AFIO Podcast

In his third episode, senior National Security Reporter for The Washington Post Shane Harris discusses the recent shocking events in Ukraine - from the Wagner Group's march towards Moscow, to missing Russian generals,  to Putin's renewed threats to use tactical nuclear weapons. Recorded 7 July 2023. Interviewer: Jim Hughes, AFIO President and former CIA Operations Officer. 

In the first of a 2-part series for AFIO Now, award-winning journalist/author, James Bamford discusses his latest book, "Spyfail: Foreign Spies, Moles, Saboteurs, and the Collapse of America’s Counterintelligence."  Bamford describes the expanding capability of foreign countries to conduct large-scale espionage within the US and how the FBI and other agencies are struggling to prevent it. Recorded 14 Apr 2023. Host: Jim Hughes, AFIO President and former CIA Operations Officer. Interviewer: John Quattrocki, AFIO Treasurer and former Senior FBI Officer. 

In this episode, Alma Katsu, a former intelligence officer and award winning author, discusses her newest novel Red London. The second book in this spy thriller series is set in a post-Putin Russia which has been financially devastated by its loss in the war with Ukraine. Alma also discusses her career experiences at NSA and CIA, gives pointers to women considering careers in the Intelligence Community, and reflects on the path that led to her success as a fiction writer. Recorded 29 March 2023. Interviewer: Jim Hughes, AFIO President and former CIA Operations Officer. 

In this final installment of a three-part series, acclaimed intelligence historian and author Nigel West discusses his book, "Hitler's Trojan Horse: The Fall of The Abwehr." Recorded 19 Jan 2023. Interviewer: Jim Hughes, AFIO President and former CIA Operations Officer. 

In this episode, Naval professor and author Erik Dahl discusses his latest book, "The COVID-19 Intelligence Failure: Why Warning Was Not Enough" which explores the roles that both traditional intelligence services, medical intelligence, and surveillance systems play in providing advance warning against public health threats ― and how these systems must be improved for the future. Recorded 2 March 2023. Interviewer: Jim Hughes, AFIO President and former CIA Operations Officer. 

In this second installment of a three-part series, acclaimed intelligence historian and author Nigel West discusses his book, "Hitler's Nest of Vipers: The Rise of The Abwehr." Recorded 19 Jan 2023. Interviewer: Jim Hughes, AFIO President and former CIA Operations Officer. 

In this episode, historian, professor, and author Todd Bennett discusses his latest book - "Neither Confirm nor Deny: How the Glomar Mission Shielded the CIA from Transparency"  - about the secret CIA mission using billionaire Howard Hughes's deep-sea mining vessel to retrieve a sunken Soviet sub. Recorded 1 Feb 2023. Interviewer: Jim Hughes, AFIO President and former CIA Operations Officer. 

In his third episode for AFIO Now, Vince Houghton discusses his role as the Director/Curator of the National Cryptologic Museum and gives a sneak peek at the one-of-a-kind exhibits now on display at the newly reopened museum - including the The Hitler Enigma -- the only remaining B-variant Enigma --and the original Jefferson Cipher device. Recorded 20 Jan 2023. Interviewer: Jim Hughes, AFIO President and former CIA Operations Officer. 

In this first installment of a three-part series, acclaimed intelligence historian and author Nigel West discusses the captivating figures from his recent book, "Spies Who Changed History: The Greatest Spies and Agents of the 20th Century." Recorded 15 Jan 2023. Interviewer: Jim Hughes, AFIO President and former CIA Operations Officer. 

In this episode, Geoff O'Connell - Senior CIA Operations Officer and former Chief of Station Tel Aviv -  discusses the 2002 siege by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) at the Church of the Nativity -- the purported birthplace of Jesus Christ -- in Bethlehem in the West Bank, which targeted Palestinian terrorists who had taken shelter in the church. Recorded 8 Nov 2022. Interviewer: Jim Hughes, AFIO President and former CIA Operations Officer.