Cover Stories: Spies, Books & Entertainment: Recent Episodes
The Cipher Brief
Cover Stories: Spies, Books & Entertainment is a new podcast from The Cipher Brief hosted by Cipher Brief CEO & Publisher Suzanne Kelly and Cipher Brief Senior Book Editor and author, Bill Harlow exploring the entertainment side of espionage as well as non-fiction books and media on national security issues that are making a difference. Join us each week for new episodes with authors, former intelligence officers, actors, directors, television and movie producers, agents, publishers and more.
David McCloskey, former CIA Analyst turned novelist is out with his fourth book, The Persian, about an Iranian dentist who is recruited by Mossad to take on a dangerous mission inside Iran. Cover Stories Host Suzanne Kelly digs in on how McCloskey’s real-life Intelligence background fueled his latest novel, and discovers a few of McCloskey’s own secrets along the way.
Have you ever wanted to write a book but not known where to start? We’ve got some answers for you. Jane Friedman, the author of “The Business of Being a Writer” joins us to explain the ins and outs of deciding what kind of publisher is right for your writing, how to approach a literary agent, what to include in a book proposal and much more. She offers author-wannabees a wealth of advice and resources on how to navigate the publishing landscape.
Former British diplomat and current Cipher Brief expert Tim Willasey-Wilsey is just out with a book called “The Spy and the Devil: The Untold Story of the MI6 Agent Who Penetrated Hitler’s Inner Circle” We’ll talk with him about the never before told story of Baron Wilhelm Von de Ropp, a German aristocrat, who became a British citizen and who spied on the Nazis for the UK from 1931 to 1939.The book is a deeply researched and documented work of history. “Bill de Ropp” as he came to be known had multiple personal meetings with Adolf Hitler and was credited in 1938 as providing at least 70% of MI-6’s German political intelligence.
Author and former Marine Elliot Ackerman’s latest tale is about an ex-CIA Ground Branch operator who goes by his call sign, “Skwerl” and a former Afghan special ops pilot who goes by the name “Big Cheese” so you’re probably already getting a good picture of Ackerman’s latest novel Sheepdogs, which follows Skwerl and Cheese on a globe-trotting adventure from Uganda to Marseille. Cipher Brief CEO & Publisher Suzanne Kelly welcomed Ackerman to the Cover Stories Studio to talk about missing handlers, hidden cargo and shadow war.
Ambassador Joe DeTrani’s The North Korean Threat: Intelligence and Diplomacy — A Personal Memoir is a candid insider’s account of more than three decades navigating the perilous world of U.S.–North Korea relations. We’ll talk with him about some of his experiences as a CIA officer, senior U.S. negotiator, and Special Envoy for the Six-Party Talks. In his book, which is available for free at this site, DeTrani blends gripping personal stories with sharp analysis of nuclear diplomacy, intelligence challenges, and the delicate regional dynamics that shaped negotiations. The memoir offers rare insights into the mindset of Pyongyang’s leadership and the enduring importance of vigilance, credible intelligence, and sustained dialogue.
Lots of forces were released when the Soviet Union came apart in the early 1990s. Brad Meslin imagines the worst case scenario in his novel “The Moldavian Gambit” in which a man-portable nuclear device goes missing from a Soviet arsenal in Moldova and may have ended up in the hands of terrorists threatening to detonate in a western capital. Meslin has worked in “the intersection of aerospace, defense, private equity, and national security.” His debut novel was very favorably reviewed in the Cipher Brief by former CIA counterproliferation officer Jim Lawler who praised the book for its realism and heart-stopping plot. We will talk with Meslin about what inspired him to write the book and his sources and methods for keeping readers at the edge of their seats.
In October1979, the most powerful cyclone in recorded history, raced across the Pacific and set in motion circumstances that caused a horrendous fire at a U.S. Marine Corps facility at the foot of Japan’s Mount Fuji. Thirteen Marines died of their burns and more than 70 other people were seriously injured. And yet few people today know of or remember these events. Chas Henry who served twenty years as a Marine and went on to have a highly successful career as a broadcast journalist – is out with a new book called “Fuji Fire: Sifting Ashes of a Forgotten U.S. Marine Corps Tragedy.” We will talk with him about his four-year-long effort to investigate the tragedy and what he learned about the chaos of the mass casualty event and the courage of those who fought the fire and battled their injuries during the long recovery process. We will ask him why a disaster of such magnitude is so little remembered and why official investigations into the fire appear to have been so limited.
