Ways to support the channel:Buy Me a Coffee: ☕ https://bmc.link/philipthompsonDonate via PayPal: 💸 paypal.me/PhilipT284The nine-mile stretch of coastline in Southern California known as Palos Verdes is home to some of the wealthiest Los Angeles families. It is hardly the place you would expect a true Cold War spy thriller to be born. Yet, it was here that childhood friends Christopher John Boyce and Andrew Daulton Lee would meet, and move on from their privileged upbringings to betray their country. Together they plunged headfirst into the dangerous world of espionage. Their story, a blend of misplaced idealism, greed, hedonism and recklessness, would ultimately expose a shocking breach of national security and leave a lasting mark on the annals of Cold War history. This is the tale of the Falcon and Snowman.Further reading (affialiate links):📕 Falcon and the Snowman, Robert Lindsey - https://amzn.to/40Yttj8📕 American Sons: The Untold Story of the Falcon and the Snowman, Chris Boyce, Cait Boyce, Vince Font - https://amzn.to/4kZ03sA#philipthompson #truelifespystories #falconandthesnowman
Ways to support the channel:Buy Me a Coffee: ☕ https://bmc.link/philipthompsonDonate via PayPal: 💸 paypal.me/PhilipT284Listen to my spy stories on the True Life Spy Stories podcast!🎙️https://creators.spotify.com/pod/show/true-life-spy-storiesThe champagne flutes clinked softly in the smoke-filled salon of a Parisian mansion as German officers mingled with French socialites in the spring of 1943. Among them moved a striking woman with dark hair and piercing eyes, her laughter musical as she charmed Wehrmacht colonels and SS officials alike. They saw Elvira Chaudoir as the perfect conquest - a wealthy, well-connected widow who had embraced the new order with enthusiasm.They had no idea she was systematically cataloguing their secrets for British intelligence and sending them disinformation to undermine their plans for a new Europe.Elvira Chaudoir lived one of the most dangerous double lives of World War II, operating as a high-level spy for Great Britain while maintaining her cover as a Nazi collaborator in occupied Europe. Agent Bronx, as was her designation, was a critical cog in the British deception machine known as the Double Cross system - the grand plan to deceive the Nazis as to the timing and location of the D-Day landings in 1944.Every day she was at risk of exposure as she mingled with the Nazi elite, learning their secrets and passing them back to MI6. Her story reveals the razor's edge that agents walked between survival and discovery, where a single misplaced word could mean torture and certain death.She managed to walk that tightrope, with the result that her legacy remains today as one of the most important double agents of World War 2.Further reading (affialiate links):📕 Double Cross: The True Story of the D-Day Spies - Ben Macintyre (https://amzn.to/40cN66z)📕 The Spies Who Never Were: The True Story of the Nazi Spies Who Were Actually Allied Double Agents - Hervie Haufler (https://amzn.to/3ZKNU2B)#philipthompson #truelifespystories #agentbronx
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Buy Me a Coffee: ☕ https://bmc.link/philipthompsonDonate via PayPal: 💸 paypal.me/PhilipT284Imagine a professional criminal who became one of Britain's most valuable spies, a safecracker deemed so dangerous by police that his photograph hung in just about every station across the United Kingdom. This man, who some said couldn't even pick a lock, somehow became Hitler's most trusted British agent, and the only British national ever awarded the Iron Cross by the Nazi regime.
He was a man who twice parachuted into Britain during World War 2 carrying German explosives, yet he returned to London as a hero rather than a traitor.
How did this charming rogue with a string of broken hearts and empty safes behind him become one of the most important double agents of World War II? This is the true story of Eddie Chapman – criminal, lover, spy, and double agent – whose remarkable life zigged and zagged between the shadows of heroism and villainy.
