Chatter

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CIA Paramilitary Ops in Reality and Fiction Sep 15, 2022

Show notes

Of all of the Central Intelligence Agency's activities, paramilitary operations might remain the least understood. This, in part, is both a cause and a consequence of inaccurate portrayals of such work in prominent movies; it's also because fewer memoirs come from the CIA's Special Activities Division than from traditional human intelligence collectors and from analysts.

David Priess chatted with former CIA officer Ric Prado about the fiction and the reality of CIA paramilitary operations, including stories Ric tells in his book Black Ops: The Life of a CIA Shadow Warrior. They spoke about what Hollywood gets wrong about intelligence work, Ric's escape as a child from Castro's Cuba, his path to a CIA career, differences between paramilitary operations and intelligence collection, his years of work with the Contras in Central America, the Counterterrorist Center (CTC) at CIA before and on 9/11, the work ethic in CTC after 9/11, why his book has substantial chunks of redacted text, and who he thinks played the best James Bond.

Chatter is a production of Lawfare and Goat Rodeo. This episode was produced by David Priess with Cara Shillenn of Goat Rodeo, with additional editing by Cara Shillenn. Podcast theme by David Priess, featuring music created using Groovepad.

Among the works mentioned in this episode:

The book Black Ops: The Life of a CIA Shadow Warrior by Ric Prado

The film Argo

The film Three Days of the Condor

The Jason Bourne films

The film True Lies

The Mission Impossible films

The James Bond films

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Spying in the NFL with Kevin Bryant Sep 08, 2022

Show notes

You don't have to look very far under the surface of the average game in the National Football League to find cloak-and-dagger machinations worthy of governmental intelligence agencies. During the past several decades, teams have used both myriad spying tactics to gain extra advantages and extensive counterintelligence techniques to thwart them. The line between traditional espionage and NFL methods is surprisingly thin.

David Priess chatted with author Kevin Bryant about historical and present-day examples of it all, building on Kevin's new book Spies on the Sidelines: The High-Stakes World of NFL Espionage. They discussed known cases of spying before and during the draft, extraordinary means of collecting information about opposing teams' practices and playbooks, common countermeasures of security officers employed by various teams, attempts to intercept signals and play calls, electronic interference with headset communications, locker room spies, evolving league rules about dirty tricks, and the ethics of it all. And, of course, a conversation about covert action in the NFL wouldn't be complete without attention to the recent twin scandals involving the New England Patriots, Spygate and Deflategate.

Chatter is a production of Lawfare and Goat Rodeo. This episode was produced by David Priess, with editing by Cara Shillenn of Goat Rodeo. Podcast theme by David Priess, featuring music created using Groovepad.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Chatter Archive: Leadership, Sports, and Intelligence Innovation with Sue Gordon Sep 01, 2022

Show notes

This week, we take our listeners back to November 18, 2021, when we were just starting Chatter, to bring back one of our very special episodes.

David Priess's guest that day was former Principal Deputy Director of National Intelligence (PDDNI) and longtime intelligence officer Sue Gordon, who shared stories about her experiences in team sports, lessons on leadership, her role in creating the CIA’s non-profit venture capital firm (In-Q-Tel), what it was like interviewing with Donald Trump for the PDDNI job, and more.

Enjoy this archive episode, and we will return next week with an all new conversation.

Chatter is a production of Lawfare and Goat Rodeo. This episode was produced and edited by Cara Shillenn of Goat Rodeo. Podcast theme by David Priess, featuring music created using Groovepad. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Moon, Mars, and National Security with Fraser Cain Aug 25, 2022

Show notes

NASA next week plans to launch the first of several Artemis missions, which collectively aim to land astronauts on the Moon again for the first time in more than half a century, explore the lunar surface more extensively, and establish a long-term presence on the Moon. Controversy lingers over both the launch system selected for these missions and the next step of human spaceflight to Mars.

David Priess spoke with science journalist Fraser Cain, publisher of Universe Today and co-host of Astronomy Cast, about why exploring the Moon matters, what to expect from the launch and voyage of Artemis-I, and the challenges of missions to Mars. They also chatted about international space competition vs. cooperation during the Cold War and now, NASA's rollout of initial images from the James Webb Space Telescope, space-based threats ranging from gamma ray bursts and rogue black holes to near-Earth objects and coronal mass ejections, Cain's evolution in communicating science both online and through podcasts, the downward spiral of engaging conspiracy theorists, frustrations with popular culture's association of unidentified aerial phenomena with "aliens," and the interaction of science fiction and real-world space exploration.

