Today, Justin talks with returning guest James Stejskal. James enlisted in the U. S. Army in 1973 and served for more than 20 years, including with the now famous Special Forces Detachment A in Berlin in the 1970s and 80s, among many other assignments. He was severely wounded in Somalia in 1992 and medically retired from the Army in 1996, after which he joined the CIA as a case officer, where he spent nearly another 15 years. Now fully retired from government service, James has written several non fiction books as well as a new series of novels called The Snake Eater Chronicles. Today, he discusses the role Detachment A played in Operation Eagle Claw to rescue American hostages in Tehran in 1980. Although Eagle Claw is a very well known historic event, Detachment A's part has never been known in detail, until James now.

Check out James's first appearance on episode 98, Special Forces Detachment A in Berlin, here.

Connect with James:
LRDG@mac.com (for any books and signed copies!)
jamesstejskal.wordpress.com/
Facebook: James Stejskal Writer
Check out James's latest book on Operation Eagle Claw, Mission Iran, here.

https://www.amazon.com/Mission-Iran-Special-Forces-Operation/dp/1636243339

Connect with Spycraft 101:
Get Justin's latest book, Murder, Intrigue, and Conspiracy: Stories from the Cold War and Beyond, here.
spycraft101.com
IG: @spycraft101
Shop: shop.spycraft101.com
Patreon: Spycraft 101

Find Justin's first book, Spyshots: Volume One, here.
Check out Justin's second book, Covert Arms, here.
Download the free eBook, The Clandestine Operative's Sidearm of Choice, here.

Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify

Support the Show.

Today Justin chats with Rose Mary Sheldon. This is her third time on the podcast. Rose Mary taught history as a professor at Virginia Military Institute for more than 25 years, and is a world renowned expert on intelligence activities in the ancient world. She earned her PhD from the University of Michigan in 1987 and has published several books and many articles over the years, as well as serving as an editor for the International Journal of Intelligence and Counterintelligence in Small Wars and Insurgencies and the Journal of Military History. Today she covers the lives and deaths of the emperors of the Flavian dynasty, who came after the Julio-Claudian emperors discussed last time, along with the internal security measures they put in place to protect themselves from assassination with varying degrees of success.

Check out episode 81, Espionage In Ancient Rome, here. And hear episode 119, Rampant Assassination in the Roman Empire, here.

Connect with Rose Mary:
vmi.academia.edu/RSheldon
Get your copy of Guarding the Caesars here.

https://amzn.to/3VY8N96

Connect with Spycraft 101:
Get Justin's latest book, Murder, Intrigue, and Conspiracy: Stories from the Cold War and Beyond, here.
spycraft101.com
IG: @spycraft101
Shop: shop.spycraft101.com
Patreon: Spycraft 101

Find Justin's first book, Spyshots: Volume One, here.
Check out Justin's second book, Covert Arms, here.
Download the free eBook, The Clandestine Operative's Sidearm of Choice, here.

Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify

Support the Show.

Justin talks with retired FBI special agent Raymond J. Batvinis. Ray served in the FBI from 1972 until 1997, working in counterterrorism and counterintelligence, including on the investigations into Ronald Pelton and the Walker spy ring. Shortly after 9/11, he returned to teach the basic counterintelligence course at the FBI Academy at Quantico. Since retiring, Ray has worked as a historian and author. He's published articles on intelligence history in scholarly journals and on his website, FBIstudies.com. You might remember Ray from his previous appearance on the podcast for episode 66. Today, he discusses the story of William Weisband, an almost completely forgotten Soviet spy who was nonetheless one of their most valuable assets in the United States before, during, and after World War II.

Listen to Ray's first appearance on episode 66, The Early Days of FBI Counterintelligence, here.

https://www.buzzsprout.com/1780478/11509131

Connect with Ray:
fbistudies.com
Check out his book, Agent Link, here.

https://www.amazon.com/Agent-Link-Professional-Intelligence-Education/dp/1538184907

Connect with Spycraft 101:
Get Justin's latest book, Murder, Intrigue, and Conspiracy: Stories from the Cold War and Beyond, here.
spycraft101.com
IG: @spycraft101
Shop: shop.spycraft101.com
Patreon: Spycraft 101

Find Justin's first book, Spyshots: Volume One, here.
Check out Justin's second book, Covert Arms, here.
Download the free eBook, The Clandestine Operative's Sidearm of Choice, here.

Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify

Support the Show.

Today Justin chats with Charles Lachman. Since 1998, Charles has been the executive producer of the nationally syndicated news magazine Inside Edition. He has appeared on CNN, MSNBC, History Channel, Lifetime, C SPAN, and other local and national media. He's also the author of four non fiction books and one crime novel. Today he discusses the story of an almost impossible mission for the U. S. Navy to locate, disable, and capture a mostly intact U Boat in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean and the men who pulled it off. It's also the story of the crew of the German U Boats themselves, the hardships they endured, and how they nearly turned the tide of the entire war itself.

Connect with Charles:
charleslachman.com
Check out his book, Codename Nemo, here.

https://www.amazon.com/Codename-Nemo-U-Boat-Elusive-Machine/dp/1635768713/

Connect with Spycraft 101:
Check out Justin's latest release, Covert Arms, here.
spycraft101.com
IG: @spycraft101
Shop: spycraft-101.myshopify.com
Patreon: Spycraft 101

Find Justin's first book, Spyshots: Volume One, here.
Download the free eBook, The Clandestine Operative's Sidearm of Choice, here.

Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify

Support the Show.

Today Justin sits down with Dr. Luca Trenta. Luca is an associate professor in international relations at Swansea University in Wales, and is a fellow of the Royal Historical Society and of the Higher Education Academy. He's written extensively on the subjects of covert action and assassination as tools of foreign policy. He is the host of the Out of the Shadows podcast with eight episodes available now, and he has appeared on four episodes of the Secret Wars Uncovered series on the History Channel. Today he discusses his book, The President's Kill List, which was just published on May 31st, 2024. It's a thorough history of U. S. government involvement in the assassination of foreign officials from the early Cold War through the present day. These operations, both successful and unsuccessful, have played a major role in American foreign policy and world affairs on many occasions.

Connect with Luca:
swansea.ac.uk/staff/l.trenta
Twitter/X: @LucaTrenta
Check out The President's Kill List here. Use code NEW30 for 30% off.

https://edinburghuniversitypress.com/book-the-president-s-kill-list.html

Connect with Spycraft 101:
Check out Justin's latest release, Covert Arms, here.
spycraft101.com
IG: @spycraft101
Shop: spycraft-101.myshopify.com
Patreon: Spycraft 101

Find Justin's first book, Spyshots: Volume One, here.
Download the free eBook, The Clandestine Operative's Sidearm of Choice, here.

Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify

Support the Show.

This weak Justin chats with Peter Butt. Peter is an author and award -winning documentary filmmaker. He is the founder of Blackwattle Films and his work has appeared on BBC, National Geographic, The History Channel and elsewhere. Peter has focused particularly on the Cold War, the nuclear arms race and espionage activities, particularly in Australia. Today he discusses his work investigating Frank Nugan and Michael John Hand, founders of the Nugan Hand Bank. Their small financial institution quickly grew and opened branches all over Asia and Australia and financed drug smugglers, arms traffickers, and clandestine intelligence operation, but it all came to a head in 1980 with law enforcement investigations, the death of one of the founders, and the disappearance of the other.

Connect with Peter:
blackwattlefilms.com.au

Check out Peter's book, Merchants of Menace, here.

https://www.amazon.com/Merchants-Menace-Story-Nugan-Scandal/dp/0992325285

Connect with Spycraft 101:
Check out Justin's latest release, Covert Arms, here.
spycraft101.com
IG: @spycraft101
Shop: spycraft-101.myshopify.com
Patreon: Spycraft 101

Find Justin's first book, Spyshots: Volume One, here.
Download the free eBook, The Clandestine Operative's Sidearm of Choice, here.

Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify

Support the Show.

This week Justin is joined by Ronald Drabkin. Ron earned his Bachelor's Degree from Duke University and his Master's from UC Berkeley. Since then, he's worked in the tech industry, first with Intel Corporation and later as an entrepreneur and investor. He's also written peer reviewed articles on espionage history in Japan. Today he discusses his first book, published earlier this year, titled Beverly Hills Spy. It's the story of Frederick Rutland, a veteran pilot and aviation pioneer, who left the British Royal Navy to work with the fledgling Japanese aviation industry in the 1920s. Rutland's contributions over the coming years helped them leap forward and better prepare for their coming war with their greatest adversary, United States Navy, fleet based at Pearl Harbor.

Connect with Ron:
X/Twitter: @DrabkinRon
Check out Ron's book, Beverly Hills Spy, here.

https://www.amazon.com/Beverly-Hills-Spy-Double-Agent-Helped/dp/0063310074

Connect with Spycraft 101:
Check out Justin's latest release, Covert Arms, here.
spycraft101.com
IG: @spycraft101
Shop: spycraft-101.myshopify.com
Patreon: Spycraft 101

Find Justin's first book, Spyshots: Volume One, here.
Download the free eBook, The Clandestine Operative's Sidearm of Choice, here.

Support the Show.

Today, Justin talks with Joe Kent. Joe spent 20 years in the United States Army, serving in the Ranger Regiment, Army Special Forces, and later other elite units within Joint Special Operations Command, before retiring as a Chief Warrant Officer III. His time in the service included 11 deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan. It was during one of those deployments that he first met Shannon Smith, the woman he would later marry. Shannon was a trailblazer within the special operations community who excelled at everything she put her mind to and made an unforgettable impact on the lives of everyone around her. Today Joe discusses his book, Send Me: The True Story of a Mother at War. It's the story of Shannon Kent's life, her family, her career, and her tragic death in northern Syria in January, 2019.

Connect with Joe:
joekentforcongress.com
IG: @joekent16jan19
Check out Joe's book on Shannon, Send Me, here.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/0063039893/keywords=biography?tag=harpercollinsus-20

Connect with Spycraft 101:
Check out Justin's latest release, Covert Arms, here.
spycraft101.com
IG: @spycraft101
Shop: spycraft-101.myshopify.com
Patreon: Spycraft 101

Find Justin's first book, Spyshots: Volume One, here.
Download the free eBook, The Clandestine Operative's Sidearm of Choice, here.

Support the Show.