The Live Drop

Bernd von Koska is the curator of the Allied Museum in Berlin and co-author of Capital of Spies. For almost half a century, From summer 1945 until 1990, NATO and the Warsaw Pact fought an ongoing duel in the dark. Espionage was part of everyday life in both East and West Berlin with spies of numerous nationalities and loyalties. In this conversation Bernd describes the highlights of his book and intelligence activities in Berlin: the success, failures, famous and the infamous to include: the Crash of the YAK28P, The Spy Tunnel, The Meister and James Hall, James Carney, a visit from Marcus Wolf, Benno Ohnes shooting, Dean Reed, Rosenholtz Files and the Berlin Airlift. Capital of Spies (co-authored with Sven Felix Kellerhoff) is a great starter reference to the important intelligence events in Cold War Berlin. Bernd is a Berliner and no stranger to the spy world. Aside from his work at the museum, he’s recently helped produce British drama Spy City on AMC with author William Boyd.  Enjoyed this ad-fee episode? Please consider a one time contribution to keep us operational --> https://www.paypal.me/thelivedrop

John Pomfret is the author of From Warsaw With Love: Polish Spies, The CIA and the Forging of a Unlikely AllianceThis book starts out in Los Angeles with a particularly effective Polish spy who’d penetrated the aerospace industry. Along with a history of U.S. and Polish collaboration dating back to the Colonial period, Pomfret identifies the threads of eventual cooperation between the intelligence organizations.  I'm interested  about how Poland gained entry into NATO in 1996 along with Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary. John’s book covers a little-known clandestine operation undertaken by the Poles to get Americans out of Baghdad.  He reveals Poland's deft diplomatic maneuvering involving the U.S., Germany, and the Soviets that led to their entry into the alliance.The results of this initiative can be seen in the Ukraine today.  Had the Poles not actively sought membership in NATO decades ago, we may be looking at an entirely different landscape in Eastern Europe. More about the author at: https://www.johnpomfret.comEnjoyed this ad-fee episode? Please consider a one time contribution to keep us operational --> https://www.paypal.me/thelivedrop

It's not often you get to meet your heroes. As an Operations Research major in college, I Idolized the Bletchley Park giants. Dr. Anthony Wells was trained by these greats like his mentor the cryptoanalyst Sir Harry Hinsley. Fifty years of working in the British intelligence community leaves Dr. Wells with plenty to talk about -- and quite a lot to be kept secret as well. We discuss his book BETWEEN FIVE EYES - Fifty Years Inside the Five Eyes Intelligence Community which reads like a historical witness of key events, and remains a lasting contribution to the institutional knowledge of the intelligence field. Anthony has another book to look out for --> Crossroads in Time: Philby and Angleton, The Story of Treachery. The first dedicated work to explore their treasonous relationship.From the author's Amazon page:Dr. Wells is the only living person to have worked for British Intelligence as a British citizen and U.S. Intelligence as an American citizen. He has worked in C4ISRT, counter terrorism, as well as asymmetric and irregular warfare. Dr. Wells has led programs in the U.S National Intelligence Community to mitigate the effects of terrorist and adversary attacks on personnel, infrastructure, political systems, and communities. He was trained in the 1960s by the most distinguished exponents of deception and other clandestine operations from the World War Two period. His mentors included Professor Sir Harry Hinsley, the Bletchley Park code breaker and operations specialist. Dr. Wells is a foremost expert in the science and art of modern Information and Deception Operations, in both the offensive and defensive modes. Dr. Wells while in the Royal Navy served in Washington DC with the US Navy and Intelligence Community, and at sea in the Third Fleet, US Pacific Fleet. He became Head of Special Programs in one of the lead British Intelligence Directorates and as a US citizen was the Technical Director of Fleet Battle Experiments Alpha and Bravo in the Pacific Fleet. He is a recognized expert on threats, strategy, and tactics in the INDOPACOM area of operations.Dr. Wells is the third Chairman of the Board of the USS Liberty Alliance. He succeeded the late Admiral Thomas Moorer, former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and Chief of Naval Operations, and the late Rear Admiral Clarence “Mark” Hill, distinguished battle group commander and naval aviator. He was made an honorary crew member of the USS Liberty by surviving crew members. USS Liberty is the most highly decorated warship in the history of the US Navy for a single action. He is an acknowledged expert on the Middle East, and the 1967 June War.Enjoyed this ad-fee episode? Please consider a one time contribution to keep us operational --> https://www.paypal.me/thelivedrop