Further reading (affialiate links):📕 Agent Zigzag: The True Wartime Story of Eddie Chapman: Lover, Traitor, Hero, Spy - Bent Macintyre (https://amzn.to/4k03xKH)📕 Mrs Zigzag: The Extraordinary Life of a Secret Agent's Wife - Betty Chapman (https://amzn.to/45ykOau)📕 Double Agent: The Eddie Chapman Story - Frank Owen, Steve Chadde (https://amzn.to/448IvDB)📕 The Real Eddie Chapman Story - Eddie Chapman (https://amzn.to/4liR6uI)
#philipthompson #truelifespystories #agentzigzag
Ways to support the channel:Buy Me a Coffee: ☕ https://bmc.link/philipthompsonDonate via PayPal: 💸 paypal.me/PhilipT284Join me as I discuss my recent True Life Spy Story on the life of Ana Montes, gifted DIA analyst and treachorous spy for Cuba for 17 years. This is part 2 of the Ana Montes story. I recommend that if you have not already, watch my Ana Montes documentary before watching this deep-dive.Ana Montes | Queen of Cuba: https://open.spotify.com/episode/00YcYkkupaFwPA1Tm03w2j?si=h-oM7XfkS5i10Ob_JhfuPAFurther reading (affialiate links):📕 Queen of Cuba: An FBI Agent's Insider Account of the Spy Who Evaded Detection for 17 Years - Peter J. Lapp: https://amzn.to/4j2d1Vq📘 True Believer: Inside the Investigation and Capture of Ana Montes, Cuba's Master Spy - Scott Carmichael: https://amzn.to/43r64IF📗 Code Name Blue Wren: The True Story of America's Most Dangerous Female Spy—and the Sister She Betrayed - Jim Popkin: https://amzn.to/42VItQl#philipthompson #truelifespystories #queenofcuba
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Buy Me a Coffee: ☕ https://bmc.link/philipthompsonDonate via PayPal: 💸 paypal.me/PhilipT284On the morning of Friday, 21 September 2001, Ana Montes began her day with her usual routine. She arrived punctually at her sixth-floor cubicle preparing for another day working as an intelligence analyst for the US Defence Intelligence Agency. For nearly seventeen years she had served as its foremost expert on Cuba. She had access to some of her country’s most sensitive secrets and with her brilliant mind, she helped shape U.S. policy toward Cuba during the tumultuous period of the 1980s and 1990s Cold War.She had, however, been living a double life. Behind her carefully cultivated image of the dedicated civil servant lay a woman harboring a profound ideological commitment to the Castro regime - and a talent for deception that would evade detection through three presidential administrations. By day, she drafted intelligence reports that shaped U.S. policy; by night, she meticulously typed classified secrets from memory onto encrypted floppy disks that she passed to her Cuban handlers in Washington's Chinese restaurants. But finally, her duplicity had caught up with her, and her day was about to take a dramatic turn.The phone on her desk rang. It was her boss, asking her to see him in the Inspector General's office. Not sensing anything out of the ordinary, she made her way to the elevator which she took one floor up. When she entered the meeting room, she immediately froze. She was greeted by FBI Special Agents, and she knew exactly why they were there.
