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PODCAST

The Rest Is Classified

Enter the secretive world of spies, espionage, and covert operations. Hosted by former CIA analyst turned spy novelist, David McCloskey, and veteran security correspondent, Gordon Corera, this podcast unravels real-life spy stories, intelligence secrets, and the hidden power struggles shaping global events. From Cold War espionage to modern-day intelligence agencies like the CIA, MI6, and Mossad, explore the world of double agents, classified missions, and the shadowy figures who operate in them

history

All Episodes

41:14

129. Al Qaeda’s Deadliest Plot: Why You Can’t Bring...

The Rest Is Classified ·

2026/02/18

Time is of the essence to stop the Al Qaeda plotters from taking down multiple airliners and MI5 are rushing to make arrests. But is there enough evidence to charge them with terror offences?In the final episode of our series on the Liquid Bomb Plot, David and Gordon unpack the suspenseful moments before the plotters are arrested and how everything nearly went so wrong. ------------------- Join the Declassified Club to go deeper into the world of espionage with exclusive Q&As, interviews

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45:19

128. Al Qaeda’s Deadliest Plot: CIA vs Pakistan (Ep 3)

The Rest Is Classified ·

2026/02/16

The “Special Relationship” is under strain as MI5 and the CIA butt heads over how to stop an Al Qaeda cell in East London from committing the next 9/11. With the Americans visiting Pakistan and making risky unauthorised decisions, will the intelligence alliance survive? Listen as David and Gordon take us to Islamabad in the latest episode of their series on the Liquid Bomb Plot, and try to understand why a lone agent acted so impulsively. ------------------- Join the Declassified Club to go

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60:17

127. Was Epstein A Russian Spy?

The Rest Is Classified ·

2026/02/13

Was convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein working undercover for the Kremlin? Did Putin recruit Epstein to harvest kompromat on his enemies? And what does this mean for global security going forward?Listen as David McCloskey spoke LIVE to former CIA officer and foreign policy, intelligence, and national security expert John Sipher to discuss the ongoing intelligence developments coming out of the Epstein Files. ------------------- Make someone a Declassified Club Member this year – go

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34:22

126. Al Qaeda’s Deadliest Plot: The Terror Attack...

The Rest Is Classified ·

2026/02/11

MI5 have discovered a bomb making factory in East London, but how do they stop the Al Qaeda plotters from carrying out their terrifying plans? In the second episode of their series on the Liquid Bomb Plot, David and Gordon share the inside story of how MI5 surveilled the extremist cell and “legally” broke into the bomb factory. ------------------- Join the Declassified Club to go deeper into the world of espionage with exclusive Q&As, interviews with top intelligence insiders, regular

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46:37

125. Al Qaeda’s Deadliest Plot: How MI5 Stopped...

The Rest Is Classified ·

2026/02/09

In the aftermath of 9/11, while the world was still reeling from the deadliest terror attack on US soil, Al Qaeda were plotting an airline attack with ever graver consequences. This is the story of the Liquid Bomb Plot.Listen as David and Gordon delve into the story of how MI5 foiled the plans of an extremist cell in East London. ------------------- Join the Declassified Club to go deeper into the world of espionage with exclusive Q&As, interviews with top intelligence insiders, regular

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50:59

124. Kim Philby: Britain’s Most Notorious Traitor (Ep 4)

The Rest Is Classified ·

2026/02/04

A Russian agent is trying to defect to Britain, but there’s only one person in his way: Kim Philby. Will the communist double agent at the heart of MI6 sell his comrade down the river to save himself, or spare his life at the risk of giving the game away? As David and Gordon reach the end of their first foray into the infamous life and career of Kim Philby, they ask: can you ever feel sympathy for a traitor? ------------------- Join the Declassified Club to go deeper into the world of

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49:03

123. Kim Philby: Communist Double Agent In London (Ep 3)

The Rest Is Classified ·

2026/02/02

Kim Philby’s moment in the sun has finally arrived: he has been recruited by MI6 and asked to join the anti-communist division. With access to intelligence beyond his wildest dreams, this is Philby’s chance to show the Russians what he’s made of.Listen as David and Gordon continue their story on the rise of Kim Philby from war correspondent to one of the most important men in British intelligence. ------------------- Join the Declassified Club to go deeper into the world of espionage with

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61:35

122. Kim Philby: An Assassin In Spain (Ep 2)

The Rest Is Classified ·

2026/01/28

Kim Philby has been recruited by the communists to spy on the growing fascist movement across Europe, but he can’t seem to penetrate the intelligence services. So, like all men with access to an old boys’ network in 20th century Britain, he asks a friend for a job. In this episode, David and Gordon chart Philby’s rise as a war correspondent for The Times in London; eventually finding himself in Spain on the eve of war with the unenviable task of trying to assassinate General

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64:44

121. Kim Philby: Stalin’s Mole Inside MI6 (Ep 1)

The Rest Is Classified ·

2026/01/26

Kim Philby has gone down in history as Britain’s most notorious double agent: spying for Stalin while running the MI6 counter-intelligence operation against him. But how did a quiet public school boy go on to change the course of the Cold War? Listen as David and Gordon begin their four-part series on the rise of Kim Philby, from the son of an anti-colonial eccentric in India to one of the most powerful, and dangerous, men in Britain. ------------------- Make someone a Declassified Club

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13:12

The Persian (Extract)