Chatter is a production of Lawfare and Goat Rodeo. This episode was produced and edited by Cara Shillenn of Goat Rodeo. Podcast theme by David Priess, featuring music created using Groovepad.

Among the works discussed in this episode:

The book The Martian by Andy Weir

The movie The Martian

The movie Don't Look Up

The Alien film franchise

The movie Avatar

The book Death by Black Hole by Neil deGrasse Tyson

The book Death from the Skies by Phil Plait

The podcast The Skeptics Guide to the Universe

The TV show For All Mankind

The Foundation book series by Issac Asimov

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Gone with the Wind, Hitler, and America First with Sarah Churchwell Aug 18, 2022

Show notes

Gone with the Wind--the top-grossing movie of all time, adjusted for inflation--remains an iconic influence in American culture, despite its deeply troubling portrayal of social and political dynamics in the South during and after the Civil War. The continued popularity of the film points to a need to examine its influence on nearly a century's worth of American race relations, fascistic movements, and denialism in the United States. And why did Adolf Hitler reportedly love it so much?

David Priess spoke with cultural and literary historian Sarah Churchwell of the University of London, author of The Wrath To Come, a book that dives deeply into the film, how it reflects a mythologized "Lost Cause" version of the Old South, and its connection with today's increasing political violence. They discuss the popularity of the movie, its differences from the book it was based on, some of the challenges for filmmaker David O. Selznick and for the film's actors, the "Lost Cause" theme that the movie conveys, its intersection with fascist thinking in America and with modern racism, why it attracted Adolf Hitler and other Nazi leaders, its links to various iterations of the Klan and "America First" campaigns, and how even disturbing movies like this can spur social progress.

Chatter is a production of Lawfare and Goat Rodeo. This episode was produced and edited by Cara Shillenn of Goat Rodeo. Podcast theme by David Priess, featuring music created using Groovepad.

Among the works discussed in this episode:

The movie Gone with the Wind

The book Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell

The book The Wrath To Come: Gone with the Wind and the Lies America Tells by Sarah Churchwell

The article "Agglutination Test for Americanos" by Leslie L. Jones, The Smart Set magazine, May-Aug 1922.

The book Behold, America: The Entangled History of "America First" and "the American Dream" by Sarah Churchwell

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Journalism as Fodder for Fiction with Mary Louise Kelly Aug 11, 2022

Show notes

Mary Louise Kelly is one of the most recognizable voices in American journalism. A co-host of NPR’s flagship program “All Things Considered,” she has spent years interviewing top newsmakers and traveling the world to chronicle stories about national security and foreign policy.

And on top of all that, she’s a novelist. Kelly has written two books that incorporate many of her own experiences covering corridors of intelligence and international intrigue. This week, Kelly talked to Shane Harris about how she got her start, where her travels have taken her, and how journalism has proven to be a rich source of material for her fiction.

Chatter is a production of Lawfare and Goat Rodeo. This episode was produced and edited by Cara Shillenn of Goat Rodeo. Podcast theme by David Priess, featuring music created using Groovepad.

Among the works discussed in this episode:

Mary Louise Kelly’s bio: https://www.npr.org/people/2780701/mary-louise-kelly

Kelly’s books, Anonymous Sources and The Bullet: https://www.simonandschuster.com/authors/Mary-Louise-Kelly/408483298

Kelly’s website: https://marylouisekellybooks.com/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Climate Change and National Security with Erin Sikorsky Aug 04, 2022

Show notes

Climate change and its effects are increasingly recognized as important subjects of national security research and analysis. Few issues of international political economy or international security avoid some intersection with warming global temperatures, evolving environments for human habitation, and/or changing geography.

Erin Sikorsky has been studying these and related issues for decades, first within the US Intelligence Community and now at the Center for Climate and Security. David Priess had a wide ranging conversation with Erin about her career in government and beyond, how intelligence officers look at climate, a method of categorizing climate risk, how NATO is tackling climate-related issues, the missed opportunity to emphasize renewables over fossil fuels after Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine, the Climate Security Advisory Group, increasingly bipartisan support for climate security action, the roles of the public and Hollywood in addressing climate change, how various movies and books have examined these issues, and more.

Chatter is a production of Lawfare and Goat Rodeo. This episode was produced and edited by Cara Shillenn of Goat Rodeo. Podcast theme by David Priess, featuring music created using Groovepad.