This is the story of Ana Montes, the so-called “Queen of Cuba”, and one of the most damaging spies in U.S. history.Further reading (affialiate links):📕 Queen of Cuba: An FBI Agent's Insider Account of the Spy Who Evaded Detection for 17 Years - Peter J. Lapp: https://amzn.to/4j2d1Vq📕 True Believer: Inside the Investigation and Capture of Ana Montes, Cuba's Master Spy - Scott Carmichael: https://amzn.to/43r64IF📕 Code Name Blue Wren: The True Story of America's Most Dangerous Female Spy—and the Sister She Betrayed - Jim Popkin: https://amzn.to/42VItQl#philipthompson #truelifespystories #queenofcuba
Ways to support the podcast:
Buy Me a Coffee: ☕ https://bmc.link/philipthompsonDonate via PayPal: 💸 paypal.me/PhilipT284____________________________________________________________
On a gray November afternoon in 2006, within the refined confines of London's Millennium Hotel, a seemingly unremarkable ritual unfolded - three men gathered for tea in the Pine Bar. The casual observer might have dismissed it as nothing more than a business meeting, or perhaps old friends catching up. But behind the clink of porcelain and polite conversation, something far more sinister was in motion. The men were indeed former colleagues, but the encounter was far from benign.Within hours, one of these men - Alexander Litvinenko - would lie dying in a London hospital bed, a deadly poison coursing through his veins. He would spend his final days unraveling the mystery of his own murder, pointing a trembling finger at the Kremlin from his deathbed. His last words? A direct accusation of the man he believed had ordered his killing - Vladimir Putin.Litvinenko's journey from KGB officer to FSB dissident, from loyal servant of the Russian state to one of its most vocal critics, unfolded as if it flowed like ink through the pen of John le Carré himself. His story is a chilling tale of espionage, betrayal, and radioactive revenge - a warning that in Putin’s Russia, there is no such thing as an exile too far.____________________________________________________________Further reading:📕 Blowing up Russia: The Book that Got Litvinenko Assassinated, Alexander Litvinenko, Yuri Felshtinsky - https://amzn.to/4lz7M1Q📕 A Very Expensive Poison: The Assassination of Alexander Litvinenko and Putin's War with the West, Luke Harding - https://amzn.to/4cwJIbK📕 Putin's Russia: The definitive account of Putin’s rise to power, Anna Politkovskaya - https://amzn.to/3Eolkwp#philipthompson #truelifespystories #mayfairpoisoning
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Donate via PayPal: 💸 paypal.me/PhilipT284
In the shadowy world of espionage, secrets are currency, and deception is an art. As World War 2 raged on, the Allies became ever more aware of the truth of this statement. Having dealt with the Nazi threat in North Africa, the Allies set their sights on invading Italy to wrest it from the control of fascism and the influence of Nazi Germany.
But to do this, it was necessary to devise a plan so cunning, so audacious, that if it were pulled off successfully it would certainly be remembered as one of the most ingenious military deceptions in all history. By means of a dead body and a briefcase full of fake documents, British intelligence was able to fool Axis powers at a crucial juncture of the war.
Two British men, Ewen Montagu and Charles Cholmondeley, were tasked with developing Operation Mincemeat further and clearing the way for the Allied forces ahead of Operation Husky.
This is a documentary that tells the story of Operation Mincemeat - the espionage masterstroke that turned the tide of World War 2.#philipthompson #truelifespystories #operationmincemeat
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This is the story of the rise and fall of the Waltham Watch Company, a pioneer in American and global watchmaking, which, Aaron Stark reveals, saw it's undoing at the hands of a corporate spy on a top secret mission during the 1876 Centennial Fair held in Philadelphia.To purchase a copy of 'Disrupting TIme' by Aaron Stark (affiliate link):📚 https://amzn.to/40ZKnNhAaron Stark's website: https://www.aaronstarkbooks.com/#philipthompson #truelifespystoriesIntro music:Flower Duet - Leo Delibes (courtesy of Lud and Schlatts Musical Emporium)Creative Commons ► Attribution 3.0 Unported ► CC BY 3.0https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
Ways to support the podcast:
Buy Me a Coffee: ☕ https://bmc.link/philipthompson
Donate via PayPal: 💸 paypal.me/PhilipT284
Espionage, often dubbed the world's second-oldest profession, is as ancient as civilization itself. From the covert agents of ancient Egypt and Rome to the tech-savvy cyber warriors of today, the art of spying has evolved dramatically.
Yet, its essence remains unchanged: a quest for power and information. Throughout history, spies have shaped the destinies of nations, whether during the tumultuous times of revolutions or the tense days of the Cold War.
Today, in the digital age, espionage is being redefined, but the intrigue and motivations behind it remain as compelling as ever.#truelifespystories #espionage
Welcome to dead drop. This is your host Philip Thompson bringing you the latest intel on the world of espionage.
