Secrets and Spies Podcast: Espionage | Global Issues | Current Affairs Podcast By Secrets & Spies cover art

Secrets and Spies Podcast: Espionage | Global Issues | Current Affairs

Secrets and Spies Podcast: Espionage | Global Issues | Current Affairs

By: Secrets & Spies
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Secrets and Spies sits at the intersection of intelligence, covert action, real-world espionage, and broader geopolitics in a way that is digestible but serious. Hosted by filmmaker Chris Carr and writer Matt Fulton, each episode unpacks global events through the lens of intelligence and geopolitics, featuring expert insights from former spies, authors, and analysts. Tune in for balanced, critical perspectives that will expand your understanding of our uncertain world, deciphering the most enigmatic professions, ideologies, and organizations that shape the global landscape.

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Our Hosts Host Chris Carr, driven by a teenage encounter with former KGB officer Oleg Gordievsky, brings a unique authenticity to the podcast. His deep-seated fascination with espionage is evident in his highly acclaimed short spy film The Dry Cleaner, available on Apple TV and Amazon Prime. Currently developing feature film and television scripts inspired by the podcast's themes, Chris aims to create realistic and compelling spy dramas.

Joining him is Matt Fulton, a novelist and screenwriter who draws inspiration from masters of the spy genre like John Le Carré, Tom Clancy, and Graham Greene. Author of the Active Measures series of globe-trotting geopolitical thrillers, Matt brings his decades of extensive research and narrative prowess to the podcast, offering listeners a front-row seat to the thrilling world of covert operations.Chris Carr / F & P LTD Biographies & Memoirs Politics & Government Social Sciences True Crime
Episodes
  • S10 Ep20: Espionage and Drug Trafficking: The Life of Harold Derber with David Tuch

    S10 Ep20: Espionage and Drug Trafficking: The Life of Harold Derber with David Tuch
    Dec 17 2025
    David Tuch, author of The Wireless Operator, joins Chris to tell the stranger-than-fiction story of Harold Derber—a wartime wireless operator who later ran blockade-busting weapons to Israel before reinventing marijuana smuggling in the 1970s. David explains how a loophole created by the 1970 Controlled Substances Act briefly made it legal to hold drugs in international waters—and how Derber exploited it with a “mothership” fleet, offloading tons of marijuana at sea. They break down why Deber’s flagship, the Night Train, became law enforcement’s obsession, built on counter-surveillance and tradecraft designed to keep informants out. The conversation then moves into Miami and Wall Street—money laundering, the Gambinos, and First Jersey Securities—alongside Derber’s documented ties to Cuban intelligence.

    Subscribe and share to stay ahead in the world of intelligence, global issues, and current affairs.

    Learn more about David and his work: https://davidtuch.com

    Order The Wireless Operator: https://www.iconbooks.com/ib-title/the-wireless-operator/

    Support Secrets and Spies Become a “Friend of the Podcast” on Patreon for £3/$4: https://www.patreon.com/SecretsAndSpies
    Buy merchandise from our shop: https://www.redbubble.com/shop/ap/60934996
    Buy us a coffee: https://buymeacoffee.com/secretsandspies
    Subscribe to our YouTube page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDVB23lrHr3KFeXq4VU36dg
    For more information about the podcast, check out our website: https://secretsandspiespodcast.com

    Connect with us on social media Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/secretsandspies.bsky.social
    Instagram: https://instagram.com/secretsandspies
    Facebook: https://facebook.com/secretsandspies
    Spoutible: https://spoutible.com/SecretsAndSpies

    Follow Chris and Matt on Bluesky:
    https://bsky.app/profile/chriscarrfilm.bsky.social
    https://bsky.app/profile/mattfulton.net

    Secrets and Spies is produced by F & P LTD.
    Music by Andrew R. Bird
    Photo by David Tuch, Ted Akey, Wolfson Archives & Icon Books

    Secrets and Spies sits at the intersection of intelligence, covert action, real-world espionage, and broader geopolitics in a way that is digestible but serious. Hosted by filmmaker Chris Carr and writer Matt Fulton, each episode examines the very topics that real intelligence officers and analysts consider on a daily basis through the lens of global events and geopolitics, featuring expert insights from former spies, authors, and journalists.
    Show more Show less
    59 mins
  • S10 Ep19: The Fourth Intelligence Revolution with Anthony Vinci

    S10 Ep19: The Fourth Intelligence Revolution with Anthony Vinci
    Dec 13 2025
    Former chief technology officer of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, Dr. Anthony Vinci, joins Matt to explain why intelligence has broken out of the classified world—and why everyday citizens are now on the front lines. Anthony walks through three past “intelligence revolutions” and argues we’ve entered a fourth, driven by China and AI: intelligence expanding beyond war and politics into economics and tech, a “whole-of-society” competition that pulls in companies and universities, and a shift from targeting governments to targeting entire populations. They discuss “inanity of evil” disinformation operations, China’s push toward a global panopticon, the case for treating economic espionage as tier-one national security, and the coming collision of AI, autonomy, and trust—ending with what it means to “think like an intelligence officer” without becoming the thing we’re fighting.

    Subscribe and share to stay ahead in the world of intelligence, global issues, and current affairs.

    Order The Fourth Intelligence Revolution: https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250370907/thefourthintelligencerevolution/

    Learn more on Anthony’s website: https://www.anthonyvinci.com/

    Subscribe to Anthony’s Substack: https://anthonyvinci.substack.com/

    Support Secrets and Spies Become a “Friend of the Podcast” on Patreon for £3/$4: https://www.patreon.com/SecretsAndSpies
    Buy merchandise from our shop: https://www.redbubble.com/shop/ap/60934996
    Buy us a coffee: https://buymeacoffee.com/secretsandspies
    Subscribe to our YouTube page: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDVB23lrHr3KFeXq4VU36dg
    For more information about the podcast, check out our website: https://secretsandspiespodcast.com

    Connect with us on social media Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/secretsandspies.bsky.social
    Instagram: https://instagram.com/secretsandspies
    Facebook: https://facebook.com/secretsandspies
    Spoutible: https://spoutible.com/SecretsAndSpies

    Follow Chris and Matt on Bluesky:
    https://bsky.app/profile/chriscarrfilm.bsky.social
    https://bsky.app/profile/mattfulton.net

    Secrets and Spies is produced by F & P LTD.
    Music by Andrew R. Bird
    Photo by Joy Asico

    Secrets and Spies sits at the intersection of intelligence, covert action, real-world espionage, and broader geopolitics in a way that is digestible but serious. Hosted by filmmaker Chris Carr and writer Matt Fulton, each episode examines the very topics that real intelligence officers and analysts consider on a daily basis through the lens of global events and geopolitics, featuring expert insights from former spies, authors, and journalists.
    Show more Show less
    55 mins
  • S10 Ep18: The Putin Factor Trump Keeps Ignoring with Dr Taras Kuzio

    S10 Ep18: The Putin Factor Trump Keeps Ignoring with Dr Taras Kuzio
    Dec 10 2025
    In this episode, Chris speaks with Dr Taras Kuzio about the deeper forces shaping Russia’s war against Ukraine and the faltering U.S.-Russia-Ukraine peace talks. Kuzio explores Vladimir Putin’s obsession with history and identity, the existential stakes the war now holds for the Kremlin, and the political, economic and social pressures that make genuine negotiation nearly impossible. They unpack the Trump administration’s pro-Russian tilt, European hesitation, the resilience and innovation of Ukraine’s defence sector, and the deep divisions within the global Russian diaspora. The conversation also looks ahead to what 2026 may bring, the risks of a post-Putin Russia, and why the West urgently needs a coherent strategy if it hopes to shape the outcome of this conflict.

    Subscribe and share to stay ahead in the world of intelligence, global issues, and current affairs.

    Follow Dr. Kuzio on X: x.com/TarasKuzio

    Read Dr. Kuzio’s recent reporting on Ukraine "Ukrainian Corruption Investigation Reveals Derkach’s Role" | The Jamestown Foundation

    "Ukraine Aspires to Become Arsenal to the West" | The Jamestown Foundation

    "Russia’s War Transforms Ukraine into a World-Leading Military Producer" | RealClear Defense

    Order Dr. Kuzio’s books Russia and Modern Fascism: New Perspectives on the Kremlin’s War Against Ukraine

    Russia's War on Ukraine: The Four Roots of Putin's Invasion

    Support Secrets and Spies Become a “Friend of the Podcast” on Patreon for £3/$4: patreon.com/SecretsAndSpies
    Buy merchandise from our shop: redbubble.com/shop/ap/60934996
    Buy us a coffee: buymeacoffee.com/secretsandspies
    Subscribe to our YouTube page: youtube.com/channel/UCDVB23lrHr3KFeXq4VU36dg

    For more information about the podcast, check out our website: secretsandspiespodcast.com

    Connect with us on social media
    Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/secretsandspies.bsky.social
    Instagram: https://instagram.com/secretsandspies
    Facebook: https://facebook.com/secretsandspies
    Spoutible: https://spoutible.com/SecretsAndSpies

    Follow Chris and Matt on Bluesky:
    https://bsky.app/profile/chriscarrfilm.bsky.social
    https://bsky.app/profile/mattfulton.net

    Secrets and Spies is produced by F & P LTD.
    Music by Andrew R. Bird
    Photos by Ozan Kose/AFP/Getty Images

    Secrets and Spies sits at the intersection of intelligence, covert action, real-world espionage, and broader geopolitics in a way that is digestible but serious. Hosted by filmmaker Chris Carr and writer Matt Fulton, each episode examines the very topics that real intelligence officers and analysts consider on a daily basis through the lens of global events and geopolitics, featuring expert insights from former spies, authors, and journalists.
    Show more Show less
    1 hr and 6 mins
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