True Spies: Espionage | Investigation | Crime | Murder | Detective | Politics

Codename Tinsel Tyrant | FBI

25 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

How does a San Francisco born Silicon Valley entrepreneur, "as American as apple-pie", become a vital intelligence asset for the Soviet Bloc? Hear th...

True Spies: Classic - Allied with Al-Qaeda

18 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Venture into the True Spies vaults, as we take a look back at the extraordinary story of CIA Operations Officer: Doug London. Doug only has one shot t...

True Spies: Debriefs - Douglas London on empathy

11 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Brand new from SPYSCAPE Studios - True Spies: Debriefs. In each of these new episodes, we'll dive back behind the scenes with some of our favourite Tr...

PO Box 1142 | WW2

03 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Join chief historian of the National Parks: Robert K Sutton, as he tells the story of Nazis on the Potomac, and those sworn to secrecy at Fort Hunt......

Operation Kronstadt | Historical

28 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Former MI6 Officer Harry Ferguson tells the nail-biting story of an unlikely British spy in Bolshevik Russia - and the daring naval mission to bring h...

The Woman Who Rescued Orwell | Historical

21 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

It's 1937. The Spanish Civil War is raging, and author George Orwell is fighting on the Socialist front. But as Orwell lives out his anti-Fascist adve...

The War on Terror, Part Two - From Khost to Compounds | CIA

14 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Former CIA Operations Officer Aaron Brown joins Rhiannon Neads to discuss his role in two defining moments in the CIA's War on Terror. In Part 2, the ...

The War on Terror, Part One - From Cairo to Khost | CIA

07 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Former CIA Operations Officer Aaron Brown joins Rhiannon Neads to discuss his role in two defining moments in the CIA's War on Terror. In Part 1, we f...

Disinformation Warfare, Part Two - America | Investigation

30 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Just how influential is the 'white noise' of information, and disinformation, emanating from Russia?  In this second and final episode on the phenom...

Disinformation Warfare, Part One - The Troll Farm | Investigation

23 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Just how influential is the 'white noise' of information, and disinformation, emanating from Russia? In this first of two special episodes on the phen...

Kim Philby, Super Spy: Part Two, The Third Man

16 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Born to the British upper-crust - devoted to the Revolution. Harold 'Kim' Philby was the ultimate Soviet superspy. For decades, Philby sold secrets to...

Kim Philby, Super Spy: Part One, Codename Sonny

09 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Born to the British upper-crust - devoted to the Revolution. Harold 'Kim' Philby was the ultimate Soviet superspy. For decades, Philby sold secrets to...

Narcotopia, Part Two - Thy Will Be Done | Investigation

02 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Nestled in the mountains of Myanmar, there's a nation that you won't find on the map. The mysterious, controversial Wa State is what journalist Patric...

Narcotopia, Part One - Agent Superstar | Investigation

26 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Nestled in the mountains of Myanmar, there's a nation that you won't find on the map. The mysterious, controversial Wa State is what journalist Patric...

Agent Sniper | CIA

19 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Bigamist. Fantasist. Betrayer. Betrayed. Known only as Agent Sniper, Polish double-agent Michal Goleniewski sold secrets to the USA from behind the Ir...

The Strike on Saddam | CIA

12 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

It's 2003, and the USA is on the brink of war. Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein has been issued a deadline - leave the country, or face a full American i...

The King's Secret | Historical

04 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The Chevalièr d'Éon, was an 18th century war-hero, an indispensable spy and a famous diplomat. But today, they're best known for their pioneering ap...

The Last Honest Man | Historical

26 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Two-time Pulitzer Prize winning journalist James Risen, details the life and work of Frank Church - the man who forever changed the US intelligence co...

The Disappeared, Part Two - Mother's Day | Investigation

19 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

No one takes on the cartel and comes away unscathed. Miriam Rodriguez understood that from the start. In the second and final part of this extraordina...

The Disappeared, Part One - Parlour Games | Investigation

12 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In this two-part True Spies story, The New York Times’ Azam Ahmed tells the unbelievable tale of Miriam Rodriguez, a 56 year-old housekeeper turned ...

