https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/secret-agents-stories--7194050
Each episode follows spies, classified operations and the strategies used to gather information without being discovered. The stories focus on secrecy, betrayal and the pressure of operating where trust can be as dangerous as suspicion. When every identity may be constructed and every conversation could have another purpose, how do you know who is actually telling the truth?]]>enTrue Crime© 2026 OBOMEDIA Creatorshttps://d3wo5wojvuv7l.cloudfront.net/t_rss_itunes_square_1400/images.spreaker.com/original/befbc2672da19b0f9a803546cb1341e9.jpghttps://www.spreaker.com/podcast/secret-agents-stories--7194050Sun, 11 Oct 2026 13:01:33 +0000Creator at ObomediaCreator at Obomediacreators@obomedia.comHave you ever wondered how someone can live one life in public while carrying an entirely different mission in secret? A conversation can hide an objective, a friendship can become an operation, and one misplaced detail can expose years of careful...
Each episode follows spies, classified operations and the strategies used to gather information without being discovered. The stories focus on secrecy, betrayal and the pressure of operating where trust can be as dangerous as suspicion. When every identity may be constructed and every conversation could have another purpose, how do you know who is actually telling the truth?]]>false4193ec77-72bc-5877-94d8-e9d7ed855c48episodichttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-man-who-escaped-history-how-a-convict-became-a-vaulted-noble--73074574
A coffin carried into a Kraków crypt in November 2015 contained a man once convicted of spying for Britain and the Vatican, who had served five years in brutal Polish prisons and was buried in a vault reserved for Knights of Malta-how did he survive Nazi occupation, Soviet purges and a communist show trial to end up celebrated by the institutions that once condemned him? What explains the repeated near-misses-missing documents, convoys that left without him, and an early release with cleared charges-that pepper Andrew Ciechanowiecki's life?

In this episode, we follow the documented milestones of Andrew Ciechanowiecki’s life from his birth in Warsaw in 1924 through wartime escapes, underground education, Home Army service and a controversial conviction, to his 2015 burial in Kraków, asking whether the surviving record points to coincidence, protection, or something darker.

Person: Andrew Ciechanowiecki (born Andrzej Stanisław Ciechanowiecki)
Date of birth: 28 September 1924
Event: Burial in crypt of a church on the outskirts of Kraków, November 2015
Sentence: Ten-year prison sentence reduced to five years and four months, charges later cleared
Early life: Family fled Warsaw 5 September 1939; attended underground Komplety and earned baccalauréat by 1942

- He was born on 28 September 1924 in Warsaw and was the last of his line, never marrying.
- The family fled Warsaw on 5 September 1939, four days after the German invasion, following advice from British General Sir Adrian Carton de Wiart.
- By 1942 he had earned his baccalauréat through clandestine Komplety classes under carbide lamp conditions.
- He survived the Soviet eastward advance by leaving Lwów two days before mass deportation units arrived in March 1940.
- In November 2015 his coffin was interred in a vault reserved for Knights of Malta in a church whose interior sculpture he had helped create.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73074574Mon, 12 Oct 2026 13:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Man Who Escaped History: How a Convict Became a Vaulted Noble A coffin carried into a Kraków crypt in November 2015 contained a man once convicted of spying for Britain and the Vatican, who had served five years in brutal Polish prisons and was...
A coffin carried into a Kraków crypt in November 2015 contained a man once convicted of spying for Britain and the Vatican, who had served five years in brutal Polish prisons and was buried in a vault reserved for Knights of Malta-how did he survive Nazi occupation, Soviet purges and a communist show trial to end up celebrated by the institutions that once condemned him? What explains the repeated near-misses-missing documents, convoys that left without him, and an early release with cleared charges-that pepper Andrew Ciechanowiecki's life?

In this episode, we follow the documented milestones of Andrew Ciechanowiecki’s life from his birth in Warsaw in 1924 through wartime escapes, underground education, Home Army service and a controversial conviction, to his 2015 burial in Kraków, asking whether the surviving record points to coincidence, protection, or something darker.

Person: Andrew Ciechanowiecki (born Andrzej Stanisław Ciechanowiecki)
Date of birth: 28 September 1924
Event: Burial in crypt of a church on the outskirts of Kraków, November 2015
Sentence: Ten-year prison sentence reduced to five years and four months, charges later cleared
Early life: Family fled Warsaw 5 September 1939; attended underground Komplety and earned baccalauréat by 1942

- He was born on 28 September 1924 in Warsaw and was the last of his line, never marrying.
- The family fled Warsaw on 5 September 1939, four days after the German invasion, following advice from British General Sir Adrian Carton de Wiart.
- By 1942 he had earned his baccalauréat through clandestine Komplety classes under carbide lamp conditions.
- He survived the Soviet eastward advance by leaving Lwów two days before mass deportation units arrived in March 1940.
- In November 2015 his coffin was interred in a vault reserved for Knights of Malta in a church whose interior sculpture he had helped create.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1137falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-6-000-spies-how-turkey-built-an-army-inside-germany--73074573
A covert army of roughly 6,000 informants allegedly operated inside Germany, targeting supporters of Fethullah Gülen with lists, addresses and armed operatives - and some of the watched were asylum seekers whose locations were supposedly relayed from within German institutions. How did an intelligence network grow so large on foreign soil, and who inside Germany knew about it?

In this episode, we lay out the chronology and scope of the surveillance network found by German authorities, from the 19th-century German-Ottoman ties and the 1961 guest-worker migration to the post-2016 purge that expanded Turkish intelligence activity in Germany. We trace the evidence that raised parliamentary alarm and ask what it means for communities and state trust.

Person: Fethullah Gülen
Organization: Milli İstihbarat Teşkilatı (MIT)
Date: October 2021 (arrest related event)
Population: ~2.1 million people of Turkish origin living in Germany
Alleged informant count: approximately 6,000

- A man arrested in Düsseldorf in October 2021 carried a handwritten list identifying Gülen supporters in Germany.
- German parliamentary records cited approximately 6,000 MIT informants operating in Germany.
- Germany hosted roughly 2.1 million people of Turkish origin by the time the surveillance story reached parliamentary debate.
- After the July 2016 coup attempt in Turkey, tens of thousands were purged inside Turkey, fueling overseas targeting of Gülen supporters.
- Press reports alleged that German immigration offices had provided physical addresses of asylum seekers to Ankara.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73074573Sun, 11 Oct 2026 13:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe 6,000 Spies: How Turkey Built an Army Inside Germany A covert army of roughly 6,000 informants allegedly operated inside Germany, targeting supporters of Fethullah Gülen with lists, addresses and armed operatives - and some of the watched were...
A covert army of roughly 6,000 informants allegedly operated inside Germany, targeting supporters of Fethullah Gülen with lists, addresses and armed operatives - and some of the watched were asylum seekers whose locations were supposedly relayed from within German institutions. How did an intelligence network grow so large on foreign soil, and who inside Germany knew about it?

In this episode, we lay out the chronology and scope of the surveillance network found by German authorities, from the 19th-century German-Ottoman ties and the 1961 guest-worker migration to the post-2016 purge that expanded Turkish intelligence activity in Germany. We trace the evidence that raised parliamentary alarm and ask what it means for communities and state trust.

Person: Fethullah Gülen
Organization: Milli İstihbarat Teşkilatı (MIT)
Date: October 2021 (arrest related event)
Population: ~2.1 million people of Turkish origin living in Germany
Alleged informant count: approximately 6,000

- A man arrested in Düsseldorf in October 2021 carried a handwritten list identifying Gülen supporters in Germany.
- German parliamentary records cited approximately 6,000 MIT informants operating in Germany.
- Germany hosted roughly 2.1 million people of Turkish origin by the time the surveillance story reached parliamentary debate.
- After the July 2016 coup attempt in Turkey, tens of thousands were purged inside Turkey, fueling overseas targeting of Gülen supporters.
- Press reports alleged that German immigration offices had provided physical addresses of asylum seekers to Ankara.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>976falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-twelve-pages-that-nearly-built-nixon-s-secret-spy-machine--73074572
A White House safe held a twelve-page plan in September 1971 that proposed surveilling the sexual habits of private citizens and requested a $500,000 operating budget - but it was rejected not for illegality and not for lack of ambition. How did a former NYPD officer’s bound proposal become the moment that birthed something far darker and ultimately helped bring down a presidency?

In this episode, we walk through the origins, contents, and fate of Operation Sandwedge, the proposal Jack Caulfield delivered to the Nixon White House, and trace why the plan was sidelined and what replaced it - a development that set the stage for Watergate. What made Sandwedge unacceptable to Nixon’s inner circle, and how did that decision lead to a more dangerous path?

Person: Jack Caulfield
Date: September 1971
Event: Operation Sandwedge proposal filed in White House safe
Budget requested: $500,000 (Haldeman later pushed to $800,000)
Replacement operative named: G. Gordon Liddy

- Sandwedge proposal ran to twelve pages and was physically typed and bound.
- The plan requested an operating budget of $500,000 and field offices in Washington, New York, and Chicago.
- H. R. Haldeman advocated increasing the budget to $800,000.
- A memo from Gordon Strachan in October 1971 questioned Caulfield’s ability to run the operation, citing his background.
- After the October 1971 meeting, Jack Caulfield was removed and G. Gordon Liddy was brought into the conversation.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73074572Sat, 10 Oct 2026 13:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Twelve Pages That Nearly Built Nixon's Secret Spy Machine A White House safe held a twelve-page plan in September 1971 that proposed surveilling the sexual habits of private citizens and requested a $500,000 operating budget - but it was...
A White House safe held a twelve-page plan in September 1971 that proposed surveilling the sexual habits of private citizens and requested a $500,000 operating budget - but it was rejected not for illegality and not for lack of ambition. How did a former NYPD officer’s bound proposal become the moment that birthed something far darker and ultimately helped bring down a presidency?

In this episode, we walk through the origins, contents, and fate of Operation Sandwedge, the proposal Jack Caulfield delivered to the Nixon White House, and trace why the plan was sidelined and what replaced it - a development that set the stage for Watergate. What made Sandwedge unacceptable to Nixon’s inner circle, and how did that decision lead to a more dangerous path?

Person: Jack Caulfield
Date: September 1971
Event: Operation Sandwedge proposal filed in White House safe
Budget requested: $500,000 (Haldeman later pushed to $800,000)
Replacement operative named: G. Gordon Liddy

- Sandwedge proposal ran to twelve pages and was physically typed and bound.
- The plan requested an operating budget of $500,000 and field offices in Washington, New York, and Chicago.
- H. R. Haldeman advocated increasing the budget to $800,000.
- A memo from Gordon Strachan in October 1971 questioned Caulfield’s ability to run the operation, citing his background.
- After the October 1971 meeting, Jack Caulfield was removed and G. Gordon Liddy was brought into the conversation.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1128falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-index-card-that-ruined-a-general-france-s-secret-files--73074571
A single index card and three lines of handwriting helped build an 18,818‑file secret surveillance system inside the French Army that tagged officers as CARTHAGE or CORINTH; how did a Sunday kneel end a career? What did those coded verdicts mean for the Republic’s future?

In this episode, we trace how a post‑Dreyfus France turned to Freemason lodges to monitor 27,000 officers, why Minister of War Louis André centralized promotions, and how a chief of staff who helped design the system later revealed it to the prime minister - but kept his own role hidden. Did seeing the files change anything, or only compound the damage?

Person: General Louis André
Person: Captain Henri Mollin
Person: Narcisse‑Amédée Vadecard
Event: Creation of surveillance system between September 1, 1901 and March 30, 1903
Number: 18,818 files

- The active French officer corps numbered around 27,000 men when the system was created.
- On March 15, 1901 General André abolished all arms promotion commissions, centralizing promotion power.
- The surveillance network produced 18,818 files on officers between September 1, 1901 and March 30, 1903.
- Files were coded with labels such as CARTHAGE (to block promotion) and CORINTH (to accelerate promotion).
- General Alexandre Percin reported the operation to Prime Minister Waldeck‑Rousseau in September 1902 after helping to build it.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73074571Fri, 09 Oct 2026 13:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Index Card That Ruined a General: France's Secret Files A single index card and three lines of handwriting helped build an 18,818‑file secret surveillance system inside the French Army that tagged officers as CARTHAGE or CORINTH; how did a...
A single index card and three lines of handwriting helped build an 18,818‑file secret surveillance system inside the French Army that tagged officers as CARTHAGE or CORINTH; how did a Sunday kneel end a career? What did those coded verdicts mean for the Republic’s future?

In this episode, we trace how a post‑Dreyfus France turned to Freemason lodges to monitor 27,000 officers, why Minister of War Louis André centralized promotions, and how a chief of staff who helped design the system later revealed it to the prime minister - but kept his own role hidden. Did seeing the files change anything, or only compound the damage?

Person: General Louis André
Person: Captain Henri Mollin
Person: Narcisse‑Amédée Vadecard
Event: Creation of surveillance system between September 1, 1901 and March 30, 1903
Number: 18,818 files

- The active French officer corps numbered around 27,000 men when the system was created.
- On March 15, 1901 General André abolished all arms promotion commissions, centralizing promotion power.
- The surveillance network produced 18,818 files on officers between September 1, 1901 and March 30, 1903.
- Files were coded with labels such as CARTHAGE (to block promotion) and CORINTH (to accelerate promotion).
- General Alexandre Percin reported the operation to Prime Minister Waldeck‑Rousseau in September 1902 after helping to build it.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1120falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-paper-trap-how-a-single-memo-destroyed-alfred-dreyfus--73074570
A torn handwritten memo found in a wastebasket triggered a manhunt that led to a public degradation and exile - all without a signature or a name. How could a single borderreau and a sealed secret dossier topple a respected captain and then unravel a republic?

In this episode, we trace the sequence of events from the bordereau's discovery to the closed-door court-martial and the sealed envelope that defense attorneys never saw, asking what it would take to prove innocence when the system has already decided the verdict.

Person: Alfred Dreyfus
Date: October 1894 (arrest); December 1894 (conviction)
Location: Paris; Devil's Island (deportation destination)
Event: Discovery of the bordereau and court-martial with a secret dossier
Author: Mathieu Dreyfus (memoir titled The Affair That I Have Lived)

- The bordereau was a torn, handwritten memo recovered from the German embassy wastebasket in autumn 1894.
- The memo listed secrets including artillery manuals, troop deployment schedules, and the hydraulic brake system of the 120-millimeter field gun.
- Alfred Dreyfus was arrested after being asked to copy a dictated passage at a routine meeting in October 1894.
- The court sentenced Dreyfus in December 1894 to degradation and deportation for life to Devil's Island.
- Judges reviewed a sealed secret dossier from the Statistics Section in closed session that the defense never saw.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73074570Thu, 08 Oct 2026 13:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Paper Trap: How a Single Memo Destroyed Alfred Dreyfus A torn handwritten memo found in a wastebasket triggered a manhunt that led to a public degradation and exile - all without a signature or a name. How could a single borderreau and a sealed...
A torn handwritten memo found in a wastebasket triggered a manhunt that led to a public degradation and exile - all without a signature or a name. How could a single borderreau and a sealed secret dossier topple a respected captain and then unravel a republic?

In this episode, we trace the sequence of events from the bordereau's discovery to the closed-door court-martial and the sealed envelope that defense attorneys never saw, asking what it would take to prove innocence when the system has already decided the verdict.

Person: Alfred Dreyfus
Date: October 1894 (arrest); December 1894 (conviction)
Location: Paris; Devil's Island (deportation destination)
Event: Discovery of the bordereau and court-martial with a secret dossier
Author: Mathieu Dreyfus (memoir titled The Affair That I Have Lived)

- The bordereau was a torn, handwritten memo recovered from the German embassy wastebasket in autumn 1894.
- The memo listed secrets including artillery manuals, troop deployment schedules, and the hydraulic brake system of the 120-millimeter field gun.
- Alfred Dreyfus was arrested after being asked to copy a dictated passage at a routine meeting in October 1894.
- The court sentenced Dreyfus in December 1894 to degradation and deportation for life to Devil's Island.
- Judges reviewed a sealed secret dossier from the Statistics Section in closed session that the defense never saw.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1102falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-spy-behind-the-tree-that-cost-a-club-200-million--73074569
A hidden camera behind a tree, a costume change in a golf club toilet, and information worth in theory £200,000,000 - how did a single morning at Rockliffe Park trigger the largest sporting sanction in English football history? Who ordered the spying, and how far back did the covert operations go?

In this episode, we tell the sequence of events that led from an intern filming a training session to the collapse of a season and a mass ticket refund. We cover the three covert observations across five months, the rule meant to prevent them, and the decisions that tied a head coach and club to the scandal - but who knew and when remains the central question.

Person: William Salt
Person: Tonda Eckert
Owner: Dragan Šolak
Date: 7 May 2026
Event: Three covert observations of opponent training sessions

- On 7 May 2026, William Salt filmed Middlesbrough training from behind a tree at Rockliffe Park.
- Analysts estimate promotion to the Premier League can yield more than £200,000,000 in broadcast revenues for a club.
- Southampton sold out St Mary's Stadium for most of the 2025-26 season and refunded 37,604 sold-out tickets after the sanction.
- The 72-hour pre-match observation ban was introduced after the Leeds United incident in 2019.
- Southampton operations included filmed sessions on 23-24 December 2025 (Oxford United) and April 2026 (Ipswich via Eastleigh kit ruse).

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73074569Wed, 07 Oct 2026 13:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Spy Behind the Tree That Cost a Club £200 Million A hidden camera behind a tree, a costume change in a golf club toilet, and information worth in theory £200,000,000 - how did a single morning at Rockliffe Park trigger the largest sporting...
A hidden camera behind a tree, a costume change in a golf club toilet, and information worth in theory £200,000,000 - how did a single morning at Rockliffe Park trigger the largest sporting sanction in English football history? Who ordered the spying, and how far back did the covert operations go?

In this episode, we tell the sequence of events that led from an intern filming a training session to the collapse of a season and a mass ticket refund. We cover the three covert observations across five months, the rule meant to prevent them, and the decisions that tied a head coach and club to the scandal - but who knew and when remains the central question.

Person: William Salt
Person: Tonda Eckert
Owner: Dragan Šolak
Date: 7 May 2026
Event: Three covert observations of opponent training sessions

- On 7 May 2026, William Salt filmed Middlesbrough training from behind a tree at Rockliffe Park.
- Analysts estimate promotion to the Premier League can yield more than £200,000,000 in broadcast revenues for a club.
- Southampton sold out St Mary's Stadium for most of the 2025-26 season and refunded 37,604 sold-out tickets after the sanction.
- The 72-hour pre-match observation ban was introduced after the Leeds United incident in 2019.
- Southampton operations included filmed sessions on 23-24 December 2025 (Oxford United) and April 2026 (Ipswich via Eastleigh kit ruse).

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1111falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-accent-that-blew-open-a-mossad-passport-scheme--73074568
The wrong accent on a routine verification call toppled a years‑long identity operation built around a man with cerebral palsy whose name was taken from a birth certificate; how did a single civil servant’s ear trigger a diplomatic crisis? What else did the follow‑up calls reveal about the fake infrastructure meant to survive routine checks?

In this episode, we walk through the sequence of events that began with a passport application in 2004, the mundane details used to make it plausible, and the one phone call that exposed the scheme - could a voicemail box and a compliant GP really be enough to hide an intelligence operation?

Person: Ian Tingey
Date: 2004
Location: Lynfield, Auckland
Event: Passport application using a real citizen's identity
Case: New Zealand Department of Internal Affairs verification call

- The passport application used the identity of a real New Zealand man with cerebral palsy taken from a birth certificate.
- Ian Tingey, a Department of Internal Affairs official, noticed the applicant’s accent did not sound like a New Zealand man.
- A fake PO box and a voicemail were established in the identity holder’s name to answer official correspondence and callbacks.
- Dr. Howard Way acted as the witness for the passport application and later testified, “I filled out the form.”
- Eli Cara entered New Zealand 24 times between October 2000 and October 2004, listing his occupation as travel agent.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73074568Tue, 06 Oct 2026 13:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Accent That Blew Open a Mossad Passport Scheme The wrong accent on a routine verification call toppled a years‑long identity operation built around a man with cerebral palsy whose name was taken from a birth certificate; how did a single civil...
The wrong accent on a routine verification call toppled a years‑long identity operation built around a man with cerebral palsy whose name was taken from a birth certificate; how did a single civil servant’s ear trigger a diplomatic crisis? What else did the follow‑up calls reveal about the fake infrastructure meant to survive routine checks?

In this episode, we walk through the sequence of events that began with a passport application in 2004, the mundane details used to make it plausible, and the one phone call that exposed the scheme - could a voicemail box and a compliant GP really be enough to hide an intelligence operation?

Person: Ian Tingey
Date: 2004
Location: Lynfield, Auckland
Event: Passport application using a real citizen's identity
Case: New Zealand Department of Internal Affairs verification call

- The passport application used the identity of a real New Zealand man with cerebral palsy taken from a birth certificate.
- Ian Tingey, a Department of Internal Affairs official, noticed the applicant’s accent did not sound like a New Zealand man.
- A fake PO box and a voicemail were established in the identity holder’s name to answer official correspondence and callbacks.
- Dr. Howard Way acted as the witness for the passport application and later testified, “I filled out the form.”
- Eli Cara entered New Zealand 24 times between October 2000 and October 2004, listing his occupation as travel agent.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1092falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-phone-left-on-the-desk-how-a-message-sparked-a-spy-hunt--73074567
A single WeChat message to a junior MFA employee triggered a five-year legal odyssey that reached Taiwan’s Supreme Court and began with a phone and a laptop left in plain view on a rented desk. Who sent that message, and why did a man presenting himself as a company director end up detained incommunicado for four months?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from the February message to the March arrest and the legal battles that followed, tracing the evidence found on devices and the procedural oddities that shaped the case. What links between the WeChat trail, the anonymous reporter, and the man called Chou Hung-hsu explain how an ordinary room became the center of a national security story?

Person: Chou Hung-hsu
Event: Arrest on March 9, 2017
Date: Message received February, 2017; incommunicado detention ordered March 10, 2017
Location: Rented room in Taipei
Case: Legal battle spanning five years, two acquittals, and an exit ban

- Two devices (a phone and a laptop) were found sitting on the desk when agents entered the rented room.
- The initial message that prompted the report was sent in February 2017 via WeChat to a junior Ministry of Foreign Affairs employee.
- Chou presented himself as director of Taiwan Yongming International Company but was actually a mainland Chinese student with no registered household address in Taiwan.
- A judge ordered incommunicado detention for Chou on March 10, 2017, resulting in four months cut off from the outside world.
- The case produced twelve files of evidence compiled by prosecutors, including the devices and the WeChat communication trail.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73074567Mon, 05 Oct 2026 13:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Phone Left on the Desk: How a Message Sparked a Spy Hunt A single WeChat message to a junior MFA employee triggered a five-year legal odyssey that reached Taiwan’s Supreme Court and began with a phone and a laptop left in plain view on a rented...
A single WeChat message to a junior MFA employee triggered a five-year legal odyssey that reached Taiwan’s Supreme Court and began with a phone and a laptop left in plain view on a rented desk. Who sent that message, and why did a man presenting himself as a company director end up detained incommunicado for four months?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from the February message to the March arrest and the legal battles that followed, tracing the evidence found on devices and the procedural oddities that shaped the case. What links between the WeChat trail, the anonymous reporter, and the man called Chou Hung-hsu explain how an ordinary room became the center of a national security story?

Person: Chou Hung-hsu
Event: Arrest on March 9, 2017
Date: Message received February, 2017; incommunicado detention ordered March 10, 2017
Location: Rented room in Taipei
Case: Legal battle spanning five years, two acquittals, and an exit ban

- Two devices (a phone and a laptop) were found sitting on the desk when agents entered the rented room.
- The initial message that prompted the report was sent in February 2017 via WeChat to a junior Ministry of Foreign Affairs employee.
- Chou presented himself as director of Taiwan Yongming International Company but was actually a mainland Chinese student with no registered household address in Taiwan.
- A judge ordered incommunicado detention for Chou on March 10, 2017, resulting in four months cut off from the outside world.
- The case produced twelve files of evidence compiled by prosecutors, including the devices and the WeChat communication trail.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>930falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-anarchist-who-spied-inside-charles-mowbray-s-double-life--73074566
Fear and fascination collide: a prominent anarchist who served nine months of hard labour and publicly preached "propaganda by the deed" also appears in Special Branch ledgers as an asset run by William Melville - so which Charles Mowbray was real, and why did police enter his home four hours after his wife's death? What does it mean to live as two people under one name?

In this episode, we follow the life of Charles Wilfred Mowbray from his birth in Bishop Auckland to the streets of the Old Nichol and the ledgers of Special Branch, tracing the events around April 19, 1892 and the unresolved contradiction between anarchist records and police files. How did a man jailed for the Battle of Ham Run end up listed as a state informant, and can the two narratives be reconciled?

Person: Charles Wilfred Mowbray
Date: April 19, 1892
Location: London (Old Nichol, Bethnal Green)
Event: Arrest four hours after his wife's death
Authority: William Melville (named in Special Branch ledgers)

- Born in 1857 in Bishop Auckland, County Durham
- Enlisted in the Durham Light Infantry before becoming a tailor
- Fined at Dod Street in Limehouse in September 1885 and fined £1 at Trafalgar Square in June 1886
- Sentenced to nine months hard labour after the Battle of Ham Run on January 14, 1887, served in Norwich Castle
- Five children were in the London house when Mary Benoit died of tuberculosis on the morning of April 19, 1892

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73074566Sun, 04 Oct 2026 13:00:03 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Anarchist Who Spied: Inside Charles Mowbray's Double Life Fear and fascination collide: a prominent anarchist who served nine months of hard labour and publicly preached "propaganda by the deed" also appears in Special Branch ledgers as an...
Fear and fascination collide: a prominent anarchist who served nine months of hard labour and publicly preached "propaganda by the deed" also appears in Special Branch ledgers as an asset run by William Melville - so which Charles Mowbray was real, and why did police enter his home four hours after his wife's death? What does it mean to live as two people under one name?

In this episode, we follow the life of Charles Wilfred Mowbray from his birth in Bishop Auckland to the streets of the Old Nichol and the ledgers of Special Branch, tracing the events around April 19, 1892 and the unresolved contradiction between anarchist records and police files. How did a man jailed for the Battle of Ham Run end up listed as a state informant, and can the two narratives be reconciled?

Person: Charles Wilfred Mowbray
Date: April 19, 1892
Location: London (Old Nichol, Bethnal Green)
Event: Arrest four hours after his wife's death
Authority: William Melville (named in Special Branch ledgers)

- Born in 1857 in Bishop Auckland, County Durham
- Enlisted in the Durham Light Infantry before becoming a tailor
- Fined at Dod Street in Limehouse in September 1885 and fined £1 at Trafalgar Square in June 1886
- Sentenced to nine months hard labour after the Battle of Ham Run on January 14, 1887, served in Norwich Castle
- Five children were in the London house when Mary Benoit died of tuberculosis on the morning of April 19, 1892

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1063falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-butcher-who-betrayed-trenton-washington-s-unseen-spy--73074565
A ninety-three-year-old man died in Bedminster, New Jersey, in 1822 leaving an estate of roughly twelve thousand dollars despite neighbors who considered him poor - and his name appears nowhere in George Washington’s papers. Could a former British soldier turned butcher have been the unseen spy who walked into Hessian lines at Trenton under a cover that branded him a traitor?

In this episode, we tell the recorded life events and family claims about John Honeyman, from his birth in Armagh in 1729 through his service under Colonel James Wolfe and later move to Griggstown, New Jersey, and we ask whether the family story about Washington’s protective letter and Honeyman’s mission into Trenton fits the documented facts.

Person: John Honeyman
Date of death: August 18, 1822
Birthplace: Armagh, Ireland, 1729
Marriage: Mary Henry, September 22, 1764, First Presbyterian Church, Philadelphia
Event: Alleged meeting with George Washington and mission into Trenton, November 1776

- Honeyman fought at the Siege of Louisbourg which ended on July 26, 1758, and was made Colonel James Wolfe’s personal bodyguard.
- He carried General James Wolfe from the field after the Plains of Abraham on September 13, 1759, and received an honorable discharge and a letter of recommendation.
- Honeyman married Mary Henry on September 22, 1764, in Philadelphia and later moved to Griggstown, Somerset County, New Jersey, in early 1776.
- In November 1776, Washington summoned Honeyman to Fort Lee according to the family account, allegedly to enter Trenton as a Loyalist cattle dealer to observe the Hessian garrison.
- Washington did not mention Honeyman in his papers, yet the family claims Washington wrote a protective letter declaring Honeyman a notorious Tory to shield his family from a mob; the letter has never been seen outside the family.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73074565Sat, 03 Oct 2026 13:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Butcher Who Betrayed Trenton: Washington's Unseen Spy? A ninety-three-year-old man died in Bedminster, New Jersey, in 1822 leaving an estate of roughly twelve thousand dollars despite neighbors who considered him poor - and his name appears...
A ninety-three-year-old man died in Bedminster, New Jersey, in 1822 leaving an estate of roughly twelve thousand dollars despite neighbors who considered him poor - and his name appears nowhere in George Washington’s papers. Could a former British soldier turned butcher have been the unseen spy who walked into Hessian lines at Trenton under a cover that branded him a traitor?

In this episode, we tell the recorded life events and family claims about John Honeyman, from his birth in Armagh in 1729 through his service under Colonel James Wolfe and later move to Griggstown, New Jersey, and we ask whether the family story about Washington’s protective letter and Honeyman’s mission into Trenton fits the documented facts.

Person: John Honeyman
Date of death: August 18, 1822
Birthplace: Armagh, Ireland, 1729
Marriage: Mary Henry, September 22, 1764, First Presbyterian Church, Philadelphia
Event: Alleged meeting with George Washington and mission into Trenton, November 1776

- Honeyman fought at the Siege of Louisbourg which ended on July 26, 1758, and was made Colonel James Wolfe’s personal bodyguard.
- He carried General James Wolfe from the field after the Plains of Abraham on September 13, 1759, and received an honorable discharge and a letter of recommendation.
- Honeyman married Mary Henry on September 22, 1764, in Philadelphia and later moved to Griggstown, Somerset County, New Jersey, in early 1776.
- In November 1776, Washington summoned Honeyman to Fort Lee according to the family account, allegedly to enter Trenton as a Loyalist cattle dealer to observe the Hessian garrison.
- Washington did not mention Honeyman in his papers, yet the family claims Washington wrote a protective letter declaring Honeyman a notorious Tory to shield his family from a mob; the letter has never been seen outside the family.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>993falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-lodger-who-sent-ten-to-death-betrayal-inside-a-resistance-home--73074564
Fear and betrayal hide in the smallest rooms: a lodger who shared a family's table wrote reports that preceded arrests, and on 30 November 1944 ten people were shot at Dachau with no trial - a letter later lied they had been lawfully executed in Stuttgart. How did a man who once joined the Young Communist League become the link between a resistance household and the executions they could not escape?

In this episode, we tell the story of Eugen Nesper and the Schlotterbeck household, outlining Nesper’s earlier arrests, his cooperation with the Gestapo, his capture by Soviet forces, and his return as a trained agent dropped back into Germany - and we ask whether any part of his double life was sincere or just a survival story.

Person: Eugen Nesper
Date: 30 November 1944
Location: Dachau concentration camp execution area
Event: Ten people shot without trial
Operation: Operation Eiger

- Ten people were shot in the execution area of Dachau concentration camp on 30 November 1944.
- A letter mailed to the families in January falsely stated the victims had been lawfully sentenced and executed in Stuttgart.
- Eugen Nesper was born on 2 August 1913 in Aufhausen near Aalen and joined the Young Communist League at age 16.
- Nesper cooperated with the Gestapo after being summoned by Kriminalrat Friedrich Mußgay and reported every two to three months to handler Karl Maile.
- On 8 January 1944 Nesper was parachuted back into Germany as part of Operation Eiger after ten months of training in Moscow and landed near Hechingen, where radio equipment fell 150 meters from his position.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73074564Fri, 02 Oct 2026 13:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Lodger Who Sent Ten to Death: Betrayal Inside a Resistance Home Fear and betrayal hide in the smallest rooms: a lodger who shared a family's table wrote reports that preceded arrests, and on 30 November 1944 ten people were shot at Dachau with...
Fear and betrayal hide in the smallest rooms: a lodger who shared a family's table wrote reports that preceded arrests, and on 30 November 1944 ten people were shot at Dachau with no trial - a letter later lied they had been lawfully executed in Stuttgart. How did a man who once joined the Young Communist League become the link between a resistance household and the executions they could not escape?

In this episode, we tell the story of Eugen Nesper and the Schlotterbeck household, outlining Nesper’s earlier arrests, his cooperation with the Gestapo, his capture by Soviet forces, and his return as a trained agent dropped back into Germany - and we ask whether any part of his double life was sincere or just a survival story.

Person: Eugen Nesper
Date: 30 November 1944
Location: Dachau concentration camp execution area
Event: Ten people shot without trial
Operation: Operation Eiger

- Ten people were shot in the execution area of Dachau concentration camp on 30 November 1944.
- A letter mailed to the families in January falsely stated the victims had been lawfully sentenced and executed in Stuttgart.
- Eugen Nesper was born on 2 August 1913 in Aufhausen near Aalen and joined the Young Communist League at age 16.
- Nesper cooperated with the Gestapo after being summoned by Kriminalrat Friedrich Mußgay and reported every two to three months to handler Karl Maile.
- On 8 January 1944 Nesper was parachuted back into Germany as part of Operation Eiger after ten months of training in Moscow and landed near Hechingen, where radio equipment fell 150 meters from his position.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1219falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-traitor-who-sold-his-own-harold-cole-s-deadly-postcard--73074563
A single careless postcard with a return address exposed a man who had survived five years on lies, leading to a body found in a Paris bar on 8 January 1946 and the end of a wartime double life. How did a con man turned escape-line fixer betray comrades so quickly that dozens later paid with their lives?

In this episode, we trace Harold Cole’s path from petty criminal to escape-line operator and the moment a Marseille warning failed to stop him - and ask how his choices destroyed the network that trusted him.

Person: Harold Cole
Date: 8 January 1946
Location: Billy's Bar, Paris
Event: Arrest in La Madeleine on 6 December 1941
Person: Albert Guérisse

- Cole was born on 24 January 1906 in Hoxton and would have turned forty seventeen days after his body was found.
- Cole served in the Royal Engineers from September 1939 and rose to the rank of sergeant before a 1940 jail term for stealing from the NCO mess fund.
- Between summer 1940 and late 1941 Cole moved five to ten Allied soldiers every two weeks toward Marseille along the Pat escape line.
- A warning from Albert Guérisse after locking Cole in a Marseille bathroom was ignored by most northern contacts for thirty-five days.
- The French Geheime Feldpolizei arrested Cole in La Madeleine on 6 December 1941; bodies of trusted people followed within a week of his arrest.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73074563Thu, 01 Oct 2026 13:00:03 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Traitor Who Sold His Own: Harold Cole's Deadly Postcard A single careless postcard with a return address exposed a man who had survived five years on lies, leading to a body found in a Paris bar on 8 January 1946 and the end of a wartime double...
A single careless postcard with a return address exposed a man who had survived five years on lies, leading to a body found in a Paris bar on 8 January 1946 and the end of a wartime double life. How did a con man turned escape-line fixer betray comrades so quickly that dozens later paid with their lives?

In this episode, we trace Harold Cole’s path from petty criminal to escape-line operator and the moment a Marseille warning failed to stop him - and ask how his choices destroyed the network that trusted him.

Person: Harold Cole
Date: 8 January 1946
Location: Billy's Bar, Paris
Event: Arrest in La Madeleine on 6 December 1941
Person: Albert Guérisse

- Cole was born on 24 January 1906 in Hoxton and would have turned forty seventeen days after his body was found.
- Cole served in the Royal Engineers from September 1939 and rose to the rank of sergeant before a 1940 jail term for stealing from the NCO mess fund.
- Between summer 1940 and late 1941 Cole moved five to ten Allied soldiers every two weeks toward Marseille along the Pat escape line.
- A warning from Albert Guérisse after locking Cole in a Marseille bathroom was ignored by most northern contacts for thirty-five days.
- The French Geheime Feldpolizei arrested Cole in La Madeleine on 6 December 1941; bodies of trusted people followed within a week of his arrest.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1007falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/he-buried-ceausescu-the-man-who-kept-the-execution-tape--73074562
Fear and fascination collide: a geological engineer who once refused Party membership watched Nicolae and Elena Ceaușescu shot on December 25, 1989, removed gold from a dead body that same day, and within hours arranged burials under false names - yet three days later he was Deputy Prime Minister. How did Gelu Voican Voiculescu move from arrested dissident to keeper of the execution tape, and what was he really protecting?

In this episode, we follow the documented movements and contradictions in Voiculescu's life that intersected with Romania's four-day revolution. We trace his background, arrests, the seizure of the TVR tower, and his actions on December 25 - and ask how those facts reshape our understanding of that chaotic week.

Person: Gelu Voican Voiculescu
Date: December 25, 1989
Location: Tîrgoviște military garrison
Profession: Geological engineer
Event: Seizure of TVR tower and custody of Ceaușescus' execution footage

- Born Grigore Voiculescu in Bucharest on February 8, 1941, he later used the name Gelu Voican Voiculescu.
- Graduated in 1963 from the University of Bucharest in geological engineering and inherited his father's profession.
- The Securitate opened a file on him in 1965; he was arrested in 1970 after reaching the Austrian border and spent 3 months in Hungary and 3 months in Romania.
- On December 22, 1989, he received a pistol from the Ministry of National Defense and helped seize the TVR tower alongside filmmaker Sergiu Nicolaescu.
- On December 25, 1989, he removed gold jewelry from Elena Ceaușescu's body, arranged burials under false names outside Bucharest, and retained the execution footage.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73074562Wed, 30 Sep 2026 13:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaHe Buried Ceaușescu - The Man Who Kept the Execution Tape Fear and fascination collide: a geological engineer who once refused Party membership watched Nicolae and Elena Ceaușescu shot on December 25, 1989, removed gold from a dead body that same...
Fear and fascination collide: a geological engineer who once refused Party membership watched Nicolae and Elena Ceaușescu shot on December 25, 1989, removed gold from a dead body that same day, and within hours arranged burials under false names - yet three days later he was Deputy Prime Minister. How did Gelu Voican Voiculescu move from arrested dissident to keeper of the execution tape, and what was he really protecting?

In this episode, we follow the documented movements and contradictions in Voiculescu's life that intersected with Romania's four-day revolution. We trace his background, arrests, the seizure of the TVR tower, and his actions on December 25 - and ask how those facts reshape our understanding of that chaotic week.

Person: Gelu Voican Voiculescu
Date: December 25, 1989
Location: Tîrgoviște military garrison
Profession: Geological engineer
Event: Seizure of TVR tower and custody of Ceaușescus' execution footage

- Born Grigore Voiculescu in Bucharest on February 8, 1941, he later used the name Gelu Voican Voiculescu.
- Graduated in 1963 from the University of Bucharest in geological engineering and inherited his father's profession.
- The Securitate opened a file on him in 1965; he was arrested in 1970 after reaching the Austrian border and spent 3 months in Hungary and 3 months in Romania.
- On December 22, 1989, he received a pistol from the Ministry of National Defense and helped seize the TVR tower alongside filmmaker Sergiu Nicolaescu.
- On December 25, 1989, he removed gold jewelry from Elena Ceaușescu's body, arranged burials under false names outside Bucharest, and retained the execution footage.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1066falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-night-juliet-poyntz-vanished-clothes-left-questions-left-alive--73074560
The clothes were left hanging, every suitcase unopened - she walked out into Manhattan on June 3, 1937 and was never seen again; the Soviet Union never confirmed she was alive. What happened to a woman who abandoned nothing, carried nothing, and vanished without a trace?

In this episode, we present the documented record of Juliet Poyntz Poyntz’s disappearance and the life that preceded it. Listen to how a Barnard valedictorian, federal special agent, union organizer, Communist Party leader, and alleged Soviet recruit went from public campaigns to an unresolved disappearance - and what she might have learned in Moscow in 1936 that made her a liability.

Person: Juliet Poyntz Poyntz
Date: June 3, 1937
Birth date: November 25, 1886
Education: Barnard College (valedictorian), advanced degree at Columbia University
Alleged affiliation: OGPU recruitment for scientific and technical collection

- On June 3, 1937 Juliet Poyntz left her ninth-floor room at the American Woman's Association Clubhouse with every dress hung and every piece of luggage unopened.
- She was born November 25, 1886, in Omaha, Nebraska and later moved to Jersey City, New Jersey.
- In June 1907 she graduated Barnard College as valedictorian and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa.
- At age 21 (1907-1909) she worked as a Special Agent for the United States Immigration Commission across Chicago, Milwaukee, Philadelphia, Utica, and Lawrence.
- In 1934 she resigned public Communist Party roles and, according to Benjamin Gitlow, was recruited into the OGPU for collecting scientific and technical information for the Soviet Union.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73074560Tue, 29 Sep 2026 13:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Night Juliet Poyntz Vanished: Clothes Left, Questions Left Alive The clothes were left hanging, every suitcase unopened - she walked out into Manhattan on June 3, 1937 and was never seen again; the Soviet Union never confirmed she was alive....
The clothes were left hanging, every suitcase unopened - she walked out into Manhattan on June 3, 1937 and was never seen again; the Soviet Union never confirmed she was alive. What happened to a woman who abandoned nothing, carried nothing, and vanished without a trace?

In this episode, we present the documented record of Juliet Poyntz Poyntz’s disappearance and the life that preceded it. Listen to how a Barnard valedictorian, federal special agent, union organizer, Communist Party leader, and alleged Soviet recruit went from public campaigns to an unresolved disappearance - and what she might have learned in Moscow in 1936 that made her a liability.

Person: Juliet Poyntz Poyntz
Date: June 3, 1937
Birth date: November 25, 1886
Education: Barnard College (valedictorian), advanced degree at Columbia University
Alleged affiliation: OGPU recruitment for scientific and technical collection

- On June 3, 1937 Juliet Poyntz left her ninth-floor room at the American Woman's Association Clubhouse with every dress hung and every piece of luggage unopened.
- She was born November 25, 1886, in Omaha, Nebraska and later moved to Jersey City, New Jersey.
- In June 1907 she graduated Barnard College as valedictorian and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa.
- At age 21 (1907-1909) she worked as a Special Agent for the United States Immigration Commission across Chicago, Milwaukee, Philadelphia, Utica, and Lawrence.
- In 1934 she resigned public Communist Party roles and, according to Benjamin Gitlow, was recruited into the OGPU for collecting scientific and technical information for the Soviet Union.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1224falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-spy-moscow-celebrated-then-tortured-into-silence--73074558
He was celebrated by the service he served, yet spent more than sixteen years in Stalin's labor camps and died with his writings banned - how did a Grand Illegal who penetrated the British Foreign Office and delivered Hitler’s rearmament plan become someone Moscow forced to confess under torture? What secret made the state that honored him also want him silenced?

In this episode, we tell the life of Dmitri Bystrolyotov from his illegitimate noble birth in 1901 to his work as a Soviet "Grand Illegal" and his final death in May 1975, asking how an operative who recruited diplomats and accessed top-secret archives became a victim of his own intelligence service.

Person: Dmitri Aleksandrovich Bystrolyotov
Date of birth: January 3, 1901
Date of death: May 1975
Event: Spent more than sixteen years in Stalin's labor camps
Role: "Grand Illegal" operative with no diplomatic cover

- Born illegitimate in Aibory, Crimea to Klavdiya and Count Alexander Nikolaevich Tolstoy on January 3, 1901.
- Spent more than sixteen years imprisoned in Stalin's labor camps for crimes he did not commit.
- Penetrated the British Foreign Office and delivered the original cable photographing Hitler’s four-year rearmament plan to Moscow before Kim Philby’s activity in London.
- Recruited at least three known assets: a French diplomat, a German countess, and an officer of the Gestapo.
- Died in May 1975 with his writings prohibited from publication, later called a hero by Russia.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73074558Mon, 28 Sep 2026 13:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Spy Moscow Celebrated - Then Tortured into Silence He was celebrated by the service he served, yet spent more than sixteen years in Stalin's labor camps and died with his writings banned - how did a Grand Illegal who penetrated the British...
He was celebrated by the service he served, yet spent more than sixteen years in Stalin's labor camps and died with his writings banned - how did a Grand Illegal who penetrated the British Foreign Office and delivered Hitler’s rearmament plan become someone Moscow forced to confess under torture? What secret made the state that honored him also want him silenced?

In this episode, we tell the life of Dmitri Bystrolyotov from his illegitimate noble birth in 1901 to his work as a Soviet "Grand Illegal" and his final death in May 1975, asking how an operative who recruited diplomats and accessed top-secret archives became a victim of his own intelligence service.

Person: Dmitri Aleksandrovich Bystrolyotov
Date of birth: January 3, 1901
Date of death: May 1975
Event: Spent more than sixteen years in Stalin's labor camps
Role: "Grand Illegal" operative with no diplomatic cover

- Born illegitimate in Aibory, Crimea to Klavdiya and Count Alexander Nikolaevich Tolstoy on January 3, 1901.
- Spent more than sixteen years imprisoned in Stalin's labor camps for crimes he did not commit.
- Penetrated the British Foreign Office and delivered the original cable photographing Hitler’s four-year rearmament plan to Moscow before Kim Philby’s activity in London.
- Recruited at least three known assets: a French diplomat, a German countess, and an officer of the Gestapo.
- Died in May 1975 with his writings prohibited from publication, later called a hero by Russia.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1045falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-man-who-buried-secrets-map-from-a-prison-cell--73074556
A sixty-year-old man inside a federal prison in Lompoc drew a map showing four burial sites in West Berlin - and the FBI dug exactly where he pointed. The caches were found beneath a cemetery, a railway embankment, an apartment storage room, and under the former Berlin Wall; so does that prove innocence or guilt?

In this episode, we trace the life and claims of Hüseyin Yıldırım from Kırşehir, Turkey, to Andrews Barracks in West Berlin, and follow how one map from a cell connected to caches found by the FBI - but left a criminal verdict unresolved. Which version of events holds up: his story or the government's?

