Episodios

  • S9 Ep5: Who Attacked Nord Stream? Inside the Investigation with Florian Flade
    Oct 6 2024
    Today’s episode brings you an in-depth look into one of the most mysterious and controversial sabotage incidents in recent history – the Nord Stream Pipeline attack. Joining both Chris and Matt is investigative journalist Florian Flade, who has been at the forefront of uncovering the truth behind the explosions that shook Europe.

    Florian, working with the German public broadcaster Tagesschau, has spent years investigating issues surrounding national security, terrorism, and intelligence. In this episode, we explore the tangled web of geopolitical intrigue surrounding the Nord Stream pipeline bombings, examining who may be responsible and what this attack means for Ukraine’s potential future in the EU and NATO. From questions of Ukrainian involvement to the presence of Russian spy ships in the Baltic, we’ll be unpacking a story filled with uncertainty, strategic sabotage, and high-stakes diplomacy.

    So, tune in as we dive into the facts, theories, and investigative breakthroughs that shed light on this murky case.

    Follow Florian on Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/FlorianFlade

    Articles and reporting discussed in the episode "New clue apparently leads to Ukraine" by Florian Flade & Manuel Bewarder | Tagesschau (May 2023)

    "Search in Germany" by Florian Flade & Manuel Bewarder | Tagesschau (June 2023)

    "Sailing yacht with stopover in Poland" by Florian Flade, Manuel Bewarder, Michael Götschenberg, Georg Heil & Holger Schmidt | Tagesschau (June 2023)

    "Denying All Involvement" by Florian Flade, Manuel Bewarder, et al. | Tagesschau (September 2023)

    "New list from Poland raises questions" by Florian Flade, Manuel Bewarder, Michael Götschenberg, Georg Heil & Holger Schmidt | Tagesschau (September 2023)

    "Sweden wants to stop Nord Stream proceedings" by Florian Flade & Manuel Bewarder | Tagesschau (February 2024)

    "First arrest warrant for Nord Stream attacks" by Florian Flade, Manuel Bewarder, Michael Götschenberg, Georg Heil & Holger Schmidt | Tagesschau (August 2024)

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    Secrets and Spies is produced by Films & Podcasts LTD.
    Music by Andrew R. Bird
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    54 m
  • S9 Ep4: Hezbollah Decapitated, Israel Invades, and Iran Attacks with Phillip Smyth
    Oct 3 2024
    In this special episode, Matt welcomes back Phillip Smyth just days after his last appearance to analyze another major development in the Middle East: the assassination of Hezbollah’s secretary general, Hassan Nasrallah, in a targeted Israeli airstrike. Nasrallah’s death has sent shockwaves across Lebanon, Iran, and the wider network of Iran-backed militias, raising pressing questions about Hezbollah’s future and its role in regional power dynamics.

    Phillip returns to help unpack the key players, their motives, and the potential fallout from this strike. Together, they examine Israel’s strategic objectives, Iran’s retaliatory actions, and the broader implications for the already fragile situation in the Middle East. They also explore the ongoing Israeli ground offensive and Iran’s ballistic missile strikes in response.

    It’s a rapidly evolving situation, so join Phillip and Matt as they break down the latest developments and consider what might come next.

    Phillip’s work for West Point’s Combatting Terrorism Center: https://ctc.westpoint.edu/authors/phillip-smyth/.

    Phillip’s work at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy: https://www.washingtoninstitute.org/experts/phillip-smyth

    Follow Phillip on Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/PhillipSmyth

    Relevant articles and reporting "Iran’s Strikes on Israel Look Calculated to Shore Up Regional Alliance" by Erika Solomon | The New York Times

    "A Wider War in the Middle East, From Hamas to Hezbollah and Now Iran" by David E. Sanger | The New York Times

    "Israel Has Destroyed Half of Hezbollah’s Arsenal, US and Israeli Officials Say" by Edward Wong, Julian E. Barnes & Eric Schmitt | The New York Times

    "Deep intelligence penetration enabled Israel to kill Hassan Nasrallah" by Dan Sabbagh | The Guardian

    "How Israel's bitter 2006 war with Hezbollah could shape possible Lebanon invasion" by Robert Tollast | The National

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    Secrets and Spies is produced by Films & Podcasts LTD.
    Music by Andrew R. Bird
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    1 h y 45 m
  • S9 Ep3: Exploding Pagers and More Airstrikes: Unpacking Hezbollah’s Catastrophic Week with Phillip Smyth
    Sep 28 2024
    On today’s episode, Phillip Smyth, the guru for all things related to Iranian proxy groups, returns to chat with Matt about the exploding pagers and radios that maimed thousands of Hezbollah members last week and the following wave of Israeli airstrikes targeting the group’s long-range missile and drone forces. They discuss the implications for Hezbollah’s communication networks and command structure and the broader impact these events will have on the regional war that’s now consumed the Middle East for a year.

    Phillip’s work for West Point’s Combatting Terrorism Center: https://ctc.westpoint.edu/authors/phillip-smyth/.

    Phillip’s work at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy: https://www.washingtoninstitute.org/experts/phillip-smyth

    Follow Phillip on Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/PhillipSmyth
    Follow Matt on Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/FultonMatt

    Support Secrets and Spies Become a “Friend of the Podcast” on Patreon for £3/$4: www.patreon.com/SecretsAndSpies

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    For more information about the podcast, check out our website: https://secretsandspiespodcast.com

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    Secrets and Spies is produced by Films & Podcasts LTD.
    Music by Andrew R. Bird
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    1 h y 24 m
  • S9 Ep2: Extra Shot Preview: The weaponisation of disgust, a peek inside a US Far-Right militia and a globally integrated ISIS
    Sep 20 2024
    Hello, everyone. As Chris and Matt are working on new interviews this week, we are sharing a preview of our Extra Shot episode from September 13th. On this episode we look at the weaponisation of disgust, a peek inside a US Far-Right militia and a globally integrated ISIS.

