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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

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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48:59

111. The Man Behind The CIA: Shooting In The White...

The Rest Is Classified ·

2025/12/24

Bill Donovan has set himself up across an entire floor of the swanky London hotel, Claridge’s. From here he is now running international intelligence operations and laying plans for the future of espionage in the United States. But, his arch nemesis, J. Edgar Hoover has an alternative vision for how these lofty ideas should play out. Listen as David and Gordon continue their tale of Wild Bill Donovan: the man who laid the foundations for the modern CIA. ------------------- Make someone a

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49:13

110. The Man Behind The CIA: Charming Mussolini and...

The Rest Is Classified ·

2025/12/22

“Wild” Bill Donovan laid the template for the formation of the modern CIA, but this wasn’t the way his life was supposed to turn out. A working class boy from Buffalo, Bill dreamt of something better for himself. These dreams took him to the trenches of Belgium and the beaches of Normandy, then to the halls of power themselves. This is the story of the man behind the CIA. From decorated war hero to an eccentric establishment figure, listen as David and Gordon tell the story of Wild Bill

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42:03

109. Hunting Al-Qaeda: The CIA’s Deadliest Day (Ep 4)

The Rest Is Classified ·

2025/12/17

Nine people dead. A severed head laying motionless in the rubble. Silence punctuated by screams. The moments after the 2009 Camp Chapman attack sound like something out of a horror film, but this was the devastating reality for those who trusted an Al Qaeda double agent to deliver on his promises.In this episode, David and Gordon reach the climax of their series on one of the deadliest days in CIA history. ------------------- Make someone a Declassified Club Member this Christmas – go

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53:10

108. Hunting Al-Qaeda: From Jihadist To Spy (Ep 3)

The Rest Is Classified ·

2025/12/15

Jennifer Matthews was one of the most capable and formidable CIA analysts working in the Counter Terrorism Centre during the War on Terror. She was also underestimated by her male colleagues who doubted she had what it took to run one of the most dangerous stations in Afghanistan. When Matthews took the post of CIA station chief at Camp Chapman, she knew the risks she faced. But, what she didn’t know was that Al Qaeda were training a double agent who sought to bring the War on Terror to her front

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11:52

Introducing: The Rest Is Science

The Rest Is Classified ·

2025/12/11

Forget what you think you know about reality. The Rest Is Science is a mind-bending new show from Goalhanger that tears down familiar ideas… time, randomness, beauty, it will reveal just how bizarre the world truly is.Join Professor Hannah Fry and science creator Michael Stevens (aka Vsauce) twice a week to explore big, small and surprising questions as they deep dive into theories, concepts, objects and thoughts and take us on a journey into the unexpected. If you love digging into details

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53:02

107. Hunting Al-Qaeda: The War On Terror (Ep 2)

The Rest Is Classified ·

2025/12/10

In the years following 9/11, the US launched the War on Terror to root out the most dangerous Al Qaeda operatives across the Middle East. Their determination to avenge those who lost their lives in the 2001 attacks was unrelenting, and they were willing to go to any lengths to win, even if that meant putting their trust into a jihadist turned Jordanian agent. In this episode, David and Gordon continue their series on the 2009 Camp Chapman attacks, detailing why the CIA and Jordanian GID felt

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55:10

106. Hunting Al-Qaeda: Anatomy Of A Terrorist (Ep 1)

The Rest Is Classified ·

2025/12/08

On 30 December 2009, an Al Qaeda terrorist detonated a bomb inside a CIA station in Afghanistan. This is the story of how a quiet doctor from Jordan became responsible for one of the deadliest days in CIA history. Listen as David and Gordon chart the rise of Humam Khalil Abu-Mulal al-Balawi from a doctor working in a Palestinian refugee camp to one of Al Qaeda’s most prolific online voices. ------------------- Make someone a Declassified Club Member this Christmas – go deeper into the

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42:08

105. The Chinese Spy Scandal: Mastering LinkedIn (Ep 2)

The Rest Is Classified ·

2025/12/03

In 2017, former CIA officer Kevin Mallory was drowning in debt when a message landed in his LinkedIn inbox. A Chinese “headhunter” said he had consulting work. Mallory - fluent in Mandarin, seasoned in intelligence, and once trusted with some of America’s most sensitive secrets - replied.In this episode, David and Gordon unpack how Chinese intelligence services used think-tank cover, tailored taskings, and a custom encrypted smartphone to reel Mallory in. From FedEx scans of classified documents

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42:50

104. The Chinese Spy Scandal: Breaching Westminster...

The Rest Is Classified ·

2025/12/01

Earlier this month, MI5 issued a stark warning to Westminster: a “covert and calculated” Chinese espionage campaign was targeting parliament - and doing so at an industrial scale. Not with trench-coats and dead drops, but with something far more mundane: LinkedIn messages. This week, Gordon and David look at two high-profile cases of alleged Chinese-backed spying in Britain. Those in the frame always denied the allegations - and two of them, Chris Cash and Christopher Berry, were found not guilty