Person: Hüseyin Yıldırım
Date of birth: March 10, 1928
Location: Lompoc federal prison; caches in West Berlin
Case: Espionage for the Stasi, codename Blitz
Event: FBI recovered four caches matching Yıldırım's prison-drawn map

- Yıldırım drew a map from inside a federal prison in Lompoc, California that showed four specific West Berlin locations.
- The four locations were a cemetery, a railway embankment, an apartment storage room, and a spot beneath the former Berlin Wall.
- The FBI recovered material exactly where Yıldırım's map indicated; nothing on the map was misplaced.
- Yıldırım was sentenced to life in prison without possibility of parole on charges of espionage for the East German Stasi.
- The Stasi formally registered Yıldırım as an informal agent on May 12, 1980 with the file codename Blitz.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73074556Sun, 27 Sep 2026 13:00:03 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Man Who Buried Secrets: Map From a Prison Cell A sixty-year-old man inside a federal prison in Lompoc drew a map showing four burial sites in West Berlin - and the FBI dug exactly where he pointed. The caches were found beneath a cemetery, a...
A sixty-year-old man inside a federal prison in Lompoc drew a map showing four burial sites in West Berlin - and the FBI dug exactly where he pointed. The caches were found beneath a cemetery, a railway embankment, an apartment storage room, and under the former Berlin Wall; so does that prove innocence or guilt?

In this episode, we trace the life and claims of Hüseyin Yıldırım from Kırşehir, Turkey, to Andrews Barracks in West Berlin, and follow how one map from a cell connected to caches found by the FBI - but left a criminal verdict unresolved. Which version of events holds up: his story or the government's?

Person: Hüseyin Yıldırım
Date of birth: March 10, 1928
Location: Lompoc federal prison; caches in West Berlin
Case: Espionage for the Stasi, codename Blitz
Event: FBI recovered four caches matching Yıldırım's prison-drawn map

- Yıldırım drew a map from inside a federal prison in Lompoc, California that showed four specific West Berlin locations.
- The four locations were a cemetery, a railway embankment, an apartment storage room, and a spot beneath the former Berlin Wall.
- The FBI recovered material exactly where Yıldırım's map indicated; nothing on the map was misplaced.
- Yıldırım was sentenced to life in prison without possibility of parole on charges of espionage for the East German Stasi.
- The Stasi formally registered Yıldırım as an informal agent on May 12, 1980 with the file codename Blitz.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1093falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/he-read-hitler-s-mail-the-quiet-man-who-controlled-ultra--73074555
Every morning for nearly six years a single man carried decrypted German orders to Winston Churchill before their authors had finished breakfast, using intelligence produced by nearly ten thousand people at Bletchley Park. How did a former cavalry officer with no technical training control the flow of Ultra and decide what Britain would know - and conceal - at the highest level?

In this episode, we trace Stewart Graham Menzies’s path from Eton and the mud of Flanders to the top of the Secret Intelligence Service, and we outline how he became the gatekeeper of Ultra and Churchill’s most secret briefings. What motivated him to keep Bletchley Park under SIS control and to personally choose the intelligence that reached number 10?

Person: Stewart Graham Menzies
Date: born January 30, 1890
Location: Bletchley Park, Buckinghamshire
Event: Daily delivery of decrypted German communications to Winston Churchill
Period: World War II (nearly six years of daily intelligence)

- Menzies was appointed Chief of the Secret Intelligence Service in 1939 at age 49.
- Nearly 10,000 people worked at Bletchley Park by 1945 producing Ultra intelligence.
- The decrypted messages were transported each morning in a locked leather pouch from Bletchley Park to London.
- Menzies learned counterintelligence after being gassed at Second Ypres in 1915 and was promoted to brevet major in 1917.
- The Enigma cipher machine was considered mathematically unbreakable by the Third Reich, yet German messages were read without them knowing.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73074555Sat, 26 Sep 2026 13:00:04 +0000Creator at ObomediaHe Read Hitler's Mail: The Quiet Man Who Controlled Ultra Every morning for nearly six years a single man carried decrypted German orders to Winston Churchill before their authors had finished breakfast, using intelligence produced by nearly ten...
Every morning for nearly six years a single man carried decrypted German orders to Winston Churchill before their authors had finished breakfast, using intelligence produced by nearly ten thousand people at Bletchley Park. How did a former cavalry officer with no technical training control the flow of Ultra and decide what Britain would know - and conceal - at the highest level?

In this episode, we trace Stewart Graham Menzies’s path from Eton and the mud of Flanders to the top of the Secret Intelligence Service, and we outline how he became the gatekeeper of Ultra and Churchill’s most secret briefings. What motivated him to keep Bletchley Park under SIS control and to personally choose the intelligence that reached number 10?

Person: Stewart Graham Menzies
Date: born January 30, 1890
Location: Bletchley Park, Buckinghamshire
Event: Daily delivery of decrypted German communications to Winston Churchill
Period: World War II (nearly six years of daily intelligence)

- Menzies was appointed Chief of the Secret Intelligence Service in 1939 at age 49.
- Nearly 10,000 people worked at Bletchley Park by 1945 producing Ultra intelligence.
- The decrypted messages were transported each morning in a locked leather pouch from Bletchley Park to London.
- Menzies learned counterintelligence after being gassed at Second Ypres in 1915 and was promoted to brevet major in 1917.
- The Enigma cipher machine was considered mathematically unbreakable by the Third Reich, yet German messages were read without them knowing.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1266falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-ghost-who-stole-the-bomb-unraveling-perseus-vanishing-act--73074554
A single name haunted the Manhattan Project for decades: Perseus - a purported spy who, if real, was inside Los Alamos in 1942, eighteen months before Klaus Fuchs, and whose existence is supported by no photograph, document, or confession. How did a code name that never appears in Venona decrypts become the ghost at the center of the atomic bomb story, and why did those who might have known take the truth to their graves?

In this episode, we lay out the concrete traces and the silences surrounding Perseus, from dying confessions to decrypted cables, and ask whether the evidence points to a vanished spy, a fabricated legend, or an answer that never existed in the form we seek. What can the surviving documents and eyewitness fragments really tell us about someone who may have slipped through the darkest archive of the twentieth century?

Person: Morris Cohen
Person: Lona Cohen
Person: Klaus Fuchs
Person: Theodore Hall
Document: Venona decrypts (roughly 3,000 messages, Feb 1943-Oct 1980)

- Morris Cohen said in fall 1994 that two or maybe three people still knew the real name; he died in 1995.
- Perseus does not appear by name in the Venona decrypts covering Feb 1943-Oct 1980.
- A code designation PERS is listed in Venona as part of a group of four Manhattan Project agents; three were identified, one remained unidentified.
- Lona Cohen told researcher Walter Schneir before her 1992 death she "probably" met a scientist or physicist in New Mexico while couriering documents.
- The NSA Center for Cryptologic History called PERS "important, but still unidentified" in a 2012 publication.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73074554Fri, 25 Sep 2026 13:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Ghost Who Stole the Bomb: Unraveling Perseus' Vanishing Act A single name haunted the Manhattan Project for decades: Perseus - a purported spy who, if real, was inside Los Alamos in 1942, eighteen months before Klaus Fuchs, and whose existence...
A single name haunted the Manhattan Project for decades: Perseus - a purported spy who, if real, was inside Los Alamos in 1942, eighteen months before Klaus Fuchs, and whose existence is supported by no photograph, document, or confession. How did a code name that never appears in Venona decrypts become the ghost at the center of the atomic bomb story, and why did those who might have known take the truth to their graves?

In this episode, we lay out the concrete traces and the silences surrounding Perseus, from dying confessions to decrypted cables, and ask whether the evidence points to a vanished spy, a fabricated legend, or an answer that never existed in the form we seek. What can the surviving documents and eyewitness fragments really tell us about someone who may have slipped through the darkest archive of the twentieth century?

Person: Morris Cohen
Person: Lona Cohen
Person: Klaus Fuchs
Person: Theodore Hall
Document: Venona decrypts (roughly 3,000 messages, Feb 1943-Oct 1980)

- Morris Cohen said in fall 1994 that two or maybe three people still knew the real name; he died in 1995.
- Perseus does not appear by name in the Venona decrypts covering Feb 1943-Oct 1980.
- A code designation PERS is listed in Venona as part of a group of four Manhattan Project agents; three were identified, one remained unidentified.
- Lona Cohen told researcher Walter Schneir before her 1992 death she "probably" met a scientist or physicist in New Mexico while couriering documents.
- The NSA Center for Cryptologic History called PERS "important, but still unidentified" in a 2012 publication.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1192falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/they-killed-it-then-the-nsa-quietly-rebuilt-total-surveillance--73074553
Every line of ordinary life was meant to feed a single machine: credit card receipts, medical prescriptions, airline tickets, iris scans, even DNA - a system designed to flag threats within an hour and cover 90% of known foreign terrorist attack patterns. The Senate voted unanimously on September 30, 2003 to kill Total Surveillance Awareness, yet months later a classified budget annex moved its core components to the NSA and removed the legal privacy protections - how did a program declared dead keep running in secret?

In this episode, we tell how a DARPA office called the Surveillance Awareness Office attempted a Manhattan Project-scale surveillance architecture after 9/11, who built its technical backbone, and what capabilities it aimed to deploy - from gait recognition to real-time multi-agency data sharing - raising the question of what survived after the Senate vote.

Person: John Poindexter
Date: September 30, 2003
Location: Fort Belvoir, Virginia
Agency: DARPA Surveillance Awareness Office
Contractors: SAIC, Booz Allen Hamilton, Lockheed Martin

- The Senate voted unanimously on September 30, 2003 to kill Total Surveillance Awareness.
- The system aimed to provide focused intelligence warnings within one hour of a trigger event.
- The technical target included covering 90% of all previously known foreign terrorist attack patterns.
- Gait recognition research filmed 25 subjects at Carnegie Mellon and 44 subjects (38 men, 6 women) at the University of Maryland.
- Nine government agencies were planned to have access nodes, including INSCOM, the NSA, the DIA, and the CIA.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73074553Thu, 24 Sep 2026 13:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaThey Killed It - Then the NSA Quietly Rebuilt Total Surveillance Every line of ordinary life was meant to feed a single machine: credit card receipts, medical prescriptions, airline tickets, iris scans, even DNA - a system designed to flag threats...
Every line of ordinary life was meant to feed a single machine: credit card receipts, medical prescriptions, airline tickets, iris scans, even DNA - a system designed to flag threats within an hour and cover 90% of known foreign terrorist attack patterns. The Senate voted unanimously on September 30, 2003 to kill Total Surveillance Awareness, yet months later a classified budget annex moved its core components to the NSA and removed the legal privacy protections - how did a program declared dead keep running in secret?

In this episode, we tell how a DARPA office called the Surveillance Awareness Office attempted a Manhattan Project-scale surveillance architecture after 9/11, who built its technical backbone, and what capabilities it aimed to deploy - from gait recognition to real-time multi-agency data sharing - raising the question of what survived after the Senate vote.

Person: John Poindexter
Date: September 30, 2003
Location: Fort Belvoir, Virginia
Agency: DARPA Surveillance Awareness Office
Contractors: SAIC, Booz Allen Hamilton, Lockheed Martin

- The Senate voted unanimously on September 30, 2003 to kill Total Surveillance Awareness.
- The system aimed to provide focused intelligence warnings within one hour of a trigger event.
- The technical target included covering 90% of all previously known foreign terrorist attack patterns.
- Gait recognition research filmed 25 subjects at Carnegie Mellon and 44 subjects (38 men, 6 women) at the University of Maryland.
- Nine government agencies were planned to have access nodes, including INSCOM, the NSA, the DIA, and the CIA.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1134falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/silent-police-secret-orders-how-foreign-stations-targeted-canadian-families--73074551
A steady, quiet pressure crept into Canadian neighborhoods: police-like stations allegedly run by a foreign government operating on Canadian soil, aimed at ordinary Chinese Canadian families. Documents show decades of monitoring, classified memos, and recorded cases of transnational repression-so who knew what, and why did so little change?

In this episode, we lay out the documented timeline, the institutions involved, and the human stories behind the evidence, asking how long such operations could run before being stopped and what the uncovered records really reveal.

Person: Mao Ning
Organization: Canadian Security Intelligence Service
Topic: transnational repression
Location: Vancouver; Montreal; Brossard; Greater Toronto Area
Period: since 1986

- CSIS alleged locations of foreign-run stations in Vancouver, Montreal, Brossard, and across the Greater Toronto Area.
- The Montreal Institute for Global Security documented patterns of intimidation and digital harassment as recently as February 2026.
- Official record shows Canadian monitoring of Chinese influence operations dating back to 1986.
- A UFWD teaching manual listed Toronto electoral outcomes in 2003 and 2006 as "achievements."
- The transcript references thirty-six parliamentary trips to China during the documented period.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73074551Wed, 23 Sep 2026 13:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaSilent Police, Secret Orders: How Foreign Stations Targeted Canadian Families A steady, quiet pressure crept into Canadian neighborhoods: police-like stations allegedly run by a foreign government operating on Canadian soil, aimed at ordinary...
A steady, quiet pressure crept into Canadian neighborhoods: police-like stations allegedly run by a foreign government operating on Canadian soil, aimed at ordinary Chinese Canadian families. Documents show decades of monitoring, classified memos, and recorded cases of transnational repression-so who knew what, and why did so little change?

In this episode, we lay out the documented timeline, the institutions involved, and the human stories behind the evidence, asking how long such operations could run before being stopped and what the uncovered records really reveal.

Person: Mao Ning
Organization: Canadian Security Intelligence Service
Topic: transnational repression
Location: Vancouver; Montreal; Brossard; Greater Toronto Area
Period: since 1986

- CSIS alleged locations of foreign-run stations in Vancouver, Montreal, Brossard, and across the Greater Toronto Area.
- The Montreal Institute for Global Security documented patterns of intimidation and digital harassment as recently as February 2026.
- Official record shows Canadian monitoring of Chinese influence operations dating back to 1986.
- A UFWD teaching manual listed Toronto electoral outcomes in 2003 and 2006 as "achievements."
- The transcript references thirty-six parliamentary trips to China during the documented period.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1036falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-sewn-lapel-how-a-tailor-s-stitch-started-a-world-war--73074550
The coat was sewn shut at the lapel, no scissors were available, and a bullet lodged in Franz Ferdinand's neck on June 28, 1914 - four weeks later Europe was at war. How did a tailor's stitch, a morganatic marriage, and a stalled car combine to change history?

In this episode, we tell the story of Franz Ferdinand and Sophie Chotek from their marriage contract in 1900 through the Sarajevo shooting on June 28, 1914, following the small decisions and unlucky moments that led to the fatal Sunday morning in the Balkans. What single chain of events turned a private humiliation and a stitched lapel into the spark for global war?

Person: Franz Ferdinand Karl Ludwig Joseph Maria
Person: Sophie Chotek
Date: June 28, 1914
Event: Assassination in Sarajevo
Location: Sarajevo

- The uniform jacket lapel was sewn shut by a tailor, preventing it being opened after the shooting.
- Franz Ferdinand was born on December 18, 1863, in Graz.
- Franz Ferdinand formally renounced succession rights for Sophie and their children on June 28, 1900.
- The wedding took place on July 1, 1900, at Reichstadt in Bohemia.
- The couple had three children: Sophie (1901), Maximilian (1902), and Ernst (1904).

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73074550Tue, 22 Sep 2026 13:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Sewn Lapel: How a Tailor's Stitch Started a World War The coat was sewn shut at the lapel, no scissors were available, and a bullet lodged in Franz Ferdinand's neck on June 28, 1914 - four weeks later Europe was at war. How did a tailor's...
The coat was sewn shut at the lapel, no scissors were available, and a bullet lodged in Franz Ferdinand's neck on June 28, 1914 - four weeks later Europe was at war. How did a tailor's stitch, a morganatic marriage, and a stalled car combine to change history?

In this episode, we tell the story of Franz Ferdinand and Sophie Chotek from their marriage contract in 1900 through the Sarajevo shooting on June 28, 1914, following the small decisions and unlucky moments that led to the fatal Sunday morning in the Balkans. What single chain of events turned a private humiliation and a stitched lapel into the spark for global war?

Person: Franz Ferdinand Karl Ludwig Joseph Maria
Person: Sophie Chotek
Date: June 28, 1914
Event: Assassination in Sarajevo
Location: Sarajevo

- The uniform jacket lapel was sewn shut by a tailor, preventing it being opened after the shooting.
- Franz Ferdinand was born on December 18, 1863, in Graz.
- Franz Ferdinand formally renounced succession rights for Sophie and their children on June 28, 1900.
- The wedding took place on July 1, 1900, at Reichstadt in Bohemia.
- The couple had three children: Sophie (1901), Maximilian (1902), and Ernst (1904).

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1108falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/hours-to-midnight-the-telex-that-silenced-australia-s-pm--73074548
A single classified telex sent 72 hours before a prime minister was removed threatened to "cut off the alliance" - and the leader himself later admitted he wasn't sure the two events were linked. What did a request for the names of foreign intelligence officers and one missing name trigger, and why did a four-word phrase, "our man," appear in a message that changed Australia's course?

In this episode, we tell the story of Gough Whitlam, the joint facility Pine Gap, and the telex sent by a senior CIA officer to Australia's domestic intelligence service three days before Whitlam's dismissal. We follow Whitlam's campaign to learn who was operating on Australian soil, his government's reforms, and the unanswered question about whether the telex and the prime minister's removal were connected.

Person: Gough Whitlam
Event: Telex from a senior CIA officer to ASIO sent 72 hours before dismissal
Location: Pine Gap, Central Australia (near Alice Springs)
Date: December 10, 1975 (Pine Gap lease expiry date)
Topic: Request for list of American intelligence officers operating in Australia; one name missing

- Whitlam won government with 3,200,000 votes and 49.58% of the national vote.
- Whitlam's Labor won 67 parliamentary seats in December 1972.
- Pine Gap treaty was signed in December 1966 between Australian Defence Minister Allen Fairhall and an American official named Cronk.
- Pine Gap lease was due to expire on December 10, 1975.
- A CIA officer sent a written threat to Australia's domestic intelligence service exactly 72 hours before the prime minister was removed from office.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73074548Mon, 21 Sep 2026 13:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaHours to Midnight: The Telex That Silenced Australia's PM A single classified telex sent 72 hours before a prime minister was removed threatened to "cut off the alliance" - and the leader himself later admitted he wasn't sure the two events were...
A single classified telex sent 72 hours before a prime minister was removed threatened to "cut off the alliance" - and the leader himself later admitted he wasn't sure the two events were linked. What did a request for the names of foreign intelligence officers and one missing name trigger, and why did a four-word phrase, "our man," appear in a message that changed Australia's course?

In this episode, we tell the story of Gough Whitlam, the joint facility Pine Gap, and the telex sent by a senior CIA officer to Australia's domestic intelligence service three days before Whitlam's dismissal. We follow Whitlam's campaign to learn who was operating on Australian soil, his government's reforms, and the unanswered question about whether the telex and the prime minister's removal were connected.

Person: Gough Whitlam
Event: Telex from a senior CIA officer to ASIO sent 72 hours before dismissal
Location: Pine Gap, Central Australia (near Alice Springs)
Date: December 10, 1975 (Pine Gap lease expiry date)
Topic: Request for list of American intelligence officers operating in Australia; one name missing

- Whitlam won government with 3,200,000 votes and 49.58% of the national vote.
- Whitlam's Labor won 67 parliamentary seats in December 1972.
- Pine Gap treaty was signed in December 1966 between Australian Defence Minister Allen Fairhall and an American official named Cronk.
- Pine Gap lease was due to expire on December 10, 1975.
- A CIA officer sent a written threat to Australia's domestic intelligence service exactly 72 hours before the prime minister was removed from office.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1145falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-clerk-who-unlocked-a-queen-s-secret-jerome-pasquier-revealed--73074545
A twenty-five-year-old French clerk turned scrambled symbols into plain language for Mary, Queen of Scots, reading an "infinite number of letters in cipher" that flowed through her household - and then sat in the Tower as Walsingham's men built a case. How did the work of a single cipher clerk become the hinge on which a queen's fate turned?

In this episode, we tell the story of Jérôme Pasquier, his role in Mary Stuart's cipher operation, and the events that led to his arrest and months-long imprisonment in the Tower of London; how did his translations and a signed confession contribute to Mary’s execution?

Person: Jérôme Pasquier
Role: Clerk, groom of the chamber, master of wardrobe, argentier
Location: Chartley; Tower of London
Date of arrest: 29 August 1586
Event: Mary, Queen of Scots executed 8 February 1587

- Pasquier was about 25 years old when he was taken to the Tower of London on 29 August 1586.
- Mary, Queen of Scots had been held in England for 16 years, arriving in 1568 and executed on 8 February 1587.
- Mary's household maintained roughly 50 people and sent more cipher letters per fortnight than one expert could handle.
- Pasquier entered Mary’s service around 1583-1584 and had married Madeleine Champhoun, niece of Claude Nau.
- Pasquier signed a formal confession while imprisoned in the Tower and was removed from Mary’s will prior to her execution.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73074545Sun, 20 Sep 2026 13:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Clerk Who Unlocked a Queen's Secret: Jérôme Pasquier Revealed A twenty-five-year-old French clerk turned scrambled symbols into plain language for Mary, Queen of Scots, reading an "infinite number of letters in cipher" that flowed through her...
A twenty-five-year-old French clerk turned scrambled symbols into plain language for Mary, Queen of Scots, reading an "infinite number of letters in cipher" that flowed through her household - and then sat in the Tower as Walsingham's men built a case. How did the work of a single cipher clerk become the hinge on which a queen's fate turned?

In this episode, we tell the story of Jérôme Pasquier, his role in Mary Stuart's cipher operation, and the events that led to his arrest and months-long imprisonment in the Tower of London; how did his translations and a signed confession contribute to Mary’s execution?

Person: Jérôme Pasquier
Role: Clerk, groom of the chamber, master of wardrobe, argentier
Location: Chartley; Tower of London
Date of arrest: 29 August 1586
Event: Mary, Queen of Scots executed 8 February 1587

- Pasquier was about 25 years old when he was taken to the Tower of London on 29 August 1586.
- Mary, Queen of Scots had been held in England for 16 years, arriving in 1568 and executed on 8 February 1587.
- Mary's household maintained roughly 50 people and sent more cipher letters per fortnight than one expert could handle.
- Pasquier entered Mary’s service around 1583-1584 and had married Madeleine Champhoun, niece of Claude Nau.
- Pasquier signed a formal confession while imprisoned in the Tower and was removed from Mary’s will prior to her execution.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1257falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/mayor-or-mole-the-secret-identity-that-bought-a-town--73074532
A mayor whose fingerprints matched a Chinese national, a helicopter worth 60 million pesos, and electricity bills for a private compound that totaled 51,718,000 pesos - how did one contested identity buy power in a small Philippine town? What really stood behind the name Alice Leal Guo, and who benefited from her rise to office?

In this episode, we follow the documentary trail from a birth certificate filed fifteen years late to a mayoral victory decided by 468 votes, and the later court cancellations and intelligence findings that unraveled her story. We ask whether the public record can ever reconcile the person who governed Bamban with the fingerprints on file in Fujian.

Person: Alice Leal Guo / Guo Hua Ping
Event: Birth certificate filed November 22, 2005 for a child allegedly born 15 years earlier
Location: Bamban, Tarlac, Central Luzon, Philippines
Date: Elected May 2022; took office June 30, 2022
Status: Birth records and identity contested; later cancelled by a court

- She won the 2022 mayoral race by 468 votes in a seven-way contest.
- The National Bureau of Investigation matched her fingerprints to Guo Hua Ping from Jinjiang, Fujian Province.
- She owned a helicopter acquired in 2019 later valued at 60,000,000 Philippine pesos.
- Electric bills for the private compound she paid totaled 51,718,000 Philippine pesos during her tenure.
- The compound was raided in February 2023 for cryptocurrency scams and again in March 2024 for human trafficking and cybercrimes.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73074532Sat, 19 Sep 2026 13:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaMayor or Mole? The Secret Identity That Bought a Town A mayor whose fingerprints matched a Chinese national, a helicopter worth 60 million pesos, and electricity bills for a private compound that totaled 51,718,000 pesos - how did one contested...
A mayor whose fingerprints matched a Chinese national, a helicopter worth 60 million pesos, and electricity bills for a private compound that totaled 51,718,000 pesos - how did one contested identity buy power in a small Philippine town? What really stood behind the name Alice Leal Guo, and who benefited from her rise to office?

In this episode, we follow the documentary trail from a birth certificate filed fifteen years late to a mayoral victory decided by 468 votes, and the later court cancellations and intelligence findings that unraveled her story. We ask whether the public record can ever reconcile the person who governed Bamban with the fingerprints on file in Fujian.

Person: Alice Leal Guo / Guo Hua Ping
Event: Birth certificate filed November 22, 2005 for a child allegedly born 15 years earlier
Location: Bamban, Tarlac, Central Luzon, Philippines
Date: Elected May 2022; took office June 30, 2022
Status: Birth records and identity contested; later cancelled by a court

- She won the 2022 mayoral race by 468 votes in a seven-way contest.
- The National Bureau of Investigation matched her fingerprints to Guo Hua Ping from Jinjiang, Fujian Province.
- She owned a helicopter acquired in 2019 later valued at 60,000,000 Philippine pesos.
- Electric bills for the private compound she paid totaled 51,718,000 Philippine pesos during her tenure.
- The compound was raided in February 2023 for cryptocurrency scams and again in March 2024 for human trafficking and cybercrimes.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>999falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/heard-in-the-walls-how-australia-bugged-timor-leste-for-billions--73074526
The thought that a newly independent nation was quietly listened to while negotiating tens of billions over a gas field creates a cold, controlled dread: microphones planted in the East Timorese cabinet room in 2004 turned private strategy into a financial weapon. How did renovated walls and aid workers become the circuit through which a billion-dollar treaty was won?

In this episode, we lay out the sequence of events from the placement of listening devices to the 2006 treaty and the legal and political fallout that followed, asking whether intelligence gathered in secret decided the fate of a nation’s economy.

Person: Mari Alkatiri
Event: Planting of listening devices in Palace of Government
Date: 2004
Treaty: Treaty on Certain Maritime Arrangements in the Timor Sea (CMATS), 2006
Period: Restricted boundary claims until 2057

- The listening devices were planted inside the Palace of Government in Dili in 2004.
- Timor-Leste declared independence in May 2002, less than two years before the bugging.
- The Greater Sunrise gas field beneath the Timor Sea was estimated to be worth tens of billions of dollars.
- Timor-Leste later estimated its losses under CMATS at five billion US dollars.
- CMATS locked in arrangements restricting Timor-Leste's maritime boundary claims until 2057.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73074526Fri, 18 Sep 2026 13:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaHeard in the Walls: How Australia Bugged Timor-Leste for Billions The thought that a newly independent nation was quietly listened to while negotiating tens of billions over a gas field creates a cold, controlled dread: microphones planted in the...
The thought that a newly independent nation was quietly listened to while negotiating tens of billions over a gas field creates a cold, controlled dread: microphones planted in the East Timorese cabinet room in 2004 turned private strategy into a financial weapon. How did renovated walls and aid workers become the circuit through which a billion-dollar treaty was won?

In this episode, we lay out the sequence of events from the placement of listening devices to the 2006 treaty and the legal and political fallout that followed, asking whether intelligence gathered in secret decided the fate of a nation’s economy.

Person: Mari Alkatiri
Event: Planting of listening devices in Palace of Government
Date: 2004
Treaty: Treaty on Certain Maritime Arrangements in the Timor Sea (CMATS), 2006
Period: Restricted boundary claims until 2057

- The listening devices were planted inside the Palace of Government in Dili in 2004.
- Timor-Leste declared independence in May 2002, less than two years before the bugging.
- The Greater Sunrise gas field beneath the Timor Sea was estimated to be worth tens of billions of dollars.
- Timor-Leste later estimated its losses under CMATS at five billion US dollars.
- CMATS locked in arrangements restricting Timor-Leste's maritime boundary claims until 2057.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1016falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/he-killed-for-both-sides-the-informant-who-fed-murder-to-police--73074505
A man on two payrolls, paid $2,000 a week by the government while allegedly committing at least eleven murders between 1994 and 1997, left a suicide note asking "Who am I?"-and answered nothing. How did Dany Kane become both a Hells Angels support-club leader and an RCMP informant, and who benefited as the bodies kept appearing?

In this episode, we trace the documented timeline of Kane's life from L'Acadie to the Demon Keepers and his contact with federal handlers, laying out confirmed dates, payments, contracts, and convictions to ask whether institutions treated him as a tool rather than a person. What did the RCMP files C-2994 and an $8.6 million contract include that he never got to disclose?

Person: Dany Kane
Date of death: August 7, 2000
RCMP file number: C-2994
Informant payment: $2,000 per week
Signed contract value: $8,600,000

- Kane committed at least eleven murders between 1994 and 1997 while on the RCMP payroll.
- He signed an $8.6 million informant contract that was never fully executed.
- Kane was paid $2,000 a week by the government while handlers continued to meet him.
- The Demon Keepers support club was founded January 29, 1994, with Kane as president.
- Kane served approximately ten months in prison, followed by five months in a transition home, after convictions in 1992.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73074505Thu, 17 Sep 2026 13:00:03 +0000Creator at ObomediaHe Killed for Both Sides: The Informant Who Fed Murder to Police A man on two payrolls, paid $2,000 a week by the government while allegedly committing at least eleven murders between 1994 and 1997, left a suicide note asking "Who am I?"-and...
A man on two payrolls, paid $2,000 a week by the government while allegedly committing at least eleven murders between 1994 and 1997, left a suicide note asking "Who am I?"-and answered nothing. How did Dany Kane become both a Hells Angels support-club leader and an RCMP informant, and who benefited as the bodies kept appearing?

In this episode, we trace the documented timeline of Kane's life from L'Acadie to the Demon Keepers and his contact with federal handlers, laying out confirmed dates, payments, contracts, and convictions to ask whether institutions treated him as a tool rather than a person. What did the RCMP files C-2994 and an $8.6 million contract include that he never got to disclose?

Person: Dany Kane
Date of death: August 7, 2000
RCMP file number: C-2994
Informant payment: $2,000 per week
Signed contract value: $8,600,000

- Kane committed at least eleven murders between 1994 and 1997 while on the RCMP payroll.
- He signed an $8.6 million informant contract that was never fully executed.
- Kane was paid $2,000 a week by the government while handlers continued to meet him.
- The Demon Keepers support club was founded January 29, 1994, with Kane as president.
- Kane served approximately ten months in prison, followed by five months in a transition home, after convictions in 1992.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1279falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-bench-in-salisbury-how-novichok-found-a-spy-decades-later--73074474
A retired Russian military intelligence officer collapses on a public bench in Salisbury after exposure to a Cold War-era nerve agent known as Novichok, a compound developed in Soviet labs and described in records as "newcomer." How did a man who survived a closed treason trial, a tarmac spy swap in 2010, and decades of secret service work end up targeted on an English high street?

In this episode, we trace Sergei Skripal's life from Kaliningrad to the GRU, his recruitment by a British operative in Spain, a closed trial in Moscow, and his resettlement in Salisbury, asking what gaps in the record leave the pivotal questions unanswered: who betrayed him, who targeted him, and why?

Person: Sergei Skripal
Date of bench incident: March 4, 2018
Birth date: June 23, 1951
Charge and sentence: High treason; 13 years (convicted August 2006)
Event: Spy swap on July 9, 2010

- Skripal was born in Kaliningrad on June 23, 1951 and grew up in Ozyorsk.
- He was recruited by a British operative named Pablo Miller (alias Antonio Alvarez de Hidalgo) in Spain in July 1995.
- Russian prosecutors later alleged Skripal exposed 300 Russian agents and was paid $100,000.
- He was arrested in December 2004, tried in closed hearings, convicted in August 2006 under Article 275.
- Skripal was included in a July 9, 2010 spy swap and relocated to Salisbury, where he bought a house in 2011.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73074474Wed, 16 Sep 2026 13:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Bench in Salisbury: How Novichok Found a Spy Decades Later A retired Russian military intelligence officer collapses on a public bench in Salisbury after exposure to a Cold War-era nerve agent known as Novichok, a compound developed in Soviet...
A retired Russian military intelligence officer collapses on a public bench in Salisbury after exposure to a Cold War-era nerve agent known as Novichok, a compound developed in Soviet labs and described in records as "newcomer." How did a man who survived a closed treason trial, a tarmac spy swap in 2010, and decades of secret service work end up targeted on an English high street?

In this episode, we trace Sergei Skripal's life from Kaliningrad to the GRU, his recruitment by a British operative in Spain, a closed trial in Moscow, and his resettlement in Salisbury, asking what gaps in the record leave the pivotal questions unanswered: who betrayed him, who targeted him, and why?

Person: Sergei Skripal
Date of bench incident: March 4, 2018
Birth date: June 23, 1951
Charge and sentence: High treason; 13 years (convicted August 2006)
Event: Spy swap on July 9, 2010

- Skripal was born in Kaliningrad on June 23, 1951 and grew up in Ozyorsk.
- He was recruited by a British operative named Pablo Miller (alias Antonio Alvarez de Hidalgo) in Spain in July 1995.
- Russian prosecutors later alleged Skripal exposed 300 Russian agents and was paid $100,000.
- He was arrested in December 2004, tried in closed hearings, convicted in August 2006 under Article 275.
- Skripal was included in a July 9, 2010 spy swap and relocated to Salisbury, where he bought a house in 2011.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1147falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/he-oversaw-the-levy-how-radu-lecca-profited-from-persecution--73074470
The man who engineered a nationwide extraction from Jewish communities walked free after less than seventeen years in prison, published a memoir that Romanian officials later used to deny the Holocaust, and had helped create a system that imposed levies totaling at least 1.2 billion lei. How did a multilingual former spy become the architect of bureaucratic theft and forced labor, and what did he do with the power he gained?

In this episode, we trace the documented career of Radu D. Lecca from his birth in 1890 through his roles as a spy, Nazi correspondent, and Commissioner General for Jewish Affairs, and we follow the Central Jewish Office's policies and the specific levies he proposed and implemented - asking whether his actions were profiteering, collaboration, or both.

Person: Radu D. Lecca
Date of birth: February 15, 1890
Role: Commissioner General for Jewish Affairs
Levy proposals: 100,000,000 lei (January 1942) and 1,200,000,000 lei (August 1942)
Prison time served: less than 17 years (released 1963)

- Lecca served a French prison sentence from 1931 to 1933 for espionage.
- In late 1941 he was appointed Commissioner General for Jewish Affairs at age 51.
- January 1942 report estimated 20,000 Jews could not pay state levies and proposed extracting 100,000,000 lei from wealthier Jews.
- By August 1942 he drafted a 1,200,000,000 lei levy targeting spared Jewish business owners.
- After serving under seventeen years in prison, he was released in 1963 and later published a memoir used by officials in the 1990s and a 2003 school manual.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73074470Tue, 15 Sep 2026 13:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaHe Oversaw the Levy: How Radu Lecca Profited from Persecution The man who engineered a nationwide extraction from Jewish communities walked free after less than seventeen years in prison, published a memoir that Romanian officials later used to...
The man who engineered a nationwide extraction from Jewish communities walked free after less than seventeen years in prison, published a memoir that Romanian officials later used to deny the Holocaust, and had helped create a system that imposed levies totaling at least 1.2 billion lei. How did a multilingual former spy become the architect of bureaucratic theft and forced labor, and what did he do with the power he gained?

In this episode, we trace the documented career of Radu D. Lecca from his birth in 1890 through his roles as a spy, Nazi correspondent, and Commissioner General for Jewish Affairs, and we follow the Central Jewish Office's policies and the specific levies he proposed and implemented - asking whether his actions were profiteering, collaboration, or both.

Person: Radu D. Lecca
Date of birth: February 15, 1890
Role: Commissioner General for Jewish Affairs
Levy proposals: 100,000,000 lei (January 1942) and 1,200,000,000 lei (August 1942)
Prison time served: less than 17 years (released 1963)

- Lecca served a French prison sentence from 1931 to 1933 for espionage.
- In late 1941 he was appointed Commissioner General for Jewish Affairs at age 51.
- January 1942 report estimated 20,000 Jews could not pay state levies and proposed extracting 100,000,000 lei from wealthier Jews.
- By August 1942 he drafted a 1,200,000,000 lei levy targeting spared Jewish business owners.
- After serving under seventeen years in prison, he was released in 1963 and later published a memoir used by officials in the 1990s and a 2003 school manual.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1122falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/he-walked-out-a-window-the-spy-who-vanished-into-moscow--73074465
A celebrated British spy who received the longest non-life sentence ever handed down in the UK walked out of a prison window, fractured his wrist on the drop, and was in a safe house within twenty minutes - with no government aircraft, no exfiltration team and only three civilians and a rope ladder. How did George Blake, born George Behar in 1922, move from Dutch resistance courier to double agent for Moscow and vanish so cleanly after serving just five years and three months of a forty-two year term?

In this episode, we follow the known milestones of his life and career to trace the turning points that produced a man with three names and three lives. We cover his early family background and renaming, his wartime journey to London and recruitment into MI6, his capture in Korea and voluntary turn to the Soviets, and the dramatic prison escape that ended his British sentence - but what motivated each choice along the way?

Person: Georgy Ivanovich Bekhter / George Blake / George Behar
Date: Born 11 November 1922; died 26 December 2020
Location: Born in Rotterdam; buried in Moscow's Alley of Heroes
Event: Prison escape after serving 5 years and 3 months of a 42-year sentence
Case: Operation Gold tunnel under East Berlin (nearly 500 metres)

- He was sentenced to forty-two years in prison, the longest non-life term ever handed down by a British court.
- He served exactly five years and three months before escaping through a prison window.
- He suffered a fractured wrist during the drop from the window yet reached a safe house within twenty minutes.
- He was born George Behar in Rotterdam on 11 November 1922 and later took the name George Blake.
- He spent nearly three years as a prisoner of war on the Yalu River after Seoul fell in June 1950.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73074465Mon, 14 Sep 2026 13:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaHe Walked Out a Window - The Spy Who Vanished Into Moscow A celebrated British spy who received the longest non-life sentence ever handed down in the UK walked out of a prison window, fractured his wrist on the drop, and was in a safe house within...
A celebrated British spy who received the longest non-life sentence ever handed down in the UK walked out of a prison window, fractured his wrist on the drop, and was in a safe house within twenty minutes - with no government aircraft, no exfiltration team and only three civilians and a rope ladder. How did George Blake, born George Behar in 1922, move from Dutch resistance courier to double agent for Moscow and vanish so cleanly after serving just five years and three months of a forty-two year term?

In this episode, we follow the known milestones of his life and career to trace the turning points that produced a man with three names and three lives. We cover his early family background and renaming, his wartime journey to London and recruitment into MI6, his capture in Korea and voluntary turn to the Soviets, and the dramatic prison escape that ended his British sentence - but what motivated each choice along the way?

Person: Georgy Ivanovich Bekhter / George Blake / George Behar
Date: Born 11 November 1922; died 26 December 2020
Location: Born in Rotterdam; buried in Moscow's Alley of Heroes
Event: Prison escape after serving 5 years and 3 months of a 42-year sentence
Case: Operation Gold tunnel under East Berlin (nearly 500 metres)

- He was sentenced to forty-two years in prison, the longest non-life term ever handed down by a British court.
- He served exactly five years and three months before escaping through a prison window.
- He suffered a fractured wrist during the drop from the window yet reached a safe house within twenty minutes.
- He was born George Behar in Rotterdam on 11 November 1922 and later took the name George Blake.
- He spent nearly three years as a prisoner of war on the Yalu River after Seoul fell in June 1950.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1097falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-accountant-who-planted-a-mine-one-letter-one-resistance--73074460
Danger hid in plain sight: a fishery accountant carried burnt wheat into a Nazi-occupied mill for three days and planted an anti-tank mine that later destroyed the building. The only surviving proof of these actions is a single letter written forty years later-what else did that letter conceal?

In this episode, we tell the story contained in that lone document and follow the actions of the small clandestine detachment that carried them out, asking how ordinary work and ordinary routines became a weapon of resistance and what the lone archival trace can tell us about the rest.

Person: Fedor Ivanovich Ivanovich
Date: born 12 February 1918
Location: Nizhne-Chirsky, Don region
Event: mill mine detonation and warehouse fire in September-November 1942
Author: letter published 1982 found by historian Kandaurov

- Ivanovich was born on 12 February 1918 in khutor Verkhne-Sadovsky in the Don Cossack Army oblast.
- By 1940 he worked as senior accountant at the Nizhne-Chirsky fish processing point with no documented military training.
- For three consecutive days he carried bags of burnt wheat into the mill and planted an anti-tank mine in the machine room.
- German use of the mill and storage of fuel barrels led to a detonation that destroyed the structure.
- One letter, published in 1982 and found by historian Kandaurov, is the single archival document recording the detachment’s September 1942 activities.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73074460Sun, 13 Sep 2026 13:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Accountant Who Planted a Mine: One Letter, One Resistance Danger hid in plain sight: a fishery accountant carried burnt wheat into a Nazi-occupied mill for three days and planted an anti-tank mine that later destroyed the building. The only...
Danger hid in plain sight: a fishery accountant carried burnt wheat into a Nazi-occupied mill for three days and planted an anti-tank mine that later destroyed the building. The only surviving proof of these actions is a single letter written forty years later-what else did that letter conceal?

In this episode, we tell the story contained in that lone document and follow the actions of the small clandestine detachment that carried them out, asking how ordinary work and ordinary routines became a weapon of resistance and what the lone archival trace can tell us about the rest.

Person: Fedor Ivanovich Ivanovich
Date: born 12 February 1918
Location: Nizhne-Chirsky, Don region
Event: mill mine detonation and warehouse fire in September-November 1942
Author: letter published 1982 found by historian Kandaurov

- Ivanovich was born on 12 February 1918 in khutor Verkhne-Sadovsky in the Don Cossack Army oblast.
- By 1940 he worked as senior accountant at the Nizhne-Chirsky fish processing point with no documented military training.
- For three consecutive days he carried bags of burnt wheat into the mill and planted an anti-tank mine in the machine room.
- German use of the mill and storage of fuel barrels led to a detonation that destroyed the structure.
- One letter, published in 1982 and found by historian Kandaurov, is the single archival document recording the detachment’s September 1942 activities.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1017falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/ambassador-kept-in-the-dark-the-vadim-kirpichenko-story--73074457
A linguist-turned-spy who could sit across from presidents and still leave the Soviet ambassador unaware, Vadim Kirpichenko helped topple a government in a single night and carried fifty-four awards from more than a dozen countries-so how did a boy from Kursk become the invisible hand behind coups and influence across the Middle East? What did his ability to speak classical Arabic, then learn local dialects, allow him to do that brute force never could?

In this episode, we follow Kirpichenko’s path from an Air Force cadet whose academy closed in 1941 to a KGB officer placed at the center of Soviet influence in Egypt, North Africa, and Afghanistan, and we ask how his linguistic skills and cultural expertise shaped events like the July 1956 Suez nationalization and the December 1979 overthrow in Kabul.

Person: Vadim Kirpichenko Kirpichenko
Date of birth: September 25, 1922
Event: Soviet embassy phone call during overthrow in Kabul on December 27, 1979
Awards: Fifty-four awards from more than a dozen countries
Early units: 103rd Guards Rifle Division (fought in Hungary, Austria, Czechoslovakia)

- He enrolled at the Moscow Institute of Oriental Studies, Arabic branch, and graduated top of his class.
- He entered Intelligence School No. 101 on September 1, 1952, and received the codename Vadimov.
- He joined the Eastern Department of the KGB's First Chief Directorate in July 1953 at age thirty.
- His first overseas posting was as deputy KGB resident in Cairo in December 1954.
- He fought from January 1945 and received the Medal for Courage, leaving the army at the end of 1946 with the rank of senior sergeant.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73074457Sat, 12 Sep 2026 13:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaAmbassador Kept in the Dark: The Vadim Kirpichenko Story A linguist-turned-spy who could sit across from presidents and still leave the Soviet ambassador unaware, Vadim Kirpichenko helped topple a government in a single night and carried fifty-four...
A linguist-turned-spy who could sit across from presidents and still leave the Soviet ambassador unaware, Vadim Kirpichenko helped topple a government in a single night and carried fifty-four awards from more than a dozen countries-so how did a boy from Kursk become the invisible hand behind coups and influence across the Middle East? What did his ability to speak classical Arabic, then learn local dialects, allow him to do that brute force never could?

In this episode, we follow Kirpichenko’s path from an Air Force cadet whose academy closed in 1941 to a KGB officer placed at the center of Soviet influence in Egypt, North Africa, and Afghanistan, and we ask how his linguistic skills and cultural expertise shaped events like the July 1956 Suez nationalization and the December 1979 overthrow in Kabul.

Person: Vadim Kirpichenko Kirpichenko
Date of birth: September 25, 1922
Event: Soviet embassy phone call during overthrow in Kabul on December 27, 1979
Awards: Fifty-four awards from more than a dozen countries
Early units: 103rd Guards Rifle Division (fought in Hungary, Austria, Czechoslovakia)

- He enrolled at the Moscow Institute of Oriental Studies, Arabic branch, and graduated top of his class.
- He entered Intelligence School No. 101 on September 1, 1952, and received the codename Vadimov.
- He joined the Eastern Department of the KGB's First Chief Directorate in July 1953 at age thirty.
- His first overseas posting was as deputy KGB resident in Cairo in December 1954.
- He fought from January 1945 and received the Medal for Courage, leaving the army at the end of 1946 with the rank of senior sergeant.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1050falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/she-wore-two-birthdays-how-a-stasi-agent-borrowed-a-woman-s-life--73074456
A woman walked into a police registration office on December 2, 1964, with a flawless passport tied to a real West German named Olga Jatz - but every other element was a Stasi fabrication. How did Erika Reißmann live two decades in West Germany under a borrowed name that erased another woman's existence, and why do two women share the exact same birth date and name with no explanation?

In this episode, we tell the story of the identity that allowed an East German agent to work inside West German institutions, the training and cover that enabled her insertion, and the people and organizations she targeted - asking how a meticulously prepared false life became real enough to go unquestioned.

