The Rest Is Classified

Latest Episodes:

21. Death on the Thames: The Poisoned Umbrella (Ep 2) Feb 19, 2025

Show notes

Was an umbrella too obvious a murder weapon for an assassination in the heart of London? Why were the KGB hesitant to do the Bulgarian government's dirty work? And how do scientists work with spy agencies to identify lethal poisons?

Georgi Markov, the Bulgarian dissident writer, is dead. But, who murdered him? Was it the Bulgarians or the KGB? What about the British? In the aftermath of Markov's poisoning, the Metropolitan Police are struggling to discover the perpetrator behind the umbrella.

Listen as David and Gordon continue the story of the mysterious murder of a Bulgarian BBC broadcaster on Waterloo Bridge, and ask: will the assassin ever be caught?

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Assistant Producer: Becki Hills

Producer: Callum Hill

Senior Producer: Dom Johnson

Exec Producer: Tony Pastor

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20. Death on the Thames: An Assassin in London (Ep 1) Feb 17, 2025

Show notes

How do you get away with murder in the heart of London? And which weapon would you choose to avoid arousing suspicion?

Georgi Markov was a Bulgarian dissident writer wanted by the Eastern Bloc for spreading anti-regime messaging across Western Europe. He'd fled to London and begun working for the BBC World Service, the US-funded Radio Free Europe and West Germany's Deutsche Welle. A satirist at heart, he used his platform to criticise the Bulgarian Communist leader, Todor Zhivkov, making fun of the authoritarian president and calling for the liberation of his home country.

But, was Markov walking a dangerous line that could lead to his untimely demise? Find out as David and Gordon tell the mysterious story of the Bulgarian writer and his suspicious death on Waterloo Bridge.

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Order a signed edition of David's latest book, The Seventh Floor, via this link.

-------------------

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Email: classified@goalhanger.com

Twitter: @triclassified

Assistant Producer: Becki Hills

Producer: Callum Hill

Senior Producer: Dom Johnson

Exec Producer: Tony Pastor

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19. Attack on Greenpeace: Death in the Pacific (Ep 2) Feb 12, 2025

Show notes

Did the French secret service commit an act of state terrorism by sinking a Greenpeace ship? Why did the tragedy of the Rainbow Warrior become known as BlunderWatergate? How many millions of dollars did France have to pay Greenpeace in compensation?

The French have bombed the Rainbow Warrior, forcing its environmentalist crew to flee for their lives, but one member of the team is stuck on board. As the story of the attack starts to spread around the world, what ensues is a frantic man-hunt to unmask the perpetrators and bring them to justice.

In this episode, Gordon and David trawl through the murky aftermath of the sinking of the Rainbow Warrior, debating how this disastrous operation informs sabotage missions to this day.

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Pre-order a signed edition of David's latest book, The Seventh Floor, via this link.

-------------------

Get our exclusive NordVPN deal here ➼ www.nordvpn.com/restisclassified

It’s risk-free with Nord’s 30-day money-back guarantee!

Email: classified@goalhanger.com

Twitter: @triclassified

Assistant Producer: Becki Hills

Producer: Callum Hill

Senior Producer: Dom Johnson

Exec Producer: Tony Pastor

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18. Attack on Greenpeace: France’s Nuclear Bomb (Ep 1) Feb 10, 2025

Show notes

Why were the French exploding nuclear bombs in the Pacific in the 70s and 80s? How did a spy manage to infiltrate Greenpeace? And what on earth are limpet mines?

In the 1960s, the French started testing nuclear weapons in the South Pacific, causing untold ecological destruction and worrying the surrounding island nations. Greenpeace, hot off the back of their successful anti-whaling and anti-sealing campaigns, heard this news and decided that nuclear weapons were their next battleground. Armed with an old English naval ship and some controversial publicity tactics, Greenpeace took on the French to free the Pacific of nuclear weapons.

Join David and Gordon as they dive into the gripping tale of the Rainbow Warrior - Greenpeace’s fearless flagship - sunk in a shocking act of French espionage in 1985.