Martin Dugard is an enormously prolific, best-selling author. In addition to ten mega-million selling books co-authored with Bill O’Reilly, He has authored a fistful of books about World War II including “Taking London,” “Taking Berlin” and “Taking Paris.” Now he is back with “Taking Midway: Naval Warfare, Secret Codes, and the Battle That Turned the Tide of World War II.” Podcast host Bill Harlow will talk with him about his sources and methods for cranking out so many deeply researched and well-received books – and what the world should know about a crusty 4-star admiral and a quirky Navy commander who combined to surprise the Imperial Japanese Navy and the world in one of the most consequential naval battles in history.
Former CIA Officer Rodney Faraon served in some pretty fascinating roles at CIA – including as a daily briefer to former director George Tenet and as Chief of the unit that dealt with Chinese and Taiwanese relations. Since retiring, he’s kept his analytic hat on as a Partner at Crumpton Global but he also took a turn toward Hollywood and did what many who have come from the Agency – have yet to do – launch a show for television. In this episode of the Cover Stories podcast, Rodney spills the secrets on how he adopted his CIA skills to help him survive in Hollywood.
From 2007 – 2012, the Pentagon secretly funded a small program called the Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program tasked with investigating reports of military encounters with Unidentified Aerial Phenomena. In 2020, the Defense Department launched a new unit called the Unidentified Aerial Phenomena Task Force led by the U.S. Navy. And in 2022, the Pentagon created the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office – meant to identify, track and better share information with Congress and the public about the events they could not explain and looking at those events through the lens of national security. But Navajo Ranger Stanley Milton, Jr. was way ahead of them in terms of tracking and sharing information he was gleaning during his three decades working as a law enforcement officer in the Navajo Nation. So what does he want you to know about UFOs?
Former CIA Officer Gus Kangas knew from his time in the ROTC in college, that he wanted to be an Intelligence Officer. But a convergence of mission, technology, COVID and a CIA tragedy turned him in the direction of embracing Hollywood storytelling techniques, which later opened the door to him becoming a consultant on the Paramount+ show, “The Agency”, starring Michael Fassbender and Richard Gere among a cast of other talented actors
Veteran journalist Douglas Waller is out with a new book “The Determined Spy: The Turbulent Life and Times of CIA Pioneer Frank Wisner. We will talk with Waller about his fascinating examination of the life of a brilliant man who was a standout member of the World War II OSS, one of the founders of the CIA, and a combatant in the nascent Cold War. But Wisner also battled – and eventually lost a fight against bipolar disorder.
Ken Dekleva is no ordinary spy novelist. Not by a long shot. He is a doctor who served as a Regional Medical Officer/Psychiatrist with the State Department for 14 years. He is a Senior Fellow at the George HW Bush Foundation for US-China Relations, and a Salzburg Global Fellow. He brings his special insights to the fore in his third novel “The Russian Diplomat’s Wife.” We’ll talk with him about the advantages and challenges of bringing a psychiatrist's eye to creative writing, how his real-world career inspired his fiction and what can be learned about human motivation by observing the characters in “The Russian Diplomat’s Wife.”
Admiral Jim Stavridis isn’t just a prolific writer – having written a number of both fiction and non-fiction books since retiring from the military where he served as former Supreme Allied Commander, Europe at NATO – he’s also an avid reader. His latest book, The Admiral’s Bookshelf brings those two worlds together as she shares the 25 books that he says have had the most impact on him over the years. Some of the books on his list may surprise you, as they surprised our host, Cipher Brief CEO & Publisher Suzanne Kelly.
James Lawler was a highly-decorated CIA officer who conducted some legendary textbook level operations for the Agency. He now excels as a novelist and is out with his third work of fiction “The Traitor’s Tale: A Novel of Treachery Within the CIA.” We will talk with Lawler not only about the book – but about his career and how his art sometimes imitates his life.
In "Story of a CIA Wife," Rosie Mowatt-Larssen shares her journey from Germany to the United States, where her life took an unexpected turn when her husband joined the CIA. Suddenly immersed in a world of secrecy, Rosie grappled with anxiety and doubt as she adjusted to her husband's covert career. We will talk with her about the unique challenges CIA spouses face—supporting high-stakes missions while raising a family, often with limited insight into their partner's work.
Dr. Claire Hubbard-Hall has broken the code on how to discover and report on the remarkable history of women who have silently served British intelligence over the years. In her book “Secret Servants of the Crown: The Forgotten Women of British Intelligence” (published in the U.S. on February 25, 2025, tells heretofore untold tales of the real women who have largely worked in the shadows. We’ll ask her about how she managed to obtain the stories that remain hidden in British intelligence archives – including that of Kathleen Pettigrew - who was the inspiration for Ian Fleming’s “Miss Moneypenny” in the James Bond novels.
