SPYCRAFT 101 - Justin Black

Latest Episodes:

270. A Stanford Student Targeted by China with Elsa Johnson Oct 19, 2026

Show notes

Today Justin talks with Elsa Johnson. Elsa is a student at Stanford University currently in her senior year. She is majoring in International Relations and East Asian Studies and is fluent in Mandarin Chinese. She is also the former managing editor of The Stanford Review. Two years ago, Elsa was approached online by someone she thought was a fellow student at Stanford. Those contacts quickly took a surprising and even dangerous turn as she realized she'd been identified and targeted by the Chinese Communist Party, which had a firm foothold on campus at Stanford. She worked closely with the FBI, wrote about those experiences in The Stanford Review, and even testified before Congress about foreign espionage activities on university campuses. Elsa is here discuss those experiences and how China has spent years infiltrating universities across the country.

Connect with Elsa:
Twitter/X: @elsajohnson
stanfordreview.org

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 Substack: spycraft101.substack.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.

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269. Operation Sparrow: Deceiving Hitler in WWII with Dr. Jason Bell Oct 12, 2026

Show notes

Today's guest is Dr. Jason Bell. Jason is a professor of philosophy at the University of New Brunswick, who has served as a Fulbright professor in Germany and taught at universities in Belgium, the United States, and Canada. He's here to discuss one of the least known and most important deception operations of World War II, when three OSS officers parachuted into Hungary with one goal in mind: to be taken prisoner and interrogated by German forces.

Connect with Jason: jasonbell.org Check out the book, Operation Sparrow: The Incredible True Story of the North American Spies Who Tricked Hitler and Won the War, here. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0G4WK8WY6

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268. China's Cyber Spies: The Cyber Espionage Frontier with Dr. Ahana Datta Fasel Oct 05, 2026

Show notes

Today Justin talks with Dr. Ahana Datta Fasel. Ahana graduated from University College London with a PhD and is the former cyber chief for the Financial Times media group in London. She has also held senior roles in the United Kingdom government, including with the Ministry of Justice, the Cabinet Office, and the National Cybersecurity Centre. Her editorials have been published in The Financial Times and Columbia Journalism Review. She's here to discuss her book, Full Stack Spies: Cyber Espionage in the Age of US-China Competition, which is available now from Hurst Publishers. In it, she covers the history of cyber espionage among the great powers, how it is being used right now, and what to expect in the near future.

Connect with Ahana: Check out the book, Full Stack Spies, here. https://www.amazon.com/dp/0197871380

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267. Guardian: Real Life in the CIA with Thomas Pecora Sep 28, 2026

Show notes

This week Justin talks with Tom Pecora. Tom spent 24 years as a security officer with the Central Intelligence Agency. He served in hotspots all over the world, including Somalia, Iraq, the Philippines, and Pakistan. Tom was the chief of security for CIA operations in Iraq in 2004 and 2005, and later the deputy chief of security for the Counterterrorism Center. He's been awarded the Intelligence Star and the Career Intelligence Medal. He's here to discuss his career with CIA, which he wrote about in his book.

Connect with Tom: LinkedIn: Thomas Pecora, SAS-MP Check out the book, Guardian: Life in the Crosshairs of the CIA's War on Terror, here. https://a.co/d/01FzYWf7

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266. Brian Franks: The Man Who Saved the SAS with Tim Spicer Sep 21, 2026

Show notes

Today, Justin welcomes back Tim Spicer. Tim served for 20 years in the British Army, where he rose to the rank of lieutenant colonel and saw active service in Northern Ireland, The Falklands Campaign, The Gulf War, and the Balkans, as well as serving in the Far East, Cyprus, and Germany. This is Tim's third appearance on the podcast. Today, he's back to discuss the story of Brian Franks, one of the original officers of the Special Air Service who served behind enemy lines during World War II and who continued to support British covert operations long after the war ended

Check out Tim's first appearance on ep 200: From Biffy to Bond: The Real Spy Who Inspired “From Russia, with Love” and his latest sharing the stories of his own career on ep 206: Behind the Lines from Belfast to Sierra Leone.

Connect with Tim:
timspicerauthor.com
IG: @timspicerauthor
Check out the book, An Axe and Four Balloons, here.
https://amzn.eu/d/03uFZnJn

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265. From Israel's Spycraft to Hollywood's Spotlight: The Arnon Milchan Saga with Joseph Gelman Sep 14, 2026

Show notes

This week Justin sits down with Joseph Gelman. Joe served for three years in the Israeli army as a paratrooper. He's also worked as a private consultant on political campaigns, speech writing, government relations, international marketing, and as a columnist. He's here today to discuss his book: Confidential. It's the story of Arnon Milchan, who went from the owner of a struggling chemical business in Israel to a major procurer of advanced weaponry, an agent of Israel's Lakam Bureau, and later a billionaire Hollywood film producer.