Person: Erika Reißmann
Date: December 2, 1964 (registration in Budenheim)
Location: Bad Godesberg, Bonn (Theodor Litt Street)
Organization: Catholic News Agency (employment start June 15, 1966)
Code name: IM-Kern

- Erika Reißmann was recruited by the Stasi in November 1961 at age 28 and recorded by the Gera regional office on November 7, 1961.
- She underwent three years of training from 1961 to 1964, including photography, secret writing, radio encryption, dead drops, and English.
- In summer 1964 she spent six weeks in Toronto to obtain a forged employment certificate for the Ursula Richter cover.
- On June 15, 1966 she began work as a senior manager at the Catholic News Agency in Bonn and remained at the center of information networks for six years.
- In October 1972 she left the Catholic News Agency to work at the Federation of Expellees (BdV), and she and Lorenz Betzing remained linked until they crossed out of West Germany together nineteen years later.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73074456Fri, 11 Sep 2026 13:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaShe Wore Two Birthdays: How a Stasi Agent Borrowed a Woman's Life A woman walked into a police registration office on December 2, 1964, with a flawless passport tied to a real West German named Olga Jatz - but every other element was a Stasi...
A woman walked into a police registration office on December 2, 1964, with a flawless passport tied to a real West German named Olga Jatz - but every other element was a Stasi fabrication. How did Erika Reißmann live two decades in West Germany under a borrowed name that erased another woman's existence, and why do two women share the exact same birth date and name with no explanation?

In this episode, we tell the story of the identity that allowed an East German agent to work inside West German institutions, the training and cover that enabled her insertion, and the people and organizations she targeted - asking how a meticulously prepared false life became real enough to go unquestioned.

Person: Erika Reißmann
Date: December 2, 1964 (registration in Budenheim)
Location: Bad Godesberg, Bonn (Theodor Litt Street)
Organization: Catholic News Agency (employment start June 15, 1966)
Code name: IM-Kern

- Erika Reißmann was recruited by the Stasi in November 1961 at age 28 and recorded by the Gera regional office on November 7, 1961.
- She underwent three years of training from 1961 to 1964, including photography, secret writing, radio encryption, dead drops, and English.
- In summer 1964 she spent six weeks in Toronto to obtain a forged employment certificate for the Ursula Richter cover.
- On June 15, 1966 she began work as a senior manager at the Catholic News Agency in Bonn and remained at the center of information networks for six years.
- In October 1972 she left the Catholic News Agency to work at the Federation of Expellees (BdV), and she and Lorenz Betzing remained linked until they crossed out of West Germany together nineteen years later.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1011falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/basement-darkroom-secrets-how-silvermaster-fed-soviet-ciphers--73074453
A hidden darkroom in a Washington basement turned top-secret government documents into rolls of microfilm smuggled on a train-sometimes forty spools at once. Who enabled a network that reached from the Treasury to the White House, and how did their secrets travel undetected for years?

In this episode, we lay out the sequence of people, places, and events that sustained a long-running channel of classified material photographed in a private home and carried north by a woman with a knitting bag. How did security flags, high-level endorsements, a defector’s testimony, and Venona decrypts only revealed decades later finally reveal the full picture?

Person: Nathan Gregory Silvermaster
Date of birth: November 27, 1898
Event: Basement darkroom used to photograph classified documents
Case: 65-56402
Date of public declassification: 1995

- The FBI file on Silvermaster grew to over 26,000 pages.
- Silvermaster became a naturalized American citizen in 1926.
- The Civil Service Commission recommended on July 16, 1942 that Silvermaster be barred from federal employment.
- Elizabeth Bentley transported microfilm every two weeks, once carrying 40 rolls in a single trip.
- Classified confirmation of the case was released 31 years after Silvermaster’s death in October 1964.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73074453Thu, 10 Sep 2026 13:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaBasement Darkroom Secrets: How Silvermaster Fed Soviet Ciphers A hidden darkroom in a Washington basement turned top-secret government documents into rolls of microfilm smuggled on a train-sometimes forty spools at once. Who enabled a network that...
A hidden darkroom in a Washington basement turned top-secret government documents into rolls of microfilm smuggled on a train-sometimes forty spools at once. Who enabled a network that reached from the Treasury to the White House, and how did their secrets travel undetected for years?

In this episode, we lay out the sequence of people, places, and events that sustained a long-running channel of classified material photographed in a private home and carried north by a woman with a knitting bag. How did security flags, high-level endorsements, a defector’s testimony, and Venona decrypts only revealed decades later finally reveal the full picture?

Person: Nathan Gregory Silvermaster
Date of birth: November 27, 1898
Event: Basement darkroom used to photograph classified documents
Case: 65-56402
Date of public declassification: 1995

- The FBI file on Silvermaster grew to over 26,000 pages.
- Silvermaster became a naturalized American citizen in 1926.
- The Civil Service Commission recommended on July 16, 1942 that Silvermaster be barred from federal employment.
- Elizabeth Bentley transported microfilm every two weeks, once carrying 40 rolls in a single trip.
- Classified confirmation of the case was released 31 years after Silvermaster’s death in October 1964.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1004falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/a-kgb-agent-blackmailed-a-disgraced-german-general-with-a-document-the-general-himself-created--73074451
Fear of exposure can flip a lifetime of power into obedience: a single sheet dated 12 April 1945, written by Edgar Feuchtinger himself, made a retired Wehrmacht general hand secret intelligence to Soviet handlers just weeks after a stranger showed it to him at Krefeld station. How could a document from the war's last days hold that kind of leverage eight years later?

In this episode, we tell the story of Edgar Feuchtinger from his birth in 1894 through his wartime command of the Twenty-First Panzer Division, the destruction at the Falaise Pocket, and the mysterious April 12, 1945 document that shaped his postwar fate. What was on that page, and how did actions in Normandy, a Paris apartment, and occupation-era profiteering lead to a KGB blackmail that defined his final years?

Person: Edgar Feuchtinger
Date: 12 April 1945
Event: D-Day absence and subsequent division destruction at Falaise Pocket
Location: Krefeld train station (meeting with stranger), Normandy/Paris referenced
Status: Passed intelligence to Soviet handlers after 1953 blackmail

- Feuchtinger was born in 1894 in Metz, then part of the German Empire.
- On the night of 5 June 1944 Feuchtinger was in Paris while Allied paratroops landed in Normandy 250 kilometers from his division.
- The Twenty-First Panzer Division was positioned to intervene on D-Day but did not move coherently for hours due to command delays and Feuchtinger’s absence.
- The division was effectively destroyed in the Falaise Pocket in August 1944, yet Feuchtinger was promoted to lieutenant general and awarded the Knight’s Cross weeks later.
- In 1953 (eight years after 1945) a stranger at Krefeld station showed Feuchtinger the April 12, 1945 document that led him to pass intelligence to Soviet handlers.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73074451Wed, 09 Sep 2026 13:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaA KGB agent blackmailed a disgraced German general with a document the general himself created Fear of exposure can flip a lifetime of power into obedience: a single sheet dated 12 April 1945, written by Edgar Feuchtinger himself, made a retired...
Fear of exposure can flip a lifetime of power into obedience: a single sheet dated 12 April 1945, written by Edgar Feuchtinger himself, made a retired Wehrmacht general hand secret intelligence to Soviet handlers just weeks after a stranger showed it to him at Krefeld station. How could a document from the war's last days hold that kind of leverage eight years later?

In this episode, we tell the story of Edgar Feuchtinger from his birth in 1894 through his wartime command of the Twenty-First Panzer Division, the destruction at the Falaise Pocket, and the mysterious April 12, 1945 document that shaped his postwar fate. What was on that page, and how did actions in Normandy, a Paris apartment, and occupation-era profiteering lead to a KGB blackmail that defined his final years?

Person: Edgar Feuchtinger
Date: 12 April 1945
Event: D-Day absence and subsequent division destruction at Falaise Pocket
Location: Krefeld train station (meeting with stranger), Normandy/Paris referenced
Status: Passed intelligence to Soviet handlers after 1953 blackmail

- Feuchtinger was born in 1894 in Metz, then part of the German Empire.
- On the night of 5 June 1944 Feuchtinger was in Paris while Allied paratroops landed in Normandy 250 kilometers from his division.
- The Twenty-First Panzer Division was positioned to intervene on D-Day but did not move coherently for hours due to command delays and Feuchtinger’s absence.
- The division was effectively destroyed in the Falaise Pocket in August 1944, yet Feuchtinger was promoted to lieutenant general and awarded the Knight’s Cross weeks later.
- In 1953 (eight years after 1945) a stranger at Krefeld station showed Feuchtinger the April 12, 1945 document that led him to pass intelligence to Soviet handlers.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>993falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-analyst-who-leaked-top-secret-papers-and-split-five-eyes-trust--73074449
A Top Secret, NOFORN satellite analysis published on October 18, 2024, named Israeli weapons and revealed US satellite surveillance-exposing a leak from inside the Five Eyes circle and risking allied trust. Who within the most trusted intelligence community chose to print, alter, and distribute those files to the public?

In this episode, we lay out the sequence of events from the documents’ creation to their appearance on the Telegram channel Middle East Spectator, describing what the papers contained and how a cleared analyst’s actions turned a private distribution into a public crisis. How did a Yale‑educated CIA analyst with eight years of service move classified material from secure systems to an international audience?

Person: Asif William Rahman
Date: October 18, 2024
Location: Hatzerim Airbase referenced in the documents
Status: Documents posted publicly on Telegram channel Middle East Spectator
Topic: Top Secret NOFORN satellite and signals intelligence describing Israeli operations

- Documents were stamped Top Secret and designated NOFORN.
- The leaked files were at most three days old when posted on October 18, 2024.
- Documents referenced sixteen air‑launched ballistic missiles called Golden Horizons and at least forty others designated ROCKS.
- Rahman was born September 18, 1990, and graduated from Yale University.
- Investigators found Rahman began distributing classified material in spring 2024 and printed and altered files before the public post.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73074449Tue, 08 Sep 2026 13:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Analyst Who Leaked Top‑Secret Papers and Split Five Eyes Trust A Top Secret, NOFORN satellite analysis published on October 18, 2024, named Israeli weapons and revealed US satellite surveillance-exposing a leak from inside the Five Eyes circle...
A Top Secret, NOFORN satellite analysis published on October 18, 2024, named Israeli weapons and revealed US satellite surveillance-exposing a leak from inside the Five Eyes circle and risking allied trust. Who within the most trusted intelligence community chose to print, alter, and distribute those files to the public?

In this episode, we lay out the sequence of events from the documents’ creation to their appearance on the Telegram channel Middle East Spectator, describing what the papers contained and how a cleared analyst’s actions turned a private distribution into a public crisis. How did a Yale‑educated CIA analyst with eight years of service move classified material from secure systems to an international audience?

Person: Asif William Rahman
Date: October 18, 2024
Location: Hatzerim Airbase referenced in the documents
Status: Documents posted publicly on Telegram channel Middle East Spectator
Topic: Top Secret NOFORN satellite and signals intelligence describing Israeli operations

- Documents were stamped Top Secret and designated NOFORN.
- The leaked files were at most three days old when posted on October 18, 2024.
- Documents referenced sixteen air‑launched ballistic missiles called Golden Horizons and at least forty others designated ROCKS.
- Rahman was born September 18, 1990, and graduated from Yale University.
- Investigators found Rahman began distributing classified material in spring 2024 and printed and altered files before the public post.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1008falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/he-got-silenced-by-a-federal-letter-the-nsl-that-broke-privacy--73074446
A single federal form silenced a New York internet provider for eleven years, carrying the full force of law without a judge's signature and a gag backed by criminal penalties. How did a voluntary 1978 request become a nationwide surveillance tool that can be issued by 56 FBI field offices and applied to ordinary communicants instead of confirmed terrorists?

In this episode, we tell the story of what happened when Nicholas Merrill received a National Security Letter at his small ISP, Calyx Internet Access, how the NSL’s scope changed through laws and the USA PATRIOT Act, and why a federal judge would later call the practice unconstitutional yet let it stand - a puzzle that prompted Merrill to fight while unable to speak. What does it mean for privacy when a nondisclosure order can be placed on an ordinary citizen?

Person: Nicholas Merrill
Organization: Calyx Internet Access
Legal Instrument: National Security Letter (NSL)
Law Change: USA PATRIOT Act sections 501 and 505
Duration of Gag: 11 years

- Merrill received an NSL that carried mandatory nondisclosure backed by criminal prosecution.
- The NSL originated in 1978 as a voluntary request under the Right to Financial Privacy Act.
- In 1993 Congress removed the restriction limiting NSL targets to foreign powers.
- The USA PATRIOT Act lowered the standard for issuing NSLs to "relevant to any authorized national security investigation."
- NSL authority was distributed to 56 FBI field offices, each able to issue letters without judicial approval.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73074446Mon, 07 Sep 2026 13:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaHe Got Silenced by a Federal Letter - The NSL That Broke Privacy A single federal form silenced a New York internet provider for eleven years, carrying the full force of law without a judge's signature and a gag backed by criminal penalties. How...
A single federal form silenced a New York internet provider for eleven years, carrying the full force of law without a judge's signature and a gag backed by criminal penalties. How did a voluntary 1978 request become a nationwide surveillance tool that can be issued by 56 FBI field offices and applied to ordinary communicants instead of confirmed terrorists?

In this episode, we tell the story of what happened when Nicholas Merrill received a National Security Letter at his small ISP, Calyx Internet Access, how the NSL’s scope changed through laws and the USA PATRIOT Act, and why a federal judge would later call the practice unconstitutional yet let it stand - a puzzle that prompted Merrill to fight while unable to speak. What does it mean for privacy when a nondisclosure order can be placed on an ordinary citizen?

Person: Nicholas Merrill
Organization: Calyx Internet Access
Legal Instrument: National Security Letter (NSL)
Law Change: USA PATRIOT Act sections 501 and 505
Duration of Gag: 11 years

- Merrill received an NSL that carried mandatory nondisclosure backed by criminal prosecution.
- The NSL originated in 1978 as a voluntary request under the Right to Financial Privacy Act.
- In 1993 Congress removed the restriction limiting NSL targets to foreign powers.
- The USA PATRIOT Act lowered the standard for issuing NSLs to "relevant to any authorized national security investigation."
- NSL authority was distributed to 56 FBI field offices, each able to issue letters without judicial approval.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1033falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-abbey-street-wire-was-ireland-s-police-watchdog-secretly-bugged--73074445
A routine speakerphone on a conference table may have been turned into a listening device inside Ireland’s police watchdog - and a secret Wi‑Fi network traced to the United Kingdom may have been harvesting GSOC data. If every internal email and call could have been intercepted, who inside the state or beyond would benefit - and why did the trail end with wiped devices and no charges?

In this episode, we lay out the sequence of events at GSOC’s Abbey Street offices in 2013: the discovery of draft documents quoted at a Garda meeting, the hiring of a UK technical firm, and the anomalies they reported. What the findings imply for the independence of the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission is the question that drives the episode.

Person: Simon O'Brien
Organization: Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission (GSOC)
Company: Verrimus
Amount Paid: €18,000
Year: 2013

- A GSOC draft document that had never been published was quoted by a senior Garda officer at a meeting.
- GSOC hired Verrimus, a UK firm, who arrived in Dublin at night to conduct counter-surveillance.
- Verrimus reported possible tampering with the conference speakerphone at Abbey Street.
- Verrimus found GSOC’s internal Wi‑Fi network compromised in ways consistent with interception of emails and mobile communications.
- An adjacent Wi‑Fi network created to harvest GSOC data traced its IP address to a location in the United Kingdom.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73074445Sun, 06 Sep 2026 13:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Abbey Street Wire: Was Ireland's Police Watchdog Secretly Bugged? A routine speakerphone on a conference table may have been turned into a listening device inside Ireland’s police watchdog - and a secret Wi‑Fi network traced to the United...
A routine speakerphone on a conference table may have been turned into a listening device inside Ireland’s police watchdog - and a secret Wi‑Fi network traced to the United Kingdom may have been harvesting GSOC data. If every internal email and call could have been intercepted, who inside the state or beyond would benefit - and why did the trail end with wiped devices and no charges?

In this episode, we lay out the sequence of events at GSOC’s Abbey Street offices in 2013: the discovery of draft documents quoted at a Garda meeting, the hiring of a UK technical firm, and the anomalies they reported. What the findings imply for the independence of the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission is the question that drives the episode.

Person: Simon O'Brien
Organization: Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission (GSOC)
Company: Verrimus
Amount Paid: €18,000
Year: 2013

- A GSOC draft document that had never been published was quoted by a senior Garda officer at a meeting.
- GSOC hired Verrimus, a UK firm, who arrived in Dublin at night to conduct counter-surveillance.
- Verrimus reported possible tampering with the conference speakerphone at Abbey Street.
- Verrimus found GSOC’s internal Wi‑Fi network compromised in ways consistent with interception of emails and mobile communications.
- An adjacent Wi‑Fi network created to harvest GSOC data traced its IP address to a location in the United Kingdom.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1010falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/when-artists-became-spies-the-ligue-s-deadly-intellectual-conspiracy--73074444
A respectable list of painters, poets, novelists, and professors drew thirty thousand signatures in thirty days in 1899 - without phones, flyers, or party machines. How did a movement born in lecture halls and salons become a breeding ground for political violence and a spy scandal that ended with a mysterious death the night before a trial?

In this episode, we trace the rise of the Ligue de la Patrie Française from a petition circulated in schools and artistic circles to a national organization that claimed forty thousand members by February 1899, and ask whether cultural prestige can mask a far darker agenda. What happened between the quiet petition on October 25, 1898 and the violent splits that followed?

Person: Jules Lemaître
Date: January 4, 1899
Event: Organizational assembly on January 19, 1899
Membership: 30,000 within 30 days; 40,000 by February 1899
Founders: Louis Dausset, Gabriel Syveton, Henri Vaugeois

- Thirty thousand people signed the Ligue petition within thirty days without a telephone network or press campaign.
- The Ligue formally constituted itself on January 4, 1899 after founders approved it on December 31, 1898.
- Membership composition showed workers and artisans at no more than 4% while nearly 70% came from literary, artistic, legal, and medical professions.
- Jules Lemaître publicly stated at the January 19, 1899 assembly that Jews, Protestants, and Freemasons had conspired to govern France despite the Ligue’s official silence on antisemitism.
- Henri Vaugeois left the Ligue before the end of 1899 to found Action Française with Maurice Pujo after deeming the Ligue “too timid.”

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73074444Sat, 05 Sep 2026 13:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaWhen Artists Became Spies: The Ligue's Deadly Intellectual Conspiracy A respectable list of painters, poets, novelists, and professors drew thirty thousand signatures in thirty days in 1899 - without phones, flyers, or party machines. How did a...
A respectable list of painters, poets, novelists, and professors drew thirty thousand signatures in thirty days in 1899 - without phones, flyers, or party machines. How did a movement born in lecture halls and salons become a breeding ground for political violence and a spy scandal that ended with a mysterious death the night before a trial?

In this episode, we trace the rise of the Ligue de la Patrie Française from a petition circulated in schools and artistic circles to a national organization that claimed forty thousand members by February 1899, and ask whether cultural prestige can mask a far darker agenda. What happened between the quiet petition on October 25, 1898 and the violent splits that followed?

Person: Jules Lemaître
Date: January 4, 1899
Event: Organizational assembly on January 19, 1899
Membership: 30,000 within 30 days; 40,000 by February 1899
Founders: Louis Dausset, Gabriel Syveton, Henri Vaugeois

- Thirty thousand people signed the Ligue petition within thirty days without a telephone network or press campaign.
- The Ligue formally constituted itself on January 4, 1899 after founders approved it on December 31, 1898.
- Membership composition showed workers and artisans at no more than 4% while nearly 70% came from literary, artistic, legal, and medical professions.
- Jules Lemaître publicly stated at the January 19, 1899 assembly that Jews, Protestants, and Freemasons had conspired to govern France despite the Ligue’s official silence on antisemitism.
- Henri Vaugeois left the Ligue before the end of 1899 to found Action Française with Maurice Pujo after deeming the Ligue “too timid.”

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1100falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-embassy-bugged-how-assange-s-private-room-became-cia-intel--73074441
A sovereign embassy room was converted from a women's toilet into a bedroom, then filled with hidden microphones that recorded attorney-client meetings, medical exams, and plans to collect DNA - an operation that ran nearly seven years and cost more than $5 million. Who ordered the livestreams and why did recordings labeled "the guest" end up linked to U.S. contacts?

In this episode, we tell the story of how a converted bathroom inside the Ecuadorian embassy in London became a long-term surveillance site, the role of the Spanish security firm UC Global S.L., and the chain of custody that reached U.S. recipients - could those recordings have been used as intelligence?

Person: Julian Assange
Date: 6 December 2012 (arrival at embassy)
Company: UC Global S.L.
Director: David Morales
Operation: Operation Guest

- The toilet in the embassy women's bathroom was removed in summer 2012 and the space converted into Assange’s bedroom and private meeting room.
- Julian Assange remained inside the Ecuadorian embassy for six years and ten months, beginning 6 December 2012.
- The surveillance operation began installing cameras with integrated microphones in December 2017 and streamed audio and video in real time.
- The operation cost more than $5 million according to the transcript.
- The Ecuadorian ambassador, Juan Falconí Puig, learned of the operation in May 2015 after receiving an unrecognized bill.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73074441Fri, 04 Sep 2026 13:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Embassy Bugged: How Assange's Private Room Became CIA Intel A sovereign embassy room was converted from a women's toilet into a bedroom, then filled with hidden microphones that recorded attorney-client meetings, medical exams, and plans to...
A sovereign embassy room was converted from a women's toilet into a bedroom, then filled with hidden microphones that recorded attorney-client meetings, medical exams, and plans to collect DNA - an operation that ran nearly seven years and cost more than $5 million. Who ordered the livestreams and why did recordings labeled "the guest" end up linked to U.S. contacts?

In this episode, we tell the story of how a converted bathroom inside the Ecuadorian embassy in London became a long-term surveillance site, the role of the Spanish security firm UC Global S.L., and the chain of custody that reached U.S. recipients - could those recordings have been used as intelligence?

Person: Julian Assange
Date: 6 December 2012 (arrival at embassy)
Company: UC Global S.L.
Director: David Morales
Operation: Operation Guest

- The toilet in the embassy women's bathroom was removed in summer 2012 and the space converted into Assange’s bedroom and private meeting room.
- Julian Assange remained inside the Ecuadorian embassy for six years and ten months, beginning 6 December 2012.
- The surveillance operation began installing cameras with integrated microphones in December 2017 and streamed audio and video in real time.
- The operation cost more than $5 million according to the transcript.
- The Ecuadorian ambassador, Juan Falconí Puig, learned of the operation in May 2015 after receiving an unrecognized bill.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1062falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-defector-who-broke-nato-how-martel-unmasked-france-s-leak--73074439
A single defector returned from Moscow with NATO documents catalogued in Soviet files - and a claim that France’s military intelligence was structurally compromised. If a KGB major could produce NATO materials on demand and name a network that reached De Gaulle’s government, how deep did the betrayal run?

In this episode, we tell the account of Anatoliy Golitsyn, codenamed Martel, his debriefing in Washington, and the French delegation’s verification that forced leaders to bypass normal diplomatic channels - a story that posed the question: could the Western alliance have been reading its own mail alongside the Kremlin?

Person: Anatoliy Golitsyn (codename Martel)
Date: 15 December 1961 (defection)
Location: Helsinki (defection) and Washington (debriefing)
Case: NATO documents catalogued in KGB archives
Person: Jean-Louis de Rougemont

- Golitsyn defected on 15 December 1961 after visiting CIA station chief Frank Friberg in Helsinki.
- James Jesus Angleton took over Golitsyn’s handling at the CIA after David Murphy found him difficult.
- Golitsyn identified Kim Philby, Donald Maclean, and Guy Burgess as Soviet assets during his debriefing.
- President Kennedy handwrote a letter to Charles de Gaulle and sent it by private courier in early 1962 over concerns raised by Golitsyn.
- French director Jean-Louis de Rougemont spent three to four days in a Washington safe house testing Martel with mixed genuine and fabricated NATO documents.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73074439Thu, 03 Sep 2026 13:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Defector Who Broke NATO: How Martel Unmasked France's Leak A single defector returned from Moscow with NATO documents catalogued in Soviet files - and a claim that France’s military intelligence was structurally compromised. If a KGB major...
A single defector returned from Moscow with NATO documents catalogued in Soviet files - and a claim that France’s military intelligence was structurally compromised. If a KGB major could produce NATO materials on demand and name a network that reached De Gaulle’s government, how deep did the betrayal run?

In this episode, we tell the account of Anatoliy Golitsyn, codenamed Martel, his debriefing in Washington, and the French delegation’s verification that forced leaders to bypass normal diplomatic channels - a story that posed the question: could the Western alliance have been reading its own mail alongside the Kremlin?

Person: Anatoliy Golitsyn (codename Martel)
Date: 15 December 1961 (defection)
Location: Helsinki (defection) and Washington (debriefing)
Case: NATO documents catalogued in KGB archives
Person: Jean-Louis de Rougemont

- Golitsyn defected on 15 December 1961 after visiting CIA station chief Frank Friberg in Helsinki.
- James Jesus Angleton took over Golitsyn’s handling at the CIA after David Murphy found him difficult.
- Golitsyn identified Kim Philby, Donald Maclean, and Guy Burgess as Soviet assets during his debriefing.
- President Kennedy handwrote a letter to Charles de Gaulle and sent it by private courier in early 1962 over concerns raised by Golitsyn.
- French director Jean-Louis de Rougemont spent three to four days in a Washington safe house testing Martel with mixed genuine and fabricated NATO documents.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1269falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-secret-treaty-that-let-democracies-spy-on-their-own-citizens--73074438
When two groups of mathematicians quietly traded the Allies’ most dangerous secrets in 1941, they created the seed of a surveillance network that would span five democracies and last eighty years - but none of those governments told their citizens. How did an agreement born of wartime desperation become a secret legal framework that lets democracies outsource surveillance on their own people?

In this episode, we follow the documented timeline from the first covert exchanges in 1941 through the BRUSA and UKUSA agreements, the addition of Canada, Australia and New Zealand, and the decades of secrecy, defection, and betrayal that exposed the alliance - asking how trust between partners became a vulnerability.

Person: Alastair Denniston
Person: Alan Turing
Person: Ian George Peacock
Date: March 5, 1946
Event: Signing of the UKUSA Agreement

- February 1941: Bletchley Park head wrote in his diary "The Ys are coming" and three days later "Ys arrive."
- December 1941: United States formally entered World War II after the informal intelligence exchange had already been ongoing for months.
- May 17, 1943: BRUSA Agreement signed between US and British armies making the arrangement semi-official.
- 1948: Canada joined the intelligence partnership that would become Five Eyes.
- 1970s: Ian George Peacock stole Five Eyes documents for at least five years before retiring in 1983.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73074438Wed, 02 Sep 2026 13:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Secret Treaty That Let Democracies Spy on Their Own Citizens When two groups of mathematicians quietly traded the Allies’ most dangerous secrets in 1941, they created the seed of a surveillance network that would span five democracies and last...
When two groups of mathematicians quietly traded the Allies’ most dangerous secrets in 1941, they created the seed of a surveillance network that would span five democracies and last eighty years - but none of those governments told their citizens. How did an agreement born of wartime desperation become a secret legal framework that lets democracies outsource surveillance on their own people?

In this episode, we follow the documented timeline from the first covert exchanges in 1941 through the BRUSA and UKUSA agreements, the addition of Canada, Australia and New Zealand, and the decades of secrecy, defection, and betrayal that exposed the alliance - asking how trust between partners became a vulnerability.

Person: Alastair Denniston
Person: Alan Turing
Person: Ian George Peacock
Date: March 5, 1946
Event: Signing of the UKUSA Agreement

- February 1941: Bletchley Park head wrote in his diary "The Ys are coming" and three days later "Ys arrive."
- December 1941: United States formally entered World War II after the informal intelligence exchange had already been ongoing for months.
- May 17, 1943: BRUSA Agreement signed between US and British armies making the arrangement semi-official.
- 1948: Canada joined the intelligence partnership that would become Five Eyes.
- 1970s: Ian George Peacock stole Five Eyes documents for at least five years before retiring in 1983.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1008falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/stabs-25-000-the-betrayal-that-should-have-bought-protection--73074436
A man who once wanted to be a police officer ended up stabbed 187 times with a sharpened metal rod in his cell - and the two contracts that bracket his life each listed the exact amount: $25,000. How did Aimé Simard go from studying police administration to becoming a hired killer, a Crown witness, and finally a betrayed informant whose promised protection never arrived?

In this episode, we tell the life and death of Aimé Simard, tracing his ambitions, his eighty prior convictions, his relationship with Dany Kane, and the two $25,000 contracts that bookend the violence. What choices and deceptions led to a man dying as a witness no one had bothered to protect?

Person: Aimé Simard
Date: July 18, 2003
Location: Prince Albert Institution, Saskatchewan
Count: 187 puncture wounds
Amount: $25,000

- Simard was 34 years old when a guard found him on the floor of his cell on July 18, 2003.
- The medical examiner counted exactly 187 puncture wounds caused by a sharpened metal rod.
- Simard accumulated 80 prior convictions before committing murder-for-hire.
- The first $25,000 contract placed by David Carroll targeted Robert MacFarlane in Halifax.
- Dany Kane, who recruited Simard, was a member of the Rockers Motor Club and an RCMP paid informer.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73074436Tue, 01 Sep 2026 13:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaStabs, $25,000: The Betrayal That Should Have Bought Protection A man who once wanted to be a police officer ended up stabbed 187 times with a sharpened metal rod in his cell - and the two contracts that bracket his life each listed the exact...
A man who once wanted to be a police officer ended up stabbed 187 times with a sharpened metal rod in his cell - and the two contracts that bracket his life each listed the exact amount: $25,000. How did Aimé Simard go from studying police administration to becoming a hired killer, a Crown witness, and finally a betrayed informant whose promised protection never arrived?

In this episode, we tell the life and death of Aimé Simard, tracing his ambitions, his eighty prior convictions, his relationship with Dany Kane, and the two $25,000 contracts that bookend the violence. What choices and deceptions led to a man dying as a witness no one had bothered to protect?

Person: Aimé Simard
Date: July 18, 2003
Location: Prince Albert Institution, Saskatchewan
Count: 187 puncture wounds
Amount: $25,000

- Simard was 34 years old when a guard found him on the floor of his cell on July 18, 2003.
- The medical examiner counted exactly 187 puncture wounds caused by a sharpened metal rod.
- Simard accumulated 80 prior convictions before committing murder-for-hire.
- The first $25,000 contract placed by David Carroll targeted Robert MacFarlane in Halifax.
- Dany Kane, who recruited Simard, was a member of the Rockers Motor Club and an RCMP paid informer.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1118falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/he-wore-the-patch-then-secret-recordings-brought-him-down--73074433
Inside the Hells Angels’ largest single expansion - 168 bikers and 14 new Ontario chapters - a full-patch sergeant-at-arms called Shaky was secretly recording the men who trusted him. How did a working-class security pro, born in 1965 and trained by a former Royal Marine, go from licensed guard to entrenched member to the man who helped bring 31 Hells Angels to handcuffs?

In this episode, we follow the arc of David Atwell’s life from Scarborough in 1965 through his rise inside the Para-Dice Riders and Hells Angels, the April 4, 2002 arrest and later stayed charges, and the economic and personal pressures that led him to cooperate - asking whether anyone who chooses that path can ever come out whole.

Person: David Atwell
Date: December 29, 2000
Event: Ontario expansion from zero to fourteen Hells Angels chapters
Case: Project Develop - 31 Hells Angels arrested
Location: Sorel, Quebec

- 168 bikers attended the December 29, 2000 ceremony that folded Ontario clubs into the Hells Angels.
- Ontario went from zero chapters to fourteen chapters in a single night on December 29, 2000.
- David Atwell was born in 1965 and worked as a licensed security guard from October 18, 1983 at age 18.
- On April 4, 2002 Atwell was arrested selling drugs to an undercover police informer and spent 20 months on bail.
- Project Develop seized three million dollars in drugs and resulted in 31 Hells Angels being put in handcuffs.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73074433Mon, 31 Aug 2026 13:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaHe Wore the Patch - Then Secret Recordings Brought Him Down Inside the Hells Angels’ largest single expansion - 168 bikers and 14 new Ontario chapters - a full-patch sergeant-at-arms called Shaky was secretly recording the men who trusted him. How...
Inside the Hells Angels’ largest single expansion - 168 bikers and 14 new Ontario chapters - a full-patch sergeant-at-arms called Shaky was secretly recording the men who trusted him. How did a working-class security pro, born in 1965 and trained by a former Royal Marine, go from licensed guard to entrenched member to the man who helped bring 31 Hells Angels to handcuffs?

In this episode, we follow the arc of David Atwell’s life from Scarborough in 1965 through his rise inside the Para-Dice Riders and Hells Angels, the April 4, 2002 arrest and later stayed charges, and the economic and personal pressures that led him to cooperate - asking whether anyone who chooses that path can ever come out whole.

Person: David Atwell
Date: December 29, 2000
Event: Ontario expansion from zero to fourteen Hells Angels chapters
Case: Project Develop - 31 Hells Angels arrested
Location: Sorel, Quebec

- 168 bikers attended the December 29, 2000 ceremony that folded Ontario clubs into the Hells Angels.
- Ontario went from zero chapters to fourteen chapters in a single night on December 29, 2000.
- David Atwell was born in 1965 and worked as a licensed security guard from October 18, 1983 at age 18.
- On April 4, 2002 Atwell was arrested selling drugs to an undercover police informer and spent 20 months on bail.
- Project Develop seized three million dollars in drugs and resulted in 31 Hells Angels being put in handcuffs.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1055falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/he-gave-the-fbi-pearl-harbor-s-warning-they-ignored-it--73074432
A man walked into FBI headquarters on August 12, 1941 carrying a three‑page questionnaire whose third page asked specific, technical questions about Pearl Harbor's defenses - and four months later the base was attacked. How did a highly trusted Abwehr agent-turned-British double agent deliver that warning to the right agency and then watch the event it described unfold?

In this episode, we tell the story of the man who brought that document to the FBI, what his background and contacts were, and the puzzling gap between his warning and the attack that followed. Why did a questionnaire that surfaced publicly only decades later not change what happened in December 1941?

Person: Duško Popov
Date: August 12, 1941
Age: 38
Codename: Tricycle
Location: FBI headquarters

- The document Popov carried was three pages long, with the third page focused on Pearl Harbor defenses.
- Popov entered FBI headquarters and handed over the questionnaire on August 12, 1941.
- Four months after Popov's visit, the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941.
- The Pearl Harbor page from the questionnaire did not surface publicly until 1972 as an appendix in a book.
- Popov was born July 10, 1912 in Titel and was expelled from Germany after eight days in Gestapo custody in 1937.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73074432Sun, 30 Aug 2026 13:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaHe Gave the FBI Pearl Harbor's Warning - They Ignored It A man walked into FBI headquarters on August 12, 1941 carrying a three‑page questionnaire whose third page asked specific, technical questions about Pearl Harbor's defenses - and four months...
A man walked into FBI headquarters on August 12, 1941 carrying a three‑page questionnaire whose third page asked specific, technical questions about Pearl Harbor's defenses - and four months later the base was attacked. How did a highly trusted Abwehr agent-turned-British double agent deliver that warning to the right agency and then watch the event it described unfold?

In this episode, we tell the story of the man who brought that document to the FBI, what his background and contacts were, and the puzzling gap between his warning and the attack that followed. Why did a questionnaire that surfaced publicly only decades later not change what happened in December 1941?

Person: Duško Popov
Date: August 12, 1941
Age: 38
Codename: Tricycle
Location: FBI headquarters

- The document Popov carried was three pages long, with the third page focused on Pearl Harbor defenses.
- Popov entered FBI headquarters and handed over the questionnaire on August 12, 1941.
- Four months after Popov's visit, the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941.
- The Pearl Harbor page from the questionnaire did not surface publicly until 1972 as an appendix in a book.
- Popov was born July 10, 1912 in Titel and was expelled from Germany after eight days in Gestapo custody in 1937.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1105falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/she-smuggled-microfilm-in-a-deodorant-can-why--73074431
The deodorant can looked ordinary, but inside it held microfilm and a secret that reached the highest levels of West German government for twenty-two years. A trusted BND deputy whose reports were copied to East Berlin never took a single payment - so why did she betray her country?

In this episode, we tell the life and career of Gabriele Gast, from her 1943 birth in Remscheid to her rise to deputy head of Soviet analysis at the Bundesnachrichtendienst, and follow how a meeting in a Kosmos Bar led to a codename, handlers, and a long-running operation that produced forty-nine confirmed intelligence reports - but no recorded payments. What drove Gast to hand over sensitive material for two decades?

Person: Gabriele Gast
Codename: Gisela
Birth Date: March 2, 1943
Service: Bundesnachrichtendienst (BND)
Confirmed Reports: 49

- Gast crossed into East Germany in the summer of 1968 at age 25 and met Karl-Heinz Schmidt in the Kosmos Bar.
- She was recruited over years and given the codename Gisela after meetings culminating in a Hotel Unter den Linden confrontation.
- In 1970 an engagement celebration included a taped congratulation from Colonel Egon Lorenz and the presence of Stasi officers.
- She joined the BND in November 1973 and within a year was assigned to the Soviet analysis section in Pullach.
- Sven Felix Kellerhoff later ranked her the fourth most damaging spy in East German history, one place ahead of Günter Guillaume.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73074431Sat, 29 Aug 2026 13:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaShe Smuggled Microfilm in a Deodorant Can - Why? The deodorant can looked ordinary, but inside it held microfilm and a secret that reached the highest levels of West German government for twenty-two years. A trusted BND deputy whose reports were...
The deodorant can looked ordinary, but inside it held microfilm and a secret that reached the highest levels of West German government for twenty-two years. A trusted BND deputy whose reports were copied to East Berlin never took a single payment - so why did she betray her country?

In this episode, we tell the life and career of Gabriele Gast, from her 1943 birth in Remscheid to her rise to deputy head of Soviet analysis at the Bundesnachrichtendienst, and follow how a meeting in a Kosmos Bar led to a codename, handlers, and a long-running operation that produced forty-nine confirmed intelligence reports - but no recorded payments. What drove Gast to hand over sensitive material for two decades?

Person: Gabriele Gast
Codename: Gisela
Birth Date: March 2, 1943
Service: Bundesnachrichtendienst (BND)
Confirmed Reports: 49

- Gast crossed into East Germany in the summer of 1968 at age 25 and met Karl-Heinz Schmidt in the Kosmos Bar.
- She was recruited over years and given the codename Gisela after meetings culminating in a Hotel Unter den Linden confrontation.
- In 1970 an engagement celebration included a taped congratulation from Colonel Egon Lorenz and the presence of Stasi officers.
- She joined the BND in November 1973 and within a year was assigned to the Soviet analysis section in Pullach.
- Sven Felix Kellerhoff later ranked her the fourth most damaging spy in East German history, one place ahead of Günter Guillaume.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1062falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-honey-jar-how-a-pacifist-outsourced-hitler-s-orders-to-moscow--73074430
A stateless German publisher mailed secrets in a honey jar and within 24 hours Soviet commanders knew Hitler’s signed battle orders - how did a pacifist in neutral Switzerland pull off the most productive intelligence operation of the twentieth century? Which hidden contact supplied operational plans for Germany’s Eastern Front with impossible speed?

In this episode, we trace Rudolf Roessler’s life from his 1897 birth in Kaufbeuren to his exile in Lucerne, his work running Vita Nova Verlag, and the astonishing intelligence links that connected his reports to Swiss military intelligence and to Moscow through a chain including Christian Schneider, Rachel Dübendorfer, and Alexander Radó. How did a man who despised both Nazism and Soviet ideology become the conduit for Allied secrets?

Person: Rudolf Roessler
Date of birth: November 22, 1897
Location: Lucerne, Switzerland
Event: Parcel from Switzerland to West Germany seized January 3, 1953 containing microfilm in a honey jar
Quantity of reports: Between 80 and 130 intelligence reports per month to Swiss military between summer 1939 and May 1944

- On January 3, 1953 a parcel mailed from Switzerland to West Germany returned to customs containing a glass jar of honey with a metal capsule and microfilm.
- The microfilm listed RAF airfields, American military bases, strength of French ground forces, and early architecture of a rebuilt German air force.
- Roessler fled Germany in May-June 1934 and co-founded Vita Nova Verlag in Lucerne in January 1934, producing roughly 50 titles.
- The German government revoked Roessler’s citizenship in 1937 and Swiss authorities refused him a passport on May 20, 1935.
- Between summer 1939 and May 1944 Roessler delivered between 80 and 130 intelligence reports per month to the Swiss military bureau Büro Ha.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73074430Fri, 28 Aug 2026 13:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Honey Jar: How a Pacifist Outsourced Hitler's Orders to Moscow A stateless German publisher mailed secrets in a honey jar and within 24 hours Soviet commanders knew Hitler’s signed battle orders - how did a pacifist in neutral Switzerland pull...
A stateless German publisher mailed secrets in a honey jar and within 24 hours Soviet commanders knew Hitler’s signed battle orders - how did a pacifist in neutral Switzerland pull off the most productive intelligence operation of the twentieth century? Which hidden contact supplied operational plans for Germany’s Eastern Front with impossible speed?

In this episode, we trace Rudolf Roessler’s life from his 1897 birth in Kaufbeuren to his exile in Lucerne, his work running Vita Nova Verlag, and the astonishing intelligence links that connected his reports to Swiss military intelligence and to Moscow through a chain including Christian Schneider, Rachel Dübendorfer, and Alexander Radó. How did a man who despised both Nazism and Soviet ideology become the conduit for Allied secrets?

Person: Rudolf Roessler
Date of birth: November 22, 1897
Location: Lucerne, Switzerland
Event: Parcel from Switzerland to West Germany seized January 3, 1953 containing microfilm in a honey jar
Quantity of reports: Between 80 and 130 intelligence reports per month to Swiss military between summer 1939 and May 1944

- On January 3, 1953 a parcel mailed from Switzerland to West Germany returned to customs containing a glass jar of honey with a metal capsule and microfilm.
- The microfilm listed RAF airfields, American military bases, strength of French ground forces, and early architecture of a rebuilt German air force.
- Roessler fled Germany in May-June 1934 and co-founded Vita Nova Verlag in Lucerne in January 1934, producing roughly 50 titles.
- The German government revoked Roessler’s citizenship in 1937 and Swiss authorities refused him a passport on May 20, 1935.
- Between summer 1939 and May 1944 Roessler delivered between 80 and 130 intelligence reports per month to the Swiss military bureau Büro Ha.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1267falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-man-who-ran-britain-s-counter-soviet-spy-operation-was-its-most-damaging-soviet-spy--73074429
Fear that the enemy might be sitting across the table: Kim Philby spent nearly thirty years running Britain's counter‑Soviet Section Nine while secretly reporting its vulnerabilities to Moscow. How did a man who wore Franco's medal and the trust of MI6 disappear into the East without being stopped?

In this episode, we trace Philby's path from Cambridge recruit to head of Section Nine, outline the networks he joined and built, and ask how his position reshaped British intelligence - and what his handlers actually gained in return.

Person: Harold Adrian Russell Philby
Date: January 23, 1963
Location: Beirut harbour
Event: Philby failed to appear for dinner and left the West
Period: 1934-1944 (recruitment to appointment as head of Section Nine)

- Philby was born on January 1, 1912, in Ambala, Punjab, British India.
- He arrived at Trinity College, Cambridge, in autumn 1929 and graduated in 1933 with a first-class degree in economics.
- In winter 1933 he traveled to Vienna and married Litzi Friedmann in February 1934 to give her a British passport.
- Arnold Deutsch recruited Philby into Soviet intelligence in June 1934 when Philby was 22 years old.
- Philby was awarded the Red Cross of Military Merit by Francisco Franco in 1938 and was appointed head of Section Nine in late 1944.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73074429Thu, 27 Aug 2026 13:00:03 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe man who ran Britain's counter-Soviet spy operation was its most damaging Soviet spy Fear that the enemy might be sitting across the table: Kim Philby spent nearly thirty years running Britain's counter‑Soviet Section Nine while secretly...
Fear that the enemy might be sitting across the table: Kim Philby spent nearly thirty years running Britain's counter‑Soviet Section Nine while secretly reporting its vulnerabilities to Moscow. How did a man who wore Franco's medal and the trust of MI6 disappear into the East without being stopped?

In this episode, we trace Philby's path from Cambridge recruit to head of Section Nine, outline the networks he joined and built, and ask how his position reshaped British intelligence - and what his handlers actually gained in return.

Person: Harold Adrian Russell Philby
Date: January 23, 1963
Location: Beirut harbour
Event: Philby failed to appear for dinner and left the West
Period: 1934-1944 (recruitment to appointment as head of Section Nine)

- Philby was born on January 1, 1912, in Ambala, Punjab, British India.
- He arrived at Trinity College, Cambridge, in autumn 1929 and graduated in 1933 with a first-class degree in economics.
- In winter 1933 he traveled to Vienna and married Litzi Friedmann in February 1934 to give her a British passport.
- Arnold Deutsch recruited Philby into Soviet intelligence in June 1934 when Philby was 22 years old.
- Philby was awarded the Red Cross of Military Merit by Francisco Franco in 1938 and was appointed head of Section Nine in late 1944.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1230falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-minox-the-park-and-the-recruit-who-betrayed-britain--73074427
A small camera the size of a finger changed the course of British intelligence on July 1, 1934 - handed in Regent's Park from Arnold Deutsch to Kim Philby, a transfer that helped shuttle secrets to Moscow undetected for years. How did a Minox and a single instruction to sever visible ties to the left turn a journalist into one of the most damaging traitors in the twentieth century?

In this episode, we follow the life and methods of Arnold Deutsch, his recruitment of Kim Philby, and the network that became the Cambridge Five. We trace Deutsch’s background, his cover life in London, and the precise psychological method he used to build agents - but how did his work remain hidden even as it penetrated the heart of British power?

