Spybrary Spy Podcast

Cold War Spies Series with Shane Whaley

For decades, Sweden presented itself as neutral and determined to remain outside the Cold War struggle between East and West. But behind that public image, the Swedish Stay Behind network was preparing for an altogether darker possibility: Soviet occupation.
Shane Whaley is joined by Swedish historian and author Johan Wennström to uncover the extraordinary story of Sweden's secret Stay Behind resistance network — a clandestine organisation created in 1949 to operate behind enemy lines in the event of a Soviet invasion.


Drawing on previously classified documents, archival research and first-hand testimony from surviving members, Johan reveals how ordinary Swedes — farmers, insurance brokers, businessmen and travelling salesmen — were secretly recruited into cells designed to survive occupation.

They trained in intelligence gathering, clandestine communications, psychological warfare and resistance operations, all while keeping their involvement hidden from colleagues, friends and even their own families.

We also explore Sweden's real relationship with NATO during the Cold War, Soviet submarine incursions, Cold War traitors, the human cost of living a secret life — and why one of Sweden's most important intelligence chiefs bears an uncanny resemblance to George Smiley.

And, naturally, the conversation eventually turns to spy fiction, John le Carré, Len Deighton, Carl Hamilton, Jan Guillou and the surprisingly underdeveloped world of Swedish spy novels.

Simon Conway returns to Spybrary to discuss his latest espionage thriller, The British Agent — a contemporary, globe-spanning story involving missing British-made surface-to-air missiles, Ukraine, American extremist militias, political conspiracy, and an audacious plot targeting....

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Spybrary's David Craggs talks with Simon Conway about the creation of his new protagonist, Chuff, why he decided to leave behind the recurring characters of his earlier novels, and how his real-world experience informs the weapons trafficking and intelligence elements of the story.


The conversation also explores the complicated people drawn into extremist movements, the influence of algorithms and conspiracy theories, a fascinating connection between The British Agent and the Gunpowder Plot, and whether Chuff might return in a future novel.

Simon also discusses the long, uncertain road from novel to screen adaptation.

The novelist Graham Greene ranks at number 6 on Tim Shipman's infamous Best Spy Writers list — and yet we haven't given him enough airtime on the podcast. Time to put that right.
Graham Greene didn't just write about spies — spying was the family business. His uncle founded Naval Intelligence. His sister recruited him into SIS. And Greene himself walked out of the Service the day before D-Day. Why? The answer may involve his boss and drinking companion: Kim Philby.
Guest host Matt Hurst debriefs Professor Kevin Ruane — Greene scholar and Director of the Graham Greene International Festival — on the novelist's secret double life.
In this episode:
The Greene family spy business: an uncle in Naval Intelligence, a sister in SIS, a brother running black ops in Malaya, and another spying for three countries at once (badly)
Why Greene quit SIS on the eve of D-Day — and the Philby theory
"Recreational espionage": how Greene's letters reveal decades of meetings with "the old firm" before trips to Vienna, Cuba, Poland and Vietnam
The Quiet American: the 1955 novel that predicted the Vietnam War, and why journalists like David Halberstam and Neil Sheehan carried it in their knapsacks
Was Greene spying in Vietnam? The "Catholic solution" and the hunt for a third force
The 1958 film Greene called a travesty — and his fan letter to Sean Connery for a remake that never happened
Greene vs le Carré: the endorsement that made le Carré's name, and the letter that said "you're not my friend"
Why Greene would love Slow Horses
This is the first of what we hope will be many episodes exploring the great spy novelists — subscribe to Spybrary so you don't miss what's coming.
The Graham Greene International Festival runs 24-27 September in Berkhamsted, UK — 30 minutes from London Euston. Spy highlights include Ben Brown's play A Splinter of Ice, Robert Verkaik on The Writer and the Traitor, and le Carré biographer Adam Sisman on Greene and le Carré. Tickets at grahamgreenebt.org
 All links at spybrary.com/306

In this episode of the Spybrary Spy Podcast, Shane Whaley is joined by fellow Spybrarian and Head of Boston Station, Joe Modzelewski, to welcome bestselling espionage author Charles Cumming back to the show.

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Charles joins Spybrary to discuss his new Lachlan Kite thriller, ICARUS 17, released on 2 July in the UK and 7 July in the United States. Billed as a nail-biting new entry in the BOX 88 series, ICARUS 17 sees Kite pulled back into fieldwork when Martha Rain, a woman from his past, asks for his help in finding her missing son, Max.


Max and his girlfriend Yasmine have disappeared in Athens, but they are not simply missing. They are on the run, hunted by two rival agencies with orders to kill. The secret they are carrying could destabilise the Middle East for a generation, and if Kite fails to save them, the consequences will be catastrophic.

Alongside the new novel, Shane and Joe talk with Charles about his writing process, his approach to writing modern espionage fiction, and his experiences working in the writers' rooms of some of the spy television shows and films enjoyed by Spybrary listeners.

Nine years after nervously recording episode one, Shane Whaley celebrates a major Spybrary Spy Podcast milestone: episode 300.

In this reflective and forward-looking episode, Shane shares how Spybrary began, why the community has kept it going, and what comes next for the Spybrary spy podcast.
Full shownotes at www.spybrary.com/300