Connect with Joe: Check out the book, Confidential, here. https://www.gefenpublishing.com/products/confidential

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Clandestine Laboratories Your new favorite fragrance is here. I'm partial to Novochoc. https://www.clandestinelaboratories.com/fragrances

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

264. CIA in Moscow: Behind Russian Lines with Gene Coyle Sep 07, 2026

Show notes

Today, Justin talks with Gene Coyle. Gene graduated from Indiana University in Bloomington with a Bachelor's degree in 1973, followed by a Master's degree in 1974. He then joined the Central Intelligence Agency, where he served for 30 years, including in six overseas assignments. After retiring from CIA, Gene returned to Indiana University as an adjunct professor of intelligence studies. He has also written a series of spy novels in recent years. He's here to discuss his assignment to Moscow in the mid-1980s, where he took part in one of the most high-risk, high-reward operations of the entire Cold War, tapping underground communications cables in Moscow while dodging surveillance by the KGB, for which he received the CIA's Intelligence Medal of Merit.

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263. Infiltrating the Cartels with Robert Mazur Aug 31, 2026

Show notes

Today Justin sits down with Robert Mazur. Robert is a world-renowned authority on money laundering techniques. He spent 27 years working as a US federal agent, including five years undercover, followed by 17 years in the private sector working as an expert witness, consultant, and investigator for both defense counsels and governments. He's also published two books about his biggest investigations. Robert is here to discuss his first book, which tells the story of his two-year undercover operation targeting bankers, traffickers, and drug lords in the late 1980s. The Infiltrator was adapted into a 2016 feature film starring Bryan Cranston as Robert

Connect with Robert: robertmazur.com Facebook: Robert Mazur Check out the book, The Infiltrator, here. https://a.co/d/0awTlwvU

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Clandestine Laboratories Your new favorite fragrance is here. I'm partial to Novochoc. https://www.clandestinelaboratories.com/fragrances

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

262. France's Secret Weapon Against the Nazis with Nicholas Reynolds Aug 24, 2026

Show notes

Today, Justin talks woth Nicholas Reynolds. Nick has had a very enviable career. After graduating from Oxford University in the 1970s, he served in the US Marine Corps as an infantry officer and later as a historian. He retired from the reserves as a colonel and the officer in charge of field history. He also served with the Central Intelligence Agency, including as the historian for the agency's museum at their headquarters in Langley. You might remember Nick from his first appearance on the podcast for episode 102 when we discussed his book Need to Know. Now he's back with his newest book, Ortiz's War, which he co-wrote with Katie Sanders. It's the story of Peter Ortiz, a legendary Marine Corps officer who served with the Office of Strategic Services behind enemy lines in France during World War II.

Check out Nick's first appearance on Ep 102: The Rise of American Intelligence with Nicholas Reynolds here. https://bleav.com/shows/spycraft-101/episodes/102-the-rise-of-american-intelligence-with-nicholas-reynolds/

Connect with Nick:
nicholasreynoldsauthor.com

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Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

261. Inside the Minds of Soviet Defectors with Kevin Riehle Aug 17, 2026

Show notes

Today Justin sits down with Kevin Riehle. Kevin earned his Bachelor's degree in Russian and Political Science at Brigham Young University, his Master's degree in Strategic Intelligence at the Joint Military Intelligence College, and his PhD in War Studies from King's College London. Kevin worked for more than 30 years in the US National Security Community, including for the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the National Counterintelligence Center, and other organizations. He also served in the US Navy Reserve, retiring at the rank of commander. He's currently a lecturer in intelligence and security studies at Brunel University in London. He's here today to discuss his book, which tells the story of the earliest wave of Soviet defectors, how they were handled and mishandled by Western intelligence agencies, and the reprisals they faced from Stalin's government

Connect with Kevin: kevinriehle.com Check out the book, Soviet Defectors: Revelations of Renegade Intelligence Officers, 1924-1954, here. https://www.amazon.com/dp/1474467237?ref_=cm_sw_r_ffobk_cp_ud_dp_EA66JST8SRZGKEC4YTZD&bestFormat=true

Kruschiki The best surplus military goods delivered right to your door. Use code SPYCRAFT101 for 10% off! https://kruschiki.com/

Clandestine Laboratories Your new favorite fragrance is here. I'm partial to Novochoc. https://www.clandestinelaboratories.com/fragrances

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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