Shows
The Historylogy PodcastTop 15 Most Anticipated International Non-Fiction History Books of 2026 - Part 1I have searched the interwebs to find the most eagerly awaited International non-fiction history book titles. From books by Robert Ivermee to Jared Diamond to Matt Kaplan to Antony Beevor and others, these books cover a wide variety of topics. From French ambitions in India to serial killers to lost Spanish Empire treasures to lost cities, there is something for everyone looking to enhance their history quotient. Since the list is too long, please consider this as Part 1.Book Mentioned:1. Glorious Failure: The Forgotten History of French Imperialism in India by Robert Ivermee2. Getting...
2026-01-2306 min
Ahmad Hardyoni-download EPub The Good Assassin: How a Mossad Agent and a Band of Survivors Hunted Down the Butcher of Latvia BY Stephan Talty on Audiobook New EditionTo Download or Read The Good Assassin: How a Mossad Agent and a Band of Survivors Hunted Down the Butcher of Latvia by Stephan Talty
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2025-08-3000 min
Based on a True StoryThis Week: Che!, Eight Men Out, 1492, Captain PhillipsBOATS THIS WEEK (OCT 7-13, 2024) — 57 years ago tomorrow, Che Guevara was captured in Bolivia just before his execution. Then, two years later, Omar Sharif portrayed him in the movie version of Che's story that we'll compare to the true story of this week's event. Then, we'll shift to Eight Men Out because as baseball season comes to a close, one of the darkest moments in Major League Baseball history happened this week back in 1919. This Saturday marks the anniversary of Christopher Columbus making landfall, which was shown in the movie 1492: Conquest of Paradise. For this week's historical mov...
2024-10-0747 minBased on a True StoryThis Week: Che!, Eight Men Out, 1492, Captain PhillipsBOATS THIS WEEK (OCT 7-13, 2024) — 57 years ago tomorrow, Che Guevara was captured in Bolivia just before his execution. Then, two years later, Omar Sharif portrayed him in the movie version of Che's story that we'll compare to the true story of this week's event. Then, we'll shift to Eight Men Out because as baseball season comes to a close, one of the darkest moments in Major League Baseball history happened this week back in 1919. This Saturday marks the anniversary of Christopher Columbus making landfall, which was shown in the movie 1492: Conquest of Paradise. For this week's historical mov...
2024-10-0742 min
Books with BetsyEpisode 17 - Book Clubs will Save the World with Allison Yates and Fernanda WetzelOn this episode, Allison Yates and Fernanda Wetzel come on to talk about their organization, Read and Run Chicago, a book and run club that features specific books with coordinated runs in Chicago. They describe how accessible their organization is, open to anyone who might be interested in participating, and we get to talk about some incredible books that feature information and stories that open and affirm experiences that have been historically ignored.
Read and Run Chicago Fall Event Calendar
Allison’s Small Pack Camping Chair
Italic Type book tracking
...
2024-09-021h 05
Tales of History and ImaginationThe American Mafia - Three: The Castellammare War…This week we conclude our mob Tale. With the bosses banged up, the Morello family must do their best to navigate a rapidly changing world - and several vicious wars. How will they deal with upstarts, Kings, The Camorra, prohibition - and the arrival of a Fifth Family?
Admin Note: Apologies for the messy scheduling of late. I’ve been a little worn out from everyday job stuff, a number of recent current events have been adding to the drain… and I’m well overdue a week of ‘me time’ away from the 9 to 5. I think I’m on the...
2024-08-1139 min
Tales of History and ImaginationThe American Mafia - Two: The Ballad of Antonio ComitoThis week, (sorry all, please bear with me- day job’s running me a little ragged, but I should be on track again in August) we’re returning to our mobsters - Giuseppe ‘The Clutch Hand’ Morello and the 107th Street Gang. In part two of this three parter we discuss the rise of the professional hitman, the first Capo de Tutti Capi - and the ballad of an ambitious young man named Antonio Comito.
Sources Include:
The First Family; Terror, Extortion and the Birth of the American Mafia by Mike Dash
Five Families by Sel...