Diamond Hands | IRS-CI

05 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

During the cryptocurrency boom of the 2010s, those who held their assets made huge fortunes. Among them was James Zhong - a young man who'd amassed an...

The Silk Road Bust | FBI

29 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The Silk Road was one of the most notorious black markets on the internet. Run by the notorious, anonymous Dread Pirate Roberts, this online bazaar al...

Sonya’s Red Heart, Part Two: The Secrets of Sonya | GRU

22 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Ursula Kuczynski, AKA Agent Sonya, is one history's most effective spies. As an intelligence gatherer for the Soviet military, she helped to usher in ...

Sonya’s Red Heart, Part One: The Fairytale of Ursula Kuczynski | GRU

15 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Ursula Kuczynski, AKA Agent Sonya, is one history's most effective spies. As an intelligence gatherer for the Soviet military, she helped to usher in ...

Cribs, Codes and Cairo | Historical

08 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Emily Anderson was the best codebreaker you've never heard of. Fiercely devoted to secrecy, she served Britain's interests in two World Wars - masteri...

Tradecraft, Part 8

01 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The tools in a spy's arsenal are more varied than you might think. But they all come under one name: Tradecraft. In our eighth round of insights from ...

Tradecraft, Part 7

25 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The tools in a spy's arsenal are more varied than you might think. But they all come under one name: Tradecraft. In our seventh round of insights from...

Operation Ajax | CIA & MI6

18 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In the early 1950s, Iran elected a forward-thinking new leader. But where previous regimes had played ball with British and American oil companies in ...

Escaping ISIS

11 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

As ISIS sweeps through the Middle East, the regions' minority groups face brutal oppression. In Northern Iraq, ex-CIA officers Michele Rigby Assad and...

The Wilderness of Mirrors | US Army CI

04 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In the dying days of the Cold War, the West is on the verge of victory. But the Soviet Union's feared secret service, the KGB, won't give up without a...

The Swinging Spies | KGB

27 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Karel Koecher always knew he was destined for greatness. At the height of the Cold War, he arrived in New York City – a Communist sleeper agent, hel...

Mister Wristwatch | FBI

20 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Truck driver, entrepreneur, womanizer - spy. Sophia Di Martino joins journalist Sean O'Driscoll to tell the story of one of the most unusual and effec...

The Old Man and the CIA, Part 2: Dulles's Down | Historical

13 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Some men make headlines. Others make history. A subtle few mold the future of nations in their image - and you'd never even know it. In this 2-part Tr...

The Old Man and the CIA, Part 1: American Gestapo | Historical

06 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Some men make headlines. Others make history. A subtle few mold the future of nations in their image - and you'd never even know it. In this 2-part Tr...

Howard Hunt Unleashed, Part 2: Project Gemstone

30 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In this True Spies special, Daisy Ridley presents a dramatized encounter with Everette Howard Hunt Jr, based on our own historical research and Hunt's...

Howard Hunt Unleashed, Part 1: The CIA & Animal Farm

23 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In this special True Spies miniseries, Daisy Ridley presents a dramatized encounter with Everette Howard Hunt Jr, based on our own historical research...

Beware the Men in Suits, Part 2: Justice for Yvonne | Investigation

16 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In 1984, when Police Constable Yvonne Fletcher was shot outside the Libyan Embassy in London , John Murray swore he would bring her killers to justic...

Beware the Men in Suits, Part 1: Stray Dogs | Investigation

09 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

April, 1984 - London. Police Constable Yvonne Fletcher has been shot dead by a pro-Gaddafi gunman at the Libyan Embassy. The UK looks on in sorrow and...

The Unwanted Spy

02 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In 2015, former CIA officer Jeffrey Sterling was sentenced to 3 and a half years in prison for violating the Espionage Act by leaking details of a top...

Terror On The Line | CIA

25 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

It's 2007, and Iraq is in a state of chaos. Factions of armed insurgents clash with Coalition forces, and the USA is looking for an exit strategy. 32 ...

The Impeccable Spy | WW2

18 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

For a womanizing Soviet spy, wartime Tokyo is both playground and prison. Surrounded by the enemy, he's got to keep his wits about him - and with an i...

