look out for Frank Wisner, part 2 in two weeks. Then we're taking a short break to get things prepped for what we're generously calling Season 2 of CIA Files. Meanwhile, for international news, check out This Week Explained, which does a great job of covering current events around the globe.
And we're working hard on our upcoming show, Rise of Mammon, wherein we will discuss the rise of Christo-fascism and America's new Nationalist Christians, or Nat-Cs for short. You can follow us at these links:
https://www.instagram.com/riseofmammon/
https://www.facebook.com/riseofmammon
https://twitter.com/riseofmammon
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Picture this: You're a high-ranking Air Force official overseeing research and development of new, top-secret aircraft. Your job is Operational Security, which is to say, keeping it secret.
Then one day, a civilian who's an expert on radio waves, as well as a bit of a photography buff, comes to you with a massive collection of pictures and data related to the top-secret aircraft you're supposed to be keeping secret. Not ideal, right? But then this civilian explains that he's pretty sure what he has is evidence of an alien invasion. So you look him in the eye and you tell him he's onto something. He's definitely discovered aliens zipping around your military base. Then the fun begins.
This is the story of Paul Bennewitz, a man subjected to what some might describe as a intimate, one-on-one psy-op. After stumbling upon government secrets, he is led into a crazy world involving a variety of aliens and rumors of a secret underground base where these aliens live and work.
And Brandon updates us on current events surrounding Armenia, Azerbaijan, and the CTSO.
https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/why-are-armenia-azerbaijan-fighting-again-why-does-it-matter-2022-09-13/
https://www.livescience.com/ukraine-ufo-uap-report
https://arxiv.org/pdf/2208.11215.pdf
https://www.snopes.com/news/2022/09/14/ufos-over-kyiv/
http://www.greatdreams.com/Falcon-Richard-Doty.htm
https://supernaturalmagazine.com/articles/the-strange-saga-of-paul-bennewitz-and-the-undergruond-alien-base-at-dulce
https://www.openminds.tv/william-moore-ufo-opportunist-agent-disinformation/29056
Mirage Men Documentary
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In 1986, computers were still the domain of the wily nerd. They wouldn't become cool until the World Wide Web was invented. And even then, computers weren't really that much cooler until DSL connections came along.
But Clifford Stoll, an unemployed astronomer, took an IT job at a university, where his superior nerdity would lead him to be the first IT person to discover and track down a computer hacker. That hacker was sniffing around private U.S. military and national defense databases, selling whatever information he could find to the KGB.
Also, this week, Josh, whom you may recognize as the voice of our quotes, joins us to contribute to the commentary. It's a fun, light-hearted episode this week.
https://www.wired.com/story/meet-the-mad-scientist-who-wrote-the-book-on-how-to-hunt-hackers/
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Mikhail Gorbachev died on August 30, 2022, at the age of 91. Brandon discusses the man's life and political trajectory while making the case that Gorbachev's legacy deserves more appreciation.
And I, Topher, talk about new details in the unending drama that is former President Donald Trump versus the National Archives. Or FBI. Or Department of Justice.
We also talk about a Ukrainian immigrant named Inna Yashchyshyn, or as Donald Trump, Senator Lindsey Graham and former Missouri governor Eric Greitens knew her, Anna de Rosthchild. She posed as a member of the famous, wealthy family in order to rub elbows with the rich and famous at glorious Mar a Lago. Was she a real estate agent? A charity president? A music promoter? A rampaging elephant? Wait, I got off track there.
Anyway, that's what's in this episode. Sorry it's late. As such, some of the news we mention may be out of date. I'm very, very sorry.
https://www.reuters.com/world/mikhail-gorbachev-who-ended-cold-war-dies-aged-92-agencies-2022-08-30/
https://www.emptywheel.net/2022/08/26/trump-had-human-signals-and-fisa-intelligence-in-an-insecure-room-at-mar-a-lago-for-a-year/
https://www.reuters.com/world/us/trumps-home-search-unearthed-some-documents-covered-by-attorney-client-privilege-2022-08-29/
https://newsinteractive.post-gazette.com/anna-de-rothschild-trump-mar-a-lago-security-fbi-investigation
https://www.politico.com/story/2017/03/trump-mar-lago-security-risk-espionage-235950
Photo credit: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:RIAN_archive_359290_Mikhail_Gorbachev.jpg
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Brandon walks us through some of the misunderstood, overblown, and under-reported aspects of Russia's long-term efforts to sow derision and division among Americans. How involved was Russia with the NRA? Has the Kremlin been stirring up secessionist movements? And what's up with those crazy Russian dashcam videos? We don't really talk about that last question, but we're still curious.