Person: Arnold Deutsch
Person: Kim Philby
Date: July 1, 1934
Location: Regent's Park, London
Event: Transfer of a Minox camera and recruitment instruction

- The Minox camera handed over on July 1, 1934 was described as barely larger than a finger.
- Arnold Deutsch completed a PhD in chemistry at the University of Vienna by age 24.
- Deutsch was arrested by the Nazis in 1933 and freed due to intervention by Willi Lehmann, a Soviet agent in the Gestapo.
- Deutsch lived in Flat Seven of the Isokon building on Lawn Road in Hampstead while in London.
- Deutsch instructed Kim Philby to sever visible connections to the left and cultivate a reputation on the right as part of his recruitment.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73074427Wed, 26 Aug 2026 13:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Minox, the Park, and the Recruit Who Betrayed Britain A small camera the size of a finger changed the course of British intelligence on July 1, 1934 - handed in Regent's Park from Arnold Deutsch to Kim Philby, a transfer that helped shuttle...
A small camera the size of a finger changed the course of British intelligence on July 1, 1934 - handed in Regent's Park from Arnold Deutsch to Kim Philby, a transfer that helped shuttle secrets to Moscow undetected for years. How did a Minox and a single instruction to sever visible ties to the left turn a journalist into one of the most damaging traitors in the twentieth century?

In this episode, we follow the life and methods of Arnold Deutsch, his recruitment of Kim Philby, and the network that became the Cambridge Five. We trace Deutsch’s background, his cover life in London, and the precise psychological method he used to build agents - but how did his work remain hidden even as it penetrated the heart of British power?

Person: Arnold Deutsch
Person: Kim Philby
Date: July 1, 1934
Location: Regent's Park, London
Event: Transfer of a Minox camera and recruitment instruction

- The Minox camera handed over on July 1, 1934 was described as barely larger than a finger.
- Arnold Deutsch completed a PhD in chemistry at the University of Vienna by age 24.
- Deutsch was arrested by the Nazis in 1933 and freed due to intervention by Willi Lehmann, a Soviet agent in the Gestapo.
- Deutsch lived in Flat Seven of the Isokon building on Lawn Road in Hampstead while in London.
- Deutsch instructed Kim Philby to sever visible connections to the left and cultivate a reputation on the right as part of his recruitment.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1215falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/tania-s-last-crossing-how-an-address-book-and-a-guide-betrayed-her--73074424
Fear tightened like a noose the moment a plain address book turned up in a parked jeep in La Paz, undoing three years of an undercover life that reached the Bolivian president. How did a single notebook and a local guide collapse the most carefully built revolutionary cover and lead to a river ambush that left her body lost for six days?

In this episode, we follow the path of Haydée Tamara Bunke Bider from her birth in 1937 to her role as Laura Gutiérrez Bauer, tracing her training, relationships, and the operational failures that exposed her - and ask how two small, ordinary things sealed her fate.

Person: Haydée Tamara Bunke Bider
Date: August 31, 1967
Location: Vado del Yeso, Río Grande
Age: 29
Alias: Laura Gutiérrez Bauer

- At 5:20 p.m. on August 31, 1967, a column of 16 fighters crossed the Río Grande at Vado del Yeso.
- Her body was carried downstream and was not recovered for six days.
- Tamara was born on November 19, 1937, in Buenos Aires to Erich Bunke and Nadia Bider.
- She spent three years building her Bolivian cover before it collapsed when an address book was found in a parked jeep.
- One local guide, Honorato Rojas, led the column into a spot where the army was waiting.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73074424Tue, 25 Aug 2026 13:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaTania's Last Crossing: How an Address Book and a Guide Betrayed Her Fear tightened like a noose the moment a plain address book turned up in a parked jeep in La Paz, undoing three years of an undercover life that reached the Bolivian president. How...
Fear tightened like a noose the moment a plain address book turned up in a parked jeep in La Paz, undoing three years of an undercover life that reached the Bolivian president. How did a single notebook and a local guide collapse the most carefully built revolutionary cover and lead to a river ambush that left her body lost for six days?

In this episode, we follow the path of Haydée Tamara Bunke Bider from her birth in 1937 to her role as Laura Gutiérrez Bauer, tracing her training, relationships, and the operational failures that exposed her - and ask how two small, ordinary things sealed her fate.

Person: Haydée Tamara Bunke Bider
Date: August 31, 1967
Location: Vado del Yeso, Río Grande
Age: 29
Alias: Laura Gutiérrez Bauer

- At 5:20 p.m. on August 31, 1967, a column of 16 fighters crossed the Río Grande at Vado del Yeso.
- Her body was carried downstream and was not recovered for six days.
- Tamara was born on November 19, 1937, in Buenos Aires to Erich Bunke and Nadia Bider.
- She spent three years building her Bolivian cover before it collapsed when an address book was found in a parked jeep.
- One local guide, Honorato Rojas, led the column into a spot where the army was waiting.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>865falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-scientist-accused-by-six-intelligence-services-who-killed-him--73074423
A man who published over fifty peer‑reviewed papers, held patents across two continents, and kept only a Swiss PO box as his private address died in Dublin in September 1971 under unexplained circumstances-six intelligence services accused him of serving their rivals. How did a Bosnian-born medical doctor, a Naqshbandi family scholar who worked across Palestine, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Iraq, end up dead with letters describing radioactive poisoning and a murdered colleague-were those confessions or cover stories?

In this episode, we outline the documented movements, affiliations, and scientific work of Mahmoud Kamal Muftić and the unresolved contradictions that surround his death in Dublin. We trace his family background, medical career across the Middle East, marriage into the inner circle of the Muslim Brotherhood, and the disputed claims of intelligence recruitment to ask: who, if anyone, killed him?

Person: Mahmoud Kamal Muftić
Date of death: September 1971
Birth date: 14 January 1919
Education: Zagreb medical school, graduated 1944
Spouse: Isaad Mohammed Atia

- He authored over fifty peer‑reviewed papers across mycology, biochemistry, and pharmacology.
- He published a fungal species under the botanical author abbreviation "Muftic" and named an enzyme "cerase."
- He married Isaad Mohammed Atia on 22 June 1952; she co‑authored papers with him from 1957 onward and continued working as a doctor in Ireland after his death.
- He worked at the Biological Laboratories of Saudi Arabia in Jeddah (1949), AMA Laboratories in Heliopolis, Cairo (by 1953), and hospitals in Kufa, Nasiriyah, and Basra in Iraq.
- He served as a doctor with the Handschar Division during World War II according to available sources and left Yugoslavia in either 1945 or 1947 (sources disagree).

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73074423Mon, 24 Aug 2026 13:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Scientist Accused by Six Intelligence Services - Who Killed Him? A man who published over fifty peer‑reviewed papers, held patents across two continents, and kept only a Swiss PO box as his private address died in Dublin in September 1971 under...
A man who published over fifty peer‑reviewed papers, held patents across two continents, and kept only a Swiss PO box as his private address died in Dublin in September 1971 under unexplained circumstances-six intelligence services accused him of serving their rivals. How did a Bosnian-born medical doctor, a Naqshbandi family scholar who worked across Palestine, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Iraq, end up dead with letters describing radioactive poisoning and a murdered colleague-were those confessions or cover stories?

In this episode, we outline the documented movements, affiliations, and scientific work of Mahmoud Kamal Muftić and the unresolved contradictions that surround his death in Dublin. We trace his family background, medical career across the Middle East, marriage into the inner circle of the Muslim Brotherhood, and the disputed claims of intelligence recruitment to ask: who, if anyone, killed him?

Person: Mahmoud Kamal Muftić
Date of death: September 1971
Birth date: 14 January 1919
Education: Zagreb medical school, graduated 1944
Spouse: Isaad Mohammed Atia

- He authored over fifty peer‑reviewed papers across mycology, biochemistry, and pharmacology.
- He published a fungal species under the botanical author abbreviation "Muftic" and named an enzyme "cerase."
- He married Isaad Mohammed Atia on 22 June 1952; she co‑authored papers with him from 1957 onward and continued working as a doctor in Ireland after his death.
- He worked at the Biological Laboratories of Saudi Arabia in Jeddah (1949), AMA Laboratories in Heliopolis, Cairo (by 1953), and hospitals in Kufa, Nasiriyah, and Basra in Iraq.
- He served as a doctor with the Handschar Division during World War II according to available sources and left Yugoslavia in either 1945 or 1947 (sources disagree).

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1261falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-king-s-curator-who-secretly-tipped-moscow-s-hand--73074422
A celebrated British art historian held a Soviet codename - "Tony" - and in August 1945 he drove through rubble to retrieve roughly 4,000 private letters of Queen Victoria from Friedrichshof Castle while also serving Moscow. How did the man trusted with the royal collection become a conduit for wartime secrets, and what was taken before anyone knew?

In this episode, we trace the dual life of Anthony Frederick Blunt, from his upbringing in Bournemouth and Paris to his fellowship at Trinity College and his rise to Surveyor of the King's Pictures, asking how institutional trust and personal secrecy overlapped in ways that surprised even the monarchy.

Person: Anthony Frederick Blunt
Date: 26 September 1907
Event: Retrieval of roughly 4,000 private letters from Friedrichshof Castle in August 1945
Position: Surveyor of the King's Pictures (appointed April 1945)
Codename: Tony

- Blunt visited the Soviet Union in 1933 and was recruited as an agent by the late 1930s.
- He graduated with First Class Honours from Trinity College in 1930 and became a Fellow by 1932.
- The letters at Friedrichshof were private correspondence from Queen Victoria to her eldest daughter, Empress Victoria of Germany.
- Blunt was recommended for the royal appointment by Royal Librarian Owen Morshead in April 1945.
- The Apostles circle at Cambridge included Victor Rothschild, Michael Whitney Straight, Guy Burgess, and influenced Blunt's political connections.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73074422Sun, 23 Aug 2026 13:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe King's Curator Who Secretly Tipped Moscow's Hand A celebrated British art historian held a Soviet codename - "Tony" - and in August 1945 he drove through rubble to retrieve roughly 4,000 private letters of Queen Victoria from Friedrichshof...
A celebrated British art historian held a Soviet codename - "Tony" - and in August 1945 he drove through rubble to retrieve roughly 4,000 private letters of Queen Victoria from Friedrichshof Castle while also serving Moscow. How did the man trusted with the royal collection become a conduit for wartime secrets, and what was taken before anyone knew?

In this episode, we trace the dual life of Anthony Frederick Blunt, from his upbringing in Bournemouth and Paris to his fellowship at Trinity College and his rise to Surveyor of the King's Pictures, asking how institutional trust and personal secrecy overlapped in ways that surprised even the monarchy.

Person: Anthony Frederick Blunt
Date: 26 September 1907
Event: Retrieval of roughly 4,000 private letters from Friedrichshof Castle in August 1945
Position: Surveyor of the King's Pictures (appointed April 1945)
Codename: Tony

- Blunt visited the Soviet Union in 1933 and was recruited as an agent by the late 1930s.
- He graduated with First Class Honours from Trinity College in 1930 and became a Fellow by 1932.
- The letters at Friedrichshof were private correspondence from Queen Victoria to her eldest daughter, Empress Victoria of Germany.
- Blunt was recommended for the royal appointment by Royal Librarian Owen Morshead in April 1945.
- The Apostles circle at Cambridge included Victor Rothschild, Michael Whitney Straight, Guy Burgess, and influenced Blunt's political connections.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1240falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/they-tapped-the-ocean-how-britain-spied-on-everyone-everywhere--73074421
They secretly tapped fiber optic cables on the ocean floor, capturing entire swathes of global communications for days at a time - not targeted wiretaps, but a three-day dragnet of content with metadata kept for thirty days. How many people were swept up in Tempora’s nets when courts later heard the program existed?

In this episode, we lay out how Tempora was built and operated, where the taps were placed, who accessed the data, and what rules governed retention and secrecy - and we ask what it means that private companies and foreign bases helped make it possible.

Person: GCHQ analysts (300) and NSA analysts (250)
Date: testing began summer 2008; operational by late 2011
Location: Bude, Cornwall and Ayios Nikolaos (Cyprus)
Event: Tempora program intercepting fiber optic cables
Capacity: probes on 201+ links at 10 Gbps; planning for 100 Gbps cables

- Engineers tested and built the system at a signal station off the northern coast of Cornwall over three years starting in 2008.
- By mid-2011 probes were installed on more than 201 internet links, each carrying data at 10 gigabits per second.
- Content was retained for three days while metadata was retained for thirty days.
- At peak operation 550 analysts worked on the program: 300 from GCHQ and 250 from the NSA.
- By May 2012 processing ran across three centers with 16, 7, and 23 installations respectively.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73074421Sat, 22 Aug 2026 13:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaThey Tapped the Ocean: How Britain Spied on Everyone, Everywhere They secretly tapped fiber optic cables on the ocean floor, capturing entire swathes of global communications for days at a time - not targeted wiretaps, but a three-day dragnet of...
They secretly tapped fiber optic cables on the ocean floor, capturing entire swathes of global communications for days at a time - not targeted wiretaps, but a three-day dragnet of content with metadata kept for thirty days. How many people were swept up in Tempora’s nets when courts later heard the program existed?

In this episode, we lay out how Tempora was built and operated, where the taps were placed, who accessed the data, and what rules governed retention and secrecy - and we ask what it means that private companies and foreign bases helped make it possible.

Person: GCHQ analysts (300) and NSA analysts (250)
Date: testing began summer 2008; operational by late 2011
Location: Bude, Cornwall and Ayios Nikolaos (Cyprus)
Event: Tempora program intercepting fiber optic cables
Capacity: probes on 201+ links at 10 Gbps; planning for 100 Gbps cables

- Engineers tested and built the system at a signal station off the northern coast of Cornwall over three years starting in 2008.
- By mid-2011 probes were installed on more than 201 internet links, each carrying data at 10 gigabits per second.
- Content was retained for three days while metadata was retained for thirty days.
- At peak operation 550 analysts worked on the program: 300 from GCHQ and 250 from the NSA.
- By May 2012 processing ran across three centers with 16, 7, and 23 installations respectively.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1075falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/one-point-nine-trillion-calls-the-secret-database-that-knew-you--73074419
A single database quietly held 1.9 trillion phone-call records-every number, every timestamp, every duration-without recording voices or obtaining a public court order; how did metadata become a map of American lives, and who decided not to keep the privacy protections that once existed? What did a room in AT&T's network and a set of splitters enable, and why was no public explanation ever recorded?

In this episode, we lay out the facts of MAINWAY: how the NSA catalogued metadata at scale, the legal rationale the government used, the role of earlier programs and engineers, and the infrastructure in AT&T's Room 641A that fed the system. We close on the unresolved questions about why privacy safeguards from ThinThread were removed and why elected officials and courts were never publicly informed.

Program: MAINWAY
Person: Michael Hayden
Person: William Binney
Location: Room 641A at&T network infrastructure
Date: May 10, 2006

- 1.9 trillion telephone call records were catalogued in MAINWAY since late 2001.
- The database stored number dialed, date, and call duration but not voice content.
- AT&T, Verizon, and BellSouth connected approximately 500 billion calls in 2005, per TeleGeography.
- ThinThread included encryption of American identities until a court authorized access; that encryption was omitted when elements were used in MAINWAY.
- Reporting identified a room inside AT&T (Room 641A) using splitters to copy network traffic to government systems.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73074419Fri, 21 Aug 2026 13:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaOne Point Nine Trillion Calls: The Secret Database That Knew You A single database quietly held 1.9 trillion phone-call records-every number, every timestamp, every duration-without recording voices or obtaining a public court order; how did...
A single database quietly held 1.9 trillion phone-call records-every number, every timestamp, every duration-without recording voices or obtaining a public court order; how did metadata become a map of American lives, and who decided not to keep the privacy protections that once existed? What did a room in AT&T's network and a set of splitters enable, and why was no public explanation ever recorded?

In this episode, we lay out the facts of MAINWAY: how the NSA catalogued metadata at scale, the legal rationale the government used, the role of earlier programs and engineers, and the infrastructure in AT&T's Room 641A that fed the system. We close on the unresolved questions about why privacy safeguards from ThinThread were removed and why elected officials and courts were never publicly informed.

Program: MAINWAY
Person: Michael Hayden
Person: William Binney
Location: Room 641A at&T network infrastructure
Date: May 10, 2006

- 1.9 trillion telephone call records were catalogued in MAINWAY since late 2001.
- The database stored number dialed, date, and call duration but not voice content.
- AT&T, Verizon, and BellSouth connected approximately 500 billion calls in 2005, per TeleGeography.
- ThinThread included encryption of American identities until a court authorized access; that encryption was omitted when elements were used in MAINWAY.
- Reporting identified a room inside AT&T (Room 641A) using splitters to copy network traffic to government systems.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1211falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/when-france-sank-the-rainbow-warrior-the-captain-who-lived--73074417
Midnight in Auckland Harbour, a French intelligence diver planted two limpet mines that sank the Greenpeace ship Rainbow Warrior and killed freelance photographer Fernando Pereira - yet the captain, Peter Willcox, survived. How did a 32-year-old former conscientious objector and lifelong sailor end up facing state violence and then, decades later, being arrested again while still standing between power and what it wanted to destroy?

In this episode, we tell the life-and-career story of Peter Willcox and the events that led to the Rainbow Warrior bombing and its aftermath. We cover his upbringing in Village Creek, Connecticut, his early sailing with his father and the Clearwater, his rise to captain of the Rainbow Warrior, and the night the ship was sabotaged - and ask what kept him returning to confront entrenched power.

Person: Peter Willcox
Event: Bombing of Rainbow Warrior
Date: July 10, 1985
Victim: Fernando Pereira
Miles at sea: roughly 400,000

- Two limpet mines were attached to the Rainbow Warrior’s hull and detonated at midnight in Auckland Harbour.
- Fernando Pereira, a freelance photographer and not a permanent crew member, went below decks after the first explosion and was killed by the second.
- The French government ordered the operation and two French agents were arrested on New Zealand soil.
- Peter Willcox was 32 years old when he served as the Rainbow Warrior’s captain.
- By the end of his sailing career he logged roughly 400,000 miles at sea.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73074417Thu, 20 Aug 2026 13:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaWhen France Sank The Rainbow Warrior - The Captain Who Lived Midnight in Auckland Harbour, a French intelligence diver planted two limpet mines that sank the Greenpeace ship Rainbow Warrior and killed freelance photographer Fernando Pereira - yet...
Midnight in Auckland Harbour, a French intelligence diver planted two limpet mines that sank the Greenpeace ship Rainbow Warrior and killed freelance photographer Fernando Pereira - yet the captain, Peter Willcox, survived. How did a 32-year-old former conscientious objector and lifelong sailor end up facing state violence and then, decades later, being arrested again while still standing between power and what it wanted to destroy?

In this episode, we tell the life-and-career story of Peter Willcox and the events that led to the Rainbow Warrior bombing and its aftermath. We cover his upbringing in Village Creek, Connecticut, his early sailing with his father and the Clearwater, his rise to captain of the Rainbow Warrior, and the night the ship was sabotaged - and ask what kept him returning to confront entrenched power.

Person: Peter Willcox
Event: Bombing of Rainbow Warrior
Date: July 10, 1985
Victim: Fernando Pereira
Miles at sea: roughly 400,000

- Two limpet mines were attached to the Rainbow Warrior’s hull and detonated at midnight in Auckland Harbour.
- Fernando Pereira, a freelance photographer and not a permanent crew member, went below decks after the first explosion and was killed by the second.
- The French government ordered the operation and two French agents were arrested on New Zealand soil.
- Peter Willcox was 32 years old when he served as the Rainbow Warrior’s captain.
- By the end of his sailing career he logged roughly 400,000 miles at sea.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>787falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-day-the-church-banned-a-newspaper-that-built-a-movement--73074416
A daily street newspaper landed on the Index Librorum Prohibitorum on December 29, 1926 - the first newspaper ever banned by the Catholic Church - and its author did not even believe in God. How did a paper sold by beret‑wearing youths outside Paris cafés become powerful enough to be judged a liability by the very institution its leaders treated as a foundation?

In this episode, we trace the rise of Action française from a pamphlet in 1899 to a mass movement with a daily newspaper, a student federation, and a paramilitary youth wing, and we ask what happens when political strategy uses religious authority as an instrument rather than a belief. What broke the movement apart when the Church declared the paper forbidden?

Person: Charles Maurras
Date: December 29, 1926
Event: Inclusion on the Index Librorum Prohibitorum
Location: Paris, France
Case: Action française newspaper

- Action française was founded in 1899 by Maurice Pujo and Henri Vaugeois during the Dreyfus crisis.
- The daily newspaper was launched in 1908 alongside the formation of the Camelots du Roi.
- The Camelots du Roi were primarily students who sold the paper on Paris streets and engaged in physical disruptions and street fighting.
- Charles Maurras developed the philosophy of "integral nationalism" advocating a hereditary monarchy, a powerful Church, and exclusion of groups deemed foreign.
- Maurras did not personally believe in God but treated the Catholic Church as a political institution and a mechanism for social order.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73074416Wed, 19 Aug 2026 13:00:03 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Day the Church Banned a Newspaper That Built a Movement A daily street newspaper landed on the Index Librorum Prohibitorum on December 29, 1926 - the first newspaper ever banned by the Catholic Church - and its author did not even believe in...
A daily street newspaper landed on the Index Librorum Prohibitorum on December 29, 1926 - the first newspaper ever banned by the Catholic Church - and its author did not even believe in God. How did a paper sold by beret‑wearing youths outside Paris cafés become powerful enough to be judged a liability by the very institution its leaders treated as a foundation?

In this episode, we trace the rise of Action française from a pamphlet in 1899 to a mass movement with a daily newspaper, a student federation, and a paramilitary youth wing, and we ask what happens when political strategy uses religious authority as an instrument rather than a belief. What broke the movement apart when the Church declared the paper forbidden?

Person: Charles Maurras
Date: December 29, 1926
Event: Inclusion on the Index Librorum Prohibitorum
Location: Paris, France
Case: Action française newspaper

- Action française was founded in 1899 by Maurice Pujo and Henri Vaugeois during the Dreyfus crisis.
- The daily newspaper was launched in 1908 alongside the formation of the Camelots du Roi.
- The Camelots du Roi were primarily students who sold the paper on Paris streets and engaged in physical disruptions and street fighting.
- Charles Maurras developed the philosophy of "integral nationalism" advocating a hereditary monarchy, a powerful Church, and exclusion of groups deemed foreign.
- Maurras did not personally believe in God but treated the Catholic Church as a political institution and a mechanism for social order.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1128falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/burning-the-world-s-screens-the-day-30-000-computers-died--73074415
A single phishing email opened during Ramadan triggered a timed logic bomb that turned 30,000 screens at Saudi Aramco into synchronized images of a burning American flag at 11:08 AM on August 15, 2012 - then destroyed the machines. How did a Windows service named NtsSrv, a reporter, a wiper using the Eldos RawDisk driver, and one unnamed employee combine to make what researchers called the most destructive cyberattack up to that point?

In this episode, we tell the documented account of what happened at Saudi Aramco on August 15, 2012, how Shamoon spread across the administrative network, and why no one has been formally charged. What exactly did Shamoon do, who claimed responsibility, and what was lost when ordinary business infrastructure became the attack vector?

Person: Chris Kubecka
Date: August 15, 2012
Location: Saudi Aramco administrative network
Event: Shamoon wiper attack
Case: Claim by group calling itself the Cutting Sword of Justice

- 30,000 computer screens displayed the same image simultaneously at 11:08 AM.
- The image shown on screens was a burning American flag.
- The intrusion began when one unnamed employee opened one phishing email.
- The malware installed a Windows service named NtsSrv and spread via shared network folders.
- The wiper used the Eldos RawDisk driver to bypass Windows file-access APIs.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73074415Tue, 18 Aug 2026 13:00:03 +0000Creator at ObomediaBurning the World's Screens: The Day 30,000 Computers Died A single phishing email opened during Ramadan triggered a timed logic bomb that turned 30,000 screens at Saudi Aramco into synchronized images of a burning American flag at 11:08 AM on...
A single phishing email opened during Ramadan triggered a timed logic bomb that turned 30,000 screens at Saudi Aramco into synchronized images of a burning American flag at 11:08 AM on August 15, 2012 - then destroyed the machines. How did a Windows service named NtsSrv, a reporter, a wiper using the Eldos RawDisk driver, and one unnamed employee combine to make what researchers called the most destructive cyberattack up to that point?

In this episode, we tell the documented account of what happened at Saudi Aramco on August 15, 2012, how Shamoon spread across the administrative network, and why no one has been formally charged. What exactly did Shamoon do, who claimed responsibility, and what was lost when ordinary business infrastructure became the attack vector?

Person: Chris Kubecka
Date: August 15, 2012
Location: Saudi Aramco administrative network
Event: Shamoon wiper attack
Case: Claim by group calling itself the Cutting Sword of Justice

- 30,000 computer screens displayed the same image simultaneously at 11:08 AM.
- The image shown on screens was a burning American flag.
- The intrusion began when one unnamed employee opened one phishing email.
- The malware installed a Windows service named NtsSrv and spread via shared network folders.
- The wiper used the Eldos RawDisk driver to bypass Windows file-access APIs.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1196falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/suburban-spies-how-moscow-built-families-inside-america-s-neighborhoods--73074414
A quiet Montclair street hid a house bought for $481,000 that turned out to be owned by Moscow Center, the headquarters of Russian foreign intelligence, and for nearly a decade two SVR officers lived there as Richard and Cynthia Murphy with U.S.-born children. How did an operation that buried cash in fields, exchanged $150,000 in a Manhattan subway stairwell, and used 27-character steganography passwords written on paper stay hidden so long - and what did Moscow actually gain?

In this episode, we follow Operation Ghost Stories from the purchase of 31 Marquette Road to the FBI’s coordinated arrests on June 27, 2010, tracing the network’s fake lives, tradecraft, and the moments that unraveled it. What did years of deep cover, buried cash drops, and cultivated relationships amount to in the end?

Person: Lidiya Guriyeva (operating as Cynthia Murphy)
Person: Vladimir Guryev (operating as Richard Murphy)
Event: FBI arrests of ten agents on June 27, 2010
Location: 31 Marquette Road, Montclair, New Jersey
Amount: $150,000 exchanged at Columbus Circle in 2009

- The house at 31 Marquette Road was purchased in 2008 for $481,000.
- Ten alleged SVR agents were arrested by the FBI on a single day, June 27, 2010.
- One money transfer involved $150,000 handed over at Columbus Circle in 2009 along with a flash drive.
- A cash package was buried in a Wurtsboro, New York field in 2004 and retrieved by the network two years later.
- The steganography system required a 27-character password that the FBI found written on paper.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73074414Mon, 17 Aug 2026 13:00:03 +0000Creator at ObomediaSuburban Spies: How Moscow Built Families Inside America's Neighborhoods A quiet Montclair street hid a house bought for $481,000 that turned out to be owned by Moscow Center, the headquarters of Russian foreign intelligence, and for nearly a...
A quiet Montclair street hid a house bought for $481,000 that turned out to be owned by Moscow Center, the headquarters of Russian foreign intelligence, and for nearly a decade two SVR officers lived there as Richard and Cynthia Murphy with U.S.-born children. How did an operation that buried cash in fields, exchanged $150,000 in a Manhattan subway stairwell, and used 27-character steganography passwords written on paper stay hidden so long - and what did Moscow actually gain?

In this episode, we follow Operation Ghost Stories from the purchase of 31 Marquette Road to the FBI’s coordinated arrests on June 27, 2010, tracing the network’s fake lives, tradecraft, and the moments that unraveled it. What did years of deep cover, buried cash drops, and cultivated relationships amount to in the end?

Person: Lidiya Guriyeva (operating as Cynthia Murphy)
Person: Vladimir Guryev (operating as Richard Murphy)
Event: FBI arrests of ten agents on June 27, 2010
Location: 31 Marquette Road, Montclair, New Jersey
Amount: $150,000 exchanged at Columbus Circle in 2009

- The house at 31 Marquette Road was purchased in 2008 for $481,000.
- Ten alleged SVR agents were arrested by the FBI on a single day, June 27, 2010.
- One money transfer involved $150,000 handed over at Columbus Circle in 2009 along with a flash drive.
- A cash package was buried in a Wurtsboro, New York field in 2004 and retrieved by the network two years later.
- The steganography system required a 27-character password that the FBI found written on paper.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1103falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-state-paid-the-bomber-how-chile-sold-terror-for-security-funds--73074412
Fear that a resurgent FPMR could strike again arrived in a white envelope: a detonator, ammonium nitrate, TNT, a clothespin, an AA battery and copper wire - a functioning bomb sent to the U.S. Embassy in Santiago just 16 days after September 11, 2001. Who built those devices, and why would the Chilean state pay that very man for the intelligence that justified them?

In this episode, we lay out the sequence of payments, the list of named targets, and the court finding that reframed the plot as commerce rather than security. How did a director of Chile's investigative police end up buying threats with reserved state funds, and what did that payment actually buy?

Person: Lenin Guardia Basso
Person: Nelson Mery Figueroa
Event: Bombs delivered to U.S. Embassy and attorney Luis Hermosilla
Date: September 27, 2001
Amount: Approximately 3,000,000 Chilean pesos (over $4,000 USD at the time)

- The first envelope arrived at the United States Embassy in Santiago 16 days after September 11, 2001.
- Inside the embassy envelope were a detonator, ammonium nitrate, TNT, a clothespin, one AA battery, and two copper wires.
- Investigators destroyed the embassy device in a controlled demolition on site.
- Director Nelson Mery Figueroa paid Lenin Guardia Basso from reserved funds about 3,000,000 Chilean pesos for an intelligence list.
- The court later concluded the threats were fabricated as part of a commercial scheme rather than genuine security warnings.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73074412Sun, 16 Aug 2026 13:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe State Paid the Bomber: How Chile Sold Terror for Security Funds Fear that a resurgent FPMR could strike again arrived in a white envelope: a detonator, ammonium nitrate, TNT, a clothespin, an AA battery and copper wire - a functioning bomb sent...
Fear that a resurgent FPMR could strike again arrived in a white envelope: a detonator, ammonium nitrate, TNT, a clothespin, an AA battery and copper wire - a functioning bomb sent to the U.S. Embassy in Santiago just 16 days after September 11, 2001. Who built those devices, and why would the Chilean state pay that very man for the intelligence that justified them?

In this episode, we lay out the sequence of payments, the list of named targets, and the court finding that reframed the plot as commerce rather than security. How did a director of Chile's investigative police end up buying threats with reserved state funds, and what did that payment actually buy?

Person: Lenin Guardia Basso
Person: Nelson Mery Figueroa
Event: Bombs delivered to U.S. Embassy and attorney Luis Hermosilla
Date: September 27, 2001
Amount: Approximately 3,000,000 Chilean pesos (over $4,000 USD at the time)

- The first envelope arrived at the United States Embassy in Santiago 16 days after September 11, 2001.
- Inside the embassy envelope were a detonator, ammonium nitrate, TNT, a clothespin, one AA battery, and two copper wires.
- Investigators destroyed the embassy device in a controlled demolition on site.
- Director Nelson Mery Figueroa paid Lenin Guardia Basso from reserved funds about 3,000,000 Chilean pesos for an intelligence list.
- The court later concluded the threats were fabricated as part of a commercial scheme rather than genuine security warnings.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1091falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/he-mailed-himself-out-how-a-convict-vanished-among-mailbags--73074411
A man hid inside a shrink-wrapped pallet of outgoing mail and walked out of a maximum-security prison with a breathing tube - then gave two different names to the first officer who stopped him. How did one prisoner assemble a functioning escape chamber, inside USP Pollock, and slip past every routine check for five hours?

In this episode, we tell the recorded sequence of events and the documented life that preceded the escape, charting his military training, earlier arrests, and transfers that placed him at Pollock - and we ask whether the system’s moves helped enable the plan.

Person: Richard Lee McNair
Date of escape: April 5, 2006
Location: USP Pollock, Louisiana
Birth date: December 19, 1958
Crime: Convicted of murder and attempted murder

- At 9:45 AM a forklift moved a pallet of mailbags outside the perimeter fence of USP Pollock.
- The pallet was set down and remained until 11:00 AM when it moved again; staff had gone to lunch.
- McNair had fitted himself inside the pallet with a breathing tube and shrink-wrap concealing a cuttable exit.
- Prison did not discover he was missing until 4:00 PM, giving him a five-hour head start.
- When stopped on nearby railroad tracks an officer recorded him saying first "Robert Jones" and then "Jimmy Jones" within five minutes.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73074411Sat, 15 Aug 2026 13:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaHe Mailed Himself Out: How a Convict Vanished Among Mailbags A man hid inside a shrink-wrapped pallet of outgoing mail and walked out of a maximum-security prison with a breathing tube - then gave two different names to the first officer who...
A man hid inside a shrink-wrapped pallet of outgoing mail and walked out of a maximum-security prison with a breathing tube - then gave two different names to the first officer who stopped him. How did one prisoner assemble a functioning escape chamber, inside USP Pollock, and slip past every routine check for five hours?

In this episode, we tell the recorded sequence of events and the documented life that preceded the escape, charting his military training, earlier arrests, and transfers that placed him at Pollock - and we ask whether the system’s moves helped enable the plan.

Person: Richard Lee McNair
Date of escape: April 5, 2006
Location: USP Pollock, Louisiana
Birth date: December 19, 1958
Crime: Convicted of murder and attempted murder

- At 9:45 AM a forklift moved a pallet of mailbags outside the perimeter fence of USP Pollock.
- The pallet was set down and remained until 11:00 AM when it moved again; staff had gone to lunch.
- McNair had fitted himself inside the pallet with a breathing tube and shrink-wrap concealing a cuttable exit.
- Prison did not discover he was missing until 4:00 PM, giving him a five-hour head start.
- When stopped on nearby railroad tracks an officer recorded him saying first "Robert Jones" and then "Jimmy Jones" within five minutes.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1111falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-blank-plaque-how-benedict-arnold-wore-america-s-shame--73074409
The plaque at West Point lists every Revolutionary War commander - except one name deliberately chiseled away, leaving a blank where a major general born in 1741 should be. That blank marks the fall of a man who bled at Quebec and Saratoga, then ran the British’s most sophisticated spy network in North America; why did a celebrated war hero become the country’s enduring shame?

In this episode, we tell the life and choices of Benedict Arnold, from his rise out of family ruin to the battlefield injuries that shortened his leg, the promotions he was denied, and the covert betrayal that nearly handed the Hudson River valley to the British. How did the cost of building his reputation shape the treason he committed?

Person: Benedict Arnold
Date of birth: January 14, 1741
Location of missing name plaque: West Point Military Academy fort wall
Battle injuries: wounded at Quebec (Dec 31, 1775) and again at Saratoga (leg shattered)
Family losses: four siblings died between 1755 and 1759

- Arnold apprenticed with the Lathrop family and opened a pharmacy and bookshop in New Haven by 1762.
- He partnered with Adam Babcock in 1764 to run West Indies trade ships and was prosperous by his early thirties.
- He joined the Connecticut militia in March 1775 and became a colonel by May 3, 1775.
- At Valcour Island on October 11, 1776, he lost most of his fleet but delayed the British invasion by one season.
- Congress passed him over for promotion five times before Washington intervened.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73074409Fri, 14 Aug 2026 13:00:03 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Blank Plaque: How Benedict Arnold Wore America's Shame The plaque at West Point lists every Revolutionary War commander - except one name deliberately chiseled away, leaving a blank where a major general born in 1741 should be. That blank marks...
The plaque at West Point lists every Revolutionary War commander - except one name deliberately chiseled away, leaving a blank where a major general born in 1741 should be. That blank marks the fall of a man who bled at Quebec and Saratoga, then ran the British’s most sophisticated spy network in North America; why did a celebrated war hero become the country’s enduring shame?

In this episode, we tell the life and choices of Benedict Arnold, from his rise out of family ruin to the battlefield injuries that shortened his leg, the promotions he was denied, and the covert betrayal that nearly handed the Hudson River valley to the British. How did the cost of building his reputation shape the treason he committed?

Person: Benedict Arnold
Date of birth: January 14, 1741
Location of missing name plaque: West Point Military Academy fort wall
Battle injuries: wounded at Quebec (Dec 31, 1775) and again at Saratoga (leg shattered)
Family losses: four siblings died between 1755 and 1759

- Arnold apprenticed with the Lathrop family and opened a pharmacy and bookshop in New Haven by 1762.
- He partnered with Adam Babcock in 1764 to run West Indies trade ships and was prosperous by his early thirties.
- He joined the Connecticut militia in March 1775 and became a colonel by May 3, 1775.
- At Valcour Island on October 11, 1776, he lost most of his fleet but delayed the British invasion by one season.
- Congress passed him over for promotion five times before Washington intervened.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1161falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/he-ran-the-hit-list-the-agent-who-fed-targets-to-killers--73074408
The suitcase of index cards turned people into targets: names, faces, addresses that flowed from a loyalist paramilitary into British Army intelligence and then back again. If an agent was paid to report to the Force Research Unit and four people who "should have been warned" were later murdered, what did the intelligence service do - or allow - that the public still doesn't know?

In this episode, we follow the career of Brian Nelson, codename 6137, from Shankill Road upbringing to UDA senior intelligence officer and covert FRU agent, and trace how the cards, handlers, and military records intersected with four deaths. What role did the FRU and Nelson’s handlers play when targeting information repeatedly returned to the UDA?

Person: Brian Nelson
Codename: 6137
Date of birth: 30 September 1947
Employer: Force Research Unit (handler identified as Margaret Walshaw in reporting)
Group: Ulster Defence Association (UDA)

- Nelson was paid £200 per week as a covert agent for the FRU.
- Nelson admitted at trial to disclosing ten names to his handlers; those ten individuals were never targeted.
- Four people who "should have been warned" were dead by the time the Stevens inquiry concluded.
- Nelson served in the Black Watch regiment and later joined the UDA, participating in a 1974 kidnapping and torture for which he was convicted and sentenced to seven years, serving three.
- A Sunday Herald report in 2000 identified Nelson’s primary FRU handler as Margaret Walshaw and described her supplying maps, photographs, and a personal computer.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73074408Thu, 13 Aug 2026 13:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaHe Ran the Hit List: The Agent Who Fed Targets to Killers The suitcase of index cards turned people into targets: names, faces, addresses that flowed from a loyalist paramilitary into British Army intelligence and then back again. If an agent was...
The suitcase of index cards turned people into targets: names, faces, addresses that flowed from a loyalist paramilitary into British Army intelligence and then back again. If an agent was paid to report to the Force Research Unit and four people who "should have been warned" were later murdered, what did the intelligence service do - or allow - that the public still doesn't know?

In this episode, we follow the career of Brian Nelson, codename 6137, from Shankill Road upbringing to UDA senior intelligence officer and covert FRU agent, and trace how the cards, handlers, and military records intersected with four deaths. What role did the FRU and Nelson’s handlers play when targeting information repeatedly returned to the UDA?

Person: Brian Nelson
Codename: 6137
Date of birth: 30 September 1947
Employer: Force Research Unit (handler identified as Margaret Walshaw in reporting)
Group: Ulster Defence Association (UDA)

- Nelson was paid £200 per week as a covert agent for the FRU.
- Nelson admitted at trial to disclosing ten names to his handlers; those ten individuals were never targeted.
- Four people who "should have been warned" were dead by the time the Stevens inquiry concluded.
- Nelson served in the Black Watch regiment and later joined the UDA, participating in a 1974 kidnapping and torture for which he was convicted and sentenced to seven years, serving three.
- A Sunday Herald report in 2000 identified Nelson’s primary FRU handler as Margaret Walshaw and described her supplying maps, photographs, and a personal computer.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1060falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-sabotage-that-never-happened-how-zigzag-fooled-two-wars--73074407
Danger wrapped in deception: a German intelligence desk received photographs in February 1943 showing a ruined De Havilland factory at Hatfield - wreckage, collapsed roofs, and twisted machinery - and awarded a man a decoration for sabotage that never occurred. How did a convicted safecracker parachute into England for the Abwehr, turn himself in at a police station, and still become the only man Germany honored for a phantom attack?

In this episode, we tell the documented story of Edward Arnold Chapman from his birth in 1914 to his training with the Abwehr and his parachute return to England, following the chain of events that led to staged photographs, two fiancées in separate war zones, and a disputed military decoration. How did Chapman go from safecracker to German agent to the man celebrated for damage he never caused?

Person: Edward Arnold Chapman
Date of birth: 16 November 1914
Location of supposed sabotage: De Havilland plant at Hatfield
Training facility: Nantes (Abwehr)
Drop flight departure: 16 December 1942 from Le Bourget

- Chapman was born in Burnopfield on 16 November 1914.
- At age 17 he enlisted in the Second Battalion of the Coldstream Guards and served 84 days after desertion.
- By the mid-1930s Chapman was part of the "Jelly Gang" using gelignite for safecracking jobs.
- He was arrested in Jersey and sentenced to two years in prison before the German occupation of the Channel Islands in June 1940.
- On 16 December 1942 Chapman boarded a Focke-Wulf at Le Bourget carrying a wireless set, a pistol, a cyanide capsule, and £1,000.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73074407Wed, 12 Aug 2026 13:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Sabotage That Never Happened: How Zigzag Fooled Two Wars Danger wrapped in deception: a German intelligence desk received photographs in February 1943 showing a ruined De Havilland factory at Hatfield - wreckage, collapsed roofs, and twisted...
Danger wrapped in deception: a German intelligence desk received photographs in February 1943 showing a ruined De Havilland factory at Hatfield - wreckage, collapsed roofs, and twisted machinery - and awarded a man a decoration for sabotage that never occurred. How did a convicted safecracker parachute into England for the Abwehr, turn himself in at a police station, and still become the only man Germany honored for a phantom attack?

In this episode, we tell the documented story of Edward Arnold Chapman from his birth in 1914 to his training with the Abwehr and his parachute return to England, following the chain of events that led to staged photographs, two fiancées in separate war zones, and a disputed military decoration. How did Chapman go from safecracker to German agent to the man celebrated for damage he never caused?

Person: Edward Arnold Chapman
Date of birth: 16 November 1914
Location of supposed sabotage: De Havilland plant at Hatfield
Training facility: Nantes (Abwehr)
Drop flight departure: 16 December 1942 from Le Bourget

- Chapman was born in Burnopfield on 16 November 1914.
- At age 17 he enlisted in the Second Battalion of the Coldstream Guards and served 84 days after desertion.
- By the mid-1930s Chapman was part of the "Jelly Gang" using gelignite for safecracking jobs.
- He was arrested in Jersey and sentenced to two years in prison before the German occupation of the Channel Islands in June 1940.
- On 16 December 1942 Chapman boarded a Focke-Wulf at Le Bourget carrying a wireless set, a pistol, a cyanide capsule, and £1,000.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>983falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/he-smiled-and-betrayed-the-secret-who-sent-trotsky-s-son-to-death--73074406
A smiling man sat in a widow’s apartment in spring 1955 and calmly admitted he had been an NKVD agent for more than twenty years - the same agent who handled the mail, meetings, and secrets that led Moscow to Leon Trotsky’s inner circle. How did a man named Mark Zborowski, codename Etienne, climb to deputy of Lev Sedov and turn the movement’s trust into a trail of betrayal that ended in Sedov’s fatal hospital episode?

In this episode, we follow the timeline and roles that tied Etienne to the Trotskyist exile network in Paris, the precise tasks he performed inside the organization, and the moment he directed Sedov to a clinic that he then reported to Moscow. What did Etienne’s position as secretary, co-editor, and deputy make possible - and how did that trust become a conduit for lethal intelligence?

Person: Mark Zborowski
Codename: Etienne
Victim: Lev Sedov
Date of Sedov’s collapse: February 8, 1938
Last known role of Zborowski: director of a pain research institute in San Francisco

- Zborowski was formally recruited by the NKVD in 1933 through intermediary Alexander Adler.
- Sedov was 31 years old when he collapsed with appendicitis on February 8, 1938.
- Etienne served as Sedov’s secretary, member of the Central Committee, and deputy, gaining access to mail and archives.
- Zborowski co-edited the movement’s Bulletin and sat across from Sedov at the editorial table.
- In spring 1955 Zborowski told a widow he had been an NKVD agent for more than twenty years.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73074406Tue, 11 Aug 2026 13:00:03 +0000Creator at ObomediaHe Smiled and Betrayed: The Secret Who Sent Trotsky's Son to Death A smiling man sat in a widow’s apartment in spring 1955 and calmly admitted he had been an NKVD agent for more than twenty years - the same agent who handled the mail, meetings, and...
A smiling man sat in a widow’s apartment in spring 1955 and calmly admitted he had been an NKVD agent for more than twenty years - the same agent who handled the mail, meetings, and secrets that led Moscow to Leon Trotsky’s inner circle. How did a man named Mark Zborowski, codename Etienne, climb to deputy of Lev Sedov and turn the movement’s trust into a trail of betrayal that ended in Sedov’s fatal hospital episode?

In this episode, we follow the timeline and roles that tied Etienne to the Trotskyist exile network in Paris, the precise tasks he performed inside the organization, and the moment he directed Sedov to a clinic that he then reported to Moscow. What did Etienne’s position as secretary, co-editor, and deputy make possible - and how did that trust become a conduit for lethal intelligence?

Person: Mark Zborowski
Codename: Etienne
Victim: Lev Sedov
Date of Sedov’s collapse: February 8, 1938
Last known role of Zborowski: director of a pain research institute in San Francisco

- Zborowski was formally recruited by the NKVD in 1933 through intermediary Alexander Adler.
- Sedov was 31 years old when he collapsed with appendicitis on February 8, 1938.
- Etienne served as Sedov’s secretary, member of the Central Committee, and deputy, gaining access to mail and archives.
- Zborowski co-edited the movement’s Bulletin and sat across from Sedov at the editorial table.
- In spring 1955 Zborowski told a widow he had been an NKVD agent for more than twenty years.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1062falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-spy-who-left-his-gun-barcelona-s-unsolved-betrayal-of-1938--73074403
A young operative was found shot multiple times on Calle Legalidad on February 10, 1938, with his pistol, documents, and money untouched - a killing meant as a message. He had helped build cases that sent roughly forty people to prison and his single photograph destroyed his cover; who betrayed Leon Narwicz and why does the paper trail vanish across Europe?