Hal Brands, a renowned expert on global affairs, talks with us about his new book: “The Eurasian Century: Hot Wars, Cold Wars, and the Making of the Modern World. Brands argues that Eurasia’s strategic geography can illuminate the contours of rivalry and conflict in today’s world. We will talk with him about what can be learned from Eurasian wars of the past century and the implications of those lessons for the next.
To say that retired Army Major General Jack Leide had a remarkable military career would be an understatement.. He has been inducted into four different halls of fame - the US Military Attaché Hall of Fame, the US Military Intelligence Hall of Fame, the Defense Intelligence Agency’s “Torch Bearers Hall of Fame” and the Army Foreign Area Officer Hall of Fame.He had four combat tours - three as an airborne company commander and the fourth as Director of Intelligence for the U.S. Central Command during Desert Storm. We will talk with him about his book “Professional Courage: My Journey in Military Intelligence Through Peace, Crisis and War.” We will ask him about all that and the challenges of telling a demanding boss what they need to know – rather than what they want to hear.
Scott Moyers is a veteran executive of the publishing industry. Today he is Vice President and Publisher of Penguin Press. He has acquired and edited countless bestsellers – including many authored by Cipher Brief experts. He was also director of the New York office of the Wylie Agency – one of the most prominent and influential literary agencies in the U.S. We talk with him about his insights about publishing books touching on the national security, foreign policy and intelligence arenas – both fiction and non-fiction. We also ask about do’s and don’t for aspiring authors, changes in the publishing industry – and what does someone who reads for a living – read for pleasure?
Thriller writer Jack Carr didn’t just serve 20 years in the elite Navy SEALS teams – retire and write a book about his experiences. He retired from a career of service (as a sniper) and then followed his ‘other’ passion – writing. His first book, The Terminal List is now an Amazon Prime television series starring Chris Pratt. Since then, he’s written six more novels and has co-authored a non-fiction book called Targeted Beirut, about the 1983 Marine Barracks Bombing and the Untold Story of the War on Terror. Cover Stories talked to Jack about his journey from SEAL teams to author and he has some advice for others making similar transitions from military to civilian life.
Long-time CIA officer Marty Petersen is an acknowledged expert on Asia. He is a current Cipher Brief exert who writes frequently on Asian matters. But rather than focusing on modern day China policy for once, he has just published his first novel: City of Lost Souls which is set in 1932 Shanghai and tells of a private detective who helps a young woman search for her missing brother. We’ll ask him about what attracted him to writing fiction and particularly this region and era. We’ll also discuss how writing a novel requires a different skill set from that required of a top Asia analyst for the CIA and if there are lessons and insights that can be derived from his novel that can be applied to current U.S. - China relations. After listening to the podcast – be sure an check out the review of City of Lost Souls in The Cipher Brief.
Admiral Jim Stavridis (Ret.) is out with his fourteenth book, The Restless Wave - a tale of historical fiction taking place during World War II. Cover Stories co-host Suzanne Kelly caught up with the retired Admiral for a Cipher Brief Book Club virtual meeting to talk about just how much of ‘himself’ was written into his main character – about what inspired his writing and then, she couldn’t help but ask about those love scenes.
Tom Straw is a former Top 40 radio disc jockey, TV weathercaster, and someone who has written and executive produced prime time and late night TV shows. He is also a best-selling writer of crime novels (under the pseudonym “Richard Castle,”) so friends like to say he can’t keep a job. For his latest gig he has served up a spy novel called “The Accidental Joe”about a maverick celebrity chef whose travel TV series ends up as cover for a dangerous CIA espionage mission. Former CIA officer Rodney Faroan’s review of the book for The Cipher Brief called it a “refreshing, rip-roaring tale of a spy operation gone awry.” We talk with Straw about his multifaceted career, his process of cooking up tasty plots – and how writing spy thrillers differs from detective novels and TV comedies.
We talk with retired Navy Rear Admiral Mike Studeman about his book “Might of the Chain: Forging Leaders of Iron Integrity about why trust in leaders in the public and private sector has sunk to all-time lows and his formula for restoring and keeping that trust.Drawing on his naval experience (and heritage) Studeman explains how every person in an organization must pull their share of the load – because one weak link may sink the enterprise.The book has great value for sailors and non-sailors alike, giving readers insights on how to harden their own leadership mettle.