NRA Infiltrated
https://www.thedailybeast.com/kremlin-used-nra-to-help-trump-in-2016-says-senate-intelligence-committee?fbclid=IwAR0qMckztLmcsp7TzK0bmwVl5n3J_dSppQZwfsNp0mKd8ukEe7ykb8tHh74
https://www.npr.org/2019/09/27/764879242/nra-was-foreign-asset-to-russia-ahead-of-2016-new-senate-report-reveals
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/mar/01/nra-russia-investigations-gun-lobby
Maria Butina
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maria_Butina
https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-sioux-falls-maria-butina-us-news-russia-bc8e1858b424ca5d5d6119a53facfcdd
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Erickson_(activist)
CALEXIT infiltrated
https://www.sacbee.com/news/local/article264043131.html
Texas too (Troll Factory)
https://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-trending-41853131
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-62359884
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_J._Marinelli#Life_in_Russia
Elena Branson
https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/russian-american-charged-with-acting-as-spy-in-u-s-1318658/
Republican asked for Russian Help
https://www.newsweek.com/russell-taub-2016-election-rhode-island-russia-intelligence-fec-trump-1681742
Russian Open support for succession movements
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/what-s-behind-russian-support-world-s-separatist-movements-n614196
Bots misinformation
https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/social-media/russian-trolls-flood-twitter-after-parkland-shooting-n848471
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On Monday, August 8th, the FBI conducted a search of Trump’s Mar A Lago mansion, seizing 11 boxes of documents. It was later disclosed that the boxes were classified material, including some labeled Top Secret, that the National Archives and the Department of Justice say Trump was not authorized to take with him after he left the White House.
In mid January, 2022, 15 boxes of presidential records were moved from Mar A Lago back to National Archives. Officials involved in the matter said Trump dragged his feet on the request for documents from his time in the White House, but eventually gave in. Mid-February, classified information was found in the documents retrieved from Mar A Lago. This raised concerns about what other classified material he might still have. It also raises the possibility that Trump broke federal law by bringing classified material to his Florida home.
Officials from the National Archive also noticed that there were a number of documents that should have been returned but were still missing. Around June, members of the DoJ and the FBI visited Mar A Lago to meet with Trump’s lawyers about the possibility that Trump still had classified material there. They issued a subpoena for more documents. Trump’s lawyers responded, saying any and all classified documents that Trump may have had were returned with the boxes turned over to the National Archives in January.
On Friday, August 5, a judge issues a search warrant for Trump’s Florida home, and the FBI exercises the warrant and searches Trump’s Mar A Lago mansion. Trump’s lawyers were apparently given about 45 minutes’ notice. It’s worth noting that the White House says it had no advanced knowledge about the raid, and the current FBI director, Chris Wray, was appointed by Trump.
The GOP and right-wing media immediately began crying foul. Trump supporters began protesting. Calls for violence against the FBI and other government organizations began flooding social media.
On Thursday, August 11, Attorney General Merrick Garland said that he initiated the request for the search warrant. That same Thursday, 42-year-old Navy veteran and Trump supporter Ricky Shiff attacked the FBI office in Cincinnati, Ohio. He was eventually killed by law enforcement.
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/ohio-shooting-fbi-standoff-shiffer-latest-b2144460.html
The Department of Homeland Security has issued a statement saying the threat of more violence is extremely high at the moment.
https://www.reuters.com/world/us/fbi-dhs-warn-us-law-enforcement-threats-after-trump-search-2022-08-14/
https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2022/08/11/garland-trump-mar-a-lago/
https://thehill.com/policy/defense/515700-trump-disclosed-secret-weapons-system-to-woodward-book/
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/may/15/super-duper-missile-us-trump-military https://news.yahoo.com/trumps-mar-lago-security-nightmare-111008352.html
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Sorry for the delay. We recorded this episode to release last week, but I (Topher) had a lot going on and neglected to edit and publish it on time. So here it is for this week. We hope you didn't miss us too much.
In this episode, we dive into the world of "signature reduction" -- which is made up of efforts to hide agents' true identities online in the world of social media and open-source intelligence. All of this is being produced by a massive network of military and private contractor efforts, which also include constructing fake digital personas for agents working under cover in the field. These secret keyboard warriors help produce fake credentials, like passports and drivers' licenses, and can even tap into official government databases to falsify records, enabling agents to pose as other people and to cross international borders without raising any eyebrows.
Sources
https://www.newsweek.com/exclusive-inside-militarys-secret-undercover-army-1591881
https://opticsmanagement.com/what-is-signature-reduction-and-how-can-it-help-you-protect-your-privacy/
https://www.thenation.com/article/archive/us-intelligence-is-more-privatized-than-ever-before/
https://www.salon.com/2007/06/01/intel_contractors/
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Who is current CIA Director William J. Burns? Not a soldier, nor a lawyer, nor a long-time intelligence officer. Instead of the usual suspects for the role, Bill Burns is a legacy civil servant and a career diplomat. Under his direction, the CIA seems to be trying a few new things, like being transparent (or is he?!) and meeting face-to-face with world leaders instead of trying to overthrow them from behind a desk in DC.
