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Radio War Nerd EP #377 — Cloak & Dumber: Spyfail, feat. James Bamford (Patreon)

Published:
2023-05-12 00:12:09
Imported:
2026-06
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Guest: James Bamford, author 

Recorded: May 9, 2023

We talk to national security investigative reporter James Bamford about US counterintelligence calamities over the past decade, with near apocalyptic consequences, in the larger context of US ruling class incompetence & corruption, all captured in Bamford's new book Spyfail: Foreign Spies, Moles, Saboteurs, and the Collapse of America’s Counterintelligence.

Buy Bamford's books, including The Puzzle Palace, Body of Secrets, and his newest Spyfail.-Read his latest articles in The Nation on the Nord Stream bombings, and on the US spy plane that was nearly shot down last year by a Russian fighter over the Black Sea.-Follow him on twitter.

Total time: 1:50:35

Direct link to this episode's mp3 here 

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Comments

J P 3

There was some reporting in 2016 about two Trump Tower meetings. One related to Russia. The second, reported in The NY Times, involved Don Jr., representatives from the UAE, Saudi Arabia and an Israeli citizen (in what capacity -- individually, on behalf of the state, or some political faction, it doesn't say). Reading between the lines it was pretty clear that there were multiple parties involved in the 2016 election on Trump's behalf centered around the move of the U.S. embassy, the termination of the Iran nuclear deal, and other issues. The move of the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem was a pet project of Sheldon Adelson going back to at least 2012. In the 2012 GOP primary, Newt Gingrich's two core issues were the establishment of a moon base, and moving the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem (Adelson gave over $20 million to Gingrich's failed campaign). Rubio, Ted Cruz and others also latched onto the embassy move in 2017 (I believe both made the commitment as well during the 2016 primary). I was also under the impression that Putin and Netanyahu have enjoyed a good working relationship during their time in power. e.g. not hard to imagine that both celebrated Trump's election in 2016. Whether they actively coordinated to achieve that end is another question.

Nicknimh

On account of the last episode, I decided to order Salammbô. I managed to find a really gorgeous illustrated edition (the publisher is Éditions Callidor), and I wanted to show it off. Linking since I can't post them directly in the comment. Unfortunately I might not be able to read it right away, since the (French) vocabulary is a bit beyond me at the moment. https://i.ibb.co/RTBFbc3/IMG-20230512-134816-01-01.jpg https://i.ibb.co/ds9wPx1/IMG-20230512-134825-02.jpg https://i.ibb.co/cFqWj4T/IMG-20230512-135226.jpg https://i.ibb.co/PG8T88k/IMG-20230512-135002.jpg https://i.ibb.co/QQPfx3q/IMG-20230512-135056.jpg

ploob

Sweet! Thanks

Logan Ausherman

Honestly hersh was kinda of an asshole and didn't really do his story any favors when he was on the podcast.

CR

The damn North Koreans took away from us 21 Jump Street with aliens (MIB crossover. MIB sucks, but I'd have hope for the 21/22 Jump Street team)

Of course

There's a short YouTube video about this edition, just enter Salammbo Editions Callidor. Impressive illustrations. Which is useful since I don't read French.

Jaime Christley

I'm sitting here mouth agape at the Milchan-Netanyahu saga and I've still got an hour to go. I'd ask "Why don't more people know about this?" but, you know.... we know why.

Jaime Christley

I can't understand why the lads called him "scary", but then again I worked in car rental in Manhattan and JFK airport and every third or fourth customer was basically Sy Hersh, "c'mon c'mon, what are we doin here, I ain't got all day" etc.

Jaime Christley

I want to push back a little on pinning the INTERVIEW debacle squarely on Seth Rogen - obviously not everything he touches turns to gold but he's really not an untalented director: paired with co-director Evan Goldberg, THIS IS THE END and the pilot for PREACHER are nothing to scoff at. Then tally up his strong performances in THE FABLEMANS and STEVE JOBS; to me he comes out swinging against the strongest cases made by the prosecution. I've not seen THE INTERVIEW but it wouldn't surprise me in the least if it was pretty cannily directed despite a lot of poor decisions that led to it existing in the first place. Anyway as a chubby middle aged guy who enjoys getting high I have to look out for my kind.......

Peter Z

"Start with firing a few people at the top of the totem pole" - if only!

David Andrews

Great episode but The Dictator was childishly funny. Lighten up, guys 😃

Aditya V

Simply great guest. There are so few like him today. He is laboriously unearthing all this information that the media lazily and wilfuly ignores. The Sony - North Korea episode and the Israeli penetration of Trump campaign are most interesting. One thing left unsaid was that Sony's movie showing NK leader killed is highly egregious because NK was Japanese colony where Japs committed atrocities

James

Excellent episode and great episode art, too!

Benjamin Glover

is someone photoshopping these recent episode covers or are you using midjourney, because they look an awful lot like AI gen'd crud. Brad Jonas still lives, guys.

WarOn WarOff

Israel is a hell of a lot more dangerous and unhinged than NK, Iran, or Russia.

James

Seth Rogan's head exploding? Definitely sounds like a job for midjourney...

Eric Snow

As a producer, Milchan is very well known for films he's been involved in. Brazil, Heat, Fight Club, The Man Who Knew Too Little, Natural Born Killers, JFK, Once Upon a Time in America, etc. Also plenty of turds (Under Siege).The story of him being a spy is fascinating, especially the implications of why he's not been prosecuted in the US.

Jaime Christley

the first Under Siege is good tho. very likely the only all-around good Steven Seagull starrer. the sequel is w/e but it's at least got Eric Bogosian as a cackling cyber-villain.

Eric Snow

UKTI! Respect!I have to admit I've actually never seen all of under siege. I have scorched my eyeballs with all kinds of s***** '80s films but I just can't get past Steven Seagal. Eric bogosian is great. His book operation nemesis was fascinating. He would be a fun guest on the podcast if we didn't already have enough death and misery on display at the moment.

Mark Ames

different movie, Rogen did The Interview

Jaime Christley

well Segal is basically a hole in the screen so if there's anything good about a movie he's in, it's to someone else's credit. (or they kill him off early, like in EXECUTIVE DECISION.) the first U/S is completely stolen by Tommy Lee Jones and it was one of his first few roles where people were getting excited about him showing up in stuff. when he wins the Oscar the very next year, it's a movie from the same director as U/S: Andrew Davis.

SB

The interview is great and very informative. Thank you. Unfortunately, it deflates in the end by Bamford's ridiculous claims about Nord Stream. His theory about Ukrainian undersea drones is laughable for two reasons. Finding a pipe buried in the sand by a remotely operated drone would be nearly impossible. More importantly, an explosion near the pipeline would not cut a section of it. It would deform or puncture the pipe instead. Explosives had to be placed around the pipe (shaped charges) in two places in order to achieve that result. I guess physics is not his strong suit.

David Andrews

Sorry. I meant the Interview. It was sophmoric humor (and funnier than the Dictator).

Will M

Autonomous underwater drones have been used for years for undersea pipeline inspection so how can it be "nearly impossible" to find a pipeline with one? As for your second point, Bamford mentiond drones having the ability place explosives *on* mines as an alternative to the possibility of exploding near them, and explicitly said that some drones have ability to attach explosives in response to Mark's question, so you aren't addressing his claim.

SB

Drones used for demining are relatively small. They don't need to carry a lot of explosives. The large drones, presumably, are for blowing up ships and port infrastructure. They can't wrap explosives around a pipe. An explosion of a drone like that on the sea floor would not rip out a section of the pipe. If Ukrainians did it, why target Danish waters? It would make more sense to do that in Russian waters as they did in Crimea or even on the ground as they tried with Turk Stream. They are threatening now to blow up the oil pipeline going to Hungary. Why wouldn't they take credit for Nord Stream? There are other facts that support Hersh's story even if circumstantially. Ola Tulander covered them in his article, including the 'strange' cancellation of Norwegian PM's trip to the pipeline inauguration. And he is a well qualified guy to do that. https://olatunander.substack.com/p/after-sy-hershs-article-norway-the Makes a lot more sense IMO than what Bamford presented.

John Waaben

This may be the funniest ep of the show

George P

I'm less than halfway through Spyfail and it's incredible so far. I can't recommend it enough.

Alex

I take issue with his characterization of Sy Hersh's reporting on Nord Stream in his article. Notice that he makes no attempt whatsoever to refute any of Hersh's "elaborate allegations," and that his alternative is every bit as as "unsourced." Frankly, it occurs to me that this version only appears in The Nation precisely because it's vague and unrealistic, and because it attempts (unsuccessfully, in my opinion) to cast doubt on the only durably plausible narrative to emerge about the largest act of environmental terrorism of all time.

Shfifty_five

Jesus Christ, he's involved in all of those? A surprising amount of bangers.