Podcast · 157 episodes

The Rest Is Classified

by Goalhanger · English

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. Whether you're a true crime addict, a thriller fan, or fascinated by spy stories, this is the show for you.

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Intelligence Scoop: Could Netanyahu Have Prevented October 7?Whether Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu could have prevented or mitigated the October 7, 2023 Hamas attacks, focusing on alleged intelligence warnings and Israel’s broader…30 Sep 2026 · 53 min

197. Kim Philby: The Russians Make a Fatal Mistake (Ep 2)MI6 station chief Kim Philby, a Soviet KGB agent, watches Western codebreakers use the secret Venona project to identify Soviet spies; the investigation narrows to Donald Maclean (“Homer”), and…27 Sep 2026 · 55 min

Intelligence Scoop: Is Russia Preparing to Attack Europe?Russia–Europe escalation via drones, sabotage, and assassination plots, raising fears of a wider war or NATO trigger incident.23 Sep 2026 · 57 min

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196. Kim Philby: A KGB Spy in Washington (Ep 1)Kim Philby’s rise to head of MI6 station in Washington (1949), his role as a Soviet mole, and how his access to CIA–MI6 coordination helps sabotage Cold War covert operations, culminating in the…20 Sep 2026 · 55 min · 19 chapters

195. How Silicon Valley Took Over National SecurityHow Silicon Valley’s growing role in national security shifts power away from government and raises risks, using a Wall Street Journal story about CIA-linked funding for Steve Jobs’ NeXT as the entry…17 Sep 2026 · 37 min · 15 chapters

194. The KGB in Iran: Appeasing the Ayatollah with Ben Macintyre (Ep 2)Part 2 of a two-part series on Ben Macintyre’s book Agent Redwood, focusing on Soviet KGB officer Vladimir Kozitskin (“Redwood”) recruited as a double agent for MI6 in revolutionary Iran, the…16 Sep 2026 · 53 min · 14 chapters

193. The KGB in Iran: Defecting to MI6 with Ben Macintyre (Ep 1)The episode introduces Vladimir Anatolyevich Kozichkin, a KGB “illegal” in revolutionary Iran, and how his disillusionment and a private medical crisis lead him to approach MI6.13 Sep 2026 · 46 min · 17 chapters

192. 9/11: The War on Terror (Ep 6)Whether 9/11 could have been prevented, focusing on intelligence failures (especially CIA collection gaps and CIA–FBI information sharing) and the enduring legacy of the “war on terror” 25 years…9 Sep 2026 · 57 min · 19 chapters

191. 9/11: The Twin Towers Fall (Ep 5)The podcast episode reconstructs the events of September 11, 2001 “day of” the attacks: hijacker movements to airports, the four hijackings (American 11, United 175, American 77, United 93), the…6 Sep 2026 · 49 min · 17 chapters

190. 9/11: Could the Attacks Have Been Prevented? (Ep 4)How al-Qaeda’s 9/11 plot moved from near-complete planning in summer 2001 to a timed countdown, focusing on Muhammad Atta’s operational role, pilot training, flight “casing,” target selection, and…2 Sep 2026 · 55 min · 13 chapters

189. 9/11: How Much Did the Saudis Know? (Ep 3)Episode 3 of “Declassified: 9/11: How Much Did the Saudis Know?” explains who the “muscle” hijackers were, how they were recruited and trained in Afghanistan, how they entered the U.S.30 Aug 2026 · 1 h 7 min · 19 chapters

188. 9/11: How to Recruit a Hijacker (Ep 2)How al-Qaeda turned the “planes operation” idea into a recruitable, compartmented plan for 9/11, focusing on who was selected, how they were trained, and how U.S.26 Aug 2026 · 1 h 4 min · 21 chapters

The Man Who Briefed the President on 9/11Michael Morrell, former CIA acting director and deputy director, recounts being President George W. Bush’s first daily intelligence briefer on Sept.25 Aug 2026 · 15 min · 6 chapters

187. 9/11: The Rise of Osama bin Laden (Ep 1)The episode begins a six-part series on 9/11, focusing on how the plot emerged, how Osama bin Laden’s ideology and organization (al-Qaeda) developed, and how US intelligence (CIA/FBI) failed to stop…23 Aug 2026 · 1 h 4 min · 27 chapters

186. The Secret Spy Network: Can Five Eyes Survive Trump? (Ep 4)The episode (final of a four-part series) examines how the Five Eyes intelligence alliance is operating in the present day, especially under Donald Trump, and whether it will endure.19 Aug 2026 · 48 min · 19 chapters

185. The Secret Spy Network: How Snowden Nearly Destroyed Everything (Ep 3)Post–Cold War adaptation of the Five Eyes intelligence alliance, the War on Terror’s strain on cooperation, and how Edward Snowden’s 2013 disclosures exposed Five Eyes signals intelligence and…16 Aug 2026 · 53 min · 17 chapters

184. The Secret Spy Network: Kim Philby Threatens the Alliance (Ep 2)Episode 2 of “The Rest is Classified” explains how the Five Eyes SIGINT alliance (US, UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand) nearly fractures during early Cold War crises, then endures through technical…12 Aug 2026 · 37 min · 13 chapters

183. The Secret Spy Network: How The US and UK Spy Together (Ep 1)Episode 1 of a four-part series explaining the origins and early evolution of the Five Eyes intelligence alliance (US, UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand), what it does, and why it’s not always…9 Aug 2026 · 40 min · 13 chapters

182. The Imitation Game: The Codebreakers Who Defeated Hitler (Ep 2)Part 2 of a two-part series on Bletchley Park and the birth of the US-UK “special relationship” in intelligence, focusing on how American codebreakers integrated with British Enigma-breaking in early…5 Aug 2026 · 59 min · 19 chapters

181. The Imitation Game: How Alan Turing Broke Enigma (Ep 1)The Feb 8, 1941 “Sinkov mission” visit of four American codebreakers to Bletchley Park, framed as the early US-UK intelligence partnership and the dilemma of sharing the Allies’ most sensitive…2 Aug 2026 · 46 min · 15 chapters

180. Have the US and Israel Always Spied on Each Other? (Ep 2)The episode explains how Jonathan Pollard, a U.S. Navy intelligence analyst, spied for Israel, who ran the operation (not Mossad), what he delivered (over 800 documents), how he was caught, and why…29 Jul 2026 · 52 min · 18 chapters

179. Did Israel Spy on Trump’s Iran Negotiations? (Ep 1)Whether Israel and the U.S. spy on each other, especially amid Iran negotiations; how allied intelligence sharing can still involve “friendly fire” espionage.26 Jul 2026 · 58 min · 11 chapters

178. The Plot to Destroy Russia’s Gas Empire (Ep 2)The second part of “The Plot to Destroy Russia’s Gas Empire” explains how Ukrainian intelligence officers and civilian deep-sea divers sabotaged Nord Stream pipelines in 2022, and how the plot was…22 Jul 2026 · 56 min · 21 chapters

177. Who Blew Up the Nord Stream Pipeline? (Ep 1)The September 26, 2022 sabotage of the Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines in the Baltic Sea, and competing theories about who carried it out and why, including a possible Ukrainian role and an…19 Jul 2026 · 47 min · 12 chapters