Jack Downey was an up and coming young Yale student. When he graduated in 1951, like a surprising number of his fellow Elis, he signed up to work for the CIA looking to serve and for adventure. A little more than a year later, during the Korean War, he found himself on a transport airplane attempting an “agent extraction” over China. The plane was shot down and Downey spent the next 21 years in captivity – the longest serving prisoner in an undeclared war in U.S. history. But his story does not end with his release in 1972. Downey went to law school, married a Chinese-American classmate and became a juvenile court judge in Connecticut. We will talk with author Barry Werth whose new book: Prisoner of Lies: Jack Downey’s Cold War has just been published. After listening to the podcast: check out The Cipher Brief’s review of the book.
Julia Davis joins us to discuss her new book: “In Their Own Words: How Russian Propagandists Reveal Putin’s Intentions.” Davis regularly monitors Russian state TV and posts videos and writes columns providing translations and context about some of the crazy things are being fed to Russian viewers. We talk with her about the odd collection of TV hosts, commentators and pundits who over the past several years have spun wild tales regarding the Kremlin’s intentions regarding Ukraine, paranoia over NATO, musing about possible Russian intervention in U.S. elections and amazingly – why nuclear war might be a good thing. Davis’ motto on X is “I watch Russian state TV so you don’t have to.” We ask her what she has learned from her immersion in that swamp.
David Ignatius is an award-winning columnist for the Washington Post, a frequent national security commentator on cable TV, and the author of New York Times bestselling novels. His twelfth novel, Phantom Orbit, like all the previous ones - reveals a deep understanding of the way governments and espionage agencies work. Many of his novels have presciently foreshadowed real-world threats. We’ll talk to him about what his latest page-turner reveals about the vulnerability of the satellites that the world relies so heavily on. We’ll also discuss his process for writing books which are consistently praised for their fidelity to the real world of espionage and how he balances his journalistic duties with that of his second-calling as a novelist. After listening to the podcast, be sure to check out the review of Phantom Orbit in The Cipher Brief by former National Reconnaissance Office Director Jeffrey Harris.
Stuart Eizenstat is one of the most experienced diplomats in U.S. history. In this episode we talk with him about his new book “The Art of Diplomacy” in which he discusses some of the most important international agreements over the past 50 years. For his book, Ambassador Eizenstat interviewed about 150 key U.S. and foreign officials ranging from Presidents, Secretaries of State and Defense and many more. We’ll ask him what he learned over the course of his career about why diplomacy did (and sometimes did not) work. And what these lessons might mean for current crises like the ongoing one between Israel and Hamas. After listening to the podcast - be sure to check out the review of “The Art of Diplomacy” in The Cipher Brief by Jonathan Winer.
Arnold Punaro spent 24 years as a U.S. Senate staffer including 14 years as the Staff Director of the Senate Armed Services Committee. Since leaving government in 1997 he has advised the Senate, Department of Defense and other Executive Branch agencies on navigating the complex process of getting Senate approval for Presidentially appointed positions. We’ll talk with him about why getting a nominee confirmed takes so long, what candidates can do to increase their chances of success and systemic improvements that the executive and legislative branch should take to help ensure that the best possible candidates get through the process more quickly. If Confirmed: An Insider’s View of the National Security Confirmation Process.
ABC News journalist George Stephanopoulos joins us to discuss his new book “The Situation Room: The Inside Story of President in Crisis.” As someone who became intimately familiar with the SITROOM during the Clinton administration, Stephanopoulos is our guide with stories about the crisis management center came to be created under JFK and shares dramatic stories of hinge points in history that were seen within the walls of this small but pivotal part of the Executive Mansion.
Dmitri Alperovitch likes to sound alarm bells when it comes to global security. He -- like many others -- started piecing together what was happening along the Russian border with Ukraine in late 2021 and predicted that Russia would indeed invade Ukraine. In his new book, World on the Brink, the Crowdstrike co-founder turned academic shares his thoughts on how World War III might begin ... and no surprise, Taiwan is at the heart of it.
Here's my conversation with Silverado Policy Accelerator Executive Chairman and Cyber Initiatives Group Principal, Dmitri Alperovitch on his new book, World on the Brink: How America Can Beat China in the Race for the 21st Century.
Long-time New York Times correspondent joins us to his new book: “New Cold Wars: China’s Rise, Russia’s Invasion, and America’s Struggle to Defend the West” In the book, Sanger talks about the perilous times the United States finds itself – and the world of trouble presented by Russia, China - and their military, economic, and technological challenges.
