Episodios

  • S8 Ep274: THE LEGACY OF THE AMATEUR SPIES Colleague Charles Spicer. Graham Christie and Philip Conwell-Evans compiled a rare book titled None So Blind, printing only 100 copies to document their warnings to the British government about the Nazi threat. Their effor
    Jan 1 2026
    THE LEGACY OF THE AMATEUR SPIES Colleague Charles Spicer. Graham Christie and Philip Conwell-Evanscompiled a rare book titled None So Blind, printing only 100 copies to document their warnings to the Britishgovernment about the Nazi threat. Their efforts went largely unrecognized until historian Martin Gilbert began to correct the record, moving beyond the simplistic "Guilty Men" narrative to acknowledge that appeasement was a widely supported strategy at the time. The protagonists met modest ends: Ernest Tennant's memoir was overlooked, Conwell-Evans lived quietly in Notting Hill, and the heroic Christie died by suicide in his nineties, leaving behind only a small plaque in St. Paul's Cathedral. The Travelers Club remains one of the few places where their story—and the history of these attempts to civilize the Nazis—is remembered. NUMBER 16
    1945-46 GORING AT NUREMBERG

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    8 m
  • S8 Ep274: NUREMBERG AND THE POST-WAR SILENCE Colleague Charles Spicer. At the Nuremberg trials, Ribbentrop appeared a broken man, attempting to call amateur spies like Conwell-Evans as witnesses to prove his pre-war desire for peace, a defense that ultimately faile
    Jan 1 2026
    NUREMBERG AND THE POST-WAR SILENCE Colleague Charles Spicer. At the Nuremberg trials, Ribbentropappeared a broken man, attempting to call amateur spies like Conwell-Evans as witnesses to prove his pre-war desire for peace, a defense that ultimately failed to excuse his war crimes. His widow, Anneliese, later wrote memoirs obsessing over social slights in London, displaying a detachment from the reality of the Holocaust. Conversely, in the "Ministries Trial," Lord Vansittart denied his connections to the German resistance, likely because admitting to these chaotic back-channel efforts was too uncomfortable for a Foreign Office that preferred the narrative of inevitable total war. Consequently, the Anglo-German Fellowship, despite having had government approval, was brushed under the carpet of history, its role in attempting to avert catastrophe largely forgotten. NUMBER 15
    1945-46 TRIBUNAL JUDGES.
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    12 m
  • S8 Ep274: THE FALL OF FRANCE AND THE FLIGHT OF HESS Colleague Charles Spicer. As the German army overran France and the Low Countries in May 1940, Winston Churchill became Prime Minister and began utilizing the intelligence Christie had provided through Vansittart.
    Jan 1 2026
    THE FALL OF FRANCE AND THE FLIGHT OF HESS Colleague Charles Spicer. As the German army overran France and the Low Countries in May 1940, Winston Churchill became Prime Minister and began utilizing the intelligence Christie had provided through Vansittart. The summer of 1940 also saw the publication of Guilty Men, a polemic that unfairly blamed appeasers for the war, simplifying a complex history and embedding a narrative of betrayal in the public consciousness. Across the Atlantic, Lord Lothian, having turned against Germany, successfully persuaded Roosevelt to support Britain, crucial for the war effort. The narrative touches on the bizarre flight of Rudolf Hess to Scotland, who sought the Duke of Hamilton—a figure connected to the Fellowship—in a deluded attempt to negotiate peace between the two nations. NUMBER 14
    1946 HANGED WILHELM FRICK AT NUREMBERG
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    8 m
  • S8 Ep274: THE PHONY WAR AND CONTINUED CONSPIRACIES Colleague Charles Spicer. Following the outbreak of war in September 1939, the amateur spies remained active during the "Phony War," engaging with renewed efforts by the German opposition to replace the government.
    Jan 1 2026
    THE PHONY WAR AND CONTINUED CONSPIRACIES Colleague Charles Spicer. Following the outbreak of war in September 1939, the amateur spies remained active during the "Phony War," engaging with renewed efforts by the German opposition to replace the government. While the Oster Conspiracy remained a theoretical possibility, an independent assassination attempt by Georg Elser failed to kill Hitler, unrelated to the diplomatic plots. Graham Christie continued to meet with Hermann Göring, who played both sides, leading Christie to conclude that while Göring was evil, he might have been a preferable alternative for a negotiated peace. Meanwhile, Ernest Tennant risked his life on missions to Norway, and despite the bravery of these intermediaries in providing accurate information about the German threat, the British government still failed to fully grasp the scale of the danger before the invasion of France. NUMBER 13
    0CT0BER 16, 1946 HANGED JULIUS STRIECHER REMAINS.
