AFIO Podcast

AFIO Now Presents: Douglas Waller

Douglas Waller, Historian, Author, and Foreign Correspondent, discusses his new book "The Determined Spy: The Turbulent Life and Times of CIA Pioneer Frank Wisner" with AFIO President, James Hughes. Frank Wisner was one of the most powerful men in 1950s Washington, though few knew it. Reporting directly to senior U.S. officials--his work largely hidden from Congress and the public--Wisner masterminded some of the CIA’s most controversial operations in the early years of the Cold War, commanding thousands of clandestine agents around the world.

Interview of Monday, 31 March 2025. Host: James Hughes, AFIO President. 

AFIO Now Presents: Leon Carroll

Leon Carroll Jr, co-author (with Mark Harmon) on "Ghosts of Honolulu: A Japanese Spy, A Japanese American Spy Hunter, and the Untold Story of Pearl Harbor" A U.S. naval counterintelligence officer working to safeguard Pearl Harbor; a Japanese spy ordered to Hawaii to gather information on the American fleet. On December 7, 1941, their hidden stories are exposed by a morning of bloodshed that would change the world forever. Scrutinizing long-buried historical documents, NCIS star Mark Harmon and co-author Leon Carroll, a former NCIS Special Agent, have brought forth a true-life NCIS story of deception, discovery, and danger.

Interview of Thursday, 6 February 2025. Host: James Hughes, AFIO President 

AFIO Now Presents: Joby Warrick

Author, Joby Warrick discusses his 2020 book "RED LINE on The Unraveling of Syria and America's Race to Destroy the Most Dangerous Arsenal in the World" with AFIO President, James Hughes. 

Interview of Monday, 27 January 2025. Host: James Hughes, AFIO President 

AFIO Now Presents: James Scott

James M. Scott, co-author with Jack Carr, of "Targeted: Beirut: The 1983 Marine Barracks Bombing and the Untold Story of the War on Terror." A behind-the-scenes account of a mission and a fight that changed America. It was the event that ushered in the War on Terror. And it shows the pitfalls of American hubris, overreach, and irresponsible military intervention. Paints the entire picture of mind-boggling events before, during, and after the Beirut Bombing, from ancient history to present day. The authors tell the story through voices of Marines, Sailors, and Soldiers who endured the two-year “peacekeeping” operation. We also experience the tragedy through the president, generals, and policymakers back in Washington. Another sad chapter in the Middle East's centuries old internecine struggle among its inhabitants and the price America pays for problematic policies despite history and seemingly dismissed lessons owing as much to hubris and breathtaking naivete.

Interview of Thursday, 12 December 2024. Host: James Hughes, AFIO President. 

AFIO Now Presents: Mickey Bergman

Michael "Mickey" Bergman, the CEO of Global Reach and the Vice President and Executive Director of the Richardson Center for Global Engagement. He is also the author (with Ellis Henican) of "In the Shadows: True Stories of High-Stakes Negotiations to Free Americans Captured Abroad."

Bergman is responsible for the negotiations that brought many high-profile prisoners home, including Brittney Griner, Danny Fenster, Otto Warmbier, and Trevor Reed. In the Shadows details his never-before-told stories inside the secret negotiations to free Americans from some of the world’s most repressive countries, including North Korea, Russia, Hamas, and more.

Interview of Thursday, 26 November 2024. Host: AFIO President James Hughes, a former senior CIA Operations Officer. 

AFIO Now Presents: Jesse Fink

Author, Jesse Fink talks with AFIO President, James Hughes about his new book, "The Eagle in the Mirror: The Greatest Spy Story Never Told" on Charles Howard "Dick" Ellis, MI6's Top Agent in America During World War II. In search of war hero, master spy, and alleged traitor Charles Howard "Dick" Ellis.

Interview of Tuesday, 1 Oct 2024. Host: AFIO President James Hughes, a former senior CIA Operations Officer.

AFIO Now Presents: Patrick O'Donnell

Patrick K. O'Donnell, military historian and author, on his new book "The Unvanquished: The Untold Story of Lincoln’s Special Forces, the Manhunt for Mosby’s Rangers, and the Shadow War That Forged America’s Special Operations" released 7 May 2024. 

Interview of Tuesday, 3 September 2024. Host: James Hughes. 

AFIO Now Presents: Joseph Keogh

Joseph Keogh PhD, former CIA Science & Technology Executive and Disguise Expert, discusses his new book "Creating Mission Impact: Essential Tradecraft for Innovators at CIA and Beyond" co-authored with Joe Ball and Greg Moore. 
Interviewed: Thursday, 24 October 2024. Host: James Hughes. Interviewer: Christopher J. Parker.

AFIO Now Presents: Barry Werth

Author Barry Werth discusses his book, Prisoner of Lies: Jack Downey's Cold War with AFIO President, Jim Hughes. They discuss the remarkable true story of the longest-held prisoner of war in American history, John Downey, Jr., a CIA officer captured in China during the Korean War and imprisoned for twenty-one years. The interview runs 28 minutes with several Q&As.

Interview of Thursday, 1 Aug 2024. Host and Interviewer: AFIO President James Hughes.

AFIO Now Presents: Barry Broman

Barry Broman, author, producer, photographer, former Marine, CIA Clandestine Service Officer, Station Chief, and Diplomat discusses his career with AFIO President, James Hughes. Broman details his experience as a Marine fighting in Vietnam, joining the CIA, serving as Chief of Station, and supervising an international paramilitary project in support of the Cambodian resistance to Vietnamese invaders. Tune in today to listen to Barry Broman and James Hughes discuss the fascinating people he met, places he has been, and his visits to little-known and rarely seen places like the Naga Hills on the India-Burma border. 

Interviewed on: Thursday, 11 July 2024. Host and Interviewer: AFIO President James Hughes, a former senior CIA Operations Officer.