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10:35

The Rise Of Putin: Becoming President

The Rest Is Classified ·

2025/11/28

*Declassified Club exclusive: ⁠⁠⁠SUBSCRIBE⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to listen to the full series*Vladimir Putin is on the cusp of becoming Russia's all-powerful leader, but how did a humble boy from St Petersburg reach such elite heights? Listen as David and Gordon are once again joined by one of the world's leading experts on Russian organised crime, Mark Galeotti, to conclude their series on the rise of Putin. ------------------- THE REST IS CLASSIFIED LIVE 2026: Buy your tickets to see David and Gordon

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55:07

103. Putin's Secret Army: The Coup That Almost...

The Rest Is Classified ·

2025/11/26

Could this have been the day when Putin fell from power? In June 2023, Prigozhin marched on Moscow, threatening to bring Putin’s authoritarian regime to its knees. In their final episode on the dramatic rise and fall of Yevgeny Prigozhin, David and Gordon take us back to the coup that almost toppled Putin and how the autocratic leader carried out the ultimate revenge. ------------------- THE REST IS CLASSIFIED LIVE 2026: Buy your tickets HERE to see David and Gordon live on stage at

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35:02

102. Putin's Secret Army: Criminals And Cannibals -...

The Rest Is Classified ·

2025/11/24

It’s 2022 and Russia is preparing to invade Ukraine. But, for Putin, all is not going to plan. Enter: Yevgeny Prigozhin and the Wagner Group. Listen as David and Gordon tell the story of the disastrous first few months of the war in Ukraine and how Prigozhin’s force of cannibals and sex offenders were fed to the trenches in a desperate attempt to stay in Putin’s orbit. ------------------- THE REST IS CLASSIFIED LIVE 2026: Buy your tickets ⁠HERE⁠ to see David and Gordon live on stage at

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9:52

The Rise Of Putin: Spying With The Stasi

The Rest Is Classified ·

2025/11/21

Vladimir Putin is now part of the KGB and has been sent to Soviet East Germany to spy with the infamous Stasi. With life for those living under Stasi control becoming increasingly terrifying, where does Putin fit in?Listen as David and Gordon are once again joined by one of the world's leading experts on Russian organised crime, Mark Galeotti, to explore the rise of Russia's authoritarian overlord. ------------------- THE REST IS CLASSIFIED LIVE 2026: Buy your tickets to see David and

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38:53

101. Putin's Secret Army: Wagner's Control Of Africa...

The Rest Is Classified ·

2025/11/19

From St Petersburg to the Central African Republic, Yevgeny Prigozhin and the infamous Wagner Group are extending their grip across the Global South and leaving death and destruction in their wake.In this episode, David and Gordon explore how the Wagner Group became embedded in the African military landscape and how their influence pervades to this day. ------------------- THE REST IS CLASSIFIED LIVE 2026: Buy your tickets HERE to see David and Gordon live on stage at London’s Southbank

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45:39

100. Putin's Secret Army: Fighting With Assad In...

The Rest Is Classified ·

2025/11/17

Prigozhin is now one of America’s most wanted but his star is only just on the rise. Realising Putin’s need for greater geopolitical power and influence, the Russian oligarch forms the Wagner Group, with the help of a neo-Nazi soldier. Listen as David and Gordon chart the growth of one of the world’s most infamous mercenary groups as Prigozhin embeds himself in the Middle East, helping President Assad of Syria take on the CIA. ------------------- THE REST IS CLASSIFIED LIVE 2026: Buy your

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9:48

The Rise Of Putin: Joining The KGB

The Rest Is Classified ·

2025/11/14

*Declassified Club exclusive: ⁠⁠SUBSCRIBE⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ to listen to the full series* How did Vladimir Putin rise from a nobody in St Petersburg to the most powerful man in Russia? Did he always crave the power of public office? Or was this relentless determination beaten into him by the KGB? Listen as David and Gordon are joined by one of the world's foremost experts on Russian organised crime, author and podcaster, Mark Galeotti, to discuss the rise of Putin and his unorthodox time in the

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44:15

99. Putin's Secret Army: Trump, Wagner And Russia (Ep 2)

The Rest Is Classified ·

2025/11/12

How did Donald Trump win the 2016 US election? Was Russian interference really behind his unlikely success? And how does one man rock the electoral system of the world’s most powerful nation? In the second instalment of their series on Yevgeny Prigozhin, David and Gordon delve into the murky story of how the Internet Research Agency interfered in the 2016 election and changed the course of history. ------------------- THE REST IS CLASSIFIED LIVE 2026: Buy your tickets ⁠HERE⁠ to see David

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42:13

98. Putin’s Secret Army: The Rise Of Prigozhin (Ep 1)

The Rest Is Classified ·

2025/11/10

From Putin’s chef to Putin’s butcher, this is the story of Prigozhin. A man on the brink of oligarchical power who flew a little too close to the sun… Listen as David and Gordon begin a new series on the ill-fated life of the head of the infamous Wagner Group, Yevgeny Prigozhin. ------------------- THE REST IS CLASSIFIED LIVE 2026: Buy your tickets HERE to see David and Gordon live on stage at London’s Southbank Centre on 31 January. ------------------- Try Attio for free

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126 results

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