In this episode, we tell the story of Leon Narwicz and the months he spent under a false name inside Barcelona's revolutionary left, tracing his movements across Europe, his roles on the Aragon and Madrid fronts, and the missing archives that make his identity and chain of command unresolved. How did a man arrested on three continents, fluent in revolutionary circles, end up exposed and executed in Barcelona?

Person: Leon Narwicz
Date: February 10, 1938
Location: Calle Legalidad, Barcelona
Age: 26
Event: Sent roughly forty people to prison through reports

- Found shot multiple times, including in the head, on the evening of February 10, 1938.
- His pistol, documents, and money were left untouched at the scene.
- He had spent months attending revolutionary meetings under a false name and filing reports.
- He arrived in Spain in August 1936 and served at the Aragon front and later as a political commissar in the International Brigades.
- Arrested in 1926 in Grodno for at least three months and jailed approximately eight months in Antwerp before release under amnesty.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73074403Mon, 10 Aug 2026 13:00:03 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Spy Who Left His Gun: Barcelona's Unsolved Betrayal of 1938 A young operative was found shot multiple times on Calle Legalidad on February 10, 1938, with his pistol, documents, and money untouched - a killing meant as a message. He had helped...
A young operative was found shot multiple times on Calle Legalidad on February 10, 1938, with his pistol, documents, and money untouched - a killing meant as a message. He had helped build cases that sent roughly forty people to prison and his single photograph destroyed his cover; who betrayed Leon Narwicz and why does the paper trail vanish across Europe?

In this episode, we tell the story of Leon Narwicz and the months he spent under a false name inside Barcelona's revolutionary left, tracing his movements across Europe, his roles on the Aragon and Madrid fronts, and the missing archives that make his identity and chain of command unresolved. How did a man arrested on three continents, fluent in revolutionary circles, end up exposed and executed in Barcelona?

Person: Leon Narwicz
Date: February 10, 1938
Location: Calle Legalidad, Barcelona
Age: 26
Event: Sent roughly forty people to prison through reports

- Found shot multiple times, including in the head, on the evening of February 10, 1938.
- His pistol, documents, and money were left untouched at the scene.
- He had spent months attending revolutionary meetings under a false name and filing reports.
- He arrived in Spain in August 1936 and served at the Aragon front and later as a political commissar in the International Brigades.
- Arrested in 1926 in Grodno for at least three months and jailed approximately eight months in Antwerp before release under amnesty.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1034falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-spy-who-toasted-treason-how-burgess-walked-away-uncaught--73074402
A brazen insider who confessed his loyalties at dinner parties and still slipped past passport control - Guy Burgess passed hundreds of top-secret files to Moscow for sixteen years without arrest. How did the most visible, most indiscreet Soviet asset inside the British establishment escape detection and even return to be buried near his family in Hampshire?

In this episode, we follow the documented life and career of Guy Francis de Moncy Burgess from his birth and upbringing through Cambridge, recruitment, and defection, tracing the moments and relationships that turned him into the leader of the Cambridge spies and asking what structural failures allowed him to operate unchecked.

Person: Guy Francis de Moncy Burgess
Date: 16 April 1911 (birth) and 4 September 1963 (cremation)
Location: Southampton quayside (abandoned car); West Meon, Hampshire (father's death; burial village)
Event: Recruitment in 1935; joined BBC Talks Department in July 1936
Case: Cambridge Five (Burgess, Maclean, Philby, Blunt, Cairncross)

- Burgess operated as a Soviet asset for sixteen years without a single arrest.
- He joined the Communist Party in winter 1933 and stood with Donald Maclean on 11 November 1933.
- Recruited formally in 1935 with codenames Mädchen and later Hicks.
- His ashes were cremated in Moscow on 4 September 1963 and returned to be buried in the Hampshire village where his father died on 15 September 1924.
- In July 1936 he joined the BBC Talks Department as a producer while simultaneously passing top-secret documents to Moscow.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73074402Sun, 09 Aug 2026 13:00:04 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Spy Who Toasted Treason: How Burgess Walked Away Uncaught A brazen insider who confessed his loyalties at dinner parties and still slipped past passport control - Guy Burgess passed hundreds of top-secret files to Moscow for sixteen years...
A brazen insider who confessed his loyalties at dinner parties and still slipped past passport control - Guy Burgess passed hundreds of top-secret files to Moscow for sixteen years without arrest. How did the most visible, most indiscreet Soviet asset inside the British establishment escape detection and even return to be buried near his family in Hampshire?

In this episode, we follow the documented life and career of Guy Francis de Moncy Burgess from his birth and upbringing through Cambridge, recruitment, and defection, tracing the moments and relationships that turned him into the leader of the Cambridge spies and asking what structural failures allowed him to operate unchecked.

Person: Guy Francis de Moncy Burgess
Date: 16 April 1911 (birth) and 4 September 1963 (cremation)
Location: Southampton quayside (abandoned car); West Meon, Hampshire (father's death; burial village)
Event: Recruitment in 1935; joined BBC Talks Department in July 1936
Case: Cambridge Five (Burgess, Maclean, Philby, Blunt, Cairncross)

- Burgess operated as a Soviet asset for sixteen years without a single arrest.
- He joined the Communist Party in winter 1933 and stood with Donald Maclean on 11 November 1933.
- Recruited formally in 1935 with codenames Mädchen and later Hicks.
- His ashes were cremated in Moscow on 4 September 1963 and returned to be buried in the Hampshire village where his father died on 15 September 1924.
- In July 1936 he joined the BBC Talks Department as a producer while simultaneously passing top-secret documents to Moscow.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1113falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/he-faked-his-death-on-a-miami-beach-spy-or-suicide--73074401
A British Cabinet minister left a pile of clothes on a Miami beach on November 20, 1974, newspapers printed his obituary, and he was already nine thousand miles away-what looked like a drowning was a practiced disappearance. Did John Stonehouse vanish to escape ruin, or to hide the secret intelligence ties that had shadowed his career?

In this episode, we lay out the timeline from his RAF service to his Cabinet posts, the financial collapse and the months-long construction of false identities, and the lone bank teller in Melbourne whose memory unravelled the plan. How did a man with two dead names and a paper trail think he could erase himself completely?

Person: John Stonehouse
Date: November 20, 1974
Location: Miami beach; Melbourne bank
Event: Disappearance staged with clothes at waterline; later identified in Melbourne
Topic: Fabrication of two false identities using names of deceased constituents

- He was born July 28, 1925, in Southampton to William Mitchell Stonehouse and Rosina Marie.
- He served with the RAF between 1944 and 1946 and studied economics at the London School of Economics.
- He became MP for Wednesbury in 1957 and by February 1974 held Walsall North with a majority of roughly 16,000 votes.
- MI5 history states he began passing information to Czechoslovak military intelligence in 1962 and was named by a defector in 1969.
- On November 20, 1974, clothes were left at the waterline on a Miami beach while Stonehouse had already traveled to Melbourne under names Joseph Markham and Clive Mildoon.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73074401Sat, 08 Aug 2026 13:00:05 +0000Creator at ObomediaHe Faked His Death on a Miami Beach - Spy or Suicide? A British Cabinet minister left a pile of clothes on a Miami beach on November 20, 1974, newspapers printed his obituary, and he was already nine thousand miles away-what looked like a drowning...
A British Cabinet minister left a pile of clothes on a Miami beach on November 20, 1974, newspapers printed his obituary, and he was already nine thousand miles away-what looked like a drowning was a practiced disappearance. Did John Stonehouse vanish to escape ruin, or to hide the secret intelligence ties that had shadowed his career?

In this episode, we lay out the timeline from his RAF service to his Cabinet posts, the financial collapse and the months-long construction of false identities, and the lone bank teller in Melbourne whose memory unravelled the plan. How did a man with two dead names and a paper trail think he could erase himself completely?

Person: John Stonehouse
Date: November 20, 1974
Location: Miami beach; Melbourne bank
Event: Disappearance staged with clothes at waterline; later identified in Melbourne
Topic: Fabrication of two false identities using names of deceased constituents

- He was born July 28, 1925, in Southampton to William Mitchell Stonehouse and Rosina Marie.
- He served with the RAF between 1944 and 1946 and studied economics at the London School of Economics.
- He became MP for Wednesbury in 1957 and by February 1974 held Walsall North with a majority of roughly 16,000 votes.
- MI5 history states he began passing information to Czechoslovak military intelligence in 1962 and was named by a defector in 1969.
- On November 20, 1974, clothes were left at the waterline on a Miami beach while Stonehouse had already traveled to Melbourne under names Joseph Markham and Clive Mildoon.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>922falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-man-with-the-umbrella-how-a-pinprick-silenced-a-dissident--73074400
A single sharp sting on the back of Georgi Markov’s right thigh on Waterloo Bridge turned into a fever, collapsing bone marrow, and death four days later - and the tiny instrument that caused it passed through an X-ray undetected. How could a writer’s weekly broadcasts from exile lead to a murder so precise it left almost no trace, and who ordered the hit?

In this episode, we tell the chronology of the event, the life Markov led before the attack, and the immediate medical and forensic response that followed, tracing the moments from the bus stop to the post-mortem to ask who benefited from silencing his reports from the inside.

Person: Georgi Markov
Date: September 7, 1978 (sting), September 11, 1978 (death)
Location: Waterloo Bridge, London; St James' Hospital, Balham
Age: 49
Occupation: BBC World Service broadcaster and former novelist/playwright

- Markov felt a sharp sting on the back of his right thigh while standing at a bus stop on Waterloo Bridge on September 7, 1978.
- The man behind him apologized after stooping to pick up a dropped umbrella and then disappeared into the London crowd.
- By evening of the same day Markov developed fever and was admitted to St James' Hospital in Balham with rising white cell count.
- An X-ray of the inflamed area showed no object or fragment despite visible worsening inflammation.
- Georgi Markov died on September 11, 1978, four days after the sting, at age 49; a post-mortem noted a small red mark and required cutting to investigate further.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73074400Fri, 07 Aug 2026 13:00:04 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Man with the Umbrella: How a Pinprick Silenced a Dissident A single sharp sting on the back of Georgi Markov’s right thigh on Waterloo Bridge turned into a fever, collapsing bone marrow, and death four days later - and the tiny instrument that...
A single sharp sting on the back of Georgi Markov’s right thigh on Waterloo Bridge turned into a fever, collapsing bone marrow, and death four days later - and the tiny instrument that caused it passed through an X-ray undetected. How could a writer’s weekly broadcasts from exile lead to a murder so precise it left almost no trace, and who ordered the hit?

In this episode, we tell the chronology of the event, the life Markov led before the attack, and the immediate medical and forensic response that followed, tracing the moments from the bus stop to the post-mortem to ask who benefited from silencing his reports from the inside.

Person: Georgi Markov
Date: September 7, 1978 (sting), September 11, 1978 (death)
Location: Waterloo Bridge, London; St James' Hospital, Balham
Age: 49
Occupation: BBC World Service broadcaster and former novelist/playwright

- Markov felt a sharp sting on the back of his right thigh while standing at a bus stop on Waterloo Bridge on September 7, 1978.
- The man behind him apologized after stooping to pick up a dropped umbrella and then disappeared into the London crowd.
- By evening of the same day Markov developed fever and was admitted to St James' Hospital in Balham with rising white cell count.
- An X-ray of the inflamed area showed no object or fragment despite visible worsening inflammation.
- Georgi Markov died on September 11, 1978, four days after the sting, at age 49; a post-mortem noted a small red mark and required cutting to investigate further.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1125falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/one-hundred-and-forty-contacts-not-one-was-ever-voluntarily-reported--73074399
A hidden pattern of cultivation ties a 40‑year‑old Donald Trump in 1986 to a Soviet ambassador, a 1987 Moscow trip arranged through an agency linked to the KGB, and 140 contacts with Russian nationals around the 2016 campaign - yet none were voluntarily reported to law enforcement. How did decades of access and codenames culminate in an offer of Russian material in 2016 that went unreported?

In this episode, you will hear the timeline that connects meetings in a New York hotel lobby in 1986, a Kremlin-linked invitation to Moscow in 1987, and the June 9, 2016 Trump Tower meeting - and you will follow the unanswered questions about what those contacts meant and why they were never disclosed.

Person: Donald Trump
Date: 1986 (hotel meeting), 1987 (Moscow visit), June 9, 2016 (Trump Tower meeting)
Event: 140 contacts between associates of Donald Trump and Russian nationals or intermediaries
Case: Senate Intelligence Committee investigation spanning nearly five years

- Trump was 40 years old when Soviet Ambassador Yuri Dubinin met him at Trump Tower in autumn 1986.
- Trump traveled to Moscow in July 1987 after an invitation arranged through a travel agency with documented ties to the KGB.
- Former KGB officers and researchers say Trump was assigned the codename "Krasnov" in Soviet intelligence files.
- A June 9, 2016 meeting on the 25th floor of Trump Tower lasted approximately 20 minutes and included Trump Tower., Paul Manafort, Jared Kushner, and Russian attorney Natalia Veselnitskaya.
- Three months before the 2016 election, an email offering damaging material on Hillary Clinton arrived to Donald Trump Tower.; he replied, "If it's what you say I love it," and did not report the offer to the FBI.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73074399Thu, 06 Aug 2026 13:00:03 +0000Creator at ObomediaOne hundred and forty contacts. Not one was ever voluntarily reported A hidden pattern of cultivation ties a 40‑year‑old Donald Trump in 1986 to a Soviet ambassador, a 1987 Moscow trip arranged through an agency linked to the KGB, and 140 contacts...
A hidden pattern of cultivation ties a 40‑year‑old Donald Trump in 1986 to a Soviet ambassador, a 1987 Moscow trip arranged through an agency linked to the KGB, and 140 contacts with Russian nationals around the 2016 campaign - yet none were voluntarily reported to law enforcement. How did decades of access and codenames culminate in an offer of Russian material in 2016 that went unreported?

In this episode, you will hear the timeline that connects meetings in a New York hotel lobby in 1986, a Kremlin-linked invitation to Moscow in 1987, and the June 9, 2016 Trump Tower meeting - and you will follow the unanswered questions about what those contacts meant and why they were never disclosed.

Person: Donald Trump
Date: 1986 (hotel meeting), 1987 (Moscow visit), June 9, 2016 (Trump Tower meeting)
Event: 140 contacts between associates of Donald Trump and Russian nationals or intermediaries
Case: Senate Intelligence Committee investigation spanning nearly five years

- Trump was 40 years old when Soviet Ambassador Yuri Dubinin met him at Trump Tower in autumn 1986.
- Trump traveled to Moscow in July 1987 after an invitation arranged through a travel agency with documented ties to the KGB.
- Former KGB officers and researchers say Trump was assigned the codename "Krasnov" in Soviet intelligence files.
- A June 9, 2016 meeting on the 25th floor of Trump Tower lasted approximately 20 minutes and included Trump Tower., Paul Manafort, Jared Kushner, and Russian attorney Natalia Veselnitskaya.
- Three months before the 2016 election, an email offering damaging material on Hillary Clinton arrived to Donald Trump Tower.; he replied, "If it's what you say I love it," and did not report the offer to the FBI.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1106falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/wrong-field-wrong-county-the-agent-who-never-reported--73074398
A German agent parachuted into Ireland at 2:00 a.m. on 12 March 1941 and landed in the wrong county with a suitcase containing a radio transmitter, a microscope, counterfeit currency and unopened German cognac - and he immediately confessed to the local police. How did a trained Abwehr operative end up a hundred miles off-target in County Wexford and never send a single report?

In this episode, we follow the mission orders, the equipment and the chain of mistakes that shaped Günther Schütz’s wartime life. We outline his recruitment in Hamburg, his two years in Britain under commercial cover, the intended drop near Newbridge, and the consequences of landing near Taghmon - and ask how a navigational error unraveled an intelligence operation before it began.

Person: Günther Schütz
Date: 12 March 1941
Location: Taghmon, County Wexford
Organization: Abwehr (Hamburg economic section, Abwehr I)
Cover: Representative of Rémy and Company

- The suitcase hit the grass at roughly 2:00 a.m, on 12 March 1941.
- Garda officers found four items: a radio transmitter, a microscope, a bundle of counterfeit currency, and a bottle of German cognac.
- Schütz was 26 years old at the Christmas party in Hamburg in December 1938 when he was approached by Hauptmann Dr. Friedrich Karl Praetorius.
- The Abwehr provided £1,000 sterling and $3,200 (some counterfeit) plus a microdot system for the Ireland mission.
- Schütz landed about 100 miles from his planned drop zone of Newbridge in County Kildare, instead arriving near Taghmon in County Wexford.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73074398Wed, 05 Aug 2026 13:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaWrong Field, Wrong County: The Agent Who Never Reported A German agent parachuted into Ireland at 2:00 a.m. on 12 March 1941 and landed in the wrong county with a suitcase containing a radio transmitter, a microscope, counterfeit currency and...
A German agent parachuted into Ireland at 2:00 a.m. on 12 March 1941 and landed in the wrong county with a suitcase containing a radio transmitter, a microscope, counterfeit currency and unopened German cognac - and he immediately confessed to the local police. How did a trained Abwehr operative end up a hundred miles off-target in County Wexford and never send a single report?

In this episode, we follow the mission orders, the equipment and the chain of mistakes that shaped Günther Schütz’s wartime life. We outline his recruitment in Hamburg, his two years in Britain under commercial cover, the intended drop near Newbridge, and the consequences of landing near Taghmon - and ask how a navigational error unraveled an intelligence operation before it began.

Person: Günther Schütz
Date: 12 March 1941
Location: Taghmon, County Wexford
Organization: Abwehr (Hamburg economic section, Abwehr I)
Cover: Representative of Rémy and Company

- The suitcase hit the grass at roughly 2:00 a.m, on 12 March 1941.
- Garda officers found four items: a radio transmitter, a microscope, a bundle of counterfeit currency, and a bottle of German cognac.
- Schütz was 26 years old at the Christmas party in Hamburg in December 1938 when he was approached by Hauptmann Dr. Friedrich Karl Praetorius.
- The Abwehr provided £1,000 sterling and $3,200 (some counterfeit) plus a microdot system for the Ireland mission.
- Schütz landed about 100 miles from his planned drop zone of Newbridge in County Kildare, instead arriving near Taghmon in County Wexford.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>978falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-nsa-s-own-heat-map-that-proved-it-was-lying--73074397
The NSA’s internal Top Secret heat map showed the United States in the darkest red with nearly three billion data elements counted in a single 30-day period - a count generated by the agency’s own system, not a projection. How did an accounting tool become the clearest contradiction to public assurances that the agency did not collect data on millions of Americans?

In this episode, we present the facts about what the program did, how it worked, and who revealed the heat map to the public - and we ask how an internal ledger ended up exposing a public claim. What did BOUNDLESSINFORMANT actually count, and why did its numbers matter?

Person: Edward Snowden
Date: June 8, 2013
Program: BOUNDLESSINFORMANT
Archive: GM-PLACE
Collection sources: 504

- The heat map showed nearly 3,000,000,000 data elements counted from inside the United States in a 30-day period ending in March 2013.
- BOUNDLESSINFORMANT covered 504 collection sources and tallied internet metadata and telephony metadata.
- The program used HDFS, MapReduce, and Accumulo and was partly hosted on corporate cloud infrastructure.
- The map and related documents were published by The Guardian on June 8, 2013, including a reproduced Top Secret heat map.
- Edward Snowden was a 30-year-old Booz Allen Hamilton contractor in Hawaii with access to classified systems and raised concerns internally beginning in October 2012.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73074397Tue, 04 Aug 2026 13:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe NSA's Own Heat Map That Proved It Was Lying The NSA’s internal Top Secret heat map showed the United States in the darkest red with nearly three billion data elements counted in a single 30-day period - a count generated by the agency’s own...
The NSA’s internal Top Secret heat map showed the United States in the darkest red with nearly three billion data elements counted in a single 30-day period - a count generated by the agency’s own system, not a projection. How did an accounting tool become the clearest contradiction to public assurances that the agency did not collect data on millions of Americans?

In this episode, we present the facts about what the program did, how it worked, and who revealed the heat map to the public - and we ask how an internal ledger ended up exposing a public claim. What did BOUNDLESSINFORMANT actually count, and why did its numbers matter?

Person: Edward Snowden
Date: June 8, 2013
Program: BOUNDLESSINFORMANT
Archive: GM-PLACE
Collection sources: 504

- The heat map showed nearly 3,000,000,000 data elements counted from inside the United States in a 30-day period ending in March 2013.
- BOUNDLESSINFORMANT covered 504 collection sources and tallied internet metadata and telephony metadata.
- The program used HDFS, MapReduce, and Accumulo and was partly hosted on corporate cloud infrastructure.
- The map and related documents were published by The Guardian on June 8, 2013, including a reproduced Top Secret heat map.
- Edward Snowden was a 30-year-old Booz Allen Hamilton contractor in Hawaii with access to classified systems and raised concerns internally beginning in October 2012.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1275falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/he-was-executed-hours-after-the-man-who-signed-his-death-list-died--73074396
A Paris-educated diplomat, decorated veteran and elected deputy was hiding under an ancient family roof when guards carried a pre-existing list of names down a prison corridor after midnight on 22 September 1939 - one of those names was Alexandru Cantacuzino. How could a death list targeting men who “had refused to sign” a declaration already exist hours before Prime Minister Armand Călinescu’s assassination, and what did that timing mean for Cantacuzino’s fate?

In this episode, we follow Cantacuzino’s path from mansion-born aristocrat to Hague-trained lawyer, to Commander of the Annunciation in the Legion of the Archangel Michael, and the events that led to his arrest and execution - focusing on the list, the timing around Călinescu’s death, and the questions that remain about premeditation.

Person: Alexandru Cantacuzino
Date: 22 September 1939
Event: Guards carried a list of names targeting men who refused to sign a declaration of submission
Age: 38
Occupation: Doctor of law and elected member of parliament

- Cantacuzino was born in 1901 in Ciocănești, Ilfov County inside a mansion now a classified historical monument.
- He earned a bachelor’s degree from the Hague Academy of International Law and a doctorate in law from the University of Bucharest.
- In December 1937 he won a parliamentary seat with 32.73% of the vote as deputy for Argeș.
- On 6 March 1938 Armand Călinescu signed Order 746, which led to arrests and files being opened against Legionary members.
- Corneliu Zelea Codreanu and 44 Legionary leaders were arrested on the night of 16 April 1938, during which Cantacuzino escaped from a moving train near Brașov.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73074396Mon, 03 Aug 2026 13:00:03 +0000Creator at ObomediaHe Was Executed Hours After the Man Who Signed His Death List Died A Paris-educated diplomat, decorated veteran and elected deputy was hiding under an ancient family roof when guards carried a pre-existing list of names down a prison corridor after...
A Paris-educated diplomat, decorated veteran and elected deputy was hiding under an ancient family roof when guards carried a pre-existing list of names down a prison corridor after midnight on 22 September 1939 - one of those names was Alexandru Cantacuzino. How could a death list targeting men who “had refused to sign” a declaration already exist hours before Prime Minister Armand Călinescu’s assassination, and what did that timing mean for Cantacuzino’s fate?

In this episode, we follow Cantacuzino’s path from mansion-born aristocrat to Hague-trained lawyer, to Commander of the Annunciation in the Legion of the Archangel Michael, and the events that led to his arrest and execution - focusing on the list, the timing around Călinescu’s death, and the questions that remain about premeditation.

Person: Alexandru Cantacuzino
Date: 22 September 1939
Event: Guards carried a list of names targeting men who refused to sign a declaration of submission
Age: 38
Occupation: Doctor of law and elected member of parliament

- Cantacuzino was born in 1901 in Ciocănești, Ilfov County inside a mansion now a classified historical monument.
- He earned a bachelor’s degree from the Hague Academy of International Law and a doctorate in law from the University of Bucharest.
- In December 1937 he won a parliamentary seat with 32.73% of the vote as deputy for Argeș.
- On 6 March 1938 Armand Călinescu signed Order 746, which led to arrests and files being opened against Legionary members.
- Corneliu Zelea Codreanu and 44 Legionary leaders were arrested on the night of 16 April 1938, during which Cantacuzino escaped from a moving train near Brașov.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>946falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/he-vanished-from-records-found-dead-in-cell-fifteen--73074395
A man erased from public records died alone in a prison cell built to prevent suicide - yet the surveillance failed. Ben Zygier, a 34-year-old with dual Australian-Israeli lives, reportedly gave two Hezbollah informants' names to an enemy operative; why would a government later pay four million new shekels to his family and demand silence?

In this episode, we lay out the chain of events from Melbourne to Israel and Lebanon, tracing Zygier’s recruitment, demotion, alleged contact with Hezbollah, and the arrests that followed - and we ask how one man’s choices unspooled an entire network while leaving so many official questions unanswered.

Person: Ben Zygier
Date of death: December 15, 2010
Age: 34
Country: Australia / Israel
Event: Arrest January 31, 2010

- Ben Zygier was born December 9, 1976, in Melbourne and made aliyah in 1994 at age 17.
- He worked at Herzog Fox and Neeman law firm between 2003 and 2004.
- According to reporting, Mossad demoted him by 2007 and he was out of the agency by 2008.
- He allegedly provided two names, Ziad al-Homsi and Mustafa Ali Awadeh, to a Hezbollah contact, leading to their arrests in Lebanon in 2009.
- The Israeli government reportedly paid four million new shekels to Zygier’s family after his death and requested their silence.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73074395Sun, 02 Aug 2026 13:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaHe Vanished From Records - Found Dead In Cell Fifteen A man erased from public records died alone in a prison cell built to prevent suicide - yet the surveillance failed. Ben Zygier, a 34-year-old with dual Australian-Israeli lives, reportedly gave...
A man erased from public records died alone in a prison cell built to prevent suicide - yet the surveillance failed. Ben Zygier, a 34-year-old with dual Australian-Israeli lives, reportedly gave two Hezbollah informants' names to an enemy operative; why would a government later pay four million new shekels to his family and demand silence?

In this episode, we lay out the chain of events from Melbourne to Israel and Lebanon, tracing Zygier’s recruitment, demotion, alleged contact with Hezbollah, and the arrests that followed - and we ask how one man’s choices unspooled an entire network while leaving so many official questions unanswered.

Person: Ben Zygier
Date of death: December 15, 2010
Age: 34
Country: Australia / Israel
Event: Arrest January 31, 2010

- Ben Zygier was born December 9, 1976, in Melbourne and made aliyah in 1994 at age 17.
- He worked at Herzog Fox and Neeman law firm between 2003 and 2004.
- According to reporting, Mossad demoted him by 2007 and he was out of the agency by 2008.
- He allegedly provided two names, Ziad al-Homsi and Mustafa Ali Awadeh, to a Hezbollah contact, leading to their arrests in Lebanon in 2009.
- The Israeli government reportedly paid four million new shekels to Zygier’s family after his death and requested their silence.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1115falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-tunnel-that-was-never-secret-how-george-blake-bought-berlin--73074393
Fear that a single mole could collapse a multimillion-dollar spy project - the tunnel under Berlin was 450 meters long, cost over $6.5 million, and was betrayed before the first shovel hit earth; how did George Blake tip off Moscow so early, and was the effort ever worth it?

In this episode, we trace the planning, the secrecy, and the consequences of Operation Gold, showing how Western agencies built a tunnel to tap buried Soviet landlines and asking whether the intelligence gained justified the cost and the compromise.

Person: George Blake
Event: Operation Gold
Length: 450 meters
Cost: more than $6.5 million
Date: April 21, 1956

- The tunnel ran beneath a busy street and past apartment buildings under thousands of civilians.
- Western planners believed the target cable junction lay less than 47 centimeters below the surface.
- William King Harvey was assigned to the Berlin base in December 1953 to turn proximity into intercepted intelligence.
- Peter Lunn and the British SIS brought experience from Operation Gold in Vienna to the Berlin plan.
- George Blake informed the KGB of the tunnel plan immediately after the Carlton Gardens meetings, before construction began.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73074393Sat, 01 Aug 2026 13:00:03 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Tunnel That Was Never Secret: How George Blake Bought Berlin Fear that a single mole could collapse a multimillion-dollar spy project - the tunnel under Berlin was 450 meters long, cost over $6.5 million, and was betrayed before the first...
Fear that a single mole could collapse a multimillion-dollar spy project - the tunnel under Berlin was 450 meters long, cost over $6.5 million, and was betrayed before the first shovel hit earth; how did George Blake tip off Moscow so early, and was the effort ever worth it?

In this episode, we trace the planning, the secrecy, and the consequences of Operation Gold, showing how Western agencies built a tunnel to tap buried Soviet landlines and asking whether the intelligence gained justified the cost and the compromise.

Person: George Blake
Event: Operation Gold
Length: 450 meters
Cost: more than $6.5 million
Date: April 21, 1956

- The tunnel ran beneath a busy street and past apartment buildings under thousands of civilians.
- Western planners believed the target cable junction lay less than 47 centimeters below the surface.
- William King Harvey was assigned to the Berlin base in December 1953 to turn proximity into intercepted intelligence.
- Peter Lunn and the British SIS brought experience from Operation Gold in Vienna to the Berlin plan.
- George Blake informed the KGB of the tunnel plan immediately after the Carlton Gardens meetings, before construction began.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1193falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-chip-the-cover-story-and-the-two-governments-that-lied--73074392
The short, non-commercial chip that can block satellite-phone geolocation sat declared in a traveler’s bag-yet eleven days after arriving in Havana, a sixty-year-old American aid worker was arrested and would not be free for five years; who really sent the chip and why did two governments keep silent? What was truly in that bag, and which officials knew the full story?

In this episode, we lay out the sequence of trips, contracts, and customs declarations that brought Alan Gross to Cuba and trace the anomalies-small paperwork changes and an unusual contract chain-that preceded his arrest. How did a modest contractor earning less than $70,000 a year become entwined in a $20 million USAID program and a diplomatic standoff?

Person: Alan Phillip Gross
Date: Arrest December 3, 2009
Country: Cuba
Contractor: JBDC LLC
Program funding: $20,000,000 authorized under Helms-Burton

- Gross was 60 years old when arrested and had been born on May 2, 1949.
- JBDC LLC earned less than $70,000 in 2009 and received under $300,000 as a subcontract from DAI.
- USAID authorized $20 million for democracy promotion in Cuba; DAI received $6 million of that funding.
- The manifest from Gross’s fourth trip listed 12 iPods, 11 BlackBerry Curves, 3 MacBooks, 6 external 500 GB drives, and 3 BGAN satellite modems.
- The chip found in Gross’s bag was designed to prevent satellite-phone geolocation within approximately 250 miles and is the type used by the CIA and the Department of Defense.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73074392Fri, 31 Jul 2026 13:00:03 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Chip, The Cover Story, and the Two Governments That Lied The short, non-commercial chip that can block satellite-phone geolocation sat declared in a traveler’s bag-yet eleven days after arriving in Havana, a sixty-year-old American aid worker...
The short, non-commercial chip that can block satellite-phone geolocation sat declared in a traveler’s bag-yet eleven days after arriving in Havana, a sixty-year-old American aid worker was arrested and would not be free for five years; who really sent the chip and why did two governments keep silent? What was truly in that bag, and which officials knew the full story?

In this episode, we lay out the sequence of trips, contracts, and customs declarations that brought Alan Gross to Cuba and trace the anomalies-small paperwork changes and an unusual contract chain-that preceded his arrest. How did a modest contractor earning less than $70,000 a year become entwined in a $20 million USAID program and a diplomatic standoff?

Person: Alan Phillip Gross
Date: Arrest December 3, 2009
Country: Cuba
Contractor: JBDC LLC
Program funding: $20,000,000 authorized under Helms-Burton

- Gross was 60 years old when arrested and had been born on May 2, 1949.
- JBDC LLC earned less than $70,000 in 2009 and received under $300,000 as a subcontract from DAI.
- USAID authorized $20 million for democracy promotion in Cuba; DAI received $6 million of that funding.
- The manifest from Gross’s fourth trip listed 12 iPods, 11 BlackBerry Curves, 3 MacBooks, 6 external 500 GB drives, and 3 BGAN satellite modems.
- The chip found in Gross’s bag was designed to prevent satellite-phone geolocation within approximately 250 miles and is the type used by the CIA and the Department of Defense.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1051falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-rav4-the-lidar-and-a-spy-network-buried-in-makati--73074391
A single white Toyota RAV4 parked outside a Makati condominium held a military-grade LiDAR and a GNSS RTK unit capable of centimeter accuracy - tools the National Bureau of Investigation called far beyond consumer mapping gear. Who was Deng Yuanqing really mapping: self-driving car routes or military targets inside EDCA bases?

In this episode, we lay out the public record around the January 17, 2025 arrest in Makati, the items recovered from the vehicle, and the linked detentions in Palawan a week later, asking whether the evidence supports the Philippine claims that these were coordinated reconnaissance missions.

Person: Deng Yuanqing
Date: January 17, 2025
Location: Makati, Metro Manila
Charges: Commonwealth Act 616 (Espionage Act of 1941); Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012
Related arrests: January 24-25, 2025 (Cai Shaohuang, Wang Yong Yi, Wu Jun Ren, Wu Jun)

- Investigators recovered a LiDAR device and a GNSS RTK unit from the white Toyota RAV4 parked outside a condominium in Makati on January 17, 2025.
- NBI Director Jaime Santiago described the LiDAR unit as "military-grade" and noted the suspect’s alleged employer had not been publicly named.
- Deng arrived in the Philippines in 2013 on a marriage visa, held permanent residency, and was described by family as doing road surveys for autonomous vehicle research.
- AFP Chief of Staff Romeo Brawner Jr. alleged the group visited specific bases designated under the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA).
- Seven days after Deng’s arrest, four men claiming Taiwanese IDs were arrested in Palawan on January 24-25, 2025 and alleged to have worked with Deng.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73074391Thu, 30 Jul 2026 13:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe RAV4, the LiDAR, and a Spy Network Buried in Makati A single white Toyota RAV4 parked outside a Makati condominium held a military-grade LiDAR and a GNSS RTK unit capable of centimeter accuracy - tools the National Bureau of Investigation...
A single white Toyota RAV4 parked outside a Makati condominium held a military-grade LiDAR and a GNSS RTK unit capable of centimeter accuracy - tools the National Bureau of Investigation called far beyond consumer mapping gear. Who was Deng Yuanqing really mapping: self-driving car routes or military targets inside EDCA bases?

In this episode, we lay out the public record around the January 17, 2025 arrest in Makati, the items recovered from the vehicle, and the linked detentions in Palawan a week later, asking whether the evidence supports the Philippine claims that these were coordinated reconnaissance missions.

Person: Deng Yuanqing
Date: January 17, 2025
Location: Makati, Metro Manila
Charges: Commonwealth Act 616 (Espionage Act of 1941); Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012
Related arrests: January 24-25, 2025 (Cai Shaohuang, Wang Yong Yi, Wu Jun Ren, Wu Jun)

- Investigators recovered a LiDAR device and a GNSS RTK unit from the white Toyota RAV4 parked outside a condominium in Makati on January 17, 2025.
- NBI Director Jaime Santiago described the LiDAR unit as "military-grade" and noted the suspect’s alleged employer had not been publicly named.
- Deng arrived in the Philippines in 2013 on a marriage visa, held permanent residency, and was described by family as doing road surveys for autonomous vehicle research.
- AFP Chief of Staff Romeo Brawner Jr. alleged the group visited specific bases designated under the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA).
- Seven days after Deng’s arrest, four men claiming Taiwanese IDs were arrested in Palawan on January 24-25, 2025 and alleged to have worked with Deng.

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© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1115falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-informant-who-warned-why-no-one-heard-ci-183-s-oklahoma-tip--73074390
A suburban Tulsa daughter turned informant claimed she named the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Federal as a target months before April 19, 1995, yet the ATF closed her file six weeks before the bombing-what went wrong and who decided her warnings were not actionable? Could $120 a week of reporting have been enough to stop the deadliest domestic terror attack in modern U.S. history?

In this episode, we lay out the sequence of events from Carol Howe’s life in Elohim City to her role as Confidential Informant CI-183, the monthly reports she submitted from August 1994 through March 1995, and the ATF’s decision to deactivate her file just weeks before the Oklahoma City bombing. How did a handler, agency assessments, and the timing of deactivation shape what information reached investigators?

Person: Carol Howe
Case: CI-183
Handler: ATF Agent Angela Finley-Graham
Period: August 1994-June 1995
Event: Alfred P. Murrah Federal Federal bombing on April 19, 1995

- Carol Howe reported to the ATF as CI-183 from August 1994 through March 1995.
- The ATF paid Carol Howe $120 per week while she was an informant.
- CI-183 was deactivated by the ATF approximately six weeks before the April 19, 1995 bombing.
- One hundred and sixty-eight people died in the Murrah Federal bombing, including nineteen children.
- ATF Agent Angela Finley-Graham confirmed Howe was reinstated after the bombing but said Howe performed no active informant work after June 1995.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73074390Wed, 29 Jul 2026 13:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Informant Who Warned: Why No One Heard CI-183's Oklahoma Tip A suburban Tulsa daughter turned informant claimed she named the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Federal as a target months before April 19, 1995, yet the ATF closed her file six weeks...
A suburban Tulsa daughter turned informant claimed she named the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Federal as a target months before April 19, 1995, yet the ATF closed her file six weeks before the bombing-what went wrong and who decided her warnings were not actionable? Could $120 a week of reporting have been enough to stop the deadliest domestic terror attack in modern U.S. history?

In this episode, we lay out the sequence of events from Carol Howe’s life in Elohim City to her role as Confidential Informant CI-183, the monthly reports she submitted from August 1994 through March 1995, and the ATF’s decision to deactivate her file just weeks before the Oklahoma City bombing. How did a handler, agency assessments, and the timing of deactivation shape what information reached investigators?

Person: Carol Howe
Case: CI-183
Handler: ATF Agent Angela Finley-Graham
Period: August 1994-June 1995
Event: Alfred P. Murrah Federal Federal bombing on April 19, 1995

- Carol Howe reported to the ATF as CI-183 from August 1994 through March 1995.
- The ATF paid Carol Howe $120 per week while she was an informant.
- CI-183 was deactivated by the ATF approximately six weeks before the April 19, 1995 bombing.
- One hundred and sixty-eight people died in the Murrah Federal bombing, including nineteen children.
- ATF Agent Angela Finley-Graham confirmed Howe was reinstated after the bombing but said Howe performed no active informant work after June 1995.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1080falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/he-faked-betrayal-how-a-mechanic-toppled-america-s-largest-nazi-spy-ring--73074388
The quiet mechanic who once fixed engines sat calmly with dynamite and detonation caps on a table while FBI agents watched through a two-way mirror-what followed would dismantle the largest German espionage network ever caught on American soil. Thirty-three agents were arrested with combined prison sentences exceeding three hundred years; how did a blackmailed immigrant named William Sebold turn a Nazi spy ring inside out?

In this episode, you will hear the story of William Sebold Sebold, the German-born mechanic who emigrated to the United States, was naturalized on February 10, 1936, and returned to Germany in 1939 where the Gestapo blackmailed him. The episode covers his seven weeks of Abwehr training, his decision to report to the U.S. Consulate in Cologne, and the FBI operation in a Times Square front office that filmed every meeting-could one ordinary man really carry out such a dangerous role day after day?

Person: William Sebold Sebold
Date of birth: March 10, 1899
Naturalization date: February 10, 1936
Codename: TRAMP
Arrests resulting from operation: 33 agents

- Sebold underwent seven weeks of training in Hamburg with instruction in shortwave radio, code construction, and microphotography.
- He returned to New York on February 8, 1940, carrying German codes and the alias Harry Sawyer.
- The FBI established a Times Square front company called the Diesel Research Company equipped with hidden microphones and two-way mirrors.
- Fritz Joubert Duquesne, age sixty-two, met Sebold at the Times Square office and later left to continue the conversation elsewhere.
- The conspiracy resulted in combined prison sentences exceeding three hundred years for those arrested.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73074388Tue, 28 Jul 2026 13:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaHe Faked Betrayal: How a Mechanic Toppled America's Largest Nazi Spy Ring The quiet mechanic who once fixed engines sat calmly with dynamite and detonation caps on a table while FBI agents watched through a two-way mirror-what followed would...
The quiet mechanic who once fixed engines sat calmly with dynamite and detonation caps on a table while FBI agents watched through a two-way mirror-what followed would dismantle the largest German espionage network ever caught on American soil. Thirty-three agents were arrested with combined prison sentences exceeding three hundred years; how did a blackmailed immigrant named William Sebold turn a Nazi spy ring inside out?

In this episode, you will hear the story of William Sebold Sebold, the German-born mechanic who emigrated to the United States, was naturalized on February 10, 1936, and returned to Germany in 1939 where the Gestapo blackmailed him. The episode covers his seven weeks of Abwehr training, his decision to report to the U.S. Consulate in Cologne, and the FBI operation in a Times Square front office that filmed every meeting-could one ordinary man really carry out such a dangerous role day after day?

Person: William Sebold Sebold
Date of birth: March 10, 1899
Naturalization date: February 10, 1936
Codename: TRAMP
Arrests resulting from operation: 33 agents

- Sebold underwent seven weeks of training in Hamburg with instruction in shortwave radio, code construction, and microphotography.
- He returned to New York on February 8, 1940, carrying German codes and the alias Harry Sawyer.
- The FBI established a Times Square front company called the Diesel Research Company equipped with hidden microphones and two-way mirrors.
- Fritz Joubert Duquesne, age sixty-two, met Sebold at the Times Square office and later left to continue the conversation elsewhere.
- The conspiracy resulted in combined prison sentences exceeding three hundred years for those arrested.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1034falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-bomb-that-burned-his-file-how-mer-shaped-wwii-s-fate--73074386
The files that would have stopped him burned in an air raid - MI5 records on James Klugmann were destroyed at Wormwood Scrubs, wiping a documented history of Communist Party membership and leaving him with a clean security file that opened the door to Allied intelligence. How did one destroyed stack of documents allow a man later identified in KGB archives as codenamed MER to shape Allied policy in the Balkans?

In this episode, we trace Klugmann’s path from Hampstead to Trinity College, from the Communist Party to a Cairo posting with the Special Operations Executive, and finally to posthumous identification in Soviet files - asking how much of his wartime influence was driven by intelligence work and how much by political conviction.

Person: James Klugmann
Date of death: September 1977
Birth date: 27 February 1912
Initial security file destroyed: Wormwood Scrubs air raid (World War II)
Codename confirmed posthumously: MER

- MI5 described him circa 1938 as about 5 feet 8 inches tall with a light build and greyish hair.
- He joined the Communist Party of Great Britain in 1933 and was publicly active.
- He left a prospective academic career in 1935 to become secretary of the World Student Association in Paris at age 23.
- In February 1942 he arrived in Cairo as an SOE intelligence officer assigned to the Yugoslav Section.
- After his 1977 death, a KGB defector smuggled archives that confirmed his Soviet codenames and role.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73074386Mon, 27 Jul 2026 13:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Bomb That Burned His File: How MER Shaped WWII's Fate The files that would have stopped him burned in an air raid - MI5 records on James Klugmann were destroyed at Wormwood Scrubs, wiping a documented history of Communist Party membership and...
The files that would have stopped him burned in an air raid - MI5 records on James Klugmann were destroyed at Wormwood Scrubs, wiping a documented history of Communist Party membership and leaving him with a clean security file that opened the door to Allied intelligence. How did one destroyed stack of documents allow a man later identified in KGB archives as codenamed MER to shape Allied policy in the Balkans?

In this episode, we trace Klugmann’s path from Hampstead to Trinity College, from the Communist Party to a Cairo posting with the Special Operations Executive, and finally to posthumous identification in Soviet files - asking how much of his wartime influence was driven by intelligence work and how much by political conviction.

Person: James Klugmann
Date of death: September 1977
Birth date: 27 February 1912
Initial security file destroyed: Wormwood Scrubs air raid (World War II)
Codename confirmed posthumously: MER

- MI5 described him circa 1938 as about 5 feet 8 inches tall with a light build and greyish hair.
- He joined the Communist Party of Great Britain in 1933 and was publicly active.
- He left a prospective academic career in 1935 to become secretary of the World Student Association in Paris at age 23.
- In February 1942 he arrived in Cairo as an SOE intelligence officer assigned to the Yugoslav Section.
- After his 1977 death, a KGB defector smuggled archives that confirmed his Soviet codenames and role.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1159falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-bottle-in-the-box-tree-how-a-gentleman-betrayed-revolution--73074385
Fear and fascination meet in a Paris garden: every Tuesday after 9:30 p.m. a hollow in a box tree hid a glass bottle whose visible gossip masked invisible ink holding the secrets of the Franco-American treaty - and the man who placed it was a trusted secretary to Benjamin Franklin. How did Edward Bancroft, a Fellow of the Royal Society, pass critical diplomatic intelligence to London for years before his role was revealed?

In this episode, we follow the documented path of Edward Bartholomew Bancroft from Westfield to Paris, tracing his scientific rise, his appointment as secretary to the American commission, and the clandestine weekly bottle exchanges that made him a double agent. What crossed the Atlantic in those bottles, and what did his betrayals cost the revolution?

Person: Edward Bartholomew Bancroft
Date of birth: January 20, 1745
Event: Weekly intelligence exchanges via bottle in a box tree in Paris
Role: Secretary to the American Commission in Paris; double agent for Britain
Payment: Initial British pension of £200 per year

- Bancroft left Westfield for Surinam on July 14, 1763, at age 18.
- He published An Essay on the Natural History of Guiana in London in 1769.
- He was elected Fellow of the Royal Society in 1773 and earned an M.D, from the University of Aberdeen in 1774.
- Bancroft met Silas Deane in Paris on July 8, 1776, and returned to London on July 26, 1776, promising to assist the American mission.
- He signed reports to London under the alias Edward Edwards and received British instructions weekly via a bottle exchanged at a Tuileries box tree.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73074385Sun, 26 Jul 2026 13:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Bottle in the Box Tree: How a Gentleman Betrayed Revolution Fear and fascination meet in a Paris garden: every Tuesday after 9:30 p.m. a hollow in a box tree hid a glass bottle whose visible gossip masked invisible ink holding the secrets of...
Fear and fascination meet in a Paris garden: every Tuesday after 9:30 p.m. a hollow in a box tree hid a glass bottle whose visible gossip masked invisible ink holding the secrets of the Franco-American treaty - and the man who placed it was a trusted secretary to Benjamin Franklin. How did Edward Bancroft, a Fellow of the Royal Society, pass critical diplomatic intelligence to London for years before his role was revealed?

