John Kiriakou's Dead Drop

John Kiriakou & Alan Katz

Join ex-CIA officer John Kiriakou on a very personal deep dive into what makes a spy tick. One of the most famous spies in the whole world, John - a spy with a conscience - blew the whistle on the CIA's torture program after the war on terror and spent 23 months in federal prison for it. As John explains, no spy is ever an "ex-spy". Why is that so? Listen to the podcast and you'll understand why.

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20 episodes
Updated Monday
Explicit

Episodes20

Newest first

S2E11 Unfinished Business
Doing Time Like A Spy, Part 11
Monday · 35 min
S2E10 Food, Glorious Food!
IN THIS EPISODE, meet Joey Casolo. These days, Joey owns a great pizzaria in South Carolina. But, back in the day, Joey was one of the greatest prison chefs ever at Loretto. If you remember from the movie Goodfellas, the Italians weren't interested in the prison chow. Instead they cooked their own food - gourmet Italian meals - all prepared using a rudimentary (and incredibly dangerous) cooking system: a bucket of water and a live electrical wire that makes the water boil immediately. SHOW NOTES If you're enjoying Dead Drop, please check out our other podcasts at Costard & Touchstone. Your next podcast binge is just a click away! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
July 20 · 50 min
S2E9 Killing Fascism
Doing Time Like A Spy, Part 9
July 13 · 35 min
S2E8 Snowden
Doing Time Like A Spy, Part 8
July 6 · 40 min
S2 Bonus Episode: Expert Witness
THE BLURB: In this bonus episode, John tells the story of a legal case in which he testified as an expert witness - against the FBI in a case against an accused terrorist. As John learned from personal experience, democracy and secrecy don't always play well together. The people holding the secrets tend to disregard democracy in order to protect their secrets. In this instance, the FBI went after a homeless man, determined - despite a complete lack of actual evidence - that he was a dangerous terrorist. Did John's expert testimony save the day? You'll have to listen to find out! SHOW NOTES If you're enjoying Dead Drop, please check out the other terrific podcasts at Costard & Touchstone. Your next podcast obsession is just a click away! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
July 4 · 8 min
S2E7 Letters From Loretto
Doing Time Like A Spy, Part 7
June 29 · 27 min
S2E6 Use Your Words
Doing Time Like A Spy, Part 6
June 22 · 28 min
S2E5 The Abyss
Doing Time Like A Spy, Part 5
June 15 · 47 min
S2E4 With Friends Like These
Doing Time Like a Spy, Part 4
June 8 · 32 min
S2E3 Circle Of Friends
Doing Time Like a Spy, Part 3
June 1 · 59 min
S2E2 Rules Of The Game
Doing Time Like A Spy, Part 2
May 25 · 35 min
S2E1 Welcome To Loretto
Doing Time Like A Spy, Part 1
May 18 · 30 min
S1E27 Prisoner Ex
The Story of Donnie Reynolds, Jr
May 11 · 36 min
S1E26 Did John Le Carre Invent The Modern Spy?
THE BLURB: In this episode, we ask a question: did author and ex-spy John Le Carre invent the modern spy by channeling his experiences as a Cold War spy into novels like "The Spy Who Came In From The Cold", "Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy", "The Night Manager, The Constant Gardner, Russia House and The Little Drummer Girl? What about real spies did le Carre capture that makes real spies respond to his fictional spies - and then imitate them and their language? We'll also talk shop about writing and the many challenges of repurposing a life in espionage as art. SHOW NOTES For more information about Barry Eisler, visit barryeisler.com. For more information about Glenn Carle, visit For more great podcasts like Dead Drop, please visit https://costardandtouchstone.com/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
May 4 · 1 hr 8 min
S1E25 The Whistleblower
What Makes THIS Spy Tick, Part 22
April 27 · 51 min
S1E24 Moment Of Truth
What Makes THIS Spy Tick, Part 21
April 20 · 56 min
S1E23 Good Company, Bad Company
THE BLURB: John wasn't the only CIA officer who refused training in the CIA's new "enhanced interrogation" techniques - despite assurances from the CIA's legal team. This episode's guest, author and former CIA officer Glenn Carle spent two decades in the agency. Like John, Glenn broke with the CIA over the subject of torture. Glenn was part of a team interrogating another high value Al Qaeda target, and, like John, came to appreciate that torture was completely ineffectiv"The Interrogator" heree as a way to procure information from a detainee. SHOW NOTES You can learn more about Glenn's book "The Interrogator" here and you can purchase it here. For more great podcasts like Dead Drop, please visit https://costardandtouchstone.com/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
April 13 · 55 min
S1E22 The Good, The Bad, The Ugly
What Makes THIS Spy Tick, Part 20
April 6 · 25 min
S1E21 End Of Times
What Makes THIS Spy Tick, Part 19
March 30 · 34 min
S1E20 Changes
What Makes THIS Spy Tick, Part 18
March 23 · 54 min

John Kiriakou's Dead Drop

S2E11 Unfinished Business

S2E10 Food, Glorious Food!

S2E9 Killing Fascism

S2E8 Snowden

S2 Bonus Episode: Expert Witness

S2E7 Letters From Loretto

S2E6 Use Your Words

S2E5 The Abyss

S2E4 With Friends Like These

S2E3 Circle Of Friends

S2E2 Rules Of The Game

S2E1 Welcome To Loretto

S1E27 Prisoner Ex

S1E26 Did John Le Carre Invent The Modern Spy?

S1E25 The Whistleblower

S1E24 Moment Of Truth

S1E23 Good Company, Bad Company

S1E22 The Good, The Bad, The Ugly

S1E21 End Of Times

S1E20 Changes