Another podcast recommendation: I Spy

I Spy” is a podcast by Foreign Policy Magazine, with 14 previous episodes.

It’s new to me, but looks to be very interesting.

You can listen to new episodes and past seasons of I Spy (without bonus content) wherever you get your podcasts: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, TuneIn, Overcast, Stitcher, Radio Public, PocketCasts, and iHeartRadio.

I Spy+ is a subscription service that includes access to bonus content to accompany each episode, and is available for a fee.

Go deeper into each new episode of I Spy with I SPY PLUS. Get bonus episodes featuring extended interviews with spies, go behind the scenes with the I Spy production team and artist, and learn more from conversations with espionage and intelligence experts.

Here’s their promo:

Spies don’t talk—it’s the cardinal rule of the business. But here at Foreign Policy, we get them to open up. On I Spy, we hear from the operations people: the spies who steal secrets, who kill adversaries, who turn agents into double agents. Each episode features one spy telling the story of one operation.

Hosted by Margo Martindale, the three-time Emmy-award winner famous for her work on The Americans, Justified, August: Osage County, and The Good Wife, among many other television, film, and theatrical roles.

A recently published review gave it a thumbs up (“I Spy Uncovers the Art of Espionage“). Here’s an excerpt:

Since its birth, the CIA has had to play defense against the question: should an agency made up of non-elected citizens be allowed to operate almost entirely unchecked?

I Spy may not ultimately answer that question, but its episodes vividly describe the craft of espionage, with rare access to former spies. Every one of them is impressive. There are certain details the spies have to leave out, but I was continuously surprised by how candid they were.

Each guest on the podcast is a superb storyteller. They speak with measured cadences and choose their words with precision. There are no ums and ahs from these guys. They’re charming and they’re forthright. They don’t shy away from admitting when something went wrong or from looking at their operations with a critical eye.

A few days after finishing the podcast, I remembered a line from one of the operatives, James Olson, a former Chief of Counterintelligence at the CIA. “It’s kind of terrible to say,” he said, “but you get good at lying.” I laughed. I had believed every word.


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