In this episode, we follow the documented path of Edward Bartholomew Bancroft from Westfield to Paris, tracing his scientific rise, his appointment as secretary to the American commission, and the clandestine weekly bottle exchanges that made him a double agent. What crossed the Atlantic in those bottles, and what did his betrayals cost the revolution?

Person: Edward Bartholomew Bancroft
Date of birth: January 20, 1745
Event: Weekly intelligence exchanges via bottle in a box tree in Paris
Role: Secretary to the American Commission in Paris; double agent for Britain
Payment: Initial British pension of £200 per year

- Bancroft left Westfield for Surinam on July 14, 1763, at age 18.
- He published An Essay on the Natural History of Guiana in London in 1769.
- He was elected Fellow of the Royal Society in 1773 and earned an M.D, from the University of Aberdeen in 1774.
- Bancroft met Silas Deane in Paris on July 8, 1776, and returned to London on July 26, 1776, promising to assist the American mission.
- He signed reports to London under the alias Edward Edwards and received British instructions weekly via a bottle exchanged at a Tuileries box tree.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1224falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-grey-hair-clue-how-a-soviet-spy-walked-into-death--73074384
A man with fifteen gunshot wounds, five to the head, found clutching a single long grey hair that was not his own - how did a decorated Soviet intelligence officer end up dead on a Swiss road the night of 4 September 1937? What did that solitary strand reveal about the woman who lured him, the money left behind, and the Moscow machine that made certain he would not arrive where he was going?

In this episode, we tell the story of Nathan Markovich Poreckij, known to the world as Ignace Reiss, and trace the path from his birth in 1899 to his decision to break with the Soviet secret services in 1937. We follow his career across Europe, the letter he sent to the Central Committee with his Order of the Red Banner, and the final hours that ended in assassination - and ask whether his warning could have changed anything.

Person: Nathan Markovich Poreckij (Ignace Reiss)
Date: 4 September 1937
Location: road from Lausanne to Chamblandes, Switzerland
Event: assassination with 15 gunshot wounds, 5 to the head
Document: letter to the Central Committee sent 17 July 1937 enclosing the Order of the Red Banner

- The body was discovered on the night of 4 September 1937 clutching a single long grey hair that did not belong to him.
- The dead man carried a Czech passport in the name of Hans Eberhardt and a railway ticket to Reims he never used.
- A classified French report published 14 years later described the operation as an "excellent example of the liquidation of a deserter from the Soviet secret service."
- Reiss entered Soviet intelligence in 1921, served in the GPU/OGPU/NKVD and the GRU, and received the Order of the Red Banner in 1927.
- On 17 July 1937 Reiss sealed a letter to the Central Committee condemning the Great Purge and returned his original Order of the Red Banner.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73074384Sat, 25 Jul 2026 13:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Grey Hair Clue: How a Soviet Spy Walked Into Death A man with fifteen gunshot wounds, five to the head, found clutching a single long grey hair that was not his own - how did a decorated Soviet intelligence officer end up dead on a Swiss road...
A man with fifteen gunshot wounds, five to the head, found clutching a single long grey hair that was not his own - how did a decorated Soviet intelligence officer end up dead on a Swiss road the night of 4 September 1937? What did that solitary strand reveal about the woman who lured him, the money left behind, and the Moscow machine that made certain he would not arrive where he was going?

In this episode, we tell the story of Nathan Markovich Poreckij, known to the world as Ignace Reiss, and trace the path from his birth in 1899 to his decision to break with the Soviet secret services in 1937. We follow his career across Europe, the letter he sent to the Central Committee with his Order of the Red Banner, and the final hours that ended in assassination - and ask whether his warning could have changed anything.

Person: Nathan Markovich Poreckij (Ignace Reiss)
Date: 4 September 1937
Location: road from Lausanne to Chamblandes, Switzerland
Event: assassination with 15 gunshot wounds, 5 to the head
Document: letter to the Central Committee sent 17 July 1937 enclosing the Order of the Red Banner

- The body was discovered on the night of 4 September 1937 clutching a single long grey hair that did not belong to him.
- The dead man carried a Czech passport in the name of Hans Eberhardt and a railway ticket to Reims he never used.
- A classified French report published 14 years later described the operation as an "excellent example of the liquidation of a deserter from the Soviet secret service."
- Reiss entered Soviet intelligence in 1921, served in the GPU/OGPU/NKVD and the GRU, and received the Order of the Red Banner in 1927.
- On 17 July 1937 Reiss sealed a letter to the Central Committee condemning the Great Purge and returned his original Order of the Red Banner.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1124falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-invisible-architect-how-one-man-built-soviet-military-intelligence--73074382
The story opens with a quiet ceremony in May 1998 when a man received Badge Number 001 - the very first of Russian military intelligence - yet almost no one knew his name; how did Pyotr Ivanovich Ivashutin spend 24 years building an intelligence machine so effective it outlasted the Soviet Union, while insisting on total anonymity? What choices kept him invisible even as he shaped the Cold War's deadliest systems?

In this episode, we tell the career arc of Ivashutin from his birth in 1909 to the badge ceremony in 1998, tracing his moves from aviation to counterintelligence, through frontline SMERSH commands and senior KGB posts, and asking how that trajectory produced an architecture of secrecy that endured beyond the USSR.

Person: Pyotr Ivanovich Ivashutin
Date of birth: September 18, 1909
Badge: Number 001 issued May 1998
Years in charge of Soviet military intelligence: 24
Award: Order of the Red Star awarded April 1940

- Joined the Red Army and the Communist Party at age 22
- Graduated from the Seventh Stalingrad Military Aviation School in 1933 and commanded TB-3 heavy bombers for four years
- Attended Zhukovsky Air Force Engineering Academy between 1937 and 1939
- Became head of SMERSH for the Forty-Seventh Army in January 1943 and then SMERSH for the South-West Front on April 29, 1943
- Appointed Deputy Chairman of the KGB in June 1954 and First Deputy Chairman in January 1956

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73074382Fri, 24 Jul 2026 13:00:03 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Invisible Architect: How One Man Built Soviet Military Intelligence The story opens with a quiet ceremony in May 1998 when a man received Badge Number 001 - the very first of Russian military intelligence - yet almost no one knew his name; how...
The story opens with a quiet ceremony in May 1998 when a man received Badge Number 001 - the very first of Russian military intelligence - yet almost no one knew his name; how did Pyotr Ivanovich Ivashutin spend 24 years building an intelligence machine so effective it outlasted the Soviet Union, while insisting on total anonymity? What choices kept him invisible even as he shaped the Cold War's deadliest systems?

In this episode, we tell the career arc of Ivashutin from his birth in 1909 to the badge ceremony in 1998, tracing his moves from aviation to counterintelligence, through frontline SMERSH commands and senior KGB posts, and asking how that trajectory produced an architecture of secrecy that endured beyond the USSR.

Person: Pyotr Ivanovich Ivashutin
Date of birth: September 18, 1909
Badge: Number 001 issued May 1998
Years in charge of Soviet military intelligence: 24
Award: Order of the Red Star awarded April 1940

- Joined the Red Army and the Communist Party at age 22
- Graduated from the Seventh Stalingrad Military Aviation School in 1933 and commanded TB-3 heavy bombers for four years
- Attended Zhukovsky Air Force Engineering Academy between 1937 and 1939
- Became head of SMERSH for the Forty-Seventh Army in January 1943 and then SMERSH for the South-West Front on April 29, 1943
- Appointed Deputy Chairman of the KGB in June 1954 and First Deputy Chairman in January 1956

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1151falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-safe-that-betrayed-a-stasi-master-mielke-s-hidden-1931-files--73074380
The safe in his home hid the original murder files from 1931 for sixty years - the very documents the Soviets expected him to destroy but he kept instead. How did a man who ordered border guards to shoot at the Berlin Wall preserve the evidence of a street assassination and what did those papers ultimately reveal about Erich Mielke?

In this episode, we trace Mielke's path from a nineteen‑year‑old KPD activist and Red Flag writer to the head of East Germany's surveillance state, and we follow the murder of Captain Paul Anlauf on August 9, 1931, to the long concealment of the files that helped bring him to trial in 1992. What did sixty years in a private safe say about the man who built a machine of fear?

Person: Erich Mielke
Event: Murder of Captain Paul Anlauf
Date: August 9, 1931
Location: Bülowplatz, Berlin (entrance of the Babylon Cinema)
Status: Trial held in 1992

- Mielke kept the original 1931 murder files locked in his home safe for sixty years.
- Erich Mielke was born on December 28, 1907, in Wedding, Berlin.
- On August 9, 1931, Mielke fired two shots that struck Captain Paul Anlauf in the neck, killing him at approximately 8:00 p.m.
- Two other officers were shot that night: Captain Franz Lenck (killed) and Senior Sergeant Max Willig (wounded, hospitalized for fourteen weeks).
- Fifteen members of the assassination team who remained in Germany were arrested and convicted on June 19, 1934; Max Willig was executed on May 22, 1935.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73074380Thu, 23 Jul 2026 13:00:13 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Safe That Betrayed a Stasi Master: Mielke's Hidden 1931 Files The safe in his home hid the original murder files from 1931 for sixty years - the very documents the Soviets expected him to destroy but he kept instead. How did a man who ordered...
The safe in his home hid the original murder files from 1931 for sixty years - the very documents the Soviets expected him to destroy but he kept instead. How did a man who ordered border guards to shoot at the Berlin Wall preserve the evidence of a street assassination and what did those papers ultimately reveal about Erich Mielke?

In this episode, we trace Mielke's path from a nineteen‑year‑old KPD activist and Red Flag writer to the head of East Germany's surveillance state, and we follow the murder of Captain Paul Anlauf on August 9, 1931, to the long concealment of the files that helped bring him to trial in 1992. What did sixty years in a private safe say about the man who built a machine of fear?

Person: Erich Mielke
Event: Murder of Captain Paul Anlauf
Date: August 9, 1931
Location: Bülowplatz, Berlin (entrance of the Babylon Cinema)
Status: Trial held in 1992

- Mielke kept the original 1931 murder files locked in his home safe for sixty years.
- Erich Mielke was born on December 28, 1907, in Wedding, Berlin.
- On August 9, 1931, Mielke fired two shots that struck Captain Paul Anlauf in the neck, killing him at approximately 8:00 p.m.
- Two other officers were shot that night: Captain Franz Lenck (killed) and Senior Sergeant Max Willig (wounded, hospitalized for fourteen weeks).
- Fifteen members of the assassination team who remained in Germany were arrested and convicted on June 19, 1934; Max Willig was executed on May 22, 1935.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1146falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-talcum-tin-that-sold-britain-s-nuclear-secrets-to-moscow--73074379
A talcum powder tin hid a microdot reader the size of a full stop on a suburban London shelf while Britain’s most sensitive nuclear submarine program bled secrets to Moscow for nearly a decade. How did a filing clerk, a drunken navy veteran, a fake Canadian businessman and two antiquarian booksellers conspire to empty a crown jewel of its secrets - and why was an early warning ignored?

In this episode, we tell the documented story of the Portland Spy Ring, tracing who had access to the Admiralty Underwater Weapons Establishment, what was taken, and how warnings went unheeded. Listen to learn how ordinary objects and small salaries masked a vast intelligence betrayal until the net finally closed.

Person: Harry Houghton
Person: Ethel Gee
Person: Konon Molody (Gordon Lonsdale)
Location: Portland, Dorset; Ruislip (semi-detached house)
Event: Delivery of 715 documents (May 1952) and 1,167 documents (August 1952)

- A microdot reader was hidden beneath a false floor inside a talcum powder tin on a suburban London shelf.
- Harry Houghton handed over 715 documents in May 1952 and 1,167 documents in August 1952.
- Houghton was given the Soviet code name "Miron" after contacting the Polish Foreign Ministry in 1951.
- Ethel Gee began working at the Admiralty Underwater Weapons Establishment in October 1950 and handled top-secret technical drawings.
- Konon Molody operated under the cover name Gordon Lonsdale and posed as "Alex Johnston," an American naval commander.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73074379Wed, 22 Jul 2026 13:00:03 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Talcum Tin That Sold Britain's Nuclear Secrets to Moscow A talcum powder tin hid a microdot reader the size of a full stop on a suburban London shelf while Britain’s most sensitive nuclear submarine program bled secrets to Moscow for nearly a...
A talcum powder tin hid a microdot reader the size of a full stop on a suburban London shelf while Britain’s most sensitive nuclear submarine program bled secrets to Moscow for nearly a decade. How did a filing clerk, a drunken navy veteran, a fake Canadian businessman and two antiquarian booksellers conspire to empty a crown jewel of its secrets - and why was an early warning ignored?

In this episode, we tell the documented story of the Portland Spy Ring, tracing who had access to the Admiralty Underwater Weapons Establishment, what was taken, and how warnings went unheeded. Listen to learn how ordinary objects and small salaries masked a vast intelligence betrayal until the net finally closed.

Person: Harry Houghton
Person: Ethel Gee
Person: Konon Molody (Gordon Lonsdale)
Location: Portland, Dorset; Ruislip (semi-detached house)
Event: Delivery of 715 documents (May 1952) and 1,167 documents (August 1952)

- A microdot reader was hidden beneath a false floor inside a talcum powder tin on a suburban London shelf.
- Harry Houghton handed over 715 documents in May 1952 and 1,167 documents in August 1952.
- Houghton was given the Soviet code name "Miron" after contacting the Polish Foreign Ministry in 1951.
- Ethel Gee began working at the Admiralty Underwater Weapons Establishment in October 1950 and handled top-secret technical drawings.
- Konon Molody operated under the cover name Gordon Lonsdale and posed as "Alex Johnston," an American naval commander.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1201falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-kgb-walk-in-who-named-dick-a-hero-or-double-agent--73074377
A decorated Soviet war hero walked into the FBI's New York office in Who 1962 and gave agents one word for a mole inside their ranks: "Dick." He claimed the KGB was meeting with an FBI source and that person had passed American counterintelligence codes - but decades of searches and opened files still left the truth unresolved. Who was Kulak really, and what did that single name cost U.S. counterintelligence?

In this episode, we follow the life and claims of Aleksey Isidorovich Kulak, codename FEDORA, from his Who 27, 1922 birth in Moscow through his Soviet honors and later work in New York, and we trace how his walk‑in set off a long, disputed counterintelligence hunt that ended with new questions. What did Kulak know about the alleged mole "Dick," and why did his disclosure ripple for years through intelligence files and careers?

Person: Aleksey Isidorovich Kulak
Codename: FEDORA
Date of walk‑in: Who 1962
Award: Hero of the Soviet Union (May 15, 1946)
Occupation in 1963: Science attaché at the Soviet Union in New York

- Kulak was born on Who 27, 1922, in Moscow to Belarusian parents.
- He was drafted into the Red Army in August 1941 and trained in artillery in 1942.
- On May 15, 1946, he received the Hero of the Soviet Union, the Order of Lenin, and the Gold Star Medal.
- Kulak earned a Candidate of Chemical Sciences degree from D. Mendeleev University by 1953.
- In Who 1962 Kulak walked into the FBI's New York field office and named one word - "Dick" - as the alleged FBI mole.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73074377Tue, 21 Jul 2026 13:00:02 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe KGB Walk‑In Who Named "Dick": A Hero or Double Agent? A decorated Soviet war hero walked into the FBI's New York office in Who 1962 and gave agents one word for a mole inside their ranks: "Dick." He claimed the KGB was meeting with an FBI...
A decorated Soviet war hero walked into the FBI's New York office in Who 1962 and gave agents one word for a mole inside their ranks: "Dick." He claimed the KGB was meeting with an FBI source and that person had passed American counterintelligence codes - but decades of searches and opened files still left the truth unresolved. Who was Kulak really, and what did that single name cost U.S. counterintelligence?

In this episode, we follow the life and claims of Aleksey Isidorovich Kulak, codename FEDORA, from his Who 27, 1922 birth in Moscow through his Soviet honors and later work in New York, and we trace how his walk‑in set off a long, disputed counterintelligence hunt that ended with new questions. What did Kulak know about the alleged mole "Dick," and why did his disclosure ripple for years through intelligence files and careers?

Person: Aleksey Isidorovich Kulak
Codename: FEDORA
Date of walk‑in: Who 1962
Award: Hero of the Soviet Union (May 15, 1946)
Occupation in 1963: Science attaché at the Soviet Union in New York

- Kulak was born on Who 27, 1922, in Moscow to Belarusian parents.
- He was drafted into the Red Army in August 1941 and trained in artillery in 1942.
- On May 15, 1946, he received the Hero of the Soviet Union, the Order of Lenin, and the Gold Star Medal.
- Kulak earned a Candidate of Chemical Sciences degree from D. Mendeleev University by 1953.
- In Who 1962 Kulak walked into the FBI's New York field office and named one word - "Dick" - as the alleged FBI mole.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1225falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/they-watched-everyone-how-xkeyscore-swallowed-the-internet--73074375
Twenty terabytes of data vanished every single day from collection points that could only hold a fraction of what they took in, and XKeyscore was the system swallowing it all. Documents disclosed in July 2013 show it ingested “full-take” internet traffic across hundreds of sites in allied countries - so who exactly was being watched, and how could such scale remain secret?

In this episode, we lay out the documented record of XKeyscore’s architecture, data flows, and the evidence that revealed its global reach. We trace how ordinary internet packets routed through foreign servers became part of a system that kept metadata for up to 30 days and content for only a few days, and ask what that reality meant for citizens and partners.

Person: Edward Snowden
Date: July 2013
Event: First confirmed public account of XKeyscore
Servers: more than 700 servers
Sites: roughly 150 collection sites

- The system collected "full-take" data, ingesting every packet passing a collection point before filtering.
- Metadata retention was up to 30 days while content was retained for 3 to 5 days, with some sites holding content for only 24 hours.
- By 2008 XKeyscore ran on over 700 servers distributed across about 150 sites including military bases, embassies, and allied facilities.
- Data sources included Special Collection Service, FORNSAT, Special Collection Operations with telecoms, spy planes, drones, TAO hacking, and FISA-authorized domestic collection.
- Edward Snowden, a 30-year-old NSA contractor, provided the documents that made XKeyscore's capabilities publicly known.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73074375Mon, 20 Jul 2026 19:26:22 +0000Creator at ObomediaThey Watched Everyone: How XKeyscore Swallowed the Internet Twenty terabytes of data vanished every single day from collection points that could only hold a fraction of what they took in, and XKeyscore was the system swallowing it all. Documents...
Twenty terabytes of data vanished every single day from collection points that could only hold a fraction of what they took in, and XKeyscore was the system swallowing it all. Documents disclosed in July 2013 show it ingested “full-take” internet traffic across hundreds of sites in allied countries - so who exactly was being watched, and how could such scale remain secret?

In this episode, we lay out the documented record of XKeyscore’s architecture, data flows, and the evidence that revealed its global reach. We trace how ordinary internet packets routed through foreign servers became part of a system that kept metadata for up to 30 days and content for only a few days, and ask what that reality meant for citizens and partners.

Person: Edward Snowden
Date: July 2013
Event: First confirmed public account of XKeyscore
Servers: more than 700 servers
Sites: roughly 150 collection sites

- The system collected "full-take" data, ingesting every packet passing a collection point before filtering.
- Metadata retention was up to 30 days while content was retained for 3 to 5 days, with some sites holding content for only 24 hours.
- By 2008 XKeyscore ran on over 700 servers distributed across about 150 sites including military bases, embassies, and allied facilities.
- Data sources included Special Collection Service, FORNSAT, Special Collection Operations with telecoms, spy planes, drones, TAO hacking, and FISA-authorized domestic collection.
- Edward Snowden, a 30-year-old NSA contractor, provided the documents that made XKeyscore's capabilities publicly known.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1243falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-button-camera-above-how-korea-s-bathrooms-became-surveillance-zones--73074374
A tiny button-sized camera in a department store ceiling in 1997 marked the start of molka - hidden-camera recordings that transformed bathrooms, changing rooms and motel rooms into surveillance zones. By 2018 there were 6,800 reported incidents in a single year; why did so many perpetrators escape prison and what happened between the first fixed installation and a nationwide outcry?

In this episode, we trace the origin of the word molka from a 1991-1992 TV prank show to a crime rooted in fixed installations, map how reporting rose from 1,100 cases in 2010 to 6,800 in 2018, and ask how laws and enforcement lagged behind a new form of harm that turned ordinary space into evidence. What did the gap between public knowledge and legal consequence produce?

Person: victims who discovered cameras in stalls, motel rooms, changing rooms
Date: first documented fixed installation in 1997
Location: women’s bathroom inside a department store in Sinchon, South Korea
Event: 6,800 reported molka incidents in 2018
Status: 31.5% processing rate for molka cases in 2016; 8.7% received prison sentences between 2012-2017

- The smallest camera was the size of a shirt button hidden in ceiling tiles in 1997.
- The TV program “mollae-kamera” ran roughly from 1991 to 1992 and gave rise to the word molka.
- Reported molka cases rose from about 1,100 in 2010 to roughly 1,400 in 2011.
- By 2016 the processing rate for molka cases was 31.5%, and between 2012-2017 only 8.7% of prosecuted cases resulted in prison sentences.
- In September 2018 the Seoul Metropolitan Government assigned 8,000 employees in response to the molka epidemic.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73074374Mon, 20 Jul 2026 19:26:19 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Button Camera Above: How Korea's Bathrooms Became Surveillance Zones A tiny button-sized camera in a department store ceiling in 1997 marked the start of molka - hidden-camera recordings that transformed bathrooms, changing rooms and motel...
A tiny button-sized camera in a department store ceiling in 1997 marked the start of molka - hidden-camera recordings that transformed bathrooms, changing rooms and motel rooms into surveillance zones. By 2018 there were 6,800 reported incidents in a single year; why did so many perpetrators escape prison and what happened between the first fixed installation and a nationwide outcry?

In this episode, we trace the origin of the word molka from a 1991-1992 TV prank show to a crime rooted in fixed installations, map how reporting rose from 1,100 cases in 2010 to 6,800 in 2018, and ask how laws and enforcement lagged behind a new form of harm that turned ordinary space into evidence. What did the gap between public knowledge and legal consequence produce?

Person: victims who discovered cameras in stalls, motel rooms, changing rooms
Date: first documented fixed installation in 1997
Location: women’s bathroom inside a department store in Sinchon, South Korea
Event: 6,800 reported molka incidents in 2018
Status: 31.5% processing rate for molka cases in 2016; 8.7% received prison sentences between 2012-2017

- The smallest camera was the size of a shirt button hidden in ceiling tiles in 1997.
- The TV program “mollae-kamera” ran roughly from 1991 to 1992 and gave rise to the word molka.
- Reported molka cases rose from about 1,100 in 2010 to roughly 1,400 in 2011.
- By 2016 the processing rate for molka cases was 31.5%, and between 2012-2017 only 8.7% of prosecuted cases resulted in prison sentences.
- In September 2018 the Seoul Metropolitan Government assigned 8,000 employees in response to the molka epidemic.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1019falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/midnight-bombs-in-auckland-how-france-sank-the-rainbow-warrior--73074373
The midnight blast that tore the hull of the Rainbow Warrior happened in a civilian Auckland harbour on 10 July 1985 - a NATO ally, France, later admitted state responsibility and paid the equivalent of 115 million francs. How did a fishing trawler turned protest ship end up targeted by military-grade explosives in peacetime, and who ordered the operation?

In this episode, we lay out the timeline from the ship’s origins as a 1955 trawler to its Greenpeace refit and final missions, describe the infiltration and three-team DGSE operation in Auckland, and follow the immediate New Zealand homicide inquiry that sought to answer who gave the order.

Person: Fernando Pereira
Date: 10 July 1985
Location: Auckland, New Zealand
Event: Bombing of the Rainbow Warrior
Amount: 115 million francs

- The first explosion occurred just before midnight; a second, larger device detonated later and sank the ship.
- The Rainbow Warrior was purchased by Greenpeace UK in 1977 for £37,000 and relaunched on 2 May 1978.
- Three hundred Marshall Islanders were relocated by the Rainbow Warrior from Rongelap Atoll in May 1985.
- Three operational teams (intelligence, logistics, and water) were deployed by the DGSE according to a former director.
- Eleven people survived the attack; one crew member, Dutch photographer Fernando Pereira, died after returning below decks to retrieve his cameras.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73074373Mon, 20 Jul 2026 19:26:16 +0000Creator at ObomediaMidnight Bombs in Auckland: How France Sank the Rainbow Warrior The midnight blast that tore the hull of the Rainbow Warrior happened in a civilian Auckland harbour on 10 July 1985 - a NATO ally, France, later admitted state responsibility and paid...
The midnight blast that tore the hull of the Rainbow Warrior happened in a civilian Auckland harbour on 10 July 1985 - a NATO ally, France, later admitted state responsibility and paid the equivalent of 115 million francs. How did a fishing trawler turned protest ship end up targeted by military-grade explosives in peacetime, and who ordered the operation?

In this episode, we lay out the timeline from the ship’s origins as a 1955 trawler to its Greenpeace refit and final missions, describe the infiltration and three-team DGSE operation in Auckland, and follow the immediate New Zealand homicide inquiry that sought to answer who gave the order.

Person: Fernando Pereira
Date: 10 July 1985
Location: Auckland, New Zealand
Event: Bombing of the Rainbow Warrior
Amount: 115 million francs

- The first explosion occurred just before midnight; a second, larger device detonated later and sank the ship.
- The Rainbow Warrior was purchased by Greenpeace UK in 1977 for £37,000 and relaunched on 2 May 1978.
- Three hundred Marshall Islanders were relocated by the Rainbow Warrior from Rongelap Atoll in May 1985.
- Three operational teams (intelligence, logistics, and water) were deployed by the DGSE according to a former director.
- Eleven people survived the attack; one crew member, Dutch photographer Fernando Pereira, died after returning below decks to retrieve his cameras.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>976falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-wastepaper-trap-how-a-torn-note-ruined-a-man-s-life--73074372
A torn memorandum found in a German Embassy wastebasket led within weeks to the arrest of Captain Alfred Dreyfus, the public breaking of his sword, and his exile to Devil's Island - all based on a six-piece bordereau that named no individual. How did a reassembled scrap of paper become the cornerstone of a conviction that the Army would protect for years?

In this episode, we tell the sequence of events from the discovery of the torn papers to the secret court-martial and public degradation, tracing the roles of the cleaning woman who collected the fragments, the intelligence officer who reassembled them, and the military procedures that followed. What choices and biases turned that bordereau into an irreversible judgment?

Person: Alfred Dreyfus
Date: January 5, 1895
Location: École Militaire courtyard, Paris
Event: Public stripping of rank and exile to Devil's Island
Document: Bordereau composed of six torn pieces

- Six torn pieces of paper were retrieved from the wastepaper basket of Maximilian von Schwartzkoppen.
- The bordereau listed French military secrets including artillery manuals and troop deployment procedures.
- Alfred Dreyfus was thirty-five years old and an artillery captain on the French General Staff in 1894.
- A secret file was shown to the military judges but kept from Dreyfus and his lawyers during the December court-martial.
- On January 5, 1895, Dreyfus was publicly stripped of his rank, his sword broken, and later transported to Devil's Island.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73074372Mon, 20 Jul 2026 19:26:13 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Wastepaper Trap: How a Torn Note Ruined a Man's Life A torn memorandum found in a German Embassy wastebasket led within weeks to the arrest of Captain Alfred Dreyfus, the public breaking of his sword, and his exile to Devil's Island - all based...
A torn memorandum found in a German Embassy wastebasket led within weeks to the arrest of Captain Alfred Dreyfus, the public breaking of his sword, and his exile to Devil's Island - all based on a six-piece bordereau that named no individual. How did a reassembled scrap of paper become the cornerstone of a conviction that the Army would protect for years?

In this episode, we tell the sequence of events from the discovery of the torn papers to the secret court-martial and public degradation, tracing the roles of the cleaning woman who collected the fragments, the intelligence officer who reassembled them, and the military procedures that followed. What choices and biases turned that bordereau into an irreversible judgment?

Person: Alfred Dreyfus
Date: January 5, 1895
Location: École Militaire courtyard, Paris
Event: Public stripping of rank and exile to Devil's Island
Document: Bordereau composed of six torn pieces

- Six torn pieces of paper were retrieved from the wastepaper basket of Maximilian von Schwartzkoppen.
- The bordereau listed French military secrets including artillery manuals and troop deployment procedures.
- Alfred Dreyfus was thirty-five years old and an artillery captain on the French General Staff in 1894.
- A secret file was shown to the military judges but kept from Dreyfus and his lawyers during the December court-martial.
- On January 5, 1895, Dreyfus was publicly stripped of his rank, his sword broken, and later transported to Devil's Island.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1253falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/he-killed-for-the-ira-and-spied-for-britain-the-stakeknife-secret--73074368
A man who ran the IRA’s internal unit for hunting and executing suspected informants was simultaneously one of Britain’s most valuable assets, reportedly paid £80,000 a year - so how many killings did that secret cover up? The recording made in a Culloden Hotel car park in 1993 captured him naming names, but investigators later said that tape was among the least damaging things he ever said.

In this episode, we tell the story of Freddie Scappaticci, the man codenamed Stakeknife, and outline the timeline and institutions involved in the allegation that he led the Nutting Squad while working for British intelligence. What did his position cost the communities around him, and why did the British government refuse to answer questions about the arrangement for decades?

Person: Freddie Scappaticci
Codename: Stakeknife
Event: Recording at Culloden Hotel car park on August 26, 1993
Investigation: Operation Kenova (established June 2016)
Reported payment: £80,000 per year

- Born January 12, 1946, in the Markets district of Belfast
- Interned at Long Kesh in 1971 at age 25
- Ran the IRA’s Internal Security Unit known as the Nutting Squad by approximately 1980
- The Nutting Squad’s method of execution was a single shot to the head
- The claim he was a paid British asset was reported by The Guardian and investigated by Operation Kenova

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73074368Mon, 20 Jul 2026 19:26:10 +0000Creator at ObomediaHe Killed for the IRA - And Spied for Britain: The Stakeknife Secret A man who ran the IRA’s internal unit for hunting and executing suspected informants was simultaneously one of Britain’s most valuable assets, reportedly paid £80,000 a year - so...
A man who ran the IRA’s internal unit for hunting and executing suspected informants was simultaneously one of Britain’s most valuable assets, reportedly paid £80,000 a year - so how many killings did that secret cover up? The recording made in a Culloden Hotel car park in 1993 captured him naming names, but investigators later said that tape was among the least damaging things he ever said.

In this episode, we tell the story of Freddie Scappaticci, the man codenamed Stakeknife, and outline the timeline and institutions involved in the allegation that he led the Nutting Squad while working for British intelligence. What did his position cost the communities around him, and why did the British government refuse to answer questions about the arrangement for decades?

Person: Freddie Scappaticci
Codename: Stakeknife
Event: Recording at Culloden Hotel car park on August 26, 1993
Investigation: Operation Kenova (established June 2016)
Reported payment: £80,000 per year

- Born January 12, 1946, in the Markets district of Belfast
- Interned at Long Kesh in 1971 at age 25
- Ran the IRA’s Internal Security Unit known as the Nutting Squad by approximately 1980
- The Nutting Squad’s method of execution was a single shot to the head
- The claim he was a paid British asset was reported by The Guardian and investigated by Operation Kenova

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1176falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/burning-flag-silent-orders-the-uss-liberty-s-23-minute-cover-up--73074367
A United States Navy ship burned in the Mediterranean for nearly 23 minutes on June 8, 1967, after being attacked by the armed forces of a close ally while flying a large American flag - 34 sailors were killed and the official explanation called it a mistake. The surveillance flights, intercepted radio traffic, a recovered life raft, and the inquiry chief counsel’s later affidavit saying the conclusion was preordained make the official story deeply contested; how did a tracked, marked, slow-moving signals-intelligence ship become erased and attacked?

In this episode, we lay out the documented timeline and the onboard realities: who was on the USS Liberty, what her mission and defenses were, how Israeli aircraft and motor torpedo boats engaged her, and which records were changed or disappeared - and whether the inquiry’s outcome was ordered in advance.

Person: Captain William L. McGonagle
Date: June 8, 1967
Location: Eastern Mediterranean, north of the Sinai Peninsula
Ship: USS Liberty (GTR-5, formerly Simmons Victory)
Deaths: 34 sailors

- The Liberty displaced 7,725 long tons and carried four .50-caliber machine guns.
- At 02:02 PM on June 8, 1967, the ship was under attack for nearly 23 minutes.
- An Israeli coastal command first logged the Liberty at 05:45 AM and marked it as a U.S. supply ship within 15 minutes.
- At 09:00 AM the Liberty’s marker was changed from red to green; by 11:00 AM the marker was removed as “outdated.”
- Mirages attacked at 13:57, killing 8 immediately and wounding 75 in the first pass; two Super Mystères later used napalm.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73074367Mon, 20 Jul 2026 19:26:07 +0000Creator at ObomediaBurning Flag, Silent Orders: The USS Liberty's 23-Minute Cover-Up A United States Navy ship burned in the Mediterranean for nearly 23 minutes on June 8, 1967, after being attacked by the armed forces of a close ally while flying a large American...
A United States Navy ship burned in the Mediterranean for nearly 23 minutes on June 8, 1967, after being attacked by the armed forces of a close ally while flying a large American flag - 34 sailors were killed and the official explanation called it a mistake. The surveillance flights, intercepted radio traffic, a recovered life raft, and the inquiry chief counsel’s later affidavit saying the conclusion was preordained make the official story deeply contested; how did a tracked, marked, slow-moving signals-intelligence ship become erased and attacked?

In this episode, we lay out the documented timeline and the onboard realities: who was on the USS Liberty, what her mission and defenses were, how Israeli aircraft and motor torpedo boats engaged her, and which records were changed or disappeared - and whether the inquiry’s outcome was ordered in advance.

Person: Captain William L. McGonagle
Date: June 8, 1967
Location: Eastern Mediterranean, north of the Sinai Peninsula
Ship: USS Liberty (GTR-5, formerly Simmons Victory)
Deaths: 34 sailors

- The Liberty displaced 7,725 long tons and carried four .50-caliber machine guns.
- At 02:02 PM on June 8, 1967, the ship was under attack for nearly 23 minutes.
- An Israeli coastal command first logged the Liberty at 05:45 AM and marked it as a U.S. supply ship within 15 minutes.
- At 09:00 AM the Liberty’s marker was changed from red to green; by 11:00 AM the marker was removed as “outdated.”
- Mirages attacked at 13:57, killing 8 immediately and wounding 75 in the first pass; two Super Mystères later used napalm.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1108falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/they-sold-a-spy-contract-and-the-targets-opened-the-drawer--73074366
A 287,000-euro contract listing tools, timelines, and targets sat unopened in a Cairo filing cabinet - until the very people named in it forced it open and read every page. How did a UK-registered company sell software that could turn a phone into a listening device across continents, and who ultimately paid for months of recorded private conversations?

In this episode, we trace the contract found in an Egyptian government office, the company behind the spyware, and the gaps that let powerful clients buy remote access to other peoples' devices. What the episode covers is the contract itself, the corporate structure that hid ownership, the technical exploits used for infection, and the legal fallout that followed.

Person: Martin J. Muench
Company: Gamma International / Gamma GmbH
Product: FinFisher
Value: €287,000
Researchers: Citizen Lab, University of Toronto

- The contract inside the Cairo filing cabinet was worth 287,000 euros and listed tools, timelines, and targets.
- Gamma International marketed FinFisher as "remote monitoring and deployment solutions" compatible with Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS, Android, and BlackBerry.
- FinFisher's brochures and support listed six languages: Arabic, English, German, French, Portuguese, and Russian.
- A known vulnerability in Apple's iTunes component used by Gamma for infection went unpatched for three years.
- Citizen Lab mapped FinFisher command-and-control servers to countries including Bahrain, Ethiopia, United Arab Emirates, and Turkmenistan.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73074366Mon, 20 Jul 2026 19:26:04 +0000Creator at ObomediaThey Sold a Spy Contract-And the Targets Opened the Drawer A 287,000-euro contract listing tools, timelines, and targets sat unopened in a Cairo filing cabinet - until the very people named in it forced it open and read every page. How did a...
A 287,000-euro contract listing tools, timelines, and targets sat unopened in a Cairo filing cabinet - until the very people named in it forced it open and read every page. How did a UK-registered company sell software that could turn a phone into a listening device across continents, and who ultimately paid for months of recorded private conversations?

In this episode, we trace the contract found in an Egyptian government office, the company behind the spyware, and the gaps that let powerful clients buy remote access to other peoples' devices. What the episode covers is the contract itself, the corporate structure that hid ownership, the technical exploits used for infection, and the legal fallout that followed.

Person: Martin J. Muench
Company: Gamma International / Gamma GmbH
Product: FinFisher
Value: €287,000
Researchers: Citizen Lab, University of Toronto

- The contract inside the Cairo filing cabinet was worth 287,000 euros and listed tools, timelines, and targets.
- Gamma International marketed FinFisher as "remote monitoring and deployment solutions" compatible with Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS, Android, and BlackBerry.
- FinFisher's brochures and support listed six languages: Arabic, English, German, French, Portuguese, and Russian.
- A known vulnerability in Apple's iTunes component used by Gamma for infection went unpatched for three years.
- Citizen Lab mapped FinFisher command-and-control servers to countries including Bahrain, Ethiopia, United Arab Emirates, and Turkmenistan.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1022falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-fox-called-silver-unseen-execution-ten-identities-one-secret--73074363
Danger hides in the smallest official phrase: "The case has been brought to a conclusion." A man born Józef Lis slipped through four continents, at least ten identities, and left behind only a cartridge of records and a single bureaucratic line - but later investigation says he died before a firing squad. How did a tailor's son become a man who could be both jailed in Sing and hired as a special agent - and who executed the final vanishing act?

In this episode, we map the life recorded in registers, prison ledgers, and police files to follow Józef Lis from Kielce to London, New York, Pittsburgh, and back to London, and ask what it means when identity is a made thing and crime is the clearest archive of a life. Can the fragments of bureaucracy and the choices he made explain how he became "Silver"?

Person: Józef Lis (also known as Joseph Silver)
Date: Born 1868, passport issued 14 August 1884, arrested in New York 1889, released 12 October 1891
Location: Kielce (birth), Whitechapel/London, Lower East Side/New York, Pittsburgh, Waterloo/London
Event: Hired as special agent for the Society for the Prevention of Crime after 1891 prison term

- Born in 1868 in Kielce as the third of nine children to Anzelm and Hanna.
- Left Kielce at age 16; passport issued on 14 August 1884 in the name of Józef Lis.
- Arrived in London's East End by 1885 at age 17 and cultivated relationships with corrupt police officers.
- Arrived in New York in 1889, convicted for stealing $1.50 and a silk shawl, and served two years in Sing, released 12 October 1891.
- Within weeks of release in 1891 he was hired as a special agent for the Society for the Prevention of Crime and by 1895 had returned to London and established a brothel near Waterloo.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73074363Mon, 20 Jul 2026 19:26:01 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Fox Called Silver: Unseen Execution, Ten Identities, One Secret Danger hides in the smallest official phrase: "The case has been brought to a conclusion." A man born Józef Lis slipped through four continents, at least ten identities, and left...
Danger hides in the smallest official phrase: "The case has been brought to a conclusion." A man born Józef Lis slipped through four continents, at least ten identities, and left behind only a cartridge of records and a single bureaucratic line - but later investigation says he died before a firing squad. How did a tailor's son become a man who could be both jailed in Sing and hired as a special agent - and who executed the final vanishing act?

In this episode, we map the life recorded in registers, prison ledgers, and police files to follow Józef Lis from Kielce to London, New York, Pittsburgh, and back to London, and ask what it means when identity is a made thing and crime is the clearest archive of a life. Can the fragments of bureaucracy and the choices he made explain how he became "Silver"?

Person: Józef Lis (also known as Joseph Silver)
Date: Born 1868, passport issued 14 August 1884, arrested in New York 1889, released 12 October 1891
Location: Kielce (birth), Whitechapel/London, Lower East Side/New York, Pittsburgh, Waterloo/London
Event: Hired as special agent for the Society for the Prevention of Crime after 1891 prison term

- Born in 1868 in Kielce as the third of nine children to Anzelm and Hanna.
- Left Kielce at age 16; passport issued on 14 August 1884 in the name of Józef Lis.
- Arrived in London's East End by 1885 at age 17 and cultivated relationships with corrupt police officers.
- Arrived in New York in 1889, convicted for stealing $1.50 and a silk shawl, and served two years in Sing, released 12 October 1891.
- Within weeks of release in 1891 he was hired as a special agent for the Society for the Prevention of Crime and by 1895 had returned to London and established a brothel near Waterloo.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1027falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/half-of-all-murder-convictions-overturned-by-dna-involved-a-jailhouse-informant-who-lied--73074361
Half of all murder convictions later cleared by DNA involved testimony from a jailhouse informant who lied; that figure comes from the Innocence Project and means someone convicted of murder was put away by testimony bought with leverage, not truth. How did a system that trades cooperation for freedom become a primary cause of wrongful convictions, and who pays the price?

In this episode, we describe how confidential informants function under United States law, trace the historical and linguistic roots of informant culture, and follow cases that show the system's incentives in action. What happens when cooperation becomes currency and the buyers decide what it is worth?

Source: Innocence Project
Person: Richard Wershe Jr.
Person: Nicola Gobbo (Informant 3838)
Date: 2020 (Royal Commission report release)
Law: Michigan 650 Lifer Law

- 50% of murder convictions overturned by DNA involved a jailhouse informant, according to the Innocence Project.
- Richard Wershe Jr. was recruited as an FBI informant at age 14 and was later sentenced under Michigan's 650 Lifer Law.
- Michigan's 650 Lifer Law mandated life imprisonment for possession of more than 650 grams of cocaine.
- Tim Allen was arrested in 1978 with over 650 grams of cocaine and received a reduced sentence of three to seven years, serving two years and four months.
- The Royal Commission on Nicola Gobbo released its findings in 2020, calling her conduct and her handlers' actions a substantial perversion of the course of justice.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73074361Mon, 20 Jul 2026 19:25:58 +0000Creator at ObomediaHalf of all murder convictions overturned by DNA involved a jailhouse informant who lied Half of all murder convictions later cleared by DNA involved testimony from a jailhouse informant who lied; that figure comes from the Innocence Project and...
Half of all murder convictions later cleared by DNA involved testimony from a jailhouse informant who lied; that figure comes from the Innocence Project and means someone convicted of murder was put away by testimony bought with leverage, not truth. How did a system that trades cooperation for freedom become a primary cause of wrongful convictions, and who pays the price?

In this episode, we describe how confidential informants function under United States law, trace the historical and linguistic roots of informant culture, and follow cases that show the system's incentives in action. What happens when cooperation becomes currency and the buyers decide what it is worth?

Source: Innocence Project
Person: Richard Wershe Jr.
Person: Nicola Gobbo (Informant 3838)
Date: 2020 (Royal Commission report release)
Law: Michigan 650 Lifer Law

- 50% of murder convictions overturned by DNA involved a jailhouse informant, according to the Innocence Project.
- Richard Wershe Jr. was recruited as an FBI informant at age 14 and was later sentenced under Michigan's 650 Lifer Law.
- Michigan's 650 Lifer Law mandated life imprisonment for possession of more than 650 grams of cocaine.
- Tim Allen was arrested in 1978 with over 650 grams of cocaine and received a reduced sentence of three to seven years, serving two years and four months.
- The Royal Commission on Nicola Gobbo released its findings in 2020, calling her conduct and her handlers' actions a substantial perversion of the course of justice.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1195falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/he-sat-at-marlowe-s-death-the-spy-who-vanished-without-a-grave--73074359
A dying man accused his closest companion in a final letter and asked only for a diamond ring back - not his freedom or honour. Robert Poley moved from Clare College sizar to a paid intelligence asset who sat among conspirators, penetrated Mary Queen of Scots’ communications, and was present at Christopher Marlowe’s fatal meeting; so why does he vanish from every record of death or charge?

In this episode, we tell the documented trajectory of Robert Poley using surviving warrants, payment records, inquest documents and contemporary letters, showing how he was placed inside Catholic circles, delivered secret correspondence to Francis Walsingham, and earned the trust of Anthony Babington - but left without a grave or death date. How did a man trusted by conspirators become the most effective intelligence agent of Elizabethan England and then simply disappear?

Person: Robert Poley
Period: late 16th century (1550s-1580s)
Location: London (Marshalsea Prison; Seething Lane)
Event: Babington conspiracy and delivery of letters to Mary Queen of Scots
Source: surviving warrants, payment records, inquest documents, contemporary letters

- Born in the early 1550s with no surviving birth record and matriculated at Clare College, Cambridge in Autumn 1568 as a sizar.
- Married Watson’s daughter and baptized a daughter named Anne in April 1583.
- Placed in Marshalsea Prison in 1583 by Francis Walsingham as part of an intelligence operation and released in May 1584.
- Sent as a "special messenger" to Paris in June 1585 to contact Thomas Morgan and returned around 10 July 1585.
- Named in Thomas Morgan’s January 1586 letter as being ordinarily within Lady Sidney’s household at Seething Lane, linking him to Walsingham’s residence.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73074359Mon, 20 Jul 2026 19:25:55 +0000Creator at ObomediaHe Sat at Marlowe's Death - The Spy Who Vanished Without a Grave A dying man accused his closest companion in a final letter and asked only for a diamond ring back - not his freedom or honour. Robert Poley moved from Clare College sizar to a paid...
A dying man accused his closest companion in a final letter and asked only for a diamond ring back - not his freedom or honour. Robert Poley moved from Clare College sizar to a paid intelligence asset who sat among conspirators, penetrated Mary Queen of Scots’ communications, and was present at Christopher Marlowe’s fatal meeting; so why does he vanish from every record of death or charge?

In this episode, we tell the documented trajectory of Robert Poley using surviving warrants, payment records, inquest documents and contemporary letters, showing how he was placed inside Catholic circles, delivered secret correspondence to Francis Walsingham, and earned the trust of Anthony Babington - but left without a grave or death date. How did a man trusted by conspirators become the most effective intelligence agent of Elizabethan England and then simply disappear?