We decided to take a quick look at this Bill Burns character to see where he came from and what he's done to become trusted with America's Premier Intelligence Agency™. In part one, we discuss his upbringing, his education, and his career as an ambassador, as well as his role in facilitating the now-lifeless Iran nuclear deal.
We also discuss the concept of the "Deep State" and what that actually looks like, as opposed to how it's portrayed by certain politicians who like to complain a lot and who don't like the concept of "Checks and Balances."
https://www.businessinsider.com/what-deep-state-is-and-why-trump-gets-it-wrong-2020-1?op=1
https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/cumberlink/name/william-burns-obituary?pid=199107880
https://2001-2009.state.gov/r/pa/ei/biog/105574.htm
https://history.state.gov/departmenthistory/people/burns-william-joseph
https://eunacr.com/2021/03/20/who-is-william-j-burns-the-new-director-of-the-cia/
https://www.cfr.org/backgrounder/what-iran-nuclear-deal
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nunn%E2%80%93Lugar_Cooperative_Threat_Reduction
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The 1950s might be regarded by some as the salad days of the CIA. No ideas were too wacky, and the money was flowing into research and development like a cool, clean mountain spring. So when CIA mad scientist Dr. Sidney Gottlieb decided to hire an up-close magician to write some instruction manuals on how to perform their own sort of magic -- the kind that might involve slipping a drug into someone's champagne or pick someone's pocket, no one batted an eye.
Famed illusionist John Mulholland produced two top-secret manuals for the CIA, which were thought to be lost forever after Director Richard Helms ordered all material on MK Ultra destroyed. But a lucky CIA researcher named H. Keith Melton stumbled across old, forgotten Xerox copies of the manuals in 2007, and now we can get a glimpse at some of the inner workings of some of the CIA's operating procedures from the time.
You can purchase a physical copy of the book here on Amazon, or you can download a free digital copy at
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No episode this week, but we'll be back next week.
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Julian Assange began hacking in the 80s when he was just 16 years old. Now he's perhaps the most famous whistleblower in the world. The United States wants to put him on trial for espionage, but his defenders say he was simply working as a journalist to uncover injustices committed by the U.S. military, and what U.S. officials actually want is to punish him for exposing American crimes and to scare other journalists from reporting on American misdeeds. As his extradition to the U.S. approaches, we decided to take a look into his past and get into the details of who he is and what he's done.
https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2010/06/07/no-secrets
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-47907600
https://news.yahoo.com/kidnapping-assassination-and-a-london-shoot-out-inside-the-ci-as-secret-war-plans-against-wiki-leaks-090057786.html
https://reason.com/2022/06/22/julian-assanges-case-frightening-omen-press-freedom/
https://www.newsweek.com/what-did-julian-assange-do-wikileaks-founder-faces-17-espionage-charges-1716860
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That's right, folks. This is our last news episode. We will still be releasing proper episodes highlighting the lives of the people involved with the CIA. And we'll be releasing more short episodes as well. We will also be launching a new show soon, so keep an eye out for that. Updates to follow.
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Jim Angleton dedicated his life to building and maintaining the CIA. He spent years manipulating people and policy from his self-labeled "wilderness of mirrors," motivated by his own paranoia, and informed by an opportunistic Russian defector named Anotoli Golytsin. Eventually, despite his monumental efforts to cover his tracks, Angleton's chickens came home to roost.
Sources:
The Ghost: The Secret Life of CIA Spymaster James Jesus Angleton, by Jefferson Morley
https://amzn.to/3xgHDfS
https://www.brookings.edu/blog/brookings-now/2015/05/06/40-years-ago-church-committee-investigated-americans-spying-on-americans/
https://www.politico.com/story/2017/01/church-committee-established-jan-27-1975-234079
https://www.muckrock.com/news/archives/2017/oct/19/angleton-return/
https://jfkfacts.org/what-angleton-told-jfk-investigators-behind-closed-doors/
https://www.thedailybeast.com/my-lunch-with-the-spider-who-nearly-wrecked-the-cia
https://spartacus-educational.com/SSangleton.htm
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Chinese fighter pilots are full of beans. Are things looking up in Yemen? Because they aren't in Tigray. A CIA whistleblower dies. And if you're looking for classified tank information, you might want to check some online video game forums.
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More news from around the world -- an update on the Russian invasion of Ukraine, a look at Ethiopia's record number of displaced people, and a discussion about the decline of democracy and the rise of autocracy and authoritarianism.
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