2024-07-1339 min
Tales of History and ImaginationThe American Mafia - One: The Clutch HandThis week, (apologies for the delay all, I’ve been an absolute wreck the last couple of weeks) we’re returning to Little Italy; the year 1903. In part one of this two parter we discuss the early life of America’s first Capo di Tutti Capi, Giuseppe ‘The Clutch Hand’ Morello.
Sources Include:
The First Family; Terror, Extortion and the Birth of the American Mafia by Mike Dash
Five Families by Selwyn Raab
The Black Hand by Stephan Talty
Support the show on Patreon for $2 US a month and get access to exclusive c...
2024-06-2136 min
True Crime CampfireBlack Flag: The Story of the Pirate BlackbeardWe've talked about a lot of notorious criminals here on True Crime Campfire, but do you think any of today's villains will still be widely known in three-hundred years? Will their names be known to almost everyone, and conjure up vivid if not exactly accurate images of a time long past? The subject of this week's story is a man whose brief but spectacular criminal career wrote him a place in history—not to mention on the hit TV show “Our Flag Means Death.” Time for some true crime on the high seas!Download the game "June's Journey" on App...
2024-04-1952 min
Immerse Yourself In This Spellbinding Full Audiobook — Perfect At Home.Koresh by Stephan TaltyPlease visithttps://thebookvoice.com/podcasts/2/audible/92624to listen full audiobooks.
Title: Koresh
Author: Stephan Talty
Narrator: Sean Pratt
Format: mp3
Length: 14 hrs and 22 mins
Release date: 04-11-24
Ratings: Not rated yet
Genres: Historical
Publisher's Summary:
Koresh is Stephan Talty’s extraordinary, meticulous narration of the events that led up to the Waco Siege. Drawing on new sources, FBI negotiation tapes, and interviews with family and friends, this definitive biography explores how Koresh grew from a young man to a cult leader, and investigates why the siege has become an enduring symbol for radical opponents of the democratic state.
2024-04-112h 22
It Gets GoodA Few of Our Fav Authors | Episode 15This week, we're sharing a few of our favorite authors with you – the ones that can do no wrong and we will auto-buy any book even if we don't know what it's about. We also want to give the BIGGEST thank you to all of you for your listens, downloads, and reviews. We have hit some incredible milestones over the last few weeks and we cannot adequately convey just how much it means to us to have you here. It's only been a few months & we are just getting started! Currently Readi...
2023-07-1929 min
Truckin’ On w/ Ward Richmond#031 Marcin Chojnowski - Maersk’s Head of NORTAM RE discusses life, mental health and how to design Transload facilities.Trucker: Marcin Chojnowsky
Day Job: Head of North American Real Estate for Maersk
Home Base: Florham Park, New Jersey
Favorite Hotel: Mystery hotel in Playa Del Carmen with a cool story around it
*cough* tune in to find out *cough*
Favorite Restaurant: Burrito Truck on beach in San Diego
Book Rec: "Koresh: The True Story" -Stephan Talty
Current Jam: Polish Rap/Hip-Hop
Charity: Local Dog Shelters
Connect with Marcin:
LinkedIn: Marcin Chojnowski
Show Notes:
•Fried. The Burnout Podcast
•Spotify
•Apple
Connect with Ward:
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/wardrichmond
Instagram: @ward214tx
Website: TruckinOn.com
YouTube: Supply Chain Real Estate
Like and subscribe...
2023-07-111h 30
The Unexplained With Howard HughesEdition 724 - Linda Moulton Howe/Guest CatchupsA number of guests from recent tv shows - Legendary reporter/writer Linda Moulton Howe (earthfiles.com) on the latest cattle mutilations, investigator/film-maker Mark L. Cowden on a strange "UFO landing" in Northern Ireland, Christopher Plain - Head Writer at The Debrief - on tech that can "read your mind"... And author Stephan Talty on his chilling new book about the 1993 Waco cult siege and the man behind it - David Koresh...
2023-05-2100 min
Arroe Collins Pod-CrashingPod Crashing Episode 229 Stephan Talty From Good Assasins The Greatest Spy Of WWIIPod Crashing Episode 229 With Stephan Talty From Good Assassins The Greatest Spy Of WWII Season 2 is the unbelievable but true story of the greatest spy of World War II. The Nazis don't know her name, but they want this woman dead. A mysterious agent is strategically dismantling their violent grasp on France and not only leading her own resistance factions but inspiring others. The Gestapo sends their devious double-agent, the priest Robert Alesh, to hunt down The Limping Lady before she threatens their entire push for Western Europe. But Virginia Hall was tougher and more resilient than they ever expected...
2023-05-1818 min
WarfareWaco & the Origins of Right-Wing ExtremismThis year marks 30 years since the 1993 siege at Waco. Lasting 51 days, it took the lives of 76 people, including 25 children and has gone down as one of the most controversial and tragic incidents in modern American history.James Rogers sits down with author Stephan Talty to discuss his new book "Koresh: The True Story of David Koresh and the Tragedy at Waco", which delves into the life of David Koresh, the leader of the Branch Davidians, and the events leading up to the siege. Together, they explore Koresh's abusive childhood, his religious beliefs, and the socio-political factors...
2023-04-2829 min
HistoryExtra podcastThe Waco siege: an American tragedyThirty years ago, a deadly standoff in Texas between a religious cult and the FBI hit the headlines around the United States. The story of leader David Koresh and the power he held over the Branch Davidian religious group has fascinated and appalled in the decades since, and has cast an increasingly dark shadow over US politics. Matt Elton spoke to author Stephan Talty about what Waco tells us about 20th-century America, and the ways in which its mythologisation have come to inform extremism in the 21st century.(Ad) Stephan Talty is the author...
2023-04-2635 min
The Morning Information Center On-DemandAuthor Stephan Talty on David Koresh 4-13-23No other event in the last fifty years is shrouded in myth like the 1993 siege of the Branch Davidians in Waco, Texas. Today we remember this moment for the 76 people, including 20 children, who died in the fire. What motivated the Davidians' leader David Koresh at the time. Author Stephan Talty wrote a book called Koresh: The True Story of David Koresh and the Tragedy at Waco and he joined Mike Pomp on the Morning Information Center on the 30th anniversary of this American tragedy.
2023-04-2408 min
The StacksEp. 263 Revisiting Waco 30 Years Later with Jeff Guinn, Stephan Talty, and Kevin CookToday marks thirty years since the last day of the FBI siege on the Branch Davidians of Waco, Texas. We hear from three authors who released books on the events this year: Jeff Guinn (Waco: David Koresh, the Branch Davidians, and a Legacy of Rage), Stephan Talty (Koresh: The True Story of David Koresh and the Tragedy at Waco) and Kevin Cook (Waco Rising: David Koresh, the FBI, and the Birth of America's Modern Militias) They address why they chose to tell this story now, what exactly happened in Waco (and why), and why this story is still relevant...
2023-04-191h 30
2023-04-1809 min
True Murder: The Most Shocking Killers in True Crime HistoryKORESH-Stephan TaltyNo other event in the last fifty years is shrouded in myth like the 1993 siege of the Branch Davidians in Waco, Texas. Today, we remember this moment for the 76 people, including 20 children, who died in the fire; for its inspiration of the Oklahoma City bombing; and for the wave of anti-government militarism that followed. What we understand far less is what motivated the Davidians’ enigmatic leader, David Koresh.Drawing on first-time, exclusive interviews with Koresh’s family and survivors of the siege, bestselling author Stephan Talty paints a psychological portrait of this infamous icon of the 1990s. Born Vernon Howell into...
2023-04-1754 min
History Nerds UnitedDavid Koresh and Waco with Stephan TaltySend a textLet's talk about Vernon, or as you probably know him, David Koresh. Author Stephan Talty joins us to talk about his book, Koresh, from Mariner Books. We cover, religion, cults, and Irish Catholic upbringings. Stephan is one of my favorite authors and Koresh is one of the best books of 2023. So come listen!Buy KoreshCheck out Stephan's websiteSupport the show
2023-04-1235 min
Stream Popular Full Audiobooks in Mystery, Thriller & Horror, True CrimeKoresh: The True Story of David Koresh and the Tragedy at Waco by Stephan TaltyPlease visit https://thebookvoice.com/podcasts/1/audiobook/612777 to listen full audiobooks. Title: Koresh: The True Story of David Koresh and the Tragedy at Waco Author: Stephan Talty Narrator: Sean Pratt Format: Unabridged Audiobook Length: 14 hours 23 minutes Release date: April 11, 2023 Genres: True Crime Publisher's Summary: ''Impressively researched and written with storytelling verve. ... Talty delves the deepest into the history and twisted personality of David Koresh.'' —Wall Street Journal The first comprehensive account of David Koresh’s life, his road to Waco, and the rise of government mistrust in America, from a master of narrative nonfiction No other event in the last...
2023-04-1105 min
Tales of History and ImaginationMussolini’s Hat - How the Mob Came to AmericaThis week’s all about presidents, dictators, more mobsters, islands and how the theft of a hat was taken just a little too seriously. Last fortnight we discussed the Black Hand, this episode we follow up and discuss why the Mob finally came to America.
Sources this week include: Five Families by Selwyn Raab
And The Black Hand by Stephan Talty
(As well as several articles I’ll link to later)
The blog post of the episode is here.
Support the show on Patreon for $2 US a month and g...
2023-03-2525 min
Tales of History and ImaginationThe Black HandDeath threats, child kidnappings, fire-bombings… A naked man in a barrel? This week I discuss the shadowy practice that came to be known as The Black Hand, and detective Joseph Petrosino.
Sources this week include: Five Families by Selwyn Raab
And The Black Hand by Stephan Talty
(As well as several articles I’ll link to later)
The blog post of the episode is here.
Support the show on Patreon for $2 US a month and get access to exclusive content, or Try our 7 Day Free Trial.
2023-03-1335 min
Hihetetlen Történelem PodcastA német kém, aki az MI5-nak dolgozott - E62Mai történetünk egy kettős ügynökről szól, akinek a második világháborúban döntő szerepe volt: az ő munkássága nagyban hozzájárult a szövetségesek normandiai partraszállásának sikeréhez. Juan Pujol Garcia - vagy ahogy a világ megismerte, Garbo - egy nap besétált a madridi brit nagykövetségre, hogy felajánlja szolgálatait, mint kém. A britek elküldték, ezért felkereste a német nagykövetséget, hogy ott próbálkozzon - ezúttal sikerrel. Egy egész ügynökhálóza...
2023-01-241h 11
Bad On Paper2023 Spring Bookstagram PreviewIt's time for a 2023 book preview! We brought on some of our favorite book people on the internet to share 2 books they're excited about this year, and boy has our TBRs grown! We also ask the age-old question: If you had to bring a book character to a chain restaurant, who are you picking and where are you going? Follow our guests! Megan Prokott - @the_spines Traci Thomas - @thestackspod Taylor Choi - @bookswithtay Jenny Jackson - @jennyjacksonpineapple Giselle Gonzalez - @hopelessbooklover_
2023-01-181h 10
Good Assassins10. The Boy Who Shot the Nazi (Season 2)Kristallnacht was the violent uprising against German Jews in November 1938 that was the opening to the eventual genocide of six million Europeans Jews—and then millions of others—during World War II. This final episode of Good Assassins Season 2 tells the story of Herschel Grynszpan, the young man whose story is at the dead center of the Holocaust. He became an assassin, and the assassination he committed on November 7, 1938 in Paris is the spark that set off the inferno that was the Nazi Holocaust. In 1938 Herschel Grynszpan was just 17 years old. This episode contains interviews with: •...
2022-12-0638 min
Good Assassins9. Agents of Sabotage (Season 2)Virginia Hall was back in occupied France, but she was no longer working for the British. She was an agent of the OSS, the forerunner of the CIA. Virginia was living in the farmhouse of a respected Resistance leader. She was spending her existence in disguise as an old woman, decked out in multiple wool skirts, makeshift prosthetics, and dyed gray hair; all the while constantly walking by wanted posters stapled around town with sketches of The Limping Lady. But this new life promised Virginia something she’d been waiting for since she’d had to flee France almost 18 mont...
2022-11-2940 min
Good Assassins7. Escape into the Mountains (Season 2)Virginia Hall’s identity was exposed. Now she had to get out of France and into Spain, and that meant an excruciating climb over 30 miles of tumultuous mountain terrain. Virginia knew that attempting the trek alone would mean death, especially given that she’d be hiking with her prosthetic leg. Luckily, Perpignan, the town she’d landed in, had a Resistance contact she knew fairly well. A man known to her by his codename: Gilbert.Edward Stourton: "If they were found out, things could be very, very nasty indeed and many of them who were caught went off in...
2022-11-1729 min
Good Assassins6. Spy Versus Spy (Season 2)Virginia Hall had been expecting company. One of the Resistance leaders in France had informed her of a new courier that could be of use to HECKLER, Virginia’s faction of the Resistance. But what Virginia didn’t know was that the courier was Robert Alesh—a Nazi operative who had managed to infiltrate the Resistance while posing as a priest. Right away, Virginia suspected something was off. This episode contains interviews with: • Karen Schaefer: worked for the CIA for 26 years on assignments overseas in Latin America, Europe, Afghanistan and Iraq, where she was Chief of Base and...
2022-11-1027 min
Good Assassins5. Enemy Territory (Season 2)Robert Alesh’s hunt for “The Limping Lady” brings him to the doorstep of Resistance operative Dr. Jean Rousset. Alesh tricks the doctor into believing he is a new courier for the French Resistance. In reality, he was a Nazi spy working directly for infamous SS officer Klaus Barbie. Virginia Hall had successfully managed to save a British pilot from German clutches, but the rescue came with a cost. She’d exposed her alias to the Nazis and now she had to move. Virginia abandons her safe house and sets up another. Up to this point, Virginia could mo...
2022-11-0329 min
Good Assassins4. Spy Games (Season 2)Virginia Hall joins the UK's spy agency, the Special Operations Executive. The SOE was created to "set Europe ablaze" and wreak havoc on the battlefield: sabotage plus a little espionage, paramilitary operations, make things blow up.After spy training, Virginia heads into the field in Lyon, France, a strategic location for the Allies. They're planting the seeds of a Resistance there and it's a hotspot for Nazi activity. Virginia hooks into the Resistance network but the walls around her begin to push in. The USA, which had remained neutral in the War up to this point, makes...
2022-10-2736 min
Good Assassins3. The Priest (Season 2)A Nazi spy is tasked with uncovering underground Allied resistance networks. He was favored by the SS as a top hunter. Robert Alesh was a Luxembourger priest better known in France by his alias: "Father Robert Ackuin." The raids, arrests, and executions that Alesh’s treacherous work made possible set British intelligence back months. Alesh’s time as a priest served him well in his search for Jews and the Allied spies. Alesh begins working for one of the most evil men in history: the head of the Nazi Gestapo in Lyon, France: Klaus Barbie. Alesh receives his first hard...
2022-10-2032 min
Good Assassins2. The Death of Old Lives (Season 2)Virginia Hall enlists in France's organization that provided medical assistance to soldiers on the battlefield. It would be a grueling endeavor. Virginia is given basic medical training, learning how to apply tourniquets and bandages on some of the worst wartime injuries recorded in human history. They were supposed to work in the echoes of gunfire, long after the battle was over, but she often found herself closer to firefights and exploding shells than she expected. Virginia was given a job as an ambulance driver and stationed near the Maginot Line. She was to witness hell.It only...
2022-10-2025 min
Good Assassins1. The Greatest Spy of WWII (Season 2)The story of one of the most consequential spies in American history. Her name was Virginia Hall, and she was known to the Nazis as "The Limping Lady." The Nazis called her “the most dangerous of all Allied spies.” From spy to resistance leader, her story is a thrilling tale of a woman whose efforts in the face of fascism, racism, sexism, and ableism saved thousands of lives.There’s maybe no figure of espionage in all of history like Virginia Hall. She embodies a lot of what’s amazing about fictional spies like James Bond or Ethan Hu...
2022-10-2033 min
Good AssassinsTrailer: Good Assassins Season 2This season of Good Assassins is the dramatic story of a different kind of spy: the greatest spy of World War II. A mysterious agent is strategically dismantling the Nazis’ violent grasp on France. They send a devious double-agent to hunt down “The Limping Lady” before she threatens their genocidal plans. But Virginia Hall was tougher than they ever expected. With deep archival research, rare primary source tape, expert interviews, powerful recreations, and a heavy dose of thriller, author and journalist Stephan Talty is back with Good Assassins: Season 2. Run for your life. Learn more at div...
2022-10-1301 min
SpyCast“The Information Battlespace” – Foreign Denial and Deception with Bill ParquetteSummaryBill Parquette (LinkedIn; Website) joins Andrew (Twitter; LinkedIn) to discuss Denial and Deception. They discuss examples such as D-Day, the Yom Kippur War, and the Persian Gulf War.What You’ll LearnIntelligence
Denial and deception – what it is and why it matters
Key examples of denial and deception
Detecting denial and deception operations
How to avoid seeing monsters everywhere
Reflections
How to counter denial and deception in everyday life (children, salespeople, etc.)
Stumbling into new roles in new fields
And much, much more…
2022-08-1654 min
Good AssassinsNews About Season 2Good Assassins fans, this is Stephan Talty, jumping back into your podcast feed with some exciting news: Good Assassins Season 2 is coming soon! We can’t tell you all the details of the incredible new story we’re exploring for Season 2 — not just yet — but trust me: it’s another good one. There are a few million of you out there that listened to Season 1, so we know the pressure’s on. But we’re pretty excited to say: we’ve uncovered another thrilling, mysterious spy story for you to dig your ears into. I can tell you tha...
2022-03-0701 min
WAMC's In Conversation With...Author Stephan Talty | WAMC's In Conversation WithThis week we present an encore broadcast: WAMC’s Alan Chartock speaks with Stephan Talty, author of “The Secret Agent: In Search of America’s Greatest World War II Spy.”
Photo courtesy of Stephan Talty.
2022-01-2053 min
WAMC's In Conversation With...Author Stephan Talty | WAMC’s In Conversation WithThis week we present an encore broadcast: WAMC’s Alan Chartock speaks with Stephan Talty, author of "The Secret Agent: In Search of America's Greatest World War II Spy."
Photo courtesy of Stephan Talty.
2022-01-2053 min
Good AssassinsS1-E12: New Questions & ConspiraciesWe asked listeners for your questions: Things you didn’t hear in "Hunting the Butcher" and were curious about, or other stories the podcast got you thinking about. Many of your questions prompted new research. In this episode, Stephan Talty answers listeners' questions and digs deeper into the issues the audience brought up. We received amazing queries from all over the world: Australia, New Zealand, Canada, the UK, the US and elsewhere. Some of them were from families of Holocaust survivors and one was even from a guy who worked with a former SS off...
2021-06-1134 min
Good AssassinsS1-E11: Mossad's Greatest Hits & MissesThe Cukurs operation barely scratches the surface of what Mossad has done over the years. Mossad has been, “involved in special operations and activity in the service of the State of Israel, such as the pursuit of Nazi criminals.” This episode explores some of the most important operations the agency has carried out. Stephan Talty describes missions you’ve probably never heard of but that shaped the Middle East and the whole world.The episode contains interviews with Robert Baer, accomplished former CIA agent, intelligence expert and security analyst, bestselling author of several books includ...
2021-06-0451 min
Good AssassinsS1-E10: Motives for MurderThe story of the spy and the murderer isn't over. There is something missing in the story: the answer to the question of *why*. Why did Herbert Cukurs go from being a national hero to a mass murderer? Stephan Talty speaks to some striking characters to try and finally answer that question. It turns out to have more sides than we originally thought.The opinion of most people was that Cukurs had always been a secret anti-Semite. Before the war, he’d hidden this hatred inside himself. But really he hated Jews. And when th...
2021-05-2850 min
Good AssassinsS1-E09: Judgment DayJudgment Day had arrived: February 23, 1965. Herbert Cukurs carried his gun in a leather holster as he boarded the plane to Uruguay and headed off into what he must have imagined was his new life. The men of the Mossad kill team were spread out in various hotels across Montevideo. They woke up early on that February morning and began to get ready for the Butcher’s arrival. The spy later wrote, “We planned a very brief court-martial in which we intended to read the charges to [Cukurs], in the name of the 30,000 Jews from Riga...
2021-05-2153 min
Futility ClosetOperation Cowboy In April 1945, a group of American soldiers learned that hundreds of Lipizzaner horses were being held on a farm in western Czechoslovakia -- and set out to rescue them before the Red Army could reach them. In this week's episode of the Futility Closet podcast we'll tell the story of Operation Cowboy, one of the strangest episodes of World War II. We'll also learn about an NBA brawl and puzzle over a technology's link to cancer deaths. Intro: What's wrong with these Martian census numbers? Japanese puzzle maven Nob...