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    10 m
  • S8 Ep274: THE TENNANT MISSION AND THE SUMMER OF 1939 Colleague Charles Spicer. In the summer of 1939, Ernest Tennant undertook a secret mission to Austria to meet his former friend Ribbentrop, acting with the plausible deniability of 10 Downing Street. At a confisc
    Jan 1 2026
    THE TENNANT MISSION AND THE SUMMER OF 1939 Colleague Charles Spicer. In the summer of 1939, Ernest Tennant undertook a secret mission to Austria to meet his former friend Ribbentrop, acting with the plausible deniability of 10 Downing Street. At a confiscated castle, Tennant learned that Hitler was mirroring Ribbentrop'saggressive stance, planning a long war and targeting Poland. This intelligence convinced London to accelerate a defense pact with Poland, though Chamberlain failed to secure a necessary alliance with the Soviet Union due to his personal antipathy toward Stalin. Despite accurate intelligence from the amateur spies regarding the imminent invasion of Polandand the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, the British leadership failed to act decisively or explore regime change, missing the final opportunities to stop the dictator before the outbreak of hostilities. NUMBER 12
    1946 DEFENSE ATTORNEYS AT NUREMBERG
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    9 m
  • S8 Ep274: DIPLOMATIC FAILURES AND SOVIET INFILTRATION IN 1939 Colleague Charles Spicer. By early 1939, British efforts to maintain peace were hampered by disastrous appointments, specifically the pro-appeasement ambassador Neville Henderson in Berlin and the increa
    Jan 1 2026
    DIPLOMATIC FAILURES AND SOVIET INFILTRATION IN 1939 Colleague Charles Spicer. By early 1939, British efforts to maintain peace were hampered by disastrous appointments, specifically the pro-appeasement ambassador Neville Henderson in Berlin and the increasingly irrational and Anglophobic Ribbentrop in London. Intelligence provided by Philip Conwell-Evans and Graham Christie reached Foreign Secretary Halifax, who began to doubt Chamberlain's appeasement policy as he moved closer to Churchill's position. Meanwhile, the Anglo-German Fellowship faced internal contradictions, such as a controversial dinner for a Nazi women's leader, which Halifaxadvised against cancelling to keep communication channels open. The narrative also reveals that left-wing opposition to these efforts was manipulated by Soviet intelligence, as exemplified by "Simon Haxey," the author of Tory MP, who was later exposed as a recruiter for Soviet spies. NUMBER 11
    1946 NUREMBERG ACCUSED AND THE GUARDS
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    10 m
  • S8 Ep274: THE OSTER CONSPIRACY AND THE CRISIS OF 1938 Colleague Charles Spicer. During the crisis year of 1938, the protagonists provided robust intelligence regarding the "Oster Conspiracy," a credible plan by German military and police officials to remove Hitler
    Jan 1 2026
    THE OSTER CONSPIRACY AND THE CRISIS OF 1938 Colleague Charles Spicer. During the crisis year of 1938, the protagonists provided robust intelligence regarding the "Oster Conspiracy," a credible plan by German military and police officials to remove Hitler from power if he invaded Czechoslovakia. However, Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain undermined this potential coup by pursuing "Plan Z," his personal initiative to fly to Germany and negotiate directly with Hitler, effectively removing the conspirators' casus belli. Following the Munich Agreement, the brutality of Kristallnacht shocked the world, yet the Anglo-German Fellowship was not vilified; instead, it remained a vital conduit for intelligence flowing to Lord Vansittart and the British cabinet. Despite the moral impossibility of forgiving the regime after November 1938, British officials and amateur spies continued to maintain relations in a desperate attempt to find a solution short of total war. NUMBER 10
    1945-46. THE ACCUSED HANS FRANK IN HIS CELL.
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    7 m
  • S8 Ep274: THE MAP OF WAR AND THE KORDT CONNECTION Colleague Charles Spicer. In early 1938, as Sir Robert Vansittart was sidelined for the appeaser Horace Wilson, the amateur spies continued to provide highly accurate intelligence regarding Hitler's expansionist pla
    Jan 1 2026
    THE MAP OF WAR AND THE KORDT CONNECTION Colleague Charles Spicer. In early 1938, as Sir Robert Vansittart was sidelined for the appeaser Horace Wilson, the amateur spies continued to provide highly accurate intelligence regarding Hitler's expansionist plans. Graham Christie obtained specific military details from his "friend" Hermann Göring, while Philip Conwell-Evans relied on the Kordt brothers—diplomats embedded in the Germanembassy who secretly opposed the Nazis. This network provided London with a clear map of Hitler's intentions for Austria and Czechoslovakia, and during the "May Crisis," their intelligence contributed to a rare moment of allied coordination that temporarily forced Hitler to back down, frustrating the dictator. NUMBER 9
    194546 GORING IN HIS CELL AT NUREMBERG.
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    11 m