    Articles discussed in the show:

    https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-stochastic-terrorism-uses-disgust-to-incite-violence/

    https://www.propublica.org/article/inside-secret-ap3-militia-american-patriots-three-percent

    https://warontherocks.com/2024/07/a-globally-integrated-islamic-state/

    Become a “Friend of the Podcast” on Patreon and get access to "Extra Shot" for £3/$4:
    www.patreon.com/SecretsAndSpies


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    Secrets and Spies is produced by Films & Podcasts LTD.
    Music by Andrew R. Bird
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    1 h y 2 m
  • S9 Ep1: Teen Terrorism, Telegram Trouble, and Exposing the Kremlin’s American Useful Idiots | Espresso Martini
    Sep 13 2024
    In the Season 9 premiere of the Secrets & Spies podcast, hosts Chris Carr and Matt Fulton reveal exciting new plans for the show, including a transition to video. They dive into breaking stories, starting with the shocking failed ISIS attack at a Taylor Swift concert in Vienna—exposing the growing threat of teenage online radicalization. The episode also covers the arrest of Telegram founder Pavel Durov in France for failing to regulate harmful content, and the DOJ’s exposure of ties between American influencers and Russian state media. Finally, they discuss a rare joint interview with CIA Director William Burns and SIS Chief Sir Richard Moore, offering insights into the historic US-UK intelligence collaboration amid rising global tensions.

    Tune in for expert analysis on terrorism, online extremism, and intelligence from the leaders shaping the global security landscape.

    Video version available on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/posts/espresso-martini-112014979

    Articles discussed in today’s episode "The Tortured Teens Department: What the Terror Plot Against a Taylor Swift Concert Tells Us About Youth Extremism" by Farah Pandith & Jacob Ware | US News & World Report

    "Who is Pavel Durov, the Russian-born Telegram founder arrested in France?" by Niha Masih | The Washington Post

    "U.S. Investigating Americans Who Worked With Russian State Television" by Steven Lee Myers & Julian E. Barnes | The New York Times

    CIA director Bill Burns and MI6 chief Richard Moore talk to FT editor Roula Khalaf | The Financial Times

    Click here to tune into our Patreon Show Extra Shot: https://www.patreon.com/posts/extra-shot-13-09-112015759.

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    Secrets and Spies is produced by Films & Podcasts LTD.
    Music by Andrew R. Bird
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    1 h y 18 m
  • The Secret History of Area 51 with Peter Merlin (Repost)
    Sep 7 2024
    On today’s episode (originally aired January 20th, 2024), Matt speaks with aerospace historian Peter Merlin, whose new book, DREAMLAND: THE SECRET HISTORY OF AREA 51, is the first authoritative, scholarly history ever published on the infamous top-secret base deep in the Nevada desert. This isn’t a book about UFOs or conspiracy theories but instead offers a sweeping, comprehensive study of the real Area 51, where for 70 years the US Air Force has developed and tested classified military aircraft like the U-2 and SR-71 spy planes, the F-117 stealth fighter, and some projects that will remain secret for decades to come.

    Purchase DREAMLAND through Schiffer Publishing: https://schifferbooks.com/products/dreamland

    Find DREAMLAND and Peter’s other books on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Peter-W.-Merlin/author/B001JS0GU6

    Support Secrets and Spies Take our anonymous listener survey here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/MSRSSSP

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    Secrets and Spies is produced by Films & Podcasts LTD.
    Music by Andrew R. Bird
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    55 m
  • Extra Shot Teaser: Privacy vs. national security, threats to democracy, Ukraine aid, and the state of the Royal Navy
    Aug 31 2024
    Chris and Matt are enjoying a late-summer break. Please enjoy this episode of Extra Shot, our bonus show for Patreon subscribers, originally aired May 11th, 2024. Secrets and Spies will return for season 9 with a new Espresso Martini on September 14th.

    Take our anonymous listener survey here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/MSRSSSP

    Reporting discussed in the episode

    "Asio boss says privacy ‘not absolute’ as he urges social media companies to do more on extremism" by Josh Butler | The Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2024/apr/24/asio-boss-says-privacy-not-absolute-as-he-urges-social-media-companies-to-do-more-on-extremism

    "Autocracies Are Winning the Information War" by Tom Nichols | The Atlantic: https://www.theatlantic.com/newsletters/archive/2024/05/the-plot-to-discredit-democracy/678315/

    "Putin’s Propagandists Rage Against the Republican ‘Betrayal’" by Julia Davis | CEPA: https://cepa.org/article/putins-propagandists-rage-against-the-republican-betrayal/

    "The Royal Navy is going through difficult times" by Stavros Atlamazoglou | Sandboxx News: https://www.sandboxx.us/news/royal-navy-woes/

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    1 h y 6 m
  • Secrets & Spies Listener Survey 2024
    Aug 28 2024
    Hello, everyone. We just wanted to say a huge thank you for your support during season 8. We will be starting Season 9 on the 14th of September.

    Before we start the new season, we wanted to hear from you about your thoughts on the podcast and if there is anything you would like us to do.

    Please take part in our anonymous listener survey here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/MSRSSSP

    Thank you for taking the time to participate in our survey and for all your support over the year.

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    Secrets and Spies is produced by Films & Podcasts LTD.
    Music by Andrew R. Bird
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    3 m