In this week's dossier:
Stay vigilant. Trust no one. And remember, this Dead Drop will self-destruct in 5... 4... 3...
Ways to support the True Life Spy Stories podcast:Buy Me a Coffee: ☕ https://bmc.link/philipthompsonDonate via PayPal: 💸 paypal.me/PhilipT284
Ways to support the podcast:
Buy Me a Coffee: ☕ https://bmc.link/philipthompson
Donate via PayPal: 💸 paypal.me/PhilipT284
Oleg Gordievsky was the highest ranking KGB officer to ever become a British spy. He almost single-handedly shaped world events at one of the most dangerous times in global history during the Cold War when humanity peered over the precipice of nuclear holocaust. The plan to rescue him from deep behind the Iron Curtain after he was compromised was thought to be virtually impossible. While to his motherland he remains a traitor, to the Western world he is a hero that risked it all for the sake of the democratic freedoms most of us take for granted.This is the gripping tale of Oleg Gordievsky.
Dedicated to the memory of Oleg Gordievsky: 10 October 1938 - 4 March 2025
Further reading and sources 📚: (affiliate links) 🛒📕 Next Stop Execution by Oleg Gordievsky - https://amzn.to/3oQPA7U📘 The Spy and the Traitor by Ben McIntyre - https://amzn.to/3SniRVh
Welcome to dead drop. This is your host Philip Thompson bringing you the latest intel on the world of espionage.
In this week's dossier:
Stay vigilant. Trust no one. And remember, this Dead Drop will self-destruct in 5... 4... 3...
Ways to support the True Life Spy Stories podcast:Buy Me a Coffee: ☕ https://bmc.link/philipthompsonDonate via PayPal: 💸 paypal.me/PhilipT284
Ways to support the podcast:Buy Me a Coffee: ☕ https://bmc.link/philipthompsonDonate via PayPal: 💸 paypal.me/PhilipT284When a man calling himself “HECKENSCHÜTZE”, or “Sniper” in German wrote a letter to the US Embassy in Bern in April 1958, the West had no idea of the scale and magnitude of the revelations that would soon follow.The mysterious writer insisted that he would deal only with Director of the FBI J Edgar Hoover. From the outset, the relationship between spy and spy master was built on a lie. The CIA took over the running of the operation, all the while masquerading as the Bureau.The Agency soon realised that their informant was not just another spy. They deduced that he was a senior member of Polish intelligence with access to an unprecedented level of top secret Soviet information. As time went on, Agent Sniper became arguably the most valuable asset the West had during the early to mid-phase of the Cold War. Agent Sniper exposed 1,693 communist spies, agents and informants operating covertly within the apparatus of Western intelligence. Behind the mask of 'Agent Sniper' was Colonel Michal nzGoleniewski. He was a complex figure and an expert at compartmentalising his multiple identities. His story is however not just one of daring espionage; it's also a tale of deception, paranoia, and a bizarre descent into delusion. The country he risked everything to help exploited his flaws, the CIA driving him so far down the rabbit hole that he ultimately lost his mind. This is the tale of Michał Goleniewski, the spy who was left out in the cFurther reading:📕 Agent Sniper: The Cold War Superagent and the Ruthless Head of the CIA, Tim Tate - https://amzn.to/4ishMrA📕 The Spy Who Would Be Tsar: The Mystery of Michal Goleniewski and the Far-Right Underground, Kevin Coogan - https://amzn.to/4ishMrA#philipthompson #truelifespystories #agentsniper