The Alphabet Boys | CIA

11 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

When an informant leaks the location of an arms deal between a Romanian-American fixer and a Colombian rebel group, the DEA come down hard on both par...

The Gehlen Organization, Part 2: Peter and Paul | Historical

04 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In this two-part special, True Spies tells the story of a clandestine German intelligence network that sprang from the ashes of the Third Reich. Led b...

The Gehlen Organization, Part 1: Doctor Schneider | Historical

28 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In this two-part special, True Spies tells the story of a clandestine German intelligence network that sprang from the ashes of the Third Reich. Led b...

Beneath the Orange Rain | R&AW, India

21 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The year is 1971, and deep in the marshy mangrove forests of East Pakistan, a crack team of Bangladeshi commandos move silently through the Ganges Del...

The Compassionate Spy | Historical

14 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

For teenage genius Ted Hall, the opportunity to work alongside the great minds of his time was too great to turn down. But during his time on the Manh...

Dancing With Jackals, Part Two: The Vanishing of Bruno Breguet | CIA

07 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

It's the 1980s, and Bruno Breguet is one of international super-terrorist Carlos the Jackal's most trusted operatives. But in a paranoid world of viol...

Dancing With Jackals, Part One: The Idealist | CIA

31 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In June 1970, a young man is arrested at the Israeli port of Haifa. On his person, police officers discover pro-Palestine propaganda, a Super-8 video ...

The Oswald Project, Part Two: The Cuban Connection | CIA

24 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

A new season of True Spies kicks off with Daisy Ridley as the Narrator and Edward Norton as Lee Harvey Oswald - the alleged assassin behind the kil...

The Oswald Project, Part One: From Russia With Love | CIA

17 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

A new season of True Spies kicks off with Daisy Ridley as the Narrator and Edward Norton as Lee Harvey Oswald - the alleged assassin behind the kil...

A Taste for Treason, Part 2: Agent Crown | WW2

10 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

A Scottish hairdresser, a wannabe actor-slash-stunt pilot, and a Nazi spy ring spanning both sides of the Atlantic. Three different shows? No. One Tru...

A Taste for Treason, Part 1: PO BOX 629 | WW2

03 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

A Scottish hairdresser, a wannabe actor-slash-stunt pilot, and a Nazi spy ring spanning both sides of the Atlantic. Three different shows? No. One Tru...

Operation Inter | StB

26 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In the late 1980s, change is in the air in Eastern Europe. For a young journalist like Mark Baker, Czechoslovakia is an interesting place to be. But M...

Operation Ivy Bells | DoD

19 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In 1970, Captain James Bradley had a daydream - a daydream that inspired one of the most audacious aquatic espionage missions of all time. Operation I...

Behind the Bamboo Curtain | CIA

12 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

When two CIA officers were captured in an ambush on Chinese territory, it seemed as though their story was over. In fact, their ordeal had only just b...

The Courier | Mossad

05 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

As a student in the early 1970s, espionage was never on the cards for Howard Kaplan. But when he was given the opportunity to smuggle documents out of...

Extracting Eichmann, Part 2/2: Rat Trap | Mossad

29 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In the aftermath of WW2, war criminals scatter to the four winds. Using international escape routes known as 'Ratlines', scores of Nazis begin new liv...

Extracting Eichmann, Part 1/2: The Ratline | Mossad

22 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In the aftermath of WW2, war criminals scatter to the four winds. Using international escape routes known as 'Ratlines', scores of Nazis begin new liv...

Atomic Spies, Part 2/2: Nuclear Families | WW2

15 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

As a World War rages, humanity stands on the precipice of a new era in warfare. The atomic age is dawning - and Earth's great powers are determined to...

Atomic Spies, Part 1/2: The Klaus Fuchs Effect | WW2

08 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

As a World War rages, humanity stands on the precipice of a new era in warfare. The atomic age is dawning - and Earth's great powers are determined to...

The Queen of Cuba, Part 2/2: The Known Unknown | FBI

01 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Meet one of the most notorious double agents in the history of US intelligence - a spy so effective that she was able to operate with impunity for 17 ...

The Queen of Cuba, Part 1/2: Foreign Policies | FBI

24 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Meet one of the most notorious double agents in the history of US intelligence - a spy so effective that she was able to operate with impunity for 17 ...

COINTELPRO, Part 2/2: The Burglary | FBI

17 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

It's March, 1971. 15 months have passed since the murder of Black Panthers leader Fred Hampton by the Chicago PD. But Hampton's killing is part of a c...

COINTELPRO, Part 1/2: The Black Panther Plot | FBI

10 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

It's 1969, and the Illinois Chapter of the Black Panther Party is led by 21-year-old Fred Hampton. Hampton is beloved by his supporters, and hated bey...

The Mighty Wurlitzer | CIA

03 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The idealism of youth is a powerful thing. But when you're part of a movement, can you ever be sure of who's really pulling the strings? In the 1950s ...

Project Scorpius, Part 2/2: Agony and Ecstasy | DES

27 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

When by-the-book rookie Pamela Robinson is partnered with maverick undercover cop Kevin Barnum, neither is sure of the other. But as the duo work a ha...

Project Scorpius, Part 1/2: The Armpiece | DES

20 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

When by-the-book rookie Pamela Robinson is partnered with maverick undercover cop Kevin Barnum, neither is sure of the other. But as the duo work a ha...

American Radical, Part 2/2: Sleeper Train | FBI

13 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Tamer Elnoury is a patriotic American, a proud Muslim, and a highly-effective undercover agent. As part of the FBI's elite counter-terrorism taskforce...

American Radical, Part 1/2: The Bump | FBI

06 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Tamer Elnoury is a patriotic American, a proud Muslim, and a highly-effective undercover agent. As part of the FBI's elite counter-terrorism taskforce...

Celebrity Spies, Part 3/3 - The Josephine Baker Effect | Deuxième Bureau

27 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Celebrities, by definition, live life out in the open. Spies, on the other hand, are happiest in the shadows. But rules are made to be broken. In this...

The Razumov Files - Sample Episode

22 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Spyscape Studios has launched The Razumov Files, an audacious audio reimagining of Joseph Conrad’s classic spy thriller Under Western Eyes starrin...

Celebrity Spies, Part 2/3 - The Most Beautiful Man in the Movies | OSS

20 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Celebrities, by definition, live life out in the open. Spies, on the other hand, are happiest in the shadows. But rules are made to be broken. In this...

Celebrity Spies, Part 1/3 - The Dangerous Edge of Things | MI6

13 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Celebrities, by definition, live life out in the open. Spies, on the other hand, are happiest in the shadows. But rules are made to be broken. In this...

Exodus, Part 3/3: Adventure À La Carte | Mossad

06 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In the late 1970s, the Mossad launched one of history's most audacious missions: Operation Brothers. Their goal? To rescue thousands of Ethiopian Jews...

Exodus, Part 2/3: Passports and Prison Cells | Mossad

30 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In the late 1970s, the Mossad launched one of history's most audacious missions: Operation Brothers. Their goal? To rescue thousands of Ethiopian Jews...

Exodus, Part 1/3: The Telegram | Mossad

23 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In the late 1970s, the Mossad launched one of history's most audacious missions: Operation Brothers. Their goal? To rescue thousands of Ethiopian Jews...

Balkan Betrayals, Part 2/2: Escape from Sarajevo | CIA

16 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In the early 1990s, the collapse of Yugoslavia sparked a brutal series of conflicts in Eastern Europe. At first, the USA pursued a policy of non-inter...

Balkan Betrayals, Part 1/2: The Correspondent | CIA

09 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In the early 1990s, the collapse of Yugoslavia sparked a brutal series of conflicts in Eastern Europe. At first, the USA pursued a policy of non-inter...

Tradecraft, Part 6

02 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The tools in a spy's arsenal are more varied than you might think. But they all come under one name: Tradecraft. In our sixth round of insights from t...

Tradecraft, Part 5

23 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The tools in a spy's arsenal are more varied than you might think. But they all come under one name: Tradecraft. In our fifth round of insights from t...

How to Steal a MiG, Part 2/2: The Men in Plaid | CIA

19 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In the skies over Cairo, an unlit military transport plane makes a wary descent in to the city's international airport. Under cover of darkness, it's ...