Person: Robert Poley
Period: late 16th century (1550s-1580s)
Location: London (Marshalsea Prison; Seething Lane)
Event: Babington conspiracy and delivery of letters to Mary Queen of Scots
Source: surviving warrants, payment records, inquest documents, contemporary letters

- Born in the early 1550s with no surviving birth record and matriculated at Clare College, Cambridge in Autumn 1568 as a sizar.
- Married Watson’s daughter and baptized a daughter named Anne in April 1583.
- Placed in Marshalsea Prison in 1583 by Francis Walsingham as part of an intelligence operation and released in May 1584.
- Sent as a "special messenger" to Paris in June 1585 to contact Thomas Morgan and returned around 10 July 1585.
- Named in Thomas Morgan’s January 1586 letter as being ordinarily within Lady Sidney’s household at Seething Lane, linking him to Walsingham’s residence.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1139falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-man-who-sold-west-germany-inside-felfe-s-double-life--73074357
Danger lived in plain sight: on November 6, 1961, agents searching an apartment found 300 microfilms, 20 audio tapes, and 15,000 classified documents hidden in the home of West Germany’s counter-espionage chief - who had been working for the KGB for years. How did Heinz Paul Johann Felfe move from Nazi investigator to MI6 collaborator to Soviet asset while rising to a position that put him in charge of rooting out the very spies he served?

In this episode, we follow the documented trail of Felfe’s career from his birth in Dresden through his service in multiple intelligence services, and we lay out the concrete breaches and documents that reveal the scale of his duplicity. What decisions and contacts allowed an officer codenamed Paul and Friesen to funnel the West’s secrets eastward?

Person: Heinz Paul Johann Felfe
Date: born March 18, 1918; apartment search November 6, 1961
Country: West Germany
Case: penetrated Gehlen Organization / Bundesnachrichtendienst for the KGB
Codename(s): Paul (KGB), Friesen (Gehlen Organization)

- Agents found 300 microfilms, 20 audio tapes, and 15,000 classified documents in Felfe’s apartment on November 6, 1961.
- Felfe held NSDAP membership number 3,710,348 and SS number 286,288.
- He was posted to Switzerland in 1943 on an SD assignment and served in the Netherlands in December 1944 organizing subversive groups.
- MI6 recruited him in late 1946 and dropped him in April 1950 after suspecting contact with Soviet handlers.
- Ninety-four West German field officers’ identities, including the chief of the Bangkok station, were disclosed through files Felfe accessed.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73074357Mon, 20 Jul 2026 19:25:53 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Man Who Sold West Germany: Inside Felfe's Double Life Danger lived in plain sight: on November 6, 1961, agents searching an apartment found 300 microfilms, 20 audio tapes, and 15,000 classified documents hidden in the home of West Germany’s...
Danger lived in plain sight: on November 6, 1961, agents searching an apartment found 300 microfilms, 20 audio tapes, and 15,000 classified documents hidden in the home of West Germany’s counter-espionage chief - who had been working for the KGB for years. How did Heinz Paul Johann Felfe move from Nazi investigator to MI6 collaborator to Soviet asset while rising to a position that put him in charge of rooting out the very spies he served?

In this episode, we follow the documented trail of Felfe’s career from his birth in Dresden through his service in multiple intelligence services, and we lay out the concrete breaches and documents that reveal the scale of his duplicity. What decisions and contacts allowed an officer codenamed Paul and Friesen to funnel the West’s secrets eastward?

Person: Heinz Paul Johann Felfe
Date: born March 18, 1918; apartment search November 6, 1961
Country: West Germany
Case: penetrated Gehlen Organization / Bundesnachrichtendienst for the KGB
Codename(s): Paul (KGB), Friesen (Gehlen Organization)

- Agents found 300 microfilms, 20 audio tapes, and 15,000 classified documents in Felfe’s apartment on November 6, 1961.
- Felfe held NSDAP membership number 3,710,348 and SS number 286,288.
- He was posted to Switzerland in 1943 on an SD assignment and served in the Netherlands in December 1944 organizing subversive groups.
- MI6 recruited him in late 1946 and dropped him in April 1950 after suspecting contact with Soviet handlers.
- Ninety-four West German field officers’ identities, including the chief of the Bangkok station, were disclosed through files Felfe accessed.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1140falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-general-who-buried-fifty-drums-and-sold-them-to-america--73074355
The buried drums were watertight and contained microfilmed files on Soviet military power-fifty sealed containers hidden in the Austrian Alps in spring 1945, then handed to the U.S. within weeks. How did a dismissed German general with no country secure his future by trading that archive, and did the West ever fully understand what it bought?

In this episode, you will hear the documented record of Reinhard Gehlen’s transition from Wehrmacht general to the architect of a Cold War intelligence network, the burial and recovery of fifty drums of microfilm, and the administrative erasure that let him “cease to exist” on paper. What followed was a transaction that reshaped postwar Western intelligence-so who did the West really recruit?

Person: Reinhard Gehlen
Date: May 22, 1945
Location: Austrian Alps
Event: Fifty watertight drums of microfilmed files buried and later recovered
Case: Administrative removal from prisoner of war lists

- Gehlen buried fifty sealed, watertight containers of microfilmed intelligence in the spring of 1945.
- Gehlen surrendered to the American Counter Intelligence Corps on May 22, 1945.
- Captain John R. Boker removed Gehlen’s name from official prisoner of war lists, causing him to “cease to exist” on paper.
- Gehlen’s section, Fremde Heere Ost, produced more than 10,000 reports on Soviet movements between 1942 and 1945.
- Gehlen retired in 1968 with a full pension and no criminal charges.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73074355Mon, 20 Jul 2026 19:25:49 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe General Who Buried Fifty Drums-and Sold Them to America The buried drums were watertight and contained microfilmed files on Soviet military power-fifty sealed containers hidden in the Austrian Alps in spring 1945, then handed to the U.S. within...
The buried drums were watertight and contained microfilmed files on Soviet military power-fifty sealed containers hidden in the Austrian Alps in spring 1945, then handed to the U.S. within weeks. How did a dismissed German general with no country secure his future by trading that archive, and did the West ever fully understand what it bought?

In this episode, you will hear the documented record of Reinhard Gehlen’s transition from Wehrmacht general to the architect of a Cold War intelligence network, the burial and recovery of fifty drums of microfilm, and the administrative erasure that let him “cease to exist” on paper. What followed was a transaction that reshaped postwar Western intelligence-so who did the West really recruit?

Person: Reinhard Gehlen
Date: May 22, 1945
Location: Austrian Alps
Event: Fifty watertight drums of microfilmed files buried and later recovered
Case: Administrative removal from prisoner of war lists

- Gehlen buried fifty sealed, watertight containers of microfilmed intelligence in the spring of 1945.
- Gehlen surrendered to the American Counter Intelligence Corps on May 22, 1945.
- Captain John R. Boker removed Gehlen’s name from official prisoner of war lists, causing him to “cease to exist” on paper.
- Gehlen’s section, Fremde Heere Ost, produced more than 10,000 reports on Soviet movements between 1942 and 1945.
- Gehlen retired in 1968 with a full pension and no criminal charges.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1127falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-man-who-smuggled-spain-s-510-tons-of-gold-and-vanished--73074354
A single operation moved 510 tonnes of Spain’s gold out of Madrid during the civil war, loaded onto four Russian steamers and sent to Odessa - and the man who oversaw it then disappeared from public view. How did a career spy with at least seven identities, born Leiba Leyzerovich Leyzerovich in 1895, come to carry the fourth-largest gold reserve in the world across wartime Europe, and what became of him afterward?

In this episode, we follow his life from Bobruisk to Moscow, through European postings and back again, and through the nights in 1936 when the gold left Spain. What part did he truly play in the transfer, and how did that mission reshape his career and legacy?

Person: Leiba Leyzerovich Leyzerovich
Date of birth: 1895
Event: Transfer of 510 tonnes of Banco de España gold
Location: Madrid to Cartagena to Odessa
Award: Order of Lenin

- He was born in Bobruisk in 1895 and grew up in an Orthodox Jewish family.
- He entered the Lazarev Institute, then Moscow University, and later joined the Imperial Russian Army.
- He first arrived in the United States in September 1932 on the SS Europa and left as William Goldin on November 30, 1932 aboard the SS Bremen.
- He arrived in Madrid on September 16, 1936, six weeks into the Spanish Civil War.
- Over four nights, convoys moved 510 tonnes of Spanish gold from the Banco de España to Cartagena and loaded it onto four Russian steamers bound for Odessa.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73074354Mon, 20 Jul 2026 19:25:46 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Man Who Smuggled Spain's 510 Tons of Gold-and Vanished A single operation moved 510 tonnes of Spain’s gold out of Madrid during the civil war, loaded onto four Russian steamers and sent to Odessa - and the man who oversaw it then disappeared...
A single operation moved 510 tonnes of Spain’s gold out of Madrid during the civil war, loaded onto four Russian steamers and sent to Odessa - and the man who oversaw it then disappeared from public view. How did a career spy with at least seven identities, born Leiba Leyzerovich Leyzerovich in 1895, come to carry the fourth-largest gold reserve in the world across wartime Europe, and what became of him afterward?

In this episode, we follow his life from Bobruisk to Moscow, through European postings and back again, and through the nights in 1936 when the gold left Spain. What part did he truly play in the transfer, and how did that mission reshape his career and legacy?

Person: Leiba Leyzerovich Leyzerovich
Date of birth: 1895
Event: Transfer of 510 tonnes of Banco de España gold
Location: Madrid to Cartagena to Odessa
Award: Order of Lenin

- He was born in Bobruisk in 1895 and grew up in an Orthodox Jewish family.
- He entered the Lazarev Institute, then Moscow University, and later joined the Imperial Russian Army.
- He first arrived in the United States in September 1932 on the SS Europa and left as William Goldin on November 30, 1932 aboard the SS Bremen.
- He arrived in Madrid on September 16, 1936, six weeks into the Spanish Civil War.
- Over four nights, convoys moved 510 tonnes of Spanish gold from the Banco de España to Cartagena and loaded it onto four Russian steamers bound for Odessa.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1130falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-hidden-harvard-spy-who-betrayed-empires-and-survived-beijing--73074353
A man with two PhDs, a Harvard pedigree, and a Peking University chair lived a double life for decades: secretly running Comintern intelligence across Shanghai, Tokyo, New York, and Hong Kong while leaving almost no public trace. How did Chen Hansheng carry out operations that connected to Richard Sorge’s celebrated spy ring and still die in Beijing under the government he had served and betrayed?

In this episode, we trace Chen Hansheng’s journey from Wuxi to Pomona, Chicago, Harvard, and Berlin, and back to Peking University, outlining the roles he played inside four political eras and the critical question that follows his long life: why was the state he served the one to deliver his most devastating blow?

Person: Chen Hansheng
Date of birth: February 5, 1897
Date of death: March 13, 2004
Affiliation: Comintern
Institution: Peking University

- Chen earned a Bachelor of Arts from Pomona College in 1920 and was Phi Beta Kappa.
- He completed a doctorate at Harvard after arriving there in spring 1922 and a second doctorate at Berlin University around 1923.
- He was recruited into the Comintern in 1924 by Li Dazhao and kept the membership secret for approximately 25 years.
- Beginning in 1924 he served as a professor at Peking University and joined Academia Sinica's Institute of Social Science Research before age 30.
- In the 1930s he worked within Richard Sorge’s Shanghai network to gather Japanese military intentions and collaborated with journalist Ozaki Hozumi.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73074353Mon, 20 Jul 2026 19:25:43 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Hidden Harvard Spy Who Betrayed Empires and Survived Beijing A man with two PhDs, a Harvard pedigree, and a Peking University chair lived a double life for decades: secretly running Comintern intelligence across Shanghai, Tokyo, New York, and...
A man with two PhDs, a Harvard pedigree, and a Peking University chair lived a double life for decades: secretly running Comintern intelligence across Shanghai, Tokyo, New York, and Hong Kong while leaving almost no public trace. How did Chen Hansheng carry out operations that connected to Richard Sorge’s celebrated spy ring and still die in Beijing under the government he had served and betrayed?

In this episode, we trace Chen Hansheng’s journey from Wuxi to Pomona, Chicago, Harvard, and Berlin, and back to Peking University, outlining the roles he played inside four political eras and the critical question that follows his long life: why was the state he served the one to deliver his most devastating blow?

Person: Chen Hansheng
Date of birth: February 5, 1897
Date of death: March 13, 2004
Affiliation: Comintern
Institution: Peking University

- Chen earned a Bachelor of Arts from Pomona College in 1920 and was Phi Beta Kappa.
- He completed a doctorate at Harvard after arriving there in spring 1922 and a second doctorate at Berlin University around 1923.
- He was recruited into the Comintern in 1924 by Li Dazhao and kept the membership secret for approximately 25 years.
- Beginning in 1924 he served as a professor at Peking University and joined Academia Sinica's Institute of Social Science Research before age 30.
- In the 1930s he worked within Richard Sorge’s Shanghai network to gather Japanese military intentions and collaborated with journalist Ozaki Hozumi.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1019falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/he-lived-two-lives-the-spy-who-stole-a-dead-boy-s-name--73074352
Fear and fascination collide: a KGB-trained agent arrived in Chicago on October 8, 1978 carrying the birth certificate of a ten-year-old boy buried in Maryland since 1955 - and disappeared into ordinary American life for nearly a decade. How did Albrecht Dittrich keep two families believing opposite truths, and what finally made him stop following orders?

In this episode, we tell how an East German scientist turned spy constructed an American identity from a dead child’s documents, learned English and cryptography, worked decoding KGB shortwave messages while holding a real job, and ultimately made choices his handlers never authorized. Can a mission become a new life, and what breaks the cover first: loyalty, opportunity, or love?

Person: Albrecht Dittrich
Date: October 8, 1978 (arrival in Chicago)
Location: Köbeln (birthplace) and Chicago (entry); Maryland (burial of Jack Philip Philip)
Event: Sent by the KGB to assume identity and influence U.S. policy
Status: Watched by the FBI for three years before action

- He arrived in Chicago carrying the birth certificate of Jack Philip Philip, a boy buried in 1955 at age ten.
- From 1970 to 1975 he completed a doctorate and trained with KGB instructors, learning Morse code, cryptography, and English.
- He received $6,000 in cash and a cover story that his mother was German to explain his accent.
- By 1984 he held a programming/analyst job at MetLife under the assumed identity and decoded weekly KGB shortwave instructions.
- The FBI surveilled him for three years before taking action, while two families believed conflicting versions of his identity.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73074352Mon, 20 Jul 2026 19:25:41 +0000Creator at ObomediaHe Lived Two Lives: The Spy Who Stole a Dead Boy's Name Fear and fascination collide: a KGB-trained agent arrived in Chicago on October 8, 1978 carrying the birth certificate of a ten-year-old boy buried in Maryland since 1955 - and disappeared...
Fear and fascination collide: a KGB-trained agent arrived in Chicago on October 8, 1978 carrying the birth certificate of a ten-year-old boy buried in Maryland since 1955 - and disappeared into ordinary American life for nearly a decade. How did Albrecht Dittrich keep two families believing opposite truths, and what finally made him stop following orders?

In this episode, we tell how an East German scientist turned spy constructed an American identity from a dead child’s documents, learned English and cryptography, worked decoding KGB shortwave messages while holding a real job, and ultimately made choices his handlers never authorized. Can a mission become a new life, and what breaks the cover first: loyalty, opportunity, or love?

Person: Albrecht Dittrich
Date: October 8, 1978 (arrival in Chicago)
Location: Köbeln (birthplace) and Chicago (entry); Maryland (burial of Jack Philip Philip)
Event: Sent by the KGB to assume identity and influence U.S. policy
Status: Watched by the FBI for three years before action

- He arrived in Chicago carrying the birth certificate of Jack Philip Philip, a boy buried in 1955 at age ten.
- From 1970 to 1975 he completed a doctorate and trained with KGB instructors, learning Morse code, cryptography, and English.
- He received $6,000 in cash and a cover story that his mother was German to explain his accent.
- By 1984 he held a programming/analyst job at MetLife under the assumed identity and decoded weekly KGB shortwave instructions.
- The FBI surveilled him for three years before taking action, while two families believed conflicting versions of his identity.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1052falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/how-a-belgian-shadow-network-ordered-a-parliamentarian-s-murder--73074351
Night fell on Belgium’s fragile postwar democracy: a communist MP was gunned down on his doorstep at 9:00 a.m. on 11 August 1950, the killers walked away in daylight and never stood trial, and a handwritten report later surfaced calling the killing “a necessary measure.” Who in Belgium’s intelligence-corporate nexus ordered a politician’s murder and why did the files stay sealed for more than six decades?

In this episode, we trace the facts recovered from archives and testimonies to show who was at the door, which private network claimed responsibility, and how corporate and state actors fed a shadow intelligence apparatus - and we ask what it means that the man who wrote the directive died in 2008 without prosecution.

Person: Julien Lahaut
Date: 11 August 1950
Location: Liège, Belgium
Network: Bloc Anticommuniste Belge (BACB)
Document: Handwritten report by André Michel Moyen calling the killing “a necessary measure”

- The murder occurred at approximately 9:00 a.m. on 11 August 1950 when two men knocked once and shot Julien Lahaut on his doorstep.
- Historian Emmanuel Gerard’s 2015 CegeSoma investigation links at least one assailant, François Goossens, to the BACB.
- In 2007, Eugeen Devillé gave televised testimony naming himself, his brother Alex, and brother-in-law Jan Hamelrijck as participants.
- Union Minière provided free headquarters space for the BACB on Komediantenstraat and received lists of alleged communist workers in exchange.
- André Michel Moyen died in 2008 at age 91, having never been brought to trial despite a handwritten report attributing the assassination to necessity.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73074351Mon, 20 Jul 2026 19:25:38 +0000Creator at ObomediaHow a Belgian Shadow Network Ordered a Parliamentarian's Murder Night fell on Belgium’s fragile postwar democracy: a communist MP was gunned down on his doorstep at 9:00 a.m. on 11 August 1950, the killers walked away in daylight and never stood...
Night fell on Belgium’s fragile postwar democracy: a communist MP was gunned down on his doorstep at 9:00 a.m. on 11 August 1950, the killers walked away in daylight and never stood trial, and a handwritten report later surfaced calling the killing “a necessary measure.” Who in Belgium’s intelligence-corporate nexus ordered a politician’s murder and why did the files stay sealed for more than six decades?

In this episode, we trace the facts recovered from archives and testimonies to show who was at the door, which private network claimed responsibility, and how corporate and state actors fed a shadow intelligence apparatus - and we ask what it means that the man who wrote the directive died in 2008 without prosecution.

Person: Julien Lahaut
Date: 11 August 1950
Location: Liège, Belgium
Network: Bloc Anticommuniste Belge (BACB)
Document: Handwritten report by André Michel Moyen calling the killing “a necessary measure”

- The murder occurred at approximately 9:00 a.m. on 11 August 1950 when two men knocked once and shot Julien Lahaut on his doorstep.
- Historian Emmanuel Gerard’s 2015 CegeSoma investigation links at least one assailant, François Goossens, to the BACB.
- In 2007, Eugeen Devillé gave televised testimony naming himself, his brother Alex, and brother-in-law Jan Hamelrijck as participants.
- Union Minière provided free headquarters space for the BACB on Komediantenstraat and received lists of alleged communist workers in exchange.
- André Michel Moyen died in 2008 at age 91, having never been brought to trial despite a handwritten report attributing the assassination to necessity.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>985falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/cia-insider-says-someone-knew-cash-me-out-night-before-9-11-no-probe--73074350
Something with access to the inner circle warned a San Diego broker the night before September 11: "cash me out." The claim comes from a 21-year CIA veteran and Career Intelligence Medal recipient who says that person's brother worked at the White House - yet no public investigation followed. Who would have had that access, and why did nothing enter the record?

In this episode, we tell the on-record account given on camera by Robert Booker Booker and trace the career episodes that give his claim context. We outline his service across Beirut, Damascus, Baghdad and other posts, the FBI inquiry that closed without charges, and the contested publication of his memoir - and ask what these facts mean for the unanswered warning before 9/11.

Person: Robert Booker Booker
Date of birth: July 11, 1952
Service: 21 years at the Central Intelligence Agency
Award: CIA Career Intelligence Medal
Book: See No Evil, published January 2002 by Crown

- Booker says on camera he personally knows someone who told a San Diego broker "cash me out" the night before September 11.
- Booker served in Madras, New Delhi, Beirut, Damascus, Khartoum, Dushanbe, Morocco and Yugoslavia.
- He retired after 21 years and received the CIA's Career Intelligence Medal.
- The FBI investigated Booker for alleged conspiracy to assassinate Saddam Hussein; the investigation closed without charges.
- Booker's memoir See No Evil underwent CIA pre-publication review and was published in January 2002 with contested redactions.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73074350Mon, 20 Jul 2026 19:25:36 +0000Creator at ObomediaCIA Insider Says Someone Knew "Cash Me Out" Night Before 9/11 - No Probe Something with access to the inner circle warned a San Diego broker the night before September 11: "cash me out." The claim comes from a 21-year CIA veteran and Career...
Something with access to the inner circle warned a San Diego broker the night before September 11: "cash me out." The claim comes from a 21-year CIA veteran and Career Intelligence Medal recipient who says that person's brother worked at the White House - yet no public investigation followed. Who would have had that access, and why did nothing enter the record?

In this episode, we tell the on-record account given on camera by Robert Booker Booker and trace the career episodes that give his claim context. We outline his service across Beirut, Damascus, Baghdad and other posts, the FBI inquiry that closed without charges, and the contested publication of his memoir - and ask what these facts mean for the unanswered warning before 9/11.

Person: Robert Booker Booker
Date of birth: July 11, 1952
Service: 21 years at the Central Intelligence Agency
Award: CIA Career Intelligence Medal
Book: See No Evil, published January 2002 by Crown

- Booker says on camera he personally knows someone who told a San Diego broker "cash me out" the night before September 11.
- Booker served in Madras, New Delhi, Beirut, Damascus, Khartoum, Dushanbe, Morocco and Yugoslavia.
- He retired after 21 years and received the CIA's Career Intelligence Medal.
- The FBI investigated Booker for alleged conspiracy to assassinate Saddam Hussein; the investigation closed without charges.
- Booker's memoir See No Evil underwent CIA pre-publication review and was published in January 2002 with contested redactions.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1121falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-night-they-stopped-france-who-hung-iron-bars-on-the-tgv--73074349
A night-time sabotage halted roughly 160 TGV trains across France on November 7-8, 2008 by hanging horseshoe-shaped iron bars on high-voltage overhead cables - loud, visible, and calibrated to cause disruption but not injury. Who placed those simple bent metal bars across multiple sites, and why was a rural collective in Corrèze transformed into the focus of an anti-terror investigation?

In this episode, we tell the story of the events and the people tied to them, tracing the movement from the Dhuisy embankment where bars were hooked over catenary wires to the village of Tarnac where a group of young residents became suspects. Was the link between a car seen that night and the sabotage enough to justify the state’s response, or did something else drive the decade-long legal saga?

Date: November 7-8, 2008
Location: Dhuisy, Seine-et-Marne and Tarnac, Corrèze highlands
Event: Horseshoe-shaped iron bars placed on TGV overhead cables
Person: Julien Coupat (named by Interior Minister Michèle Alliot-Marie)
Status: No convictions for placing the bars

- About 160 TGV trains were delayed or stopped by the sabotaged overhead lines.
- The metal bars were horseshoe-shaped bent iron hooked over high-voltage catenary wires.
- Hundreds of thousands of passengers were stranded, while not a single person was physically injured.
- Within 72 hours, more than 100 officers raided Tarnac and detained 20 people, holding 9.
- The group in Tarnac included a grocerykeeper Benjamin Rosoux, clarinettist Manon Glibert, and others who lacked mobile phones by choice.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73074349Mon, 20 Jul 2026 19:25:33 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Night They Stopped France: Who Hung Iron Bars on the TGV? A night-time sabotage halted roughly 160 TGV trains across France on November 7-8, 2008 by hanging horseshoe-shaped iron bars on high-voltage overhead cables - loud, visible, and...
A night-time sabotage halted roughly 160 TGV trains across France on November 7-8, 2008 by hanging horseshoe-shaped iron bars on high-voltage overhead cables - loud, visible, and calibrated to cause disruption but not injury. Who placed those simple bent metal bars across multiple sites, and why was a rural collective in Corrèze transformed into the focus of an anti-terror investigation?

In this episode, we tell the story of the events and the people tied to them, tracing the movement from the Dhuisy embankment where bars were hooked over catenary wires to the village of Tarnac where a group of young residents became suspects. Was the link between a car seen that night and the sabotage enough to justify the state’s response, or did something else drive the decade-long legal saga?

Date: November 7-8, 2008
Location: Dhuisy, Seine-et-Marne and Tarnac, Corrèze highlands
Event: Horseshoe-shaped iron bars placed on TGV overhead cables
Person: Julien Coupat (named by Interior Minister Michèle Alliot-Marie)
Status: No convictions for placing the bars

- About 160 TGV trains were delayed or stopped by the sabotaged overhead lines.
- The metal bars were horseshoe-shaped bent iron hooked over high-voltage catenary wires.
- Hundreds of thousands of passengers were stranded, while not a single person was physically injured.
- Within 72 hours, more than 100 officers raided Tarnac and detained 20 people, holding 9.
- The group in Tarnac included a grocerykeeper Benjamin Rosoux, clarinettist Manon Glibert, and others who lacked mobile phones by choice.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1111falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/what-57-974-unpublished-nsa-files-might-still-be-hiding--73074348
A single number froze a British Parliament: The Guardian published 26 documents out of an archive of 57,974 unpublished files taken by Edward Snowden - less than one tenth of one percent. What did those remaining 57,974 files conceal about a surveillance apparatus that harvested 97 billion intelligence items in one 30-day period, and why were allies like Germany both partners and targets?

In this episode, we tell the story of Edward Snowden, the files he copied, and the surveillance system those documents revealed. We trace how a 30-year-old contractor at an NSA facility in Hawaii gained administrator-level access across the Five Eyes network and quietly downloaded an unprecedented archive, and ask what the unopened files might still contain.

Person: Edward Snowden
Organization: National Security Agency; GCHQ; Booz Allen Hamilton; The Guardian
Date: April 2012-May 2013
Event: Downloading of classified Five Eyes materials

- The Guardian published 26 documents from Snowden's archive while 57,974 files remained unpublished.
- GCHQ stored internet and telephone content for three days and metadata for thirty days under the Tempora program.
- The NSA collected over 97 billion intelligence items globally in the 30 days ending March 2013.
- The NSA collected roughly 500 million metadata records in Germany in that single month.
- The NSA paid GCHQ more than 100 million pounds between 2009 and 2012 for access and cooperation.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73074348Mon, 20 Jul 2026 19:25:29 +0000Creator at ObomediaWhat 57,974 Unpublished NSA Files Might Still Be Hiding A single number froze a British Parliament: The Guardian published 26 documents out of an archive of 57,974 unpublished files taken by Edward Snowden - less than one tenth of one percent. What...
A single number froze a British Parliament: The Guardian published 26 documents out of an archive of 57,974 unpublished files taken by Edward Snowden - less than one tenth of one percent. What did those remaining 57,974 files conceal about a surveillance apparatus that harvested 97 billion intelligence items in one 30-day period, and why were allies like Germany both partners and targets?

In this episode, we tell the story of Edward Snowden, the files he copied, and the surveillance system those documents revealed. We trace how a 30-year-old contractor at an NSA facility in Hawaii gained administrator-level access across the Five Eyes network and quietly downloaded an unprecedented archive, and ask what the unopened files might still contain.

Person: Edward Snowden
Organization: National Security Agency; GCHQ; Booz Allen Hamilton; The Guardian
Date: April 2012-May 2013
Event: Downloading of classified Five Eyes materials

- The Guardian published 26 documents from Snowden's archive while 57,974 files remained unpublished.
- GCHQ stored internet and telephone content for three days and metadata for thirty days under the Tempora program.
- The NSA collected over 97 billion intelligence items globally in the 30 days ending March 2013.
- The NSA collected roughly 500 million metadata records in Germany in that single month.
- The NSA paid GCHQ more than 100 million pounds between 2009 and 2012 for access and cooperation.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1132falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-teapot-the-poison-and-the-missing-killer-s-trail--73074347
A single teapot in a London hotel contained roughly ten micrograms of polonium-210 - about two hundred times the median lethal dose - and the man who drank from it died three weeks later of acute radiation syndrome. Who brought that poisoned tea into the Millennium Hotel, and why does the teapot itself still have no public account?

In this episode, we follow the last days of Alexander Litvinenko in London from his meetings on November 1, 2006 to his death on November 23, 2006, tracing the people, places, and radioactive evidence that shaped the official story and the lingering mysteries that remain. Did this trail across London point to a single attempt or a series of earlier attacks?

Person: Alexander Litvinenko
Date: November 1, 2006 (tea incident); November 23, 2006 (death)
Location: Pine Bar, Millennium Hotel, Grosvenor Square, London
Cause: Polonium-210-induced acute radiation syndrome
Visitors: Andrey Lugovoy, Dmitry Kovtun, Mario Scaramella

- The teapot contained approximately ten micrograms of polonium-210, about 200 times the median lethal dose.
- Norberto Andrade poured the yellowish, gooey residue from the teapot into a sink at 16:30 on November 1, 2006.
- Litvinenko died at University College Hospital at 21:21 on November 23, 2006, the first confirmed polonium-210 fatality.
- Litvinenko met Mario Scaramella around 13:00 at Itsu on Piccadilly the same day he later visited the Pine Bar.
- Boris Berezovsky’s Mayfair office later tested positive for polonium contamination linked to the investigation.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73074347Mon, 20 Jul 2026 19:25:26 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Teapot, the Poison, and the Missing Killer's Trail A single teapot in a London hotel contained roughly ten micrograms of polonium-210 - about two hundred times the median lethal dose - and the man who drank from it died three weeks later of...
A single teapot in a London hotel contained roughly ten micrograms of polonium-210 - about two hundred times the median lethal dose - and the man who drank from it died three weeks later of acute radiation syndrome. Who brought that poisoned tea into the Millennium Hotel, and why does the teapot itself still have no public account?

In this episode, we follow the last days of Alexander Litvinenko in London from his meetings on November 1, 2006 to his death on November 23, 2006, tracing the people, places, and radioactive evidence that shaped the official story and the lingering mysteries that remain. Did this trail across London point to a single attempt or a series of earlier attacks?

Person: Alexander Litvinenko
Date: November 1, 2006 (tea incident); November 23, 2006 (death)
Location: Pine Bar, Millennium Hotel, Grosvenor Square, London
Cause: Polonium-210-induced acute radiation syndrome
Visitors: Andrey Lugovoy, Dmitry Kovtun, Mario Scaramella

- The teapot contained approximately ten micrograms of polonium-210, about 200 times the median lethal dose.
- Norberto Andrade poured the yellowish, gooey residue from the teapot into a sink at 16:30 on November 1, 2006.
- Litvinenko died at University College Hospital at 21:21 on November 23, 2006, the first confirmed polonium-210 fatality.
- Litvinenko met Mario Scaramella around 13:00 at Itsu on Piccadilly the same day he later visited the Pine Bar.
- Boris Berezovsky’s Mayfair office later tested positive for polonium contamination linked to the investigation.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1174falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-revolver-on-the-table-how-france-framed-alfred-dreyfus--73074346
A take-your-breath-away injustice: a torn note in a German Embassy wastebasket, a closed military trial, and a revolver placed on a table while a decorated captain refused to touch it - then was stripped of rank and exiled for a crime the army's own files later showed it knew he did not commit. Who engineered a perfect frame around Alfred Dreyfus, and why did France seal the secret dossier for more than a century?

In this episode, we follow the arrest, trial, and conviction of Captain Alfred Dreyfus and the actions of the French General Staff that produced it. We trace the torn bordereau, the contested handwriting experts, and the layers of secrecy that kept the truth buried - so how did a single document and a staged interrogation decide a man's fate?

Person: Alfred Dreyfus
Event: Arrest on October 15, 1894
Date: Court-martial December 22-26, 1894
Location: Cherche-Midi prison; École Militaire ceremony January 5, 1895
Status: Secret dossier released in 2013

- The torn note recovered in September 1894 described hydraulic brake details and the 120 millimeter artillery gun.
- Alfred Dreyfus was 35 years old at arrest and a graduate of the École Polytechnique.
- The court-martial lasted four days with seven military judges and no public or press access.
- Three handwriting experts testified: Du Paty de Clam (one day examination), Gobert (excluded disguised writing), and Alphonse Bertillon (theorized deliberate self-forgery).
- The Ministry of Defence did not release the secret dossier used to convict Dreyfus until 2013.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73074346Mon, 20 Jul 2026 19:25:23 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Revolver on the Table: How France Framed Alfred Dreyfus A take-your-breath-away injustice: a torn note in a German Embassy wastebasket, a closed military trial, and a revolver placed on a table while a decorated captain refused to touch it -...
A take-your-breath-away injustice: a torn note in a German Embassy wastebasket, a closed military trial, and a revolver placed on a table while a decorated captain refused to touch it - then was stripped of rank and exiled for a crime the army's own files later showed it knew he did not commit. Who engineered a perfect frame around Alfred Dreyfus, and why did France seal the secret dossier for more than a century?

In this episode, we follow the arrest, trial, and conviction of Captain Alfred Dreyfus and the actions of the French General Staff that produced it. We trace the torn bordereau, the contested handwriting experts, and the layers of secrecy that kept the truth buried - so how did a single document and a staged interrogation decide a man's fate?

Person: Alfred Dreyfus
Event: Arrest on October 15, 1894
Date: Court-martial December 22-26, 1894
Location: Cherche-Midi prison; École Militaire ceremony January 5, 1895
Status: Secret dossier released in 2013

- The torn note recovered in September 1894 described hydraulic brake details and the 120 millimeter artillery gun.
- Alfred Dreyfus was 35 years old at arrest and a graduate of the École Polytechnique.
- The court-martial lasted four days with seven military judges and no public or press access.
- Three handwriting experts testified: Du Paty de Clam (one day examination), Gobert (excluded disguised writing), and Alphonse Bertillon (theorized deliberate self-forgery).
- The Ministry of Defence did not release the secret dossier used to convict Dreyfus until 2013.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1184falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-nuclear-option-how-a-cia-engineer-cracked-open-national-secrets--73074345
A single encrypted computer in a Manhattan apartment held one classified CIA document and more than 10,000 images of child sexual abuse - and the machine belonged to a man nicknamed "the Nuclear Option." How did an engineer with administrator access to Devlan allegedly walk away with thousands of pages of CIA source code and end up at the center of the largest loss of classified documents in CIA history?

In this episode, we trace the life and career of Joshua Adam Schulte from his birth in Lubbock to his role in the CIA's Operations Support Branch, the desk reassignment that prosecutors say triggered the leak, and the March 2017 WikiLeaks publication known as "Vault 7." What realities inside the agency - and inside Schulte's life - made this breach possible?

Person: Joshua Adam Schulte
Date of birth: September 25, 1988
Event: Vault 7 publication on March 7, 2017
Location: Manhattan apartment search on March 15, 2017
Employer at time of arrest: Bloomberg LP (senior software engineer)

- Schulte joined the NSA as a systems engineer in January 2010 while still a student and left after five months.
- He transitioned to the CIA in May 2010 at age 21 and worked in the Directorate of Science and Technology, Operations Support Branch.
- By 2015 Schulte had administrator access to Devlan, allowing visibility of virtually every OSB tool's source code.
- On April 20, 2016, an administrator-level backup of Devlan containing sensitive source code was made.
- WikiLeaks published 8,700 pages of CIA documents on March 7, 2017, and FBI agents searched Schulte's apartment eight days later.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73074345Mon, 20 Jul 2026 19:25:20 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Nuclear Option: How a CIA Engineer Cracked Open National Secrets A single encrypted computer in a Manhattan apartment held one classified CIA document and more than 10,000 images of child sexual abuse - and the machine belonged to a man...
A single encrypted computer in a Manhattan apartment held one classified CIA document and more than 10,000 images of child sexual abuse - and the machine belonged to a man nicknamed "the Nuclear Option." How did an engineer with administrator access to Devlan allegedly walk away with thousands of pages of CIA source code and end up at the center of the largest loss of classified documents in CIA history?

In this episode, we trace the life and career of Joshua Adam Schulte from his birth in Lubbock to his role in the CIA's Operations Support Branch, the desk reassignment that prosecutors say triggered the leak, and the March 2017 WikiLeaks publication known as "Vault 7." What realities inside the agency - and inside Schulte's life - made this breach possible?

Person: Joshua Adam Schulte
Date of birth: September 25, 1988
Event: Vault 7 publication on March 7, 2017
Location: Manhattan apartment search on March 15, 2017
Employer at time of arrest: Bloomberg LP (senior software engineer)

- Schulte joined the NSA as a systems engineer in January 2010 while still a student and left after five months.
- He transitioned to the CIA in May 2010 at age 21 and worked in the Directorate of Science and Technology, Operations Support Branch.
- By 2015 Schulte had administrator access to Devlan, allowing visibility of virtually every OSB tool's source code.
- On April 20, 2016, an administrator-level backup of Devlan containing sensitive source code was made.
- WikiLeaks published 8,700 pages of CIA documents on March 7, 2017, and FBI agents searched Schulte's apartment eight days later.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1168falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-law-student-accused-of-being-mossad-25-lives-paid-for-silence--73074344
A U.S.-Israeli law student was arrested in Cairo in June 2011 on a Mossad charge supported only by photos of him at protests, his Arabic skills and prior military service - and five months later he flew home after a prisoner swap that freed twenty-five people. How did an NGO intern become a bargaining chip in a diplomatic exchange when even Egyptian officials said the case "did not amount to spying"?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from Grapel's arrest on June 12, 2011 through his release on October 27, 2011, tracing his background, the thin public evidence against him, and the extraordinary swap that secured his return - was this a collapsed case or a deliberate diplomatic maneuver?

Person: Ilan Grapel
Date (arrest): June 12, 2011
Date (return): October 27, 2011
Occupation: Law student / intern at Saint Andrew's Refugee Services
Prisoner swap: 25 people exchanged

- Grapel was 27 years old when arrested and returned after nearly five months in Egyptian detention.
- He held dual U.S. and Israeli citizenship and spoke English, Hebrew, and Arabic fluently.
- Egyptian authorities cited photographs of Grapel at Tahrir Square as part of their espionage allegation.
- A senior Egyptian official told al-Hayat that Grapel's actions "did not amount to spying" before his departure.
- No handler contacts, classified material, intercepted communications, or courtroom trial were ever produced or held.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73074344Mon, 20 Jul 2026 19:25:18 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Law Student Accused of Being Mossad - 25 Lives Paid for Silence A U.S.-Israeli law student was arrested in Cairo in June 2011 on a Mossad charge supported only by photos of him at protests, his Arabic skills and prior military service - and...
A U.S.-Israeli law student was arrested in Cairo in June 2011 on a Mossad charge supported only by photos of him at protests, his Arabic skills and prior military service - and five months later he flew home after a prisoner swap that freed twenty-five people. How did an NGO intern become a bargaining chip in a diplomatic exchange when even Egyptian officials said the case "did not amount to spying"?

In this episode, we follow the timeline from Grapel's arrest on June 12, 2011 through his release on October 27, 2011, tracing his background, the thin public evidence against him, and the extraordinary swap that secured his return - was this a collapsed case or a deliberate diplomatic maneuver?

Person: Ilan Grapel
Date (arrest): June 12, 2011
Date (return): October 27, 2011
Occupation: Law student / intern at Saint Andrew's Refugee Services
Prisoner swap: 25 people exchanged

- Grapel was 27 years old when arrested and returned after nearly five months in Egyptian detention.
- He held dual U.S. and Israeli citizenship and spoke English, Hebrew, and Arabic fluently.
- Egyptian authorities cited photographs of Grapel at Tahrir Square as part of their espionage allegation.
- A senior Egyptian official told al-Hayat that Grapel's actions "did not amount to spying" before his departure.
- No handler contacts, classified material, intercepted communications, or courtroom trial were ever produced or held.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1034falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-drone-caught-how-canada-s-analyst-watched-rivals-in-paris--73074343
A commercial backpack drone flew over New Zealand’s closed training session in Saint-Étienne on July 19, 2024 - then the same device was caught three days later, leading to arrests, text-message evidence and a national scandal that cost Canada six Olympic points. Who in Canada’s coaching chain knew about the flights, and how far did the knowledge go?

In this episode, we lay out the timeline from the first unnoticed flight to the arrest and the phone messages that changed the story. You’ll hear what was recorded, who was suspended, and the single question investigators could not answer immediately: did the head coach know?

Person: Joseph Lombardi
Person: Jasmine Mander
Person: Bev Priestman
Date: July 19, 2024
Location: Saint-Étienne, France

- A drone was flown over New Zealand’s closed training session on July 19, 2024, by a commercial backpack device.
- Lombardi was detained near the device on July 22, 2024, and received a suspended sentence of eight months at his initial appearance on July 24.
- Text messages on Lombardi’s phone showed conversations with assistant coach Jasmine Mander that preceded both flights.
- FIFA deducted six points from Canada’s Olympic standing and fined Canada Soccer 200,000 Swiss francs on July 27, 2024.
- Lombardi, Mander, and head coach Bev Priestman received one-year bans and Mander and Priestman were sent home before Canada’s July 25 match.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73074343Mon, 20 Jul 2026 19:25:15 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Drone Caught: How Canada's Analyst Watched Rivals in Paris A commercial backpack drone flew over New Zealand’s closed training session in Saint-Étienne on July 19, 2024 - then the same device was caught three days later, leading to arrests,...
A commercial backpack drone flew over New Zealand’s closed training session in Saint-Étienne on July 19, 2024 - then the same device was caught three days later, leading to arrests, text-message evidence and a national scandal that cost Canada six Olympic points. Who in Canada’s coaching chain knew about the flights, and how far did the knowledge go?

In this episode, we lay out the timeline from the first unnoticed flight to the arrest and the phone messages that changed the story. You’ll hear what was recorded, who was suspended, and the single question investigators could not answer immediately: did the head coach know?

Person: Joseph Lombardi
Person: Jasmine Mander
Person: Bev Priestman
Date: July 19, 2024
Location: Saint-Étienne, France

- A drone was flown over New Zealand’s closed training session on July 19, 2024, by a commercial backpack device.
- Lombardi was detained near the device on July 22, 2024, and received a suspended sentence of eight months at his initial appearance on July 24.
- Text messages on Lombardi’s phone showed conversations with assistant coach Jasmine Mander that preceded both flights.
- FIFA deducted six points from Canada’s Olympic standing and fined Canada Soccer 200,000 Swiss francs on July 27, 2024.
- Lombardi, Mander, and head coach Bev Priestman received one-year bans and Mander and Priestman were sent home before Canada’s July 25 match.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>893falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/he-betrayed-his-own-the-prosthetic-leg-that-broke-satan-s-choice--73074342
The national president of Canada's most powerful outlaw motorcycle club fed police the exact date of a drug summit that led to a seizure of $6,000,000 in PCP - and he did it while walking on a plastic prosthetic leg. How did Garnet McEwen go from running a national criminal empire to being the man who betrayed his own, and why was his artificial leg used as the instrument of his downfall?

In this episode, we follow the sequence of events from McEwen's ordinary childhood in Campbellton to his ascent inside Satan's Choice, the Oba Lake raid on August 6, 1975, and the revelations that his cooperation produced. We trace the ties between chapter politics, police intelligence, and the single act that turned allies into pursuers - could one man's survival instinct destroy the network he built?

Person: Garnet Douglas McEwen
Date: August 6, 1975
Event: Oba Lake raid seizing $6,000,000 in PCP tablets and a drug-manufacturing operation
Location: Oba Lake island hunting lodge, Ontario
Origin: Campbellton, New Brunswick (born September 25, 1945)

- McEwen lost one leg in a motorcycle accident years before his rise to national president and continued riding and leading on a plastic prosthetic.
- Ontario Provincial Police crossed dark water before dawn to reach the Oba Lake lodge where they arrested Alain Templain and seized six million dollars worth of PCP tablets.
- McEwen supplied police with the specific date of Bernie Guindon's visit to the lodge, which directly led to the Oba Lake raid.
- Bernie Guindon was imprisoned in 1969; McEwen ran the national organization from 1969 until Guindon's release in 1974.
- In 1974 McEwen traveled to Fort Lauderdale with fellow member Cecil Kirby to observe the Outlaws as part of his southward outreach.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73074342Mon, 20 Jul 2026 19:25:12 +0000Creator at ObomediaHe Betrayed His Own: The Prosthetic Leg That Broke Satan's Choice The national president of Canada's most powerful outlaw motorcycle club fed police the exact date of a drug summit that led to a seizure of $6,000,000 in PCP - and he did it while...
The national president of Canada's most powerful outlaw motorcycle club fed police the exact date of a drug summit that led to a seizure of $6,000,000 in PCP - and he did it while walking on a plastic prosthetic leg. How did Garnet McEwen go from running a national criminal empire to being the man who betrayed his own, and why was his artificial leg used as the instrument of his downfall?

In this episode, we follow the sequence of events from McEwen's ordinary childhood in Campbellton to his ascent inside Satan's Choice, the Oba Lake raid on August 6, 1975, and the revelations that his cooperation produced. We trace the ties between chapter politics, police intelligence, and the single act that turned allies into pursuers - could one man's survival instinct destroy the network he built?