The Rest Is Classified ·

2026/01/24

To coincide with the release of David's latest novel, The Persian, we have the book’s first chapter in audiobook form for you to enjoy. Mixing suspense with strikingly cinematic action, David McCloskey takes readers deep into the shadow war between Iran and Israel. The Persian by David McCloskey, is OUT NOW in the UK. Pre-order a signed edition ⁠via this link.⁠ ------------------- What happens when a spy is forced to reckon with the consequences of his deception? Kamran Esfahani,

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42:29

120. Greenland Intelligence Scoop: Trump, Xi, and...

The Rest Is Classified ·

2026/01/23

Why is Trump backing down on his plans to seize Greenland? Are the Russian's already spying in the Arctic? And should we be fearing Chinese influence in the icy north? In this emergency podcast, David and Gordon delve into the intelligence story regarding Greenland and ask why Trump's forcefulness may be distracting us from the plans of China and Russia. ------------------- Make someone a Declassified Club Member this year – go deeper into the world of espionage with exclusive Q&As,

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52:59

119. Inside Iran: Why Trump Didn’t Intervene (Ep 2)

The Rest Is Classified ·

2026/01/21

What does history tell us about how a revolution is going to play out? What can intelligence agencies and political scientists working on Iran learn from Syria? And why didn’t Donald Trump follow through on his plan to militarily intervene in Iran? Listen as David and Gordon look at the ongoing situation in Iran through the lens of intelligence analysts and ask what there is to be learnt from studying revolutions of the past. ------------------- Make someone a Declassified Club Member this

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58:41

118. Inside Iran: Can You Predict A Revolution? (Ep 1)

The Rest Is Classified ·

2026/01/19

How are intelligence agencies reacting to the recent protests in Iran? Is the regime on the edge of collapse? And is it ever possible to predict a revolution?Listen as David and Gordon analyse the ongoing situation in Iran and look at what the mass uprising, and its suppression, means for intelligence agencies across the globe. ------------------- Make someone a Declassified Club Member this year – go deeper into the world of espionage with exclusive Q&As, interviews with top intelligence

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49:24

117. Epstein Files Declassified: Mossad, Israel and...

The Rest Is Classified ·

2026/01/14

It has been alleged that Robert Maxwell, father of convicted child sex offender Ghislaine, had connections to the Israeli intelligence agency, Mossad. Through these links, some have suggested that Maxwell recruited Jeffrey Epstein, who then also became an Israeli asset. While this has never been confirmed by Mossad, conspiracy theories are rife. In their second episode on Epstein’s intelligence connections, David and Gordon examine the validity of these theories and answer the question of

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38:35

116. Epstein Files Declassified: Was He A Spy? (Ep 1)

The Rest Is Classified ·

2026/01/12

Was disgraced financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein working undercover for an intelligence agency? And, if so, which one? Listen as David and Gordon begin a two-part series on Epstein’s alleged espionage connections. ------------------- Make someone a Declassified Club Member this year – go deeper into the world of espionage with exclusive Q&As, interviews with top intelligence insiders, regular livestreams, ad-free listening, early access to episodes and live show tickets,

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4:48

Ex-CIA Officer On How The Cubans Failed Maduro in...

The Rest Is Classified ·

2026/01/09

*Declassified Club exclusive: ⁠⁠⁠⁠SUBSCRIBE⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to listen to the full series*What does one of the CIA's leading experts on Venezuela think about the operation to capture President Maduro? What will history say about the decision to invade a sovereign nation? And how involved were the Cubans? Listen as David and Gordon are joined by former CIA officer and Latin America Chief of Operations to discuss the Trump administration's operation in Venezuela and what this means for the future of the

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48:56

115. Intelligence Scoop: Why Venezuela Isn’t About...

The Rest Is Classified ·

2026/01/07

President Trump is now “running Venezuela”, but how did we get to this point? Why would a US president want to control Latin America? And is it really all about drugs and oil? Listen as David and Gordon explore the reasons behind Trump’s attack on Venezuela and try to understand why this Latin American country holds so much potential for the future of the global order. ------------------- Make someone a Declassified Club Member in 2026 – go deeper into the world of espionage with exclusive

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47:54

114. Intelligence Scoop: How Trump Captured Maduro in...

The Rest Is Classified ·

2026/01/05

What is actually happening between the US and Venezuela? Trump has captured President Maduro of Venezuela and extradited him to the US, but how was he able to pull off such a complex, and legally contentious, plot? Listen as David and Gordon take a look inside the raid that brought down Maduro and share the intelligence scoop on why it was so successful. ------------------- Make someone a Declassified Club Member in 2026 – go deeper into the world of espionage with exclusive Q&As,

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54:53

113. How To Protect Your Secrets: Is The Toaster...

The Rest Is Classified ·

2025/12/31

Does China want to hack into your washing machine? What really is the dark web? And can you ever avoid being spied on in the 21st century?Listen as David and Gordon are once again joined by the CIA's first Chief of Tradecraft and Operational Technology, Glenn Chafetz, to discuss the nuances of ubiquitous technical surveillance and how you can protect your data in the digital age. ------------------- Make someone a Declassified Club Member in 2026 – go deeper into the world of espionage

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50:34

112. How To Protect Your Secrets: Inside China’s...

The Rest Is Classified ·

2025/12/29

The world of surveillance has changed beyond recognition over the past 25 years with the advent of technology. From CCTV cameras to cookie tracking, it's not so easy to escape the long arm of the intelligence services in 2025. David and Gordon are joined by the CIA's first Chief of Tradecraft and Operational Technology, Glenn Chafetz, to explore the ever-changing world of ubiquitous technical surveillance and why the Chinese state is upping their capabilities in this space

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144 results

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