Among the works discussed in this episode:

Erin Sikorsky's page at the Center for Climate and Security
The Chatter podcast episode Arctic Security and Cooperation with Marisol Maddox
"Summer Heatwave Underscores Importance of NATO's Climate Security Focus," Center for Climate and Security website, July 21, 2022, by Erin Sikorsky
"Climate Security Next Steps for the U.S. Government," Lawfare, May 6, 2022, by John Conger and Erin Sikorsky
The movie Avatar
The movie Interstellar
The movie The Day After Tomorrow
The movie Don't Look Up
The book The Ministry of the Future by Kim Stanley Robinson
The book trilogy The Broken Earth by N. K. Jemisin
The book Under a White Sky: The Nature of the Future by Elizabeth Kolbert
The report Groundswell, Part 2: Acting on Internal Climate Migration, by the World Bank
John Conger's page at the Center for Climate and Security

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Spotting Fake News with Cindy Otis Jul 28, 2022

Show notes

Fake news has been around for thousands of years in different forms that have changed with media technology, and there's little doubt that it's here to stay. For reasons ranging from human biases to financial incentives to the need for speed, it remains a hard problem. Cindy Otis, who worked for about 10 years at the Central Intelligence Agency as an analyst and a manager, now writes about fake news and related matters in articles and books--including True or False: A CIA Analyst's Guide to Spotting Fake News, which she targeted at a Young Adult audience. She balances a deep understanding of the challenges of fake news with a deep commitment to providing practical guidance for dealing with it.

David Priess spoke with Cindy about writing about fake news and other national security issues for the Young Adult audience, the history of fake news, the challenges of writing about the Holocaust, the changing terminology for disabled persons, the continuing challenges of wheelchair use in travel and in government buildings, her experiences at the CIA, why she writes for outlets ranging from Teen Vogue to USA Today, how to avoid falling prey to fake news, and why the exposure of Russian fake news about Ukraine gives her optimism about our collective ability to counter disinformation.

Chatter is a production of Lawfare and Goat Rodeo. This episode was produced and edited by Cara Shillenn of Goat Rodeo. Podcast theme by David Priess, featuring music created using Groovepad.

Among the works discussed in this episode:

The book True or False: A CIA Analyst's Guide to Spotting Fake News by Cindy Otis

The book Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J. K. Rowling

Cindy Otis's writing for Teen Vogue

Preview of the forthcoming book At the Speed of Lies by Cindy Otis

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From Journalist to Spy Novelist with Daniel Silva Jul 21, 2022

Show notes

This week, Shane Harris talks with international best-selling novelist Daniel Silva, the creator of the long-running Gabriel Allon series. His latest installment in the adventures of the spy/art restorer is out now.

Before he became a full-time fiction writer, Silva was a journalist. He produced successful shows at CNN and was a reporter overseas. Those early experiences informed his current career. Silva is known for crafting stories with a meticulous eye to factual detail.

In this wide-ranging discussion, Silva talks about his decision to leave journalism and make writing novels his full-time job; his writing process; how he created the beloved spy Allon; and why Silva has decided to make Washington, DC, his home. He also gives us a preview of his latest book and explains how a long-running fascination with art forgery sent his hero on one of his most challenging missions yet.

Chatter is a production of Lawfare and Goat Rodeo. This episode was produced and edited by Cara Shillenn of Goat Rodeo. Podcast theme by David Priess, featuring music created using Groovepad.

Works mentioned in this episode include:

Daniel Silva’s latest novel, Portrait of an Unknown Woman https://danielsilvabooks.com/books/portrait-of-an-unknown-woman/
The complete list of Silva’s books https://danielsilvabooks.com/the-books/a-complete-listing/
Silva on Twitter https://twitter.com/danielsilvabook?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Mass Shootings in America with Josh Campbell Jul 14, 2022

Show notes

Mass shootings are now such a frequent occurrence in the United States that reporters like CNN's Josh Campbell sometimes have to travel from one tragic location directly to a second one as news of another event breaks. Josh's experience as an FBI special agent helps to give him a rich perspective on the practical and ethical challenges involved in this line of work.

Josh Campbell spoke with David Priess about relations between the FBI and police departments, J. Edgar Hoover's influence on Hollywood's portrayal of the Bureau, CIA-FBI frictions, comparisons between special agent work and journalism, his experiences getting to and making his way around the scenes of mass shootings, the cost-benefit calculus of naming suspects in such incidents, the personal challenges of covering mass shootings, and more.

Chatter is a production of Lawfare and Goat Rodeo. This episode was produced and edited by Cara Shillenn of Goat Rodeo. Podcast theme by David Priess, featuring music created using Groovepad.

Among the works discussed in this episode: