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SPYCRAFT 101

SPYCRAFT 101

By: Justin Black
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Welcome to your clandestine classroom.© 2025 SPYCRAFT 101 Political Science Politics & Government World
Episodes
  • 245. Tales of A Cuban Exile: The Story of Angel Benitez with Eduardo Barreto
    Apr 27 2026

    Today Justin sits down with Eduardo Barreto. Eduardo is a high school teacher at Gulliver Prep School and an adjunct professor of English composition at Miami-Dade College. He's married with five children and lives in Miami, Florida. Eduardo has published several books and various subjects, including both fiction and non-fiction. He's here to discuss the life and wars of his "uncle" Angel Benitez, who he has written about in his book. Eduardo was also joined during this interview by Mercedes Benitez, Angel's wife of more than 60 years. You may hear her contribute to the conversation here and there.

    Connect with Eduardo:
    theteacherwriter.net
    Check out the book, Rebel with a Cause: A Cuban in the Congo, here.
    https://a.co/d/0cwKm2hT

    Connect with Spycraft 101:
    Get Justin’s latest book, Murder, Intrigue, and Conspiracy: Stories from the Cold War and Beyond, here.
    spycraft101.com
    IG: @spycraft101
    Shop: shop.spycraft101.com
    Substack: spycraft101.substack.com
    Patreon: Spycraft 101
    Find Justin’s first book, Spyshots: Volume One, here.
    Check out Justin’s second book, Covert Arms, here.
    Download the free eBook, The Clandestine Operative’s Sidearm of Choice, here.

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    1 hr and 8 mins
  • 244. Fighting Russian Intelligence with Sean Wiswesser
    Apr 20 2026

    Justin's guest for today is Sean Wiswesser. Sean is a graduate of the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, where he earned a Bachelor's degree in History and Russian and Slavic Linguistics. He also has a Master of Strategic Studies degree from the Air War College. Sean is a former senior operations officer and former Chief of Station with the Central Intelligence Agency and has served multiple overseas tours, including in war zones during his career. He's here to discuss his career with CIA, working inside and against the Russian Intelligence Services, which he has written about in his new book. In it,  he details lessons learned from more than 30 years in the intelligence community, working up close with Russian spies, dissidents, and defectors.

    Connect with Sean:
    LinkedIn: Sean Wiswesser
    Check out the book, Tradecraft, Tactics, and Dirty Tricks: Russian Intelligence and Putin's Secret War, here.
    https://a.co/d/0ckwvi9m

    Connect with Spycraft 101:
    Get Justin's latest book, Murder, Intrigue, and Conspiracy: Stories from the Cold War and Beyond, here.
    spycraft101.com
    IG: @spycraft101
    Shop: shop.spycraft101.com
    Patreon: Spycraft 101
    Find Justin's first book, Spyshots: Volume One, here.
    Check out Justin's second book, Covert Arms, here.
    Download the free eBook, The Clandestine Operative's Sidearm of Choice, here.


    Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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    52 mins
  • 243. From Radicalization to Redemption: Undercover in the Toronto 18 with Mubin Shaikh
    Apr 13 2026

    Today Justin sits down with Mubin Shaikh. Mubin grew up in Toronto, Ontario in a family of Indian Muslim immigrants. As a young man, he was drawn down the path of radicalization after traveling to India and Pakistan and encountering Taliban fighters there. However, in 2004, he experienced a change of heart and soon began working with the Canadian Security and Intelligence Service to identify potential jihadis in Canada. In 2006, Mubin was the key witness in Canada's biggest ever homegrown terror investigation, which resulted in nearly 20 convictions. He's here today to discuss his experiences undercover with a terror group that later became known as the Toronto 18, which he wrote about in his book. Mubin's work was instrumental in securing convictions for the participants, but living a double life for more than two years also came at great personal cost to him.

    Connect with Mubin:
    parents4peace.org
    LinkedIn: Mubin Shaikh
    Check out the book, Undercover Jihadi: Inside the Toronto 18, here.
    https://a.co/d/06jRj4HA

    Connect with Spycraft 101:
    Get Justin's latest book, Murder, Intrigue, and Conspiracy: Stories from the Cold War and Beyond, here.
    spycraft101.com
    IG: @spycraft101
    Shop: shop.spycraft101.com
    Patreon: Spycraft 101
    Find Justin's first book, Spyshots: Volume One, here.
    Check out Justin's second book, Covert Arms, here.
    Download the free eBook, The Clandestine Operative's Sidearm of Choice, here.


    Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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    1 hr and 7 mins
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