Read The Cipher Brief print review of the book here.
CNN anchor and Chief National Security Analyst Jim Sciutto is out with a new book called “The Return of Great Powers: Russia, China and the Next World War.” Drawing on his reporting from current hot spots like Ukraine, Taiwan and the Middle East - and in depth interviews with top U.S. and foreign leaders, Sciutto has written about the precarious nature of global security and how developments in each of these hot spots impacts the other. We’ll talk to him about how Chinese President Xi and Russian President Putin have similar views about their destinies in expanding their countries borders.
Cipher Brief Expert Retired Admiral Jim Stavridis has witnessed today’s complicated national security environment firsthand while he served in the Navy and now, as he helps others navigate it from the private sector. He has teamed up with author and former Marine Elliott Ackerman – who served in Iraq and Afghanistan - to foreshadow what national security threats are lurking around the corner and they’re using fiction to do it. In the pair’s first book together, 2034: A Novel of the Next World War, they examine - in page-turning fashion - how the U.S. might stumble into war with China. In their new novel 2054, they revisit some of their favorite characters to examine how technology and civil conflict can be used as a weapon as great nations vie for power.
Veteran journalist Steve Coll is out with a new book dissecting the decades-long relationship between the United States and Saddam Hussein. We talk with him about his discovery of unpublished and underreported information which sheds new light into how “human error, cultural miscommunication, and hubris lead to one of the costliest geopolitical conflicts of our time.” After listening to the podcast, we recommend the review of “The Achilles Trap” that recently appeared in The Cipher Brief: https://www.thecipherbrief.com/book-review/the-cia-and-the-invasion-of-iraq
Best-selling NYT author Mark Greaney returns for his third appearance on a Cipher Brief podcast – this time to mark the publication of his latest novel “The Chaos Agent” which is the latest in his “Gray Man” series. In the new novel Greaney mines the headlines about artificial intelligence. The book connects a car accident in Japan, a drowning in Seoul, a home invasion in Boston, and someone killing the world’s leading experts on AI. We’ll talk to Mark about the challenge of producing a series of engaging thrillers – staying ahead of the news and satisfying his most discerning readers.
Award-winning author Tess Gerritsen, perhaps best-known for her medical and crime thrillers (like Rizzoli & Isles that was adapted for television), is trying her hand at the espionage game with her new thriller The Spy Coast. It seems in real life, the award-winning author noticed something a little odd about her neighbors in the small Maine town she calls home. She did some investigating of her own, only to find that many of her neighbors are retired spies and diplomats. Like any good novelist, she went back to her keyboard and created an international tale of espionage involving a group of retired spies who refer to themselves as ‘The Martini Club’. Cover Stories co-host Suzanne Kelly uncovers the details that led Gerritsen down this path in the latest episode of Cover Stories.
Just in time for the opening of spring training – we talk with author Adam Lazarus about his book: “The Wingmen: The Unlikely, Unusual, Unbreakable Friendship Between John Glenn and Ted Williams.” Lazarus tells us about iconic Americas met during the crucible of combat during the Korean War. USMC Captain Ted Williams, already a famed baseball player recalled to active duty to fly combat and soon-to-be famous Major John Glenn. Despite wildly different personalities, politics and approaches to life – the two formed a life-long bond that may be instructive to us during the current time of a divided America.
Tammy Kupperman Thorp is chief spokesperson for the Central Intelligence Agency. Her principal role is communicating with major media organizations on matters of national security and helping CIA Director Bill Burns communicate with the Agency’s worldwide workforce. But an interesting side aspect of her job involves coordinating the CIA's contact with the motion picture and television industry and major authors and publishers. We’ll ask her how and why the Agency works with Hollywood and authors and will explode some myths about the CIA’s role in entertainment, documentaries and more.
Serial best-selling author George Galdorisi has written a ton of books, mostly novels including including several of the rebooted Tom Clancy Op-Center series . But now he and co-author Kevin McDonald are out with a very useful work of non-fiction giving aspiring writers tips on how to write, publish and sell a book. Practical advice from someone who has been there, done that – and will help you do so too.
Former Washington Post correspondent Liza Mundy is out with a new book called: “The Sisterhood: The Secret History of Women at the CIA.” Mundy who previously wrote a New York Times bestseller “Code Girls” about female codebreakers of World War II turns her expert eye to telling the stories of three generations of women at the CIA. Mundy reveals a portrait of a workplace hampered by bias and male ego and yet an agency populated by intrepid women who found creative ways to work within – and expand – the confines of the roles to which they were funneled for decades. We will ask her to share some of the stories she has uncovered about the challenges and successes of a remarkable group of women.
Admiral Jim Stavridis has an amazing resume. Retired 4-star officer, former Supreme Allied Commander of NATO, Dean Emeritus of the Fletcher School of Law & Diplomacy at Tufts University and current Vice Chairman of the Carlyle Group and Chair of the Rockefeller Foundation. But our focus of this podcast (recorded live at The Cipher Brief’s Annual Threat Conference at Sea Island, GA) instead is on his record as a master communicator. He is the author of 12 books, literally thousands of magazine, newspaper and professional journal articles and the subject of countless broadcast interviews. We’ll ask him why he devotes so much effort to communicating, whether his publications (which started when he was a midshipman) were ever frowned upon by his superiors, how he navigates subjects which are viewed as political –and his advice for national security experts who aspire to follow in his wake as a communicator.
Former CIA officer David McCloskey is out with his second novel. His first, Damascus Station, received glowing reviews. Now he is back with a tale that Cipher Brief Russia experts say “brilliantly captures the nuances of field work in hostile environments” and provides a “propulsive thrill ride and a moving portrait of life, betrayal, and vengeance in Putin’s Russia.” We will talk with him about writing a novel and the real-world facts that are the stuff of thrillers.
Michael O’Hanlon’s 2023 book, Military History for the Modern Strategist earned rave reviews from Cipher Brief Experts like General Stan McChrystal. Cover Stories co-host Suzanne Kelly sits down with the author to talk about the constant themes that emerged as he studied seven major wars and the three lessons that McChrystal called ‘required reading for policymakers’.
A new book, End Game First by Cipher Brief Expert Vice Admiral Mike LeFever (Ret.) and Concentric Chairman Roderick Jones draws on the experience of both men to take crisis management from their military and law enforcement backgrounds to the boardroom, sharing what they learned guiding their own company through the COVID crisis.
Netflix has just started streaming a 8-episode series called “Spy Ops” which they where intelligence operatives from the CIA, MI6, Mossad and elsewhere share insider stories of spy craft, Cold War campaigns, and coups carried out by covert operatives. Featuring interviews with real officials, officers, and spies. We will get a preview of Spy Ops from one of executive producers, John Loew, and consulting producer, former CIA officer (and Cipher Brief Expert) Mark Kelton.
CIA Alum turned author Alma Katsu takes a ‘ripped from the headlines’ story about what happens when a CIA Case Officer spots a UFO while stationed overseas. Katsu is definitely exploring new territory here, not only in the subject matter, but in how she is reaching readers as well. Cover Stories co-host Suzanne Kelly talks with Katsu about her new mission to reach more readers by coupling good writing with new publishing options.
Like so many American teens in the mid-1980s, Scott Kartvedt saw the movie “Top Gun” and decided: “I want to do that!” Unlike most of them though – he actually pursued it. After graduating from college with a business degree he decided that a career in accounting didn’t offer the thrills he was seeking – so he joined the Navy, flying F/A-18s. He also joined the Blue Angels and ended up on giant posters in museums and saw an action figure made in his likeness. Kartvedt, whose call sign was “Intake,” commanded a couple squadrons, amassed thousands of flight hours and flew 91 combat missions. When he retired from the Navy, he became a motivational speaker and started flying at airshows. That’s what led him to help train the actors - and eventually - to fly, in some of the critical mission scenes filmed in the Top Gun sequel: Top Gun Maverick. Cover Stories Co-host Bill Harlow talks with Kartvedt about the twists and turns of a highly successful career.
A book by British former intelligence official and award-winning journalist Michael Smith has written a book about how U.S. and British intelligence formed a close working relationship at the start of World War II and continue to build on it to this day. The cast of characters ranges from Winston Churchil, Ian Fleming, John F. Kennedy, Margaret Thatcher and even Edward Snowden. The book was published in the UK in 2022 and very favorably reviewed in the pages of The Cipher Brief. But now a U.S. edition is being published and we take advantage of that event to have a special conversation with Michael Smith.
Captain Brett Crozier’s Navy career was soaring. As commanding officer of the nuclear powered aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt - he was a shoe-in to make flag officer. And then COVID struck and he made a controversial decision to plead with higher command to protect his sailors. As a result he was beloved by the crew – and fired by the Navy. Now retired, Crozier has written a book that reflects not only on that incident – but on a lifetime full of lessons about the power of kindness, the importance of teamwork, and the value of standing up for what you believe in. We’ll talk with him about his book: “Surf When You Can: Lessons in Life, Loyalty, and Leadership from a Maverick Navy Captain.”