-------------------

Pre-order a signed edition of David's latest book, The Seventh Floor, via this link.

-------------------

Get our exclusive NordVPN deal here ➼ www.nordvpn.com/restisclassified

It’s risk-free with Nord’s 30-day money-back guarantee!

Email: classified@goalhanger.com

Twitter: @triclassified

Assistant Producer: Becki Hills

Producer: Callum Hill

Senior Producer: Dom Johnson

Exec Producer: Tony Pastor

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17. ⁠Crossing the Iron Curtain: Revenge in Russia (Ep 4) Feb 05, 2025

Show notes

Will Tolkachev fall at the final hurdle and land in the hands of the KGB? How do the CIA go about protecting their assets in the field? And, does it really take a spy to catch a spy?

As we reach the final instalment of the story of Adolf Tolkachev, the plot reaches its dramatic crescendo. Tolkachev has now been working for the CIA for over half a decade and the pressure is clearly taking its toll on both him and the US agents around him. As the two Cold War powers face off on the outskirts of Moscow, which behemoth will come out on top? Listen as David and Gordon conclude their series on the unbelievable story of the Billion Dollar Spy.

-------------------

Pre-order a signed edition of David's latest book, The Seventh Floor, via this link.

-------------------

Get our exclusive NordVPN deal here ➼ www.nordvpn.com/restisclassified

It’s risk-free with Nord’s 30-day money-back guarantee!

Email: classified@goalhanger.com

Twitter: @triclassified

Assistant Producer: Becki Hills

Producer: Callum Hill

Senior Producer: Dom Johnson

Exec Producer: Tony Pastor

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16.⁠ ⁠Crossing the Iron Curtain: Escape From the KGB (Ep 3) Feb 03, 2025

Show notes

How would you disguise a cyanide pill for a CIA spy in Moscow during the Cold War? What risks could Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, and The Beatles pose to Adolf Tolkachev’s mission against the Soviet state? And will the CIA’s mole in Moscow be discovered by the KGB?

It’s 1985, and for the past five years, Tolkachev has been providing the CIA with top secret documents detailing the intricacies of Soviet radar technology. He’s risked everything he knows and loves to help orchestrate the demise of the USSR, but is he teetering on the edge of discovery? Listen as David and Gordon share the third instalment of the story of Adolf Tolkachev as his health begins to decline and he realises a suicide pill might be his only way out.

-------------------

Pre-order a signed edition of David's latest book, The Seventh Floor, via this link.

-------------------

Get our exclusive NordVPN deal here ➼ www.nordvpn.com/restisclassified

It’s risk-free with Nord’s 30-day money-back guarantee!

Email: classified@goalhanger.com

Twitter: @triclassified

Assistant Producer: Becki Hills

Producer: Callum Hill

Senior Producer: Dom Johnson

Exec Producer: Tony Pastor

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The Seventh Floor (Extract) Feb 01, 2025

Show notes

To coincide with the release of David's latest novel, The Seventh Floor, we have the book’s first chapter in audiobook form for you to enjoy.

Bouncing between the corridors of Langley and the Kremlin, the thrilling new novel by David McCloskey explores the nature of friendship in a faithless business, and what it means to love a place that does not love you back.

The Seventh Floor by David McCloskey, is OUT NOW in the UK.

Pre-order a signed edition via this link.

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A Russian arrives in Singapore with a secret to sell. When the Russian is killed and Sam Joseph, the CIA officer dispatched for the meet, goes missing, Artemis Procter is made a scapegoat and run out of the service. Traded back in a spy swap, Sam appears at Procter’s central Florida doorstep months later with an explosive secret: there is a Russian mole hidden deep within the upper reaches of CIA.

As Procter and Sam investigate, they arrive at a shortlist of suspects made up of both Procter’s closest friends and fiercest enemies. The hunt soon requires Procter to dredge up her own checkered past in service of CIA, placing her and Sam into the sights of a savvy Russian spymaster who will protect Moscow’s mole in Langley at all costs, even if it means wreaking bloody havoc across the United States.

