SPYCRAFT 101 - Justin Black

Latest Episodes:

150. The President's Kill List with Dr. Luca Trenta Jun 03, 2024

Show notes

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.

History by Mail
Who knew? Not me! Learn something new every month. Use code JUSTIN10 for 10% off your subscription.
Tenderfoot TV
Real. Powerful. Storytelling. Tune in to "To Die For" wherever you listen to podcasts.
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149. The Triads, the CIA, and the Nugan Hand Bank with Peter Butt May 27, 2024

Show notes

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.

Tenderfoot TV
Real. Powerful. Storytelling. Tune in to "To Die For" wherever you listen to podcasts.
S.O.E. Expeditions
Follow in the footsteps of legends and retrace some of the most famous operations of WWII.
Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.

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148. Japan's British Spy on American Soil with Ronald Drabkin May 20, 2024

Show notes

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

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

147. A Mother at War: Shannon Kent's Duty, Sacrifice, and Humanity with Joe Kent May 13, 2024

Show notes

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

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

146. Civil War Special Operations Units with Patrick K. O'Donnell May 06, 2024

Show notes

This week Justin talks with Patrick K. O'Donnell. Patrick is a combat historian who has covered the war in Fallujah, Iraq in 2004, where he was armed and participated in the battle alongside U. S. Marines. He is an expert on special operations units and irregular warfare. He's published 13 books so far on combat history, covering stories from the American Revolution, World War II. The Global War on Terror and more. He's also the author of the Brenner Assignment, related to episode 90 of the podcast with Jack Chappell, the son of OSS officer Howard Chappell, who was one of the primary subjects of Patrick's book. Today Patrick discusses his newest book, The Unvanquished: The Untold Story of Lincoln's Special Forces, the Manhunt for Mosby's Rangers, and the Shadow War that forged America's Special Operations. It's the story of some of the most fascinating figures from both sides of the American Civil War and how their contributions shaped that conflict and its aftermath.
Connect with Patrick:
Unvanquished comes out May 7th. Check it out it out here.
https://www.amazon.com/Unvanquished-Lincolns-Special-Americas-Operations/dp/080216286X
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.

Tenderfoot TV
Real. Powerful. Storytelling. Tune in to "To Die For" wherever you listen to podcasts.
History by Mail
Who knew? Not me! Learn something new every month. Use code JUSTIN10 for 10% off your subscription.
Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.

Support the show

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

145. Capturing Lothar Witzke: German Spy, Saboteur, and Assassin with Bill Mills Apr 29, 2024

Show notes

This week, Justin speaks with Bill Mills. Bill holds a B.A. in History from Framingham State University and has written four nonfiction books about espionage during the First World War. Along the way, he has amassed a significant private collection of original documents, photos, and artifacts related to espionage during that war. Today he shares story of Germany's highly-coordinated and highly-effective sabotage campaign against the United States during World War I. Ships, warehouses, and factories across the country were damaged or destroyed by brand new types of destructive devices and a skilled team of saboteurs who evaded capture time and time again until they met their match facing a handful of world class agents from the U. S. Army's Military Intelligence Section.
Connect with Bill:
Check out Bills most recent book, Agent of the Iron Cross, here.
https://amzn.to/3WdLRTG
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

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

144. How Cuba and The Cold War Made Miami with Vince Houghton and Eric Driggs Apr 22, 2024

Show notes

This week Justin interviews Vince Houghton and Eric Driggs. Vince grew up in Miami, Florida, and is a veteran of the U. S. Army, where he served in The Balkans. He went on to receive a master's degree and PhD in Diplomatic and Military History from the University of Maryland. He spent more than six years as the historian and curator for the International Spy Museum in Washington, D. C., and is now the director of the National Cryptologic Museum, located on the National Security Agency campus at Fort Meade, Maryland.
Eric also grew up in Miami and earned his bachelor's degree from Brown University and his Master's degree from Harvard Kennedy School. He has worked as a Cuba analyst at the University of Miami's Institute for Cuban and Cuban American Studies and later served in the US Coast Guard as a Governmental and External Affairs officer. He's currently a congressional liaison for the United States Southern Command, which oversees all US military activities and operations in Central and South America and the Caribbean.
They're here today to tell the story of Miami, Florida in the second half of the 20th century and beyond, and how much the city itself was shaped by the CIA, the CIA. By Cuban exiles, and by the conflicts that define the Cold War.
Listen to Vince's first episode, number 130: Nuking the Moon with Vincent Houghton
Connect with Vince and Eric:
Vince on Twitter/X: @IntelHistorian
Check out Vince and Eric's book, Covert City, here. Dropping Tuesday, April 23rd.
https://amzn.to/4d70HRM
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

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

143. British Military Intelligence in the Falklands with Nick van der Bijl Apr 15, 2024

Show notes

Today just chats with Nick van der Bijl. Nick served for 24 years as a regular in the British Army in military intelligence, security, and later as an infantry officer in the Territorial Army. He saw active service in Northern Ireland, Belize, and with the 3 Commando Brigade during the Falklands Conflict. Since leaving the service, Nick has published 23 books on military history, covering several different conflicts and eras. This week he discusses his experiences during the Falklands war between Argentina and the United Kingdom, which lasted for 74 days, beginning in April, 1982. Nick was on the ground as a non commissioned officer in the intelligence section of the 3 Commando Brigade as British forces fought to retake the islands and worked to build the intelligence picture for commanders making life and death decisions every day.
Check out Nick's book, My Friends, The Enemy, here.
https://www.amazon.com/My-Friends-Enemy-Intelligence-Falklands/dp/1445694182
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

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

142. The Cover Up of the Tragic USS Liberty Incident with Phillip F. Tourney Apr 08, 2024

Show notes

This week Justin sits down with Phillip Tourney. Phil enlisted in the U. S. Navy in February 1964. He served two tours on the USS Mauna Kea in the waters off Vietnam, then transferred to the USS Liberty, where he served three more tours. In June 1967, he was aboard the Liberty as a petty officer third class when the ship came under attack by Israeli aircraft and torpedo boats in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. For his actions that day, he received a Bronze Star with "V" Device and a Purple Heart. Since then, Phil has published three books about the attack on the USS Liberty. He is currently serving as the President of the USS Liberty Veterans Association. Today Phil discusses the events of June 8, 1967 and their aftermath, and the cover up that soon followed from both the U.S. and Israeli governments.
Connect with the Liberty Veterans Association:
usslibertyveterans.org
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.

Tenderfoot TV
Real. Powerful. Storytelling. Tune in to "To Die For" wherever you listen to podcasts.
Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.

Support the show

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

141. Benedict Arnold: America's Most Famous Traitor with Aaron Stark Apr 01, 2024

Show notes

This week Justin talks with returning guest Aaron Stark. Aaron served in the U S army as an Apache helicopter pilot, including on two tours in Afghanistan. He finished his term of service teaching at his alma mater West Point Military Academy as an assistant professor of economics after completing his master's in business administration at Harvard University. Today he discusses Benedict Arnold, the most famous traitor in American history. Arnold served as a general in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War until his shocking defection to the British Army.
Listen to Aaron's first appearance on episode 99: Industrial Espionage: The Downfall of a Great American Company with Aaron Stark
See Arnold and Andre's meeting sites here:
https://www.aaronstarkbooks.com/arnold-andre/project-three-sng7y-3tr4l
Connect with Aaron:
aaronstarkbooks.com
LinkedIn: Aaron Stark
Twitter: @DisruptingTime
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

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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