On June 5, former FBI agent Robert Hanssen died in the SuperMax prison in Colorado. While few will lament his passing, his death gives us occasion to talk with New York Times bestselling author Lis Wiehl about her 2022 book “A Spy in Plain Sight: The Inside Story of the FBI and Robert Hanssen, America’s Most Damaging Russian Spy.” We ask her about how Hanssen got started betraying his country, how he got away with it for so long and how he was finally captured. Wiehl, a Harvard Law School grad, former federal prosecutor, and daughter of a former FBI agent shares new insights into the life and evil deeds of an odd and awful traitor.
Historian and author Calder Walton shares some of the secrets he uncovered while researching his new book, Spies: The Epic Intelligence War Between East and West, including his unearthing of a document from more than one hundred years ago containing a desperate plea for the West to help push Russia out of Ukraine. Find out how history is repeating itself and what we’ve learned about Intelligence in this episode of the Cover Stories podcast.
The thought of what would happen in the United States in the face of a massive power outage has intrigued authors and television producers for years. Dr. William R. Forstchen is partly to blame due to his popular book, One Second After, first published in 2011. The fictional tale imagines life after an electromagnetic pulse (EMP) attack that takes out power across much of the country. Now, he’s back with Five Years After, which follows the main character John Matherson as he deals with new threats to a fragile new global balance.. Cover Stories co-host Suzanne Kelly and special guest host Brad Christian talk with Dr. Forstchen about what brought him to Five Years After and the frightful path forward.
Bill Rapp was an academic historian before joining the CIA where he spent 35 years as an analyst. Among his assignments was as White House PDB briefer for Condoleezza Rice. After retiring he combined his past careers to become a prolific novelist. We talk to him about his latest book set in the middle of the Cuban Missile Crisis - but the action is in Turkey where CIA Soviet assets are mysteriously dying.
Imad Mughniyeah was a Lebanese terrorist responsible for more American deaths than any other individual – until 9/11. He is now the subject of a 4-part Showtime dramatic series that debuts on May 19. We talk with Greg Barker who directed and co-wrote this unusual series that tells from American, Israeli and Lebanese perspectives the story of the man who was behind many suicide bombings, hijackings and murders in the Middle East and who evaded capture for two decades until he was killed by a car bomb in Syria. The drama also weaves in first-hand, real-life interviews with prominent officials from the CIA and Mossad.
Former New York Times correspondent Thom Shanker and defense expert Andrew Hoehn have crafted an important new book looking at the challenges the United States faces from Russia and China – and from emerging threats like pandemics, AI-enabled weapons and cybersecurity. We talk with them about how to address these challenges which they say will require revamping the U.S. national security structure.
The story of how a small group of women - wives of Vietnam POWs founded the National League of Families and rallied the nation behind the cause of bringing home American POWs and resolving the status of MIAs. Author Taylor Kiland tell this moving story.
Interview with VADM Pete Daly, USN, Ret. CEO and Publisher of the U.S. Naval Institute. Daly discusses how USNI Press differs from mainstream publishers and academic presses. He talks about trends in the publishing industry, how the pandemic impacted book publishing, how authors can submit material for consideration and some of USNI’s greatest hits – including Tom Clancy’s “The Hunt for Red October.”
A few weeks ago, Cover Stories co-host Suzanne Kelly interviewed Executive Producer Alex Cary, the man behind the new show (on MGM+) A Spy Among Friends. The series is a fictional adaptation of the book by the same name by author Ben McIntyre, and tells the story of Kim Philby, one of the most damaging double agents to ever infiltrate MI6. Cary made his own confession during that conversation, that there is a real-life woman who inspired him to create one of the central characters in the series. Kelly has a surprise of her own for Cary as she introduces him for the first time to the woman who served as his inspiration for the character.
Richard Klein, Managing Partner of McLarty Media plays an unusual role in the entertainment industry. He and his firm serve as intermediaries helping some of Hollywood’s biggest movies get made. They advise film studios, directors and producers on issues of “international interest” – on matters like story development, script authenticity, unique overseas location requirements, and complex production logistics. He’ll tell us why there is a need for outfits like his – some of their biggest challenges – and how filmmakers balance entertainment – with accuracy.