Person: Garnet Douglas McEwen
Date: August 6, 1975
Event: Oba Lake raid seizing $6,000,000 in PCP tablets and a drug-manufacturing operation
Location: Oba Lake island hunting lodge, Ontario
Origin: Campbellton, New Brunswick (born September 25, 1945)

- McEwen lost one leg in a motorcycle accident years before his rise to national president and continued riding and leading on a plastic prosthetic.
- Ontario Provincial Police crossed dark water before dawn to reach the Oba Lake lodge where they arrested Alain Templain and seized six million dollars worth of PCP tablets.
- McEwen supplied police with the specific date of Bernie Guindon's visit to the lodge, which directly led to the Oba Lake raid.
- Bernie Guindon was imprisoned in 1969; McEwen ran the national organization from 1969 until Guindon's release in 1974.
- In 1974 McEwen traveled to Fort Lauderdale with fellow member Cecil Kirby to observe the Outlaws as part of his southward outreach.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>802falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-man-who-turned-liquor-into-roadblocks-lev-zadov-s-betrayals--73074341
A man who stopped a White cavalry with thirty barrels of liquor and served nearly every major power in the Russian Civil War erased his own place in Soviet memory-so who was Lev Zadov, really? His life swings from a twelve-year-old anarchist in the Donbas to a chief of staff in Tsaritsyn, and finally to a man executed by one he once served; how do we reconcile the betrayals and loyalties in between?

In this episode, we trace the documented episodes of Zadov's life from childhood through prison, multiple military roles, and eventual execution to reveal the facts that complicate any single verdict about him. We follow the thirty-barrel ambush, his early arrests and sentences, his name change and roles in Yuzivka and Tsaritsyn, and the choices that led him to Huliaipole-what do those moves tell us about his motives?

Person: Lev Zadov (also took the name Zinkovskyi)
Date of birth: April 1893 (day given as either the 11th or the 14th)
Location of birth: Veselaya, Oleksandrivskii district, Katerynoslav province (now southern Ukraine)
Arrest: 1913, sentenced to eight years of penal labor (served in Bakhmut, Katerynoslav, Luhansk)
Event: Stopped General Shkuro's cavalry in November 1919 using thirty barrels of liquor

- Joined the anarchist movement at approximately age 12 (around 1905)
- Participated in expropriations that robbed a post office in Karan and a bank in Debaltseve
- Entered prison in 1913 at age 20 under the tsarist label "bezmotivnik"
- Walked out of Luhansk prison after four years due to the February Revolution (1917), avoiding the full eight-year sentence
- Held positions: deputy to the Yuzivka Soviet, Red Guards general staff in the Donbas (1918), and chief of staff in a Tsaritsyn detachment under Commander Cherednyak

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73074341Mon, 20 Jul 2026 19:25:10 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Man Who Turned Liquor Into Roadblocks: Lev Zadov's Betrayals A man who stopped a White cavalry with thirty barrels of liquor and served nearly every major power in the Russian Civil War erased his own place in Soviet memory-so who was Lev...
A man who stopped a White cavalry with thirty barrels of liquor and served nearly every major power in the Russian Civil War erased his own place in Soviet memory-so who was Lev Zadov, really? His life swings from a twelve-year-old anarchist in the Donbas to a chief of staff in Tsaritsyn, and finally to a man executed by one he once served; how do we reconcile the betrayals and loyalties in between?

In this episode, we trace the documented episodes of Zadov's life from childhood through prison, multiple military roles, and eventual execution to reveal the facts that complicate any single verdict about him. We follow the thirty-barrel ambush, his early arrests and sentences, his name change and roles in Yuzivka and Tsaritsyn, and the choices that led him to Huliaipole-what do those moves tell us about his motives?

Person: Lev Zadov (also took the name Zinkovskyi)
Date of birth: April 1893 (day given as either the 11th or the 14th)
Location of birth: Veselaya, Oleksandrivskii district, Katerynoslav province (now southern Ukraine)
Arrest: 1913, sentenced to eight years of penal labor (served in Bakhmut, Katerynoslav, Luhansk)
Event: Stopped General Shkuro's cavalry in November 1919 using thirty barrels of liquor

- Joined the anarchist movement at approximately age 12 (around 1905)
- Participated in expropriations that robbed a post office in Karan and a bank in Debaltseve
- Entered prison in 1913 at age 20 under the tsarist label "bezmotivnik"
- Walked out of Luhansk prison after four years due to the February Revolution (1917), avoiding the full eight-year sentence
- Held positions: deputy to the Yuzivka Soviet, Red Guards general staff in the Donbas (1918), and chief of staff in a Tsaritsyn detachment under Commander Cherednyak

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1276falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-man-from-the-tavern-who-sold-the-resistance-s-addresses--73074340
A single handwritten, unencrypted note left at 14 rue Bouteille in Lyon in June 1943 was read by the Germans before the man it was meant to warn ever knew it existed - and that unread note helped trigger a cascade of arrests reaching from Marseille to the heart of the French Resistance. How did a thirty-four-year-old insurance agent, once trusted with names and safe houses, become the instrument that unravelled so many lives?

In this episode, we tell the sequence of events that moved from a failed escape to England, to recruitment into the Combat network, to an arrest at a Marseille café where a German officer convinced him to collaborate - and then to the deployment that exposed mailboxes, safe houses and key operatives. What choices did Jean Multon make at Tavern Who that allowed the SIPO-SD to read a warning meant for René Hardy?

Person: Jean Multon
Date: 23 April 1943 (arrest at Tavern Who)
Location: 20 Boulevard Garibaldi, Marseille (Tavern Who)
Event: Unread warning left at 14 rue Bouteille, Lyon
Person: Ernst Dunker (alias Delage)

- Multon was born 3 July 1908 in Preuilly-sur-Claise and was 34 years old at the time of arrest.
- He attempted to flee to England in October 1942 and failed, then arrived in Marseille.
- Multon served as secretary and confidant to Maurice Chevance (alias Bertin) in the Combat network for roughly five months by April 1943.
- He was arrested with Benjamin Crémieux on 23 April 1943 at Tavern Who and subsequently agreed to collaborate with Ernst Dunker without recorded coercion.
- On 24 May 1943, Multon was in Lyon where surveillance at 10 rue Bouteille led to the arrest of Suzanne Dumoulin and later Marie Reynoard, revealing a compromised mailbox.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73074340Mon, 20 Jul 2026 19:25:07 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Man from the Tavern Who Sold the Resistance's Addresses A single handwritten, unencrypted note left at 14 rue Bouteille in Lyon in June 1943 was read by the Germans before the man it was meant to warn ever knew it existed - and that unread note...
A single handwritten, unencrypted note left at 14 rue Bouteille in Lyon in June 1943 was read by the Germans before the man it was meant to warn ever knew it existed - and that unread note helped trigger a cascade of arrests reaching from Marseille to the heart of the French Resistance. How did a thirty-four-year-old insurance agent, once trusted with names and safe houses, become the instrument that unravelled so many lives?

In this episode, we tell the sequence of events that moved from a failed escape to England, to recruitment into the Combat network, to an arrest at a Marseille café where a German officer convinced him to collaborate - and then to the deployment that exposed mailboxes, safe houses and key operatives. What choices did Jean Multon make at Tavern Who that allowed the SIPO-SD to read a warning meant for René Hardy?

Person: Jean Multon
Date: 23 April 1943 (arrest at Tavern Who)
Location: 20 Boulevard Garibaldi, Marseille (Tavern Who)
Event: Unread warning left at 14 rue Bouteille, Lyon
Person: Ernst Dunker (alias Delage)

- Multon was born 3 July 1908 in Preuilly-sur-Claise and was 34 years old at the time of arrest.
- He attempted to flee to England in October 1942 and failed, then arrived in Marseille.
- Multon served as secretary and confidant to Maurice Chevance (alias Bertin) in the Combat network for roughly five months by April 1943.
- He was arrested with Benjamin Crémieux on 23 April 1943 at Tavern Who and subsequently agreed to collaborate with Ernst Dunker without recorded coercion.
- On 24 May 1943, Multon was in Lyon where surveillance at 10 rue Bouteille led to the arrest of Suzanne Dumoulin and later Marie Reynoard, revealing a compromised mailbox.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1062falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-man-who-sent-a-bishop-s-mail-state-spy-or-lone-bomber--73074339
The parcel that killed six people arrived in Debrecen in February 1914 and was wrapped in a panther pelt with a maker’s seal investigators could trace - yet the reward of 300,000 kronen was never claimed. How did a man who vanished into different identities, spoke multiple languages, and later died in Romania as a hieromonk evade every state that might have prosecuted him?

In this episode, we tell the sequence of events from the bomb in the Hajdúdorog Bishopric palace to the tangled life of Ilie V. Cătărău, describing his origins in Bessarabia, his service in the Imperial Russian Army, and the evidence that links him to Romanian counterintelligence - and we ask whether he acted alone or as an agent of a state.

Person: Ilie V. Cătărău
Location: Hajdúdorog Bishopric palace, Debrecen
Date: February 1914
Event: Mail bomb detonation that killed six people
Reward: 300,000 kronen posted by the Austro-Hungarian Empire

- Six people died in the explosion; the intended target, Bishop István Miklósy, survived.
- The Austro-Hungarian Empire offered a reward of 300,000 kronen that was never collected.
- The bomb was wrapped in a panther pelt and bore a manufacturer's seal that investigators traced to a seller.
- Cătărău was born in Marcăuți, Bessarabia, and by youth spoke Russian and Romanian and attended Russian Orthodox schools and a seminary.
- In 1913 Cătărău became a registered and paid operative of Romanian Land Forces counterintelligence while also infiltrating political groups and raising funds for an anti-Russian revolt.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73074339Mon, 20 Jul 2026 19:25:04 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Man Who Sent a Bishop's Mail: State Spy or Lone Bomber? The parcel that killed six people arrived in Debrecen in February 1914 and was wrapped in a panther pelt with a maker’s seal investigators could trace - yet the reward of 300,000 kronen...
The parcel that killed six people arrived in Debrecen in February 1914 and was wrapped in a panther pelt with a maker’s seal investigators could trace - yet the reward of 300,000 kronen was never claimed. How did a man who vanished into different identities, spoke multiple languages, and later died in Romania as a hieromonk evade every state that might have prosecuted him?

In this episode, we tell the sequence of events from the bomb in the Hajdúdorog Bishopric palace to the tangled life of Ilie V. Cătărău, describing his origins in Bessarabia, his service in the Imperial Russian Army, and the evidence that links him to Romanian counterintelligence - and we ask whether he acted alone or as an agent of a state.

Person: Ilie V. Cătărău
Location: Hajdúdorog Bishopric palace, Debrecen
Date: February 1914
Event: Mail bomb detonation that killed six people
Reward: 300,000 kronen posted by the Austro-Hungarian Empire

- Six people died in the explosion; the intended target, Bishop István Miklósy, survived.
- The Austro-Hungarian Empire offered a reward of 300,000 kronen that was never collected.
- The bomb was wrapped in a panther pelt and bore a manufacturer's seal that investigators traced to a seller.
- Cătărău was born in Marcăuți, Bessarabia, and by youth spoke Russian and Romanian and attended Russian Orthodox schools and a seminary.
- In 1913 Cătărău became a registered and paid operative of Romanian Land Forces counterintelligence while also infiltrating political groups and raising funds for an anti-Russian revolt.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1125falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-man-who-walked-britain-s-best-spy-to-his-death-lived-59-more-years--73074336
The platform at Pargolovo was quiet on September 28, 1925 when Sidney Reilly stepped off the train and into Soviet custody - arrested without a struggle and dead within weeks - while the guide who delivered him, Toivo Vähä, lived on for another fifty-nine years. How did a Finnish-born Cheka officer who participated in executions and helped run the Trust operation survive purges, death sentences, and the collapse of the state he served?

In this episode, we trace the route, relationships, and deceptions that turned a trusted border guide into the instrument of Reilly’s capture and follow Vähä’s path from a fourteen-year-old factory worker to a Soviet intelligence operative. What does the construction and testing of the Trust reveal about the intelligence failures that led to Reilly’s death?

Person: Sidney Reilly
Person: Toivo Vähä
Date: September 28, 1925
Event: Arrest of Sidney Reilly at Pargolovo
Operation: The Trust (Monarchist Union of Central Russia)

- Reilly was arrested at Pargolovo on the morning of September 28, 1925 and died within weeks.
- Toivo Vähä was born in 1902 and crossed into Russia at age fourteen, settling in Dubrovka by 1916.
- Vähä participated in the execution of three captured Finnish White Guard soldiers at Kimasozero in his early twenties.
- Vähä was posted to the Karelian Isthmus and the Sestroretsk border region by the mid-1920s to guide crossings.
- Finnish military intelligence recommended Vähä to British SIS as a reliable operative before his role as a Cheka officer was known.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73074336Mon, 20 Jul 2026 19:25:01 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe man who walked Britain's best spy to his death lived 59 more years The platform at Pargolovo was quiet on September 28, 1925 when Sidney Reilly stepped off the train and into Soviet custody - arrested without a struggle and dead within weeks -...
The platform at Pargolovo was quiet on September 28, 1925 when Sidney Reilly stepped off the train and into Soviet custody - arrested without a struggle and dead within weeks - while the guide who delivered him, Toivo Vähä, lived on for another fifty-nine years. How did a Finnish-born Cheka officer who participated in executions and helped run the Trust operation survive purges, death sentences, and the collapse of the state he served?

In this episode, we trace the route, relationships, and deceptions that turned a trusted border guide into the instrument of Reilly’s capture and follow Vähä’s path from a fourteen-year-old factory worker to a Soviet intelligence operative. What does the construction and testing of the Trust reveal about the intelligence failures that led to Reilly’s death?

Person: Sidney Reilly
Person: Toivo Vähä
Date: September 28, 1925
Event: Arrest of Sidney Reilly at Pargolovo
Operation: The Trust (Monarchist Union of Central Russia)

- Reilly was arrested at Pargolovo on the morning of September 28, 1925 and died within weeks.
- Toivo Vähä was born in 1902 and crossed into Russia at age fourteen, settling in Dubrovka by 1916.
- Vähä participated in the execution of three captured Finnish White Guard soldiers at Kimasozero in his early twenties.
- Vähä was posted to the Karelian Isthmus and the Sestroretsk border region by the mid-1920s to guide crossings.
- Finnish military intelligence recommended Vähä to British SIS as a reliable operative before his role as a Cheka officer was known.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1192falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/his-stalinist-faith-rebuked-for-independence-and-security-lapses--73074335
A man found kneeling in a French wood four months after his death, a snapped cord draped over his skull, and two ruthless intelligence services with motives and means - whose hand put Wilhelm Münzenberg in that forest? What happened between his public break with Moscow and the stranger who appeared in the internment camp?

In this episode, we trace the life of Wilhelm Münzenberg from factory organizer to the operator of a vast international propaganda and relief network, his growing doubts after the 1936 Moscow Trials, and the final months in France when he was expelled from the KPD, labeled an enemy, and offered an escape by an unidentified inmate - could any record resolve the cause of his death?

Person: Wilhelm Münzenberg
Date of death discovery: 17 October 1940
Birth date: 14 August 1889
Last seen alive: late June 1940
Location found: Bois de Caugniet (Bois de Caugnet in transcript)

- The Arbeiter-Illustrierte-Zeitung reached a circulation of 500,000 readers.
- Münzenberg was elected to the Reichstag in 1924 and held the seat for nearly a decade.
- He was expelled from the Communist Party of Germany in April 1939.
- His partner Babette Gross was interned at the Gurs camp in June 1940.
- The body was discovered kneeling upright, partially decomposed, with a knotted cord draped over the skull and the cord already snapped.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73074335Mon, 20 Jul 2026 19:24:58 +0000Creator at Obomediahis Stalinist faith; rebuked for independence and security lapses A man found kneeling in a French wood four months after his death, a snapped cord draped over his skull, and two ruthless intelligence services with motives and means - whose hand...
A man found kneeling in a French wood four months after his death, a snapped cord draped over his skull, and two ruthless intelligence services with motives and means - whose hand put Wilhelm Münzenberg in that forest? What happened between his public break with Moscow and the stranger who appeared in the internment camp?

In this episode, we trace the life of Wilhelm Münzenberg from factory organizer to the operator of a vast international propaganda and relief network, his growing doubts after the 1936 Moscow Trials, and the final months in France when he was expelled from the KPD, labeled an enemy, and offered an escape by an unidentified inmate - could any record resolve the cause of his death?

Person: Wilhelm Münzenberg
Date of death discovery: 17 October 1940
Birth date: 14 August 1889
Last seen alive: late June 1940
Location found: Bois de Caugniet (Bois de Caugnet in transcript)

- The Arbeiter-Illustrierte-Zeitung reached a circulation of 500,000 readers.
- Münzenberg was elected to the Reichstag in 1924 and held the seat for nearly a decade.
- He was expelled from the Communist Party of Germany in April 1939.
- His partner Babette Gross was interned at the Gurs camp in June 1940.
- The body was discovered kneeling upright, partially decomposed, with a knotted cord draped over the skull and the cord already snapped.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1048falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-woman-mi5-couldn-t-prove-moura-budberg-s-unclosed-file--73074334
Her MI5 file runs to hundreds of pages, agents trailed her for decades, and she drank remarkable quantities of gin - yet she was never charged. Did the condition imposed on her in the Lubyanka in 1919 bind her to Soviet intelligence, or was she simply a survivor who kept moving to stay alive?

In this episode, we present the documented life of Maria Ignatievna Zakrevskaya - Moura Budberg - from her birth in Poltava to her years in Petrograd and London, showing the key events and unanswered questions that shaped her reputation. What did the Lubyanka condition mean for the rest of her life?

Person: Maria Ignatievna Zakrevskaya (Moura Budberg)
Date: Born March 6, 1893
Event: Detained in the Lubyanka, 1919
Location: Jäneda estate (Estonia) and Petrograd
Association: Lived with Maxim Gorky (1920-1933, intermittently)

- MI5 maintained a file on Moura Budberg that "runs to hundreds of pages."
- Moura was born on March 6, 1893, in Poltava, then in the Russian Empire.
- Her husband Johann von Benckendorff was found dead at Jäneda estate on April 19, 1919; killers were never identified.
- While held in the Lubyanka in 1919 she miscarried; records give no date or circumstances.
- Her 1919 release from the Lubyanka was conditional on her cooperating with Soviet intelligence "if they required it."

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73074334Mon, 20 Jul 2026 19:24:56 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Woman MI5 Couldn't Prove: Moura Budberg's Unclosed File Her MI5 file runs to hundreds of pages, agents trailed her for decades, and she drank remarkable quantities of gin - yet she was never charged. Did the condition imposed on her in the...
Her MI5 file runs to hundreds of pages, agents trailed her for decades, and she drank remarkable quantities of gin - yet she was never charged. Did the condition imposed on her in the Lubyanka in 1919 bind her to Soviet intelligence, or was she simply a survivor who kept moving to stay alive?

In this episode, we present the documented life of Maria Ignatievna Zakrevskaya - Moura Budberg - from her birth in Poltava to her years in Petrograd and London, showing the key events and unanswered questions that shaped her reputation. What did the Lubyanka condition mean for the rest of her life?

Person: Maria Ignatievna Zakrevskaya (Moura Budberg)
Date: Born March 6, 1893
Event: Detained in the Lubyanka, 1919
Location: Jäneda estate (Estonia) and Petrograd
Association: Lived with Maxim Gorky (1920-1933, intermittently)

- MI5 maintained a file on Moura Budberg that "runs to hundreds of pages."
- Moura was born on March 6, 1893, in Poltava, then in the Russian Empire.
- Her husband Johann von Benckendorff was found dead at Jäneda estate on April 19, 1919; killers were never identified.
- While held in the Lubyanka in 1919 she miscarried; records give no date or circumstances.
- Her 1919 release from the Lubyanka was conditional on her cooperating with Soviet intelligence "if they required it."

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1032falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-day-a-harrods-bag-saved-a-kgb-colonel-s-life--73074332
The morning signal was simple: a Harrods bag and a chocolate bar. A KGB colonel in running clothes waited on a Moscow corner on a July day in 1985, holding only a Safeway grocery bag while his life depended on whether British intelligence would send that small, coded rescue - but how did a man born to the NKVD become the West's most valuable mole, and could a paper bag really be the difference between capture and escape?

In this episode, we trace the events leading up to that July morning, from Gordievsky's childhood and postings in Berlin and Copenhagen to his recruitment by MI6 as SUNBEAM and later NOCTON/TICKLE, and explain why his warnings about Able Archer and Gorbachev mattered - ending with the moment an American betrayal forced immediate action. What happened next depends on a signal that seems almost absurdly ordinary.

Person: Oleg Antonovich Gordievsky
Date of birth: 10 October 1938
Code names: SUNBEAM, NOCTON (MI6), TICKLE (CIA)
Event: Telegram ordering immediate return to Moscow after Aldrich Ames' meeting
Year of critical signal wait: 1985

- Gordievsky arrived in Berlin in August 1961, days before construction began on the Wall.
- He began working actively for MI6 by 1974 under the code name SUNBEAM.
- In June 1982 he was posted to London and received the MI6 code name NOCTON.
- By 1983 he provided intelligence showing the Kremlin feared a NATO first nuclear strike after Operation Able Archer.
- On 15 May 1985 Aldrich Ames reportedly accepted $50,000 and handed over names, triggering a telegram the next day ordering Gordievsky back to Moscow.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73074332Mon, 20 Jul 2026 19:24:53 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe Day a Harrods Bag Saved a KGB Colonel's Life The morning signal was simple: a Harrods bag and a chocolate bar. A KGB colonel in running clothes waited on a Moscow corner on a July day in 1985, holding only a Safeway grocery bag while his life...
The morning signal was simple: a Harrods bag and a chocolate bar. A KGB colonel in running clothes waited on a Moscow corner on a July day in 1985, holding only a Safeway grocery bag while his life depended on whether British intelligence would send that small, coded rescue - but how did a man born to the NKVD become the West's most valuable mole, and could a paper bag really be the difference between capture and escape?

In this episode, we trace the events leading up to that July morning, from Gordievsky's childhood and postings in Berlin and Copenhagen to his recruitment by MI6 as SUNBEAM and later NOCTON/TICKLE, and explain why his warnings about Able Archer and Gorbachev mattered - ending with the moment an American betrayal forced immediate action. What happened next depends on a signal that seems almost absurdly ordinary.

Person: Oleg Antonovich Gordievsky
Date of birth: 10 October 1938
Code names: SUNBEAM, NOCTON (MI6), TICKLE (CIA)
Event: Telegram ordering immediate return to Moscow after Aldrich Ames' meeting
Year of critical signal wait: 1985

- Gordievsky arrived in Berlin in August 1961, days before construction began on the Wall.
- He began working actively for MI6 by 1974 under the code name SUNBEAM.
- In June 1982 he was posted to London and received the MI6 code name NOCTON.
- By 1983 he provided intelligence showing the Kremlin feared a NATO first nuclear strike after Operation Able Archer.
- On 15 May 1985 Aldrich Ames reportedly accepted $50,000 and handed over names, triggering a telegram the next day ordering Gordievsky back to Moscow.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1092falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/jack-strong-s-silence-unanswered-deaths-behind-35-000-pages--73074331
A truck with no license plate hit Waldemar Kukliński on a U.S. campus in August 1994 and vanished, eight months after his brother drowned in a capsized yacht on New Year’s Eve 1993 - no official explanations were ever issued. Why did Ryszard Kukliński, a colonel who handed the CIA 35,000 pages of Soviet military secrets, never publicly accuse anyone and keep a life-long silence?

In this episode, we present the life and consequences of Ryszard Jerzy Kukliński’s actions and the unanswered deaths that shadowed his final years. We trace his path from Warsaw childhood through Warsaw Pact intelligence to his secret 1972 contact with the U.S. embassy, and ask whether those two unexplained family deaths connect to the operation he ran.

Person: Ryszard Jerzy Kukliński
Date: born 13 June 1930
Event: 35,000 pages of Soviet military documents passed to the CIA
Location: United States (death of Waldemar Kukliński occurred on a U.S. university campus)
Case: Waldemar Kukliński struck by a truck with no license plate in August 1994

- Ryszard Kukliński contacted the U.S. embassy in Bonn in 1972 with a request for a secret meeting.
- Over nine years Kukliński delivered 35,000 pages of original Soviet strategic planning documents to the CIA.
- Witnesses described the sea as calm when Bogdan Kukliński drowned on New Year’s Eve 1993 and his yacht capsized.
- Waldemar Kukliński was struck by a truck with no license plate on a sunny afternoon in August 1994; the truck was never found.
- Zbigniew Brzeziński later described Kukliński as “the first Polish officer in NATO.”

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73074331Mon, 20 Jul 2026 19:24:50 +0000Creator at ObomediaJack Strong's Silence: Unanswered Deaths Behind 35,000 Pages A truck with no license plate hit Waldemar Kukliński on a U.S. campus in August 1994 and vanished, eight months after his brother drowned in a capsized yacht on New Year’s Eve 1993 - no...
A truck with no license plate hit Waldemar Kukliński on a U.S. campus in August 1994 and vanished, eight months after his brother drowned in a capsized yacht on New Year’s Eve 1993 - no official explanations were ever issued. Why did Ryszard Kukliński, a colonel who handed the CIA 35,000 pages of Soviet military secrets, never publicly accuse anyone and keep a life-long silence?

In this episode, we present the life and consequences of Ryszard Jerzy Kukliński’s actions and the unanswered deaths that shadowed his final years. We trace his path from Warsaw childhood through Warsaw Pact intelligence to his secret 1972 contact with the U.S. embassy, and ask whether those two unexplained family deaths connect to the operation he ran.

Person: Ryszard Jerzy Kukliński
Date: born 13 June 1930
Event: 35,000 pages of Soviet military documents passed to the CIA
Location: United States (death of Waldemar Kukliński occurred on a U.S. university campus)
Case: Waldemar Kukliński struck by a truck with no license plate in August 1994

- Ryszard Kukliński contacted the U.S. embassy in Bonn in 1972 with a request for a secret meeting.
- Over nine years Kukliński delivered 35,000 pages of original Soviet strategic planning documents to the CIA.
- Witnesses described the sea as calm when Bogdan Kukliński drowned on New Year’s Eve 1993 and his yacht capsized.
- Waldemar Kukliński was struck by a truck with no license plate on a sunny afternoon in August 1994; the truck was never found.
- Zbigniew Brzeziński later described Kukliński as “the first Polish officer in NATO.”

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1081falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/whispered-secrets-at-nordstrom-the-fbi-s-fabricated-spy-trap--73074330
A Pentagon analyst spoke invented classified intelligence aloud over coffee in a Nordstrom Patisserie in July 2004, a staged exchange that the FBI had scripted after five years of surveillance; how did a manufactured conversation become the fulcrum of a case that threatened the Espionage Act? What happened next would reshape how Washington insiders shared information - and yet the prosecution collapsed before any non-government defendant was convicted.

In this episode, we tell the sequence of events that led a desk-level analyst to meet lobbyists with no documents exchanged, how the FBI recruited him to transmit fabricated intelligence, and how an oral-only exchange at a mall pastry shop became central to a national investigation that started in 1999; can an invented whisper be treated as espionage?

Person: Lawrence Franklin
Person: Steven Rosen
Person: Keith Weissman
Date: July 2004
Location: Nordstrom Patisserie

- Franklin had a collection of roughly 83 classified documents stored at home that were never moved, photographed, or handed to anyone.
- The FBI's investigation into Franklin, AIPAC, and information flows began in 1999 and ran for five years before the story became public.
- On June 26, 2003, Franklin met Rosen and Weissman for lunch and verbally disclosed classified information about potential attacks on U.S. forces in Iraq.
- In spring 2004 the FBI recruited Franklin to continue meetings while feeding him fabricated intelligence to pass on.
- The fabricated oral intelligence in July 2004 concerned alleged plots to assassinate American personnel and was delivered verbally by Franklin to Weissman at the Nordstrom Patisserie.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73074330Mon, 20 Jul 2026 19:24:47 +0000Creator at ObomediaWhispered Secrets at Nordstrom: The FBI's Fabricated Spy Trap A Pentagon analyst spoke invented classified intelligence aloud over coffee in a Nordstrom Patisserie in July 2004, a staged exchange that the FBI had scripted after five years of...
A Pentagon analyst spoke invented classified intelligence aloud over coffee in a Nordstrom Patisserie in July 2004, a staged exchange that the FBI had scripted after five years of surveillance; how did a manufactured conversation become the fulcrum of a case that threatened the Espionage Act? What happened next would reshape how Washington insiders shared information - and yet the prosecution collapsed before any non-government defendant was convicted.

In this episode, we tell the sequence of events that led a desk-level analyst to meet lobbyists with no documents exchanged, how the FBI recruited him to transmit fabricated intelligence, and how an oral-only exchange at a mall pastry shop became central to a national investigation that started in 1999; can an invented whisper be treated as espionage?

Person: Lawrence Franklin
Person: Steven Rosen
Person: Keith Weissman
Date: July 2004
Location: Nordstrom Patisserie

- Franklin had a collection of roughly 83 classified documents stored at home that were never moved, photographed, or handed to anyone.
- The FBI's investigation into Franklin, AIPAC, and information flows began in 1999 and ran for five years before the story became public.
- On June 26, 2003, Franklin met Rosen and Weissman for lunch and verbally disclosed classified information about potential attacks on U.S. forces in Iraq.
- In spring 2004 the FBI recruited Franklin to continue meetings while feeding him fabricated intelligence to pass on.
- The fabricated oral intelligence in July 2004 concerned alleged plots to assassinate American personnel and was delivered verbally by Franklin to Weissman at the Nordstrom Patisserie.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1063falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/they-watched-my-bedroom-school-laptops-secretly-photographed-66-503-times--73074329
The school-issued MacBook on a teenager's desk photographed him every fifteen minutes for fifteen days without his knowledge, producing images used to accuse him of wrongdoing - and a federal court would later review 66,503 photos. How did a $2.6 million one-to-one laptop program and a $156,000 piece of software enable secret surveillance of students in their homes?

In this episode, we lay out the sequence of events and decisions that led a well-funded suburban district to deploy software capable of remotely activating webcams and disabling the indicator light, and we follow the specific cases that exposed the practice. What exactly did the district buy, who ordered the camera activations, and why were no criminal charges brought?

District: Lower Merion School District
Program cost: $2.6 million
Software purchased: TheftTrack by LANrev for $156,000
Total images reviewed by court: 66,503
Number of times technician activated camera in case: 161

- The iSight camera on student laptops was configured to take photos as frequently as once per minute.
- Blake Robbins, age 15, had 210 webcam photographs taken from October 20 through November 4 after TheftTrack was activated on his laptop.
- The district provided MacBooks to roughly 2,300 high school students during the 2008-2009 school year.
- A network technician confirmed the laptop was "currently online at home" the same day assistant vice principal Lindy Matsko ordered activation.
- The district's 2008-2009 operating budget was $193 million for two high schools, Harriton and Lower Merion.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73074329Mon, 20 Jul 2026 19:24:44 +0000Creator at ObomediaThey Watched My Bedroom: School Laptops Secretly Photographed 66,503 Times The school-issued MacBook on a teenager's desk photographed him every fifteen minutes for fifteen days without his knowledge, producing images used to accuse him of...
The school-issued MacBook on a teenager's desk photographed him every fifteen minutes for fifteen days without his knowledge, producing images used to accuse him of wrongdoing - and a federal court would later review 66,503 photos. How did a $2.6 million one-to-one laptop program and a $156,000 piece of software enable secret surveillance of students in their homes?

In this episode, we lay out the sequence of events and decisions that led a well-funded suburban district to deploy software capable of remotely activating webcams and disabling the indicator light, and we follow the specific cases that exposed the practice. What exactly did the district buy, who ordered the camera activations, and why were no criminal charges brought?

District: Lower Merion School District
Program cost: $2.6 million
Software purchased: TheftTrack by LANrev for $156,000
Total images reviewed by court: 66,503
Number of times technician activated camera in case: 161

- The iSight camera on student laptops was configured to take photos as frequently as once per minute.
- Blake Robbins, age 15, had 210 webcam photographs taken from October 20 through November 4 after TheftTrack was activated on his laptop.
- The district provided MacBooks to roughly 2,300 high school students during the 2008-2009 school year.
- A network technician confirmed the laptop was "currently online at home" the same day assistant vice principal Lindy Matsko ordered activation.
- The district's 2008-2009 operating budget was $193 million for two high schools, Harriton and Lower Merion.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1043falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/a-1-300-sting-left-an-entire-community-network-in-ruins--73074327
He accepted a non‑existent War Merit Medal in Lisbon on 29 April 1944 and boarded a car that ended his freedom - and nearly ended the largest seaborne invasion in history. A wealthy anglophile, playboy, and Abwehr officer, Johann‑Nielsen Jebsen held the full architecture of Operation ARTIST in his head; the question is how one indulgent spy came to carry the fate of D‑Day. What choice did he make under brutal interrogation that changed the course of the invasion?

In this episode, we follow the arc of Jebsen’s life from Hamburg heir to cosmopolitan Abwehr officer in Lisbon, the phone call that recruited Duško Popov into German service and into British hands, and the expansion of a spy network that reached into Yugoslavia and Berlin’s spy school - culminating in Jebsen’s capture and interrogation that would determine the future of the Allied invasion.

Person: Johann‑Nielsen Jebsen
Date: 29 April 1944
Event: Invitation to Lisbon for a War Merit Medal
Code name: ARTIST
Agent recruited: Duško Popov (code name TRICYCLE)

- Jebsen accepted the invitation in Lisbon on 29 April 1944, the last free decision he ever made.
- Jebsen was born in Hamburg in 1917 and raised on the family shipping fortune of Jebsen and Jessen.
- Jebsen introduced Duško Popov to the Abwehr, leading to Popov’s recruitment by German intelligence and subsequent defection to MI6.
- By 1943 Jebsen and Duško Popov had expanded recruitment into Yugoslavia using Ivo Popov (code name DREADNOUGHT) to identify candidates.
- Recruits were sent through Berlin’s spy school where German instructors provided training.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73074327Mon, 20 Jul 2026 19:24:42 +0000Creator at ObomediaA $1,300 Sting Left an Entire Community Network in Ruins He accepted a non‑existent War Merit Medal in Lisbon on 29 April 1944 and boarded a car that ended his freedom - and nearly ended the largest seaborne invasion in history. A wealthy anglophile,...
He accepted a non‑existent War Merit Medal in Lisbon on 29 April 1944 and boarded a car that ended his freedom - and nearly ended the largest seaborne invasion in history. A wealthy anglophile, playboy, and Abwehr officer, Johann‑Nielsen Jebsen held the full architecture of Operation ARTIST in his head; the question is how one indulgent spy came to carry the fate of D‑Day. What choice did he make under brutal interrogation that changed the course of the invasion?

In this episode, we follow the arc of Jebsen’s life from Hamburg heir to cosmopolitan Abwehr officer in Lisbon, the phone call that recruited Duško Popov into German service and into British hands, and the expansion of a spy network that reached into Yugoslavia and Berlin’s spy school - culminating in Jebsen’s capture and interrogation that would determine the future of the Allied invasion.

Person: Johann‑Nielsen Jebsen
Date: 29 April 1944
Event: Invitation to Lisbon for a War Merit Medal
Code name: ARTIST
Agent recruited: Duško Popov (code name TRICYCLE)

- Jebsen accepted the invitation in Lisbon on 29 April 1944, the last free decision he ever made.
- Jebsen was born in Hamburg in 1917 and raised on the family shipping fortune of Jebsen and Jessen.
- Jebsen introduced Duško Popov to the Abwehr, leading to Popov’s recruitment by German intelligence and subsequent defection to MI6.
- By 1943 Jebsen and Duško Popov had expanded recruitment into Yugoslavia using Ivo Popov (code name DREADNOUGHT) to identify candidates.
- Recruits were sent through Berlin’s spy school where German instructors provided training.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1073falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/how-a-newspaper-s-secret-race-spawned-the-yellow-jersey--73074325
At 04:00 on 8 December 2008, fifty-seven activists cut a perimeter fence at Stansted and by sunrise fifty-six Ryanair flights were cancelled, stranding 56,000 passengers - but one of those fifty-seven was living a double life. Who inside the group was an undercover operative, and what did state and corporate actors already know before the fence ever came down?

In this episode, we lay out the chronology and the documented evidence: the origins and tactics of Plane Stupid, the scale of the Stansted action, the corporate and legal responses it provoked, and the revelation of an embedded mole. How did a 24-year-old operative from a private intelligence firm come to be inside the group, and what links connect that infiltration to resignations and legal moves that followed?

Person: Ken Tobias (real name Toby Kendall)
Organization: Plane Stupid
Firm: C2i International
Date: 8 December 2008
Location: Stansted Airport

- 57 people cut through a perimeter fence and walked onto the taxiway on 8 December 2008.
- 56 Ryanair flights were cancelled that morning, leaving 56,000 passengers stranded.
- Plane Stupid was founded in September 2005 by Joss Garman, Richard George, and Graham Thompson.
- Between 1,000 and 1,400 people joined the final day of the Climate Camp near Heathrow in summer 2007.
- Two BAA directors, Duncan Bonfield and Mark Mann, resigned three weeks after the camp ended.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73074325Mon, 20 Jul 2026 19:24:39 +0000Creator at ObomediaHow a Newspaper's Secret Race Spawned the Yellow Jersey At 04:00 on 8 December 2008, fifty-seven activists cut a perimeter fence at Stansted and by sunrise fifty-six Ryanair flights were cancelled, stranding 56,000 passengers - but one of those...
At 04:00 on 8 December 2008, fifty-seven activists cut a perimeter fence at Stansted and by sunrise fifty-six Ryanair flights were cancelled, stranding 56,000 passengers - but one of those fifty-seven was living a double life. Who inside the group was an undercover operative, and what did state and corporate actors already know before the fence ever came down?

In this episode, we lay out the chronology and the documented evidence: the origins and tactics of Plane Stupid, the scale of the Stansted action, the corporate and legal responses it provoked, and the revelation of an embedded mole. How did a 24-year-old operative from a private intelligence firm come to be inside the group, and what links connect that infiltration to resignations and legal moves that followed?

Person: Ken Tobias (real name Toby Kendall)
Organization: Plane Stupid
Firm: C2i International
Date: 8 December 2008
Location: Stansted Airport

- 57 people cut through a perimeter fence and walked onto the taxiway on 8 December 2008.
- 56 Ryanair flights were cancelled that morning, leaving 56,000 passengers stranded.
- Plane Stupid was founded in September 2005 by Joss Garman, Richard George, and Graham Thompson.
- Between 1,000 and 1,400 people joined the final day of the Climate Camp near Heathrow in summer 2007.
- Two BAA directors, Duncan Bonfield and Mark Mann, resigned three weeks after the camp ended.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1081falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/the-1-300-sting-that-destroyed-a-community-network--73074324
Within 72 hours of an eight-minute video posting, a $1,300 sting triggered the dismantling of a forty-year community network that handled housing, tax help and census outreach. The edited footage showed a man in a fur coat that the raw tapes later proved he never wore inside any office-so how did a costume and a misleading edit erase a $25 million institution?

In this episode, we lay out the sequence of events, the federal responses, and the contradictions between the edited videos and the uncut footage, asking whether media choreography can outweigh documentary fact.

Person: James O'Keefe
Person: Hannah Giles
Organization: ACORN (Association of Community Network for Reform Now)
Date: September 10, 2009
Budget: $25,000,000 annual (approx.)

- The sting operation cost was reported as $1,300 for the entire project.
- ACORN employed between 350 and 600 people by 2009.
- ACORN's annual budget was approximately $25 million in 2009.
- The Government Accountability Office found ACORN received about $40 million in federal funds over the relevant period with no evidence of mishandling.
- The House voted 345 to 75 within seven days to strip ACORN of federal funding.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73074324Mon, 20 Jul 2026 19:24:36 +0000Creator at ObomediaThe $1,300 Sting That Destroyed a Community Network Within 72 hours of an eight-minute video posting, a $1,300 sting triggered the dismantling of a forty-year community network that handled housing, tax help and census outreach. The edited footage...
Within 72 hours of an eight-minute video posting, a $1,300 sting triggered the dismantling of a forty-year community network that handled housing, tax help and census outreach. The edited footage showed a man in a fur coat that the raw tapes later proved he never wore inside any office-so how did a costume and a misleading edit erase a $25 million institution?

In this episode, we lay out the sequence of events, the federal responses, and the contradictions between the edited videos and the uncut footage, asking whether media choreography can outweigh documentary fact.

Person: James O'Keefe
Person: Hannah Giles
Organization: ACORN (Association of Community Network for Reform Now)
Date: September 10, 2009
Budget: $25,000,000 annual (approx.)

- The sting operation cost was reported as $1,300 for the entire project.
- ACORN employed between 350 and 600 people by 2009.
- ACORN's annual budget was approximately $25 million in 2009.
- The Government Accountability Office found ACORN received about $40 million in federal funds over the relevant period with no evidence of mishandling.
- The House voted 345 to 75 within seven days to strip ACORN of federal funding.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1075falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/behind-the-door-of-room-641a-at-t-s-secret-link-to-the-nsa--73074322
The story begins with a dying newspaper that somehow created the blueprint for modern professional cycling - a strip of yellow newsprint, a 1,200 km race, and a walking stick that sparked a political scandal. How did Le Vélo, printing 80,000 copies a day and inventing races like Paris-Brest-Paris and Paris-Roubaix, lose everything and hand its ideas to the world?

In this episode, you'll hear how a single newspaper shaped events, advertising, and competitive cycling at the turn of the century, and how one altercation at Auteuil set off a chain that remade French sports journalism and racing - but how did those innovations survive the paper that created them?

Person: Pierre Giffard
Date: 1 December 1892
Location: Roubaix (race finish), Paris (Auteuil)
Event: Paris-Brest-Paris first held in 1891
Status: Le Vélo ceased within twelve months after 1903 court victory

- Le Vélo reached a circulation of 80,000 copies a day within a decade of its founding.
- Paris-Brest-Paris was a 1,200-kilometre race created in 1891 by Pierre Giffard.
- Paris-Roubaix first ran in 1896 after organizers from Roubaix proposed the race with a 1,000-franc first prize.
- One thousand francs in 1896 equaled approximately seven months' wages for a coal miner in northern France.
- Comte Jules-Albert de Dion struck President Émile Loubet with his walking stick in the summer of 1899 and served fifteen days in jail.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73074322Mon, 20 Jul 2026 19:24:33 +0000Creator at ObomediaBehind the Door of Room 641A: AT&T’s Secret Link to the NSA The story begins with a dying newspaper that somehow created the blueprint for modern professional cycling - a strip of yellow newsprint, a 1,200 km race, and a walking stick that sparked a...
The story begins with a dying newspaper that somehow created the blueprint for modern professional cycling - a strip of yellow newsprint, a 1,200 km race, and a walking stick that sparked a political scandal. How did Le Vélo, printing 80,000 copies a day and inventing races like Paris-Brest-Paris and Paris-Roubaix, lose everything and hand its ideas to the world?

In this episode, you'll hear how a single newspaper shaped events, advertising, and competitive cycling at the turn of the century, and how one altercation at Auteuil set off a chain that remade French sports journalism and racing - but how did those innovations survive the paper that created them?

Person: Pierre Giffard
Date: 1 December 1892
Location: Roubaix (race finish), Paris (Auteuil)
Event: Paris-Brest-Paris first held in 1891
Status: Le Vélo ceased within twelve months after 1903 court victory

- Le Vélo reached a circulation of 80,000 copies a day within a decade of its founding.
- Paris-Brest-Paris was a 1,200-kilometre race created in 1891 by Pierre Giffard.
- Paris-Roubaix first ran in 1896 after organizers from Roubaix proposed the race with a 1,000-franc first prize.
- One thousand francs in 1896 equaled approximately seven months' wages for a coal miner in northern France.
- Comte Jules-Albert de Dion struck President Émile Loubet with his walking stick in the summer of 1899 and served fifteen days in jail.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1335falsefullhttps://www.spreaker.com/episode/inside-room-641a-how-at-t-built-the-nsa-s-secret-tap--73074321
Inside an ordinary San Francisco office building, AT&T technicians routed the nation’s fiber-optic backbone into a locked sixth-floor room fitted with Narus gear capable of copying "everything" - phone calls, emails, and internet traffic - and a retired AT&T technician signed an affidavit describing it on January 16, 2004; how did that room become a secret NSA tap without warrants or public debate?

In this episode, we lay out the timeline and the concrete details from Mark Klein’s affidavit, the role of Narus equipment, AT&T’s facility at 611 Folsom Street, and how the New York Times delayed publication for over a year; what decisions let a program like Stellar Wind operate beyond court oversight?

Person: Mark Klein
Location: 611 Folsom Street, San Francisco
Date: January 16, 2004
Program: Stellar Wind
Manufacturer: Narus

- Klein signed his affidavit describing Room 641A on January 16, 2004.
- The room was on the sixth floor of a building at 611 Folsom Street occupied by AT&T.
- The equipment in the room was manufactured by a company called Narus.
- The New York Times held the story for more than a year and published it on December 16, 2005.
- Attorney General Alberto Gonzales confirmed the program on December 17, 2005, calling it the Terrorist Surveillance Program.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>https://api.spreaker.com/episode/73074321Mon, 20 Jul 2026 19:24:30 +0000Creator at ObomediaInside Room 641A: How AT&T Built the NSA's Secret Tap Inside an ordinary San Francisco office building, AT&T technicians routed the nation’s fiber-optic backbone into a locked sixth-floor room fitted with Narus gear capable of copying "everything"...
Inside an ordinary San Francisco office building, AT&T technicians routed the nation’s fiber-optic backbone into a locked sixth-floor room fitted with Narus gear capable of copying "everything" - phone calls, emails, and internet traffic - and a retired AT&T technician signed an affidavit describing it on January 16, 2004; how did that room become a secret NSA tap without warrants or public debate?

In this episode, we lay out the timeline and the concrete details from Mark Klein’s affidavit, the role of Narus equipment, AT&T’s facility at 611 Folsom Street, and how the New York Times delayed publication for over a year; what decisions let a program like Stellar Wind operate beyond court oversight?

Person: Mark Klein
Location: 611 Folsom Street, San Francisco
Date: January 16, 2004
Program: Stellar Wind
Manufacturer: Narus

- Klein signed his affidavit describing Room 641A on January 16, 2004.
- The room was on the sixth floor of a building at 611 Folsom Street occupied by AT&T.
- The equipment in the room was manufactured by a company called Narus.
- The New York Times held the story for more than a year and published it on December 16, 2005.
- Attorney General Alberto Gonzales confirmed the program on December 17, 2005, calling it the Terrorist Surveillance Program.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.]]>1095falsefull