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Email: classified@goalhanger.com

Twitter: @triclassified

Assistant Producer: Becki Hills

Producer: Callum Hill

Senior Producer: Dom Johnson

Exec Producer: Tony Pastor

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15. Crossing the Iron Curtain: The Cold War’s Most Valuable Spy (Ep 2) Jan 29, 2025

Show notes

Was it possible to avoid KGB surveillance in Moscow as a CIA agent at the height of the Cold War? What motivates someone to spy on their country for an opposing power? And how did Adolf Tolkachev manage to smuggle out the top secret documents the CIA needed to defeat the USSR?

Adolf Tolkachev has been recruited by the CIA as a mole inside a highly sensitive government department in Moscow. His job: to sneak top secret documents out to offer the US a glimpse of Russia's defence capabilities. Despite his initial success, Tolkachev knew the risks if he was caught by the KGB. But, could he justify those risks? Find out as Gordon and David share the latest instalment of the story of Adolf Tolkachev.

-------------------

Pre-order a signed edition of David's latest book, The Seventh Floor, via this link.

-------------------

Get our exclusive NordVPN deal here ➼ www.nordvpn.com/restisclassified

It’s risk-free with Nord’s 30-day money-back guarantee!

Email: classified@goalhanger.com

Twitter: @triclassified

Assistant Producer: Becki Hills

Producer: Callum Hill

Senior Producer: Dom Johnson

Exec Producer: Tony Pastor

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

14. Crossing the Iron Curtain: The CIA’s Mole In Moscow (Ep 1) Jan 27, 2025

Show notes

How did the CIA recruit a Russian asset in Moscow during the height of the Cold War? Why would someone be so determined to defect from the Soviet Union and spy for the US? And what would happen if the KGB found out they had a traitor in their midst?

Adolf Tolkachev had a vendetta against the Soviet state and became determined to orchestrate its demise. An expert on Soviet radar, Tolkachev realised his top secret work could help the US fight his communist overlords and potentially topple the entire system. So, how did he do it? Listen as Gordon and David start to tell the story of the man who became the CIA’s most valuable Russian spy.

-------------------

Pre-order a signed edition of David's latest book, The Seventh Floor, via this link.

-------------------

Get our exclusive NordVPN deal here ➼ www.nordvpn.com/restisclassified

It’s risk-free with Nord’s 30-day money-back guarantee!

Email: classified@goalhanger.com

Twitter: @triclassified

Assistant Producer: Becki Hills

Producer: Callum Hill

Senior Producer: Dom Johnson

Exec Producer: Tony Pastor

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

13. How China Spies: Trump, TikTok, and Taiwan Jan 22, 2025

Show notes

Is the Chinese state using TikTok to spy on you? Why did President Biden move to shut TikTok down in the US the day before Trump's inauguration? And where does TikTok fit into China's cognitive warfare strategy?

On Sunday 19 January, TikTok users in the United States opened their apps to receive an error message from the company, explaining that "a law banning TikTok has been enacted in the U.S.". Op eds were written, influencers took to other social media apps to express their dismay, and politicians scrambled to explain why they were taking drastic action against the Chinese tech company. But, what did the 24-hour ban really mean for national security and data privacy in the US?

Listen as David and Gordon take a deep dive into how China spies in the 21st century.

-------------------

Pre-order a signed edition of David's latest book, The Seventh Floor, via this link.

Get tickets to see David and Gordon in conversation at Waterstones Trafalgar Square on Tuesday 28 January at 19:00 GMT via this link.

-------------------

Get our exclusive NordVPN deal here ➼ www.nordvpn.com/restisclassified

It’s risk-free with Nord’s 30-day money-back guarantee!

Email: classified@goalhanger.com

Twitter: @triclassified

Assistant Producer: Becki Hills

Producer: Callum Hill

Senior Producer: Dom Johnson