How to Steal a MiG, Part 1/2: The Pyramid Scheme | CIA

12 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In the skies over Cairo, an unlit military transport plane makes a wary descent in to the city's international airport. Under cover of darkness, it's ...

Aldrich Ames - The Ultimate Double Agent, Part 2/2: Operation Nightmover | CIA

05 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The CIA is only as strong as it's weakest link. And in the waning years of the Cold War, weak links were in ready supply. A number of trusted Agency o...

Aldrich Ames - The Ultimate Double Agent, Part 1/2: Selling Secrets | CIA

28 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The CIA is only as strong as it's weakest link. And in the waning years of the Cold War, weak links were in ready supply. A number of trusted Agency o...

The Bin Laden Files, Part 3/3: A Lion In Winter

21 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

As a new era of True Spies begins, Sophia di Martino joins the experts to reveal Osama bin Laden’s origins, methods and motivation. CIA operatives G...

The Bin Laden Files, Part 2/3: Take The Shot

14 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

As a new era of True Spies begins, Sophia di Martino joins the experts to reveal Osama bin Laden’s origins, methods and motivation. CIA operatives G...

The Bin Laden Files, Part 1/3: The Making of Osama

07 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

As a new era of True Spies begins, Sophia di Martino joins the experts to reveal Osama bin Laden’s origins, methods and motivation. CIA operatives G...

The Legal Attaché, Part 2/2: Lobsters in a Box | FBI

31 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The men and women of the FBI are entrusted with defending Americans from their enemies at home and abroad. As an FBI Legat, Kathy Stearman performed t...

True Spies: A New Era

27 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Prepare for a new era of True Spies stories, as told by Sophia Di Martino. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Legal Attaché, Part 1/2: Kentucky Windage | FBI

24 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The men and women of the FBI are entrusted with defending Americans from their enemies at home and abroad. As an FBI Legat, Kathy Stearman performed t...

The Fourth Man, Part 2/2: The Rock Star | CIA

17 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In the late 80s and early 90s, the Agency was rocked by a series of high-profile turncoats Aldrich Ames, Robert Hanssen, and Edward Lee Howard all lea...

The Fourth Man, Part 1/2: The Big Case | CIA

10 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In the late 80s and early 90s, the Agency was rocked by a series of high-profile turncoats Aldrich Ames, Robert Hanssen, and Edward Lee Howard all lea...

Veil of Beads, Part 3/3: The Good, The Bad, and the Beautiful | Investigation

03 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Everywhere on Earth has its own flavors of greed, corruption and lies. And everywhere produces its own champions - beacons of light in the murk. In Su...

Veil of Beads, Part 2/3: The Ritual | Investigation

26 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Everywhere on Earth has its own flavors of greed, corruption and lies. And everywhere produces its own champions - beacons of light in the murk. In Su...

Veil of Beads, Part 1/3: The Method and the Madness | Investigation

19 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Everywhere on Earth has its own flavors of greed, corruption and lies. And everywhere produces its own champions - beacons of light in the murk. In Su...

Mexican Maneuvers, Part 2/2: By The Dawn's Early Light

12 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In Mexico, life can come cheap - but some are worth millions. When ruthless gangs kidnap the loved ones of the wealthy, the ransoms can soar in to sev...

Mexican Maneuvers, Part 1/2: Pancho and Cisco

05 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In Mexico, life can come cheap - but some are worth millions. When ruthless gangs kidnap the loved ones of the wealthy, the ransoms can soar in to sev...

CASSIA Spy Ring, Pt. 2/2: The Best Laid Plans | Historical | WW2

29 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In the face of an historical evil, would YOU have the courage to resist? It's a question that weighed heavily on the members of the CASSIA spy ring - ...

CASSIA Spy Ring, Pt. 1/2: The Priest and the CEO | Historical | WW2

22 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In the face of an historical evil, would YOU have the courage to resist? It's a question that weighed heavily on the members of the CASSIA spy ring - ...

Russia's Laundromat, Part 3/3: Putin's Butler? | Investigation

15 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

All around the world, dirty money pollutes public and private life. Those who wield it are a diverse cast of businessmen, politicians, and criminals -...