This is the story of Alexander Dmitrievich Ogorodnik, a mid-level Soviet diplomat turned CIA spy. Ogorodnik was a Soviet diplomat who was recruited to spy on the Soviet Union while stationed in Bogotá, Colombia. Codenamed Agent Trigon, he was later transferred to the Soviet Foreign Ministry in Moscow where he photographed secret diplomatic cables and requested a suicide pill from the CIA in case he was caught. His handler, Martha 'Marti' Peterson was the first female CIA case officer to operate within Moscow. At the height of the Cold War, she had the daunting task of running one of the CIA's most valuable spy prospects.Agent Trigon was ultimately betrayed by a CIA translator and arrested by the KGB. What happened next is a story that not even the best spy authors could come up with...Sources and further reading 📚: (affiliate links) 🛒📕 Spycraft: The Secret History of the CIA's Spytechs, from Communism to Al-Qaeda - https://amzn.to/3ZVT1LO📘 The Widow Spy - https://amzn.to/3GY0lh5Ways to support the podcast:Buy Me a Coffee: ☕ https://bmc.link/philipthompsonDonate via PayPal: 💸 paypal.me/PhilipT284
Operation Market Garden, launched on 17 September 1944, was one of the most ambitious Allied operations of World War II. As the largest airborne assault in history, its objective was to secure a series of nine bridges in the Netherlands, carving out a path to Berlin that would bring the end of the war by Christmas. Despite its bold vision, Market Garden ultimately failed due to a combination of strategic miscalculations and unforeseen challenges. Yet it was more than military strategy that was the reason for its failure. It was betrayal from within that saw to it that the Germans were forewarned, and thus fore-armed ahead of the invasion. Two key figures have emerged, the first, Christiaan Lindemans, also known as Agent King Kong, a Dutch double agent who leaked crucial information to the Germans, and perhaps even more intriguing, today’s guest argues that it may have been a highly placed source within the British Secret Service, codenamed "Josephine," who contributed to the prolongation of the war and the loss of thousand of Allied lives. Listen on for a fascinating discussion on bravery and sacrifice in war, and the treachery that tore it all apart. |--| Buy Robert Verkaik's latest book, The Traitor of Arnhem (affiliate link): 📕 The Traitor of Arnhem: WWII’s Greatest Betrayal and the Moment That Changed History Forever - https://amzn.to/4haihWF Ways to support my channel: Buy Me a Coffee: ☕ https://bmc.link/philipthompson Donate via PayPal: 💸 paypal.me/PhilipT284
Welcome to dead drop. This is your host Philip Thompson bringing you the latest intel on the world of espionage.
In this week's dossier:
- The CIA are studying AI versions of World Leaders
- British nuclear submarine keeps a close eye on Russian spy ship
- Details of a Russian Spy Ring Unravel in the British Courts; and
- The CIA says that Covid-19 ‘probably leaked’ from Chinese lab.
Stay vigilant. Trust no one. And remember, this Dead Drop will self-destruct in 5... 4... 3...
Ways to support the True Life Spy Stories podcast: Buy Me a Coffee: ☕ https://bmc.link/philipthompson Donate via PayPal: 💸 paypal.me/PhilipT284
It's a true life spy story omnibus... volume 2!
01:02 - Mata Hari 39:21 - Juan Pujol Garcia (Agent Garbo) 1:25:01 - Karel Koecher 2:10:37 - John Anthony Walker 2:53:24 - Jonathan Pollard 3:41:44 - Nicholas Shadrin 4:28:55 - Anthony Blunt
This is a collection of the True Life Spy Story videos uploaded to my YouTube channel over 2024.
Ways to support the podcast: Buy Me a Coffee: ☕ https://bmc.link/philipthompson Donate via PayPal: 💸 paypal.me/PhilipT284
Welcome to dead drop. This is your host Philip Thompson bringing you the latest intel on the world of espionage.
In this week's dossier:
- Queen Elizabeth II was not told the truth about Anthony Blunt for 9 years
- New Arrests in the Prison Break Saga of Daniel Khalife
- The World bids Farewell to an SOE Legend; and
- Former CIA analyst pleads guilty to leaking Israeli plans for strike on Iran
Stay vigilant. Trust no one. And remember, this Dead Drop will self-destruct in 5... 4... 3...
Ways to support the True Life Spy Stories podcast: Buy Me a Coffee: ☕ https://bmc.link/philipthompson Donate via PayPal: 💸 paypal.me/PhilipT284