2021-05-1731 min
Good AssassinsS1-E08: The Ticking ClockThe spy was happy to be back home, but his mission wasn’t complete. The final act was still to take place in Uruguay. So in the Mossad apartment in the heart of Paris, the kill team started to plan the assassination. They were going ahead with the plan. The debate in the German Parliament was coming up in a few months. They all hoped a successful mission would influence it. “Good Assassins: Hunting the Butcher" came out of Stephan Talty's work on a related book, The Good Assassin. Explore other parts of this story...
2021-05-1448 minFutility ClosetA Slave Sues for Freedom In 1844 New Orleans was riveted by a dramatic trial: A slave claimed that she was really a free immigrant who had been pressed into bondage as a young girl. In this week's episode of the Futility Closet podcast we'll describe Sally Miller's fight for freedom, which challenged notions of race and social hierarchy in antebellum Louisiana. We'll also try to pronounce some drug names and puzzle over some cheated tram drivers. Intro: In 1992, a Florida bankruptcy judge held a computer in contempt of court. The 1908 grave of...
2021-05-1033 min
Good AssassinsS1-E07: The Method of DeathBy the winter of 1964, the mission was coming into focus. In Brazil, the spy continued to meet with Herbert Cukurs, stoking The Butcher's excitement for his coming wealth and making sure he’d be willing to travel outside of Brazil. Yosef Yariv had chosen his kill team and they were training under the Krav Maga master, Imi Lichtenfeld.“Good Assassins: Hunting the Butcher" came out of Stephan Talty's work on a related book, The Good Assassin. Explore other parts of this story in the book: Buy The Good AssassinHerb...
2021-05-0738 min
Good AssassinsS1-E06: The Kill TeamThe spy had gotten a step closer to the Butcher. Comparing Israel's mission to assassinate Herbert Cukurs to the US mission to assassinate Osama Bin Laden, the latter was revenge. But when Israel and Mossad decided to kill The Butcher of Latvia, it was to prevent more killing of Jews. Things were starting to heat up with the Statute of Limitations, which was the whole reason for the mission: to stop Germany from giving Nazi killers a free pass for their atrocities. Importantly, a famous Nazi hunter joined the cause: Simon Wiesenthal. Wiesenthal was a master publicist and self-promoter...
2021-04-3050 min
Good AssassinsS1-E05: Baiting the HookHerbert Cukurs invited "Anton Kuenzle" to visit him at his home, not knowing, of course, "Kuenzle" is the spy Mio, undercover. So the spy prepares for the meeting. He doesn't know what Cukurs wants, which was the real question. Most spies use a handful of motives to get people to do what they want: money, sex, patriotism. But Cukurs was an odd fish. He seemed to want to be a hero again, to be beloved. The spy couldn’t offer him that - so what could he dangle in front of the Butcher?“Good Assa...
2021-04-2338 min
Good AssassinsS1-E04: Acquiring the TargetThe spy surveils his target and finally meets Herbert Cukurs — The Butcher of Latvia — in person. Mio had known people like the Butcher earlier in his life. He’d grown up in Germany during the rise of Hitler. Now he was getting to know a Nazi again, being friendly, even drinking with him. Mio kept his parents in his mind constantly. He actually dreamt about them during the mission — bad dreams. So for Mio it was something he could not forget and he could not forgive. Mio said when he was given the mission in September 1964 to assassinate Herbert Cukurs...
2021-04-1637 min
Good AssassinsS1-E03: The Man of 100 IdentitiesThe spy transforms into his cover identity. He will travel to Brazil, where his assassination target is living, and attempt to lure him into a trap. If his cover fails, Herbert Cukurs — The Butcher of Latvia — may kill him. But before Cukurs could be placed on a kill list, and before Mossad could begin to track him down, Cukurs’ pursuers had to be sure he was the right guy. Was this really the Butcher of Latvia? “Good Assassins: Hunting the Butcher" came out of Stephan Talty's work on a related book, The Good Assassin. Explore o...
2021-04-0942 min