Nick Reynolds’ resume is one for the history books. A PhD from Oxford, followed by active duty in the U.S. Marine Corps, and then service with the CIA – both overseas and running the CIA Museum. Last year he published “Need to Know: World War II and the Rise of American Intelligence” a well-received book that explores the origins. Successes and failures of the whole range of U.S. intelligence agencies during the war. We’ll ask Nick about some of the colorful cast of characters who populate the book.
Alex Cary has always been drawn to storytelling. It’s a passion that moved him from his life as a soldier in the UK to Hollywood, where he began writing and producing on shows like ‘Lie to Me’, ‘Homeland’ and ‘Taken’. A few years ago, someone sent him a book by author Ben McIntyre and it set Cary off on a new adventure, this time, creating the television show he’s always wanted to make. His new series tells the story of British Intelligence Officer Kim Philby, who lived a double life by spying for the Soviet Union during World War II and in the early years of the Cold War. In 1963, Philby’s past caught up with him and that’s where Cary’s new series, ‘A Spy Among Friends’, begins. Cary called on a few friends of his own to make it happen, including actor Damian Lewis, whom he’d met on the set of Homeland years earlier. Cover Stories co-host Suzanne Kelly caught up with Cary in Los Angeles to talk about his journey from reading the book to writing and producing the new television series.
Alma Katsu draws on her 30+ year career in the Intelligence Community for inspiration for her new spy novels. Her latest, Red London follows main character Lindsey Duncan to the UK, where she digs into an undercover assignment to find out everything she can about a Russian oligarch. That’s the obvious mission. Katsu’s own mission in writing the second book in the series is to attract more female readers to the genre by giving women what they want: action, adventure and a really good plot twist.
As Executive Producer and Showrunner for shows like Homeland and 24, Howard Gordon has shown that he understands how to take compelling national security topics and make them Hollywood hits. While his new show on Fox, The Accused, doesn’t have a national security angle, Cover Stories caught up with Gordon to talk about what it takes to make good TV in an age of geopolitical turmoil.
As author Mark Greaney unleashes the latest novel in his Gray Man series, Cover Stories digs deep into the inspiration behind Burner and asks how that whole Netflix series thing is working out, and what’s next for Court Gentry.
Erich Schwartzel covers Hollywood for The Wall Street Journal. Last year, he published a terrific book called Red Carpet: Hollywood, China and the Global Battle for Cultural Supremacy about the power China wields over the American film industry. The Cover Stories Podcast is about books, entertainment and national security and Schwartzel’s book covers all of that like a carpet.
Former New York Times journalist Philip Taubman discusses his new biography of George Shultz, one of only two Americans to have held four cabinet level positions (including more than 6 years as Secretary of State during the Reagan administration), In the book Taubman quotes Gorbachev as saying “Without Reagan, the cold war would not have ended, but without Shultz, Reagan would not have ended the cold war.” In this episode – we will ask Taubman why.
Ben Griffin is the author of “Reagan’s War Stories: A Cold War Presidency.” The book examines how Ronald Reagan was shaped by books he read as a young man – and how themes from these books, such as the battle of good vs. evil, continued to influence Reagan throughout his life. It also looks at how popular culture, like Tom Clancy’s novel “The Hunt for Red October,” became an important communications tool during the Reagan presidency. Popular culture and national security are what Cover Stories is all about. Join us for this discussion with Ben Griffin.
Author John le Carre was an avid writer of letters as well as novels. What does a new collection of his private correspondence reveal about one of the greatest authors of our time? Who better to ask than someone with intimate knowledge of the world of espionage, who was both irritated and entertained by le Carre’s writing? Join us as former Senior Member of the British Foreign Office Nick Fishwick talks about the new book A Private Spy, edited by Tim Cornwell.
In this episode, Bill Harlow interviews Jim Popkin, author of the just-published: Code Name Blue Wren: The True Story of America’s Most Dangerous Female Spy - and the Sister She Betrayed. Popkin talks about his fascination with the story of Ana Montes, a long-time senior Defense Intelligence Agency analyst who was arrested in 2001 for spying for Cuba. They discuss what might have motivated Montes to betray the United States, how she was recruited by Cuba, the tradecraft she employed and how she evaded detection for many years. Having served the bulk of a 25 year sentence in federal prison, Montes is about to be released.
In this inaugural episode, Cover Stories co-hosts Suzanne Kelly and Bill Harlow, who once sat on opposite sides of the press room, take turns grilling each other with questions about spies and the media. Kelly, a former Intelligence Correspondent and Harlow, a former government spokesperson always knew there were limits to what could be shared. So, what are those limits and how does the relationship between intelligence agencies and the media really work?