Fred Burton Talks to David Austin about Tehran's Vengeance

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We’re continuing this episode of Stratfor Talks to focus on true crime, espionage and mysteries. That’s because Chief Security Officer Fred Burton loves the genre and we can’t get him to read anything else! These episodes have developed a special name, “The Pen and Sword”. On today’s episode: David Austin, the author of the thriller: Teheran’s Vengeance. This is the story of what happens when espionage is TOO effective -- and causes an international incident that explodes into an all-out assault.

Surprise, Kill, Vanish: The Secret History of CIA Paramilitary Armies, Operators, and Assassins.

"In a perfect world, the State Department is able to work out the conflicts that we're having with other nations. And the second option, traditionally, historically, is war. So only after 1947, after the national security act was this third option put into play, which is the CIA's hidden hand. So in essence if diplomacy fails and war is unwise, call on the CIA's Special Activities Division."

Those are the words that investigative journalist and author Annie Jacobsen uses to describe the work of the CIA's paramilitary arm. And that work is the subject of Jacobsen's latest, Surprise, Kill, Vanish: The Secret History of CIA Paramilitary Armies, Operators, and Assassins. In this episode of Stratfor Talks' Pen and Sword, host Fred Burton speaks with Jacobsen about her inspiration, how she conducted her research and what she learned about the element of U.S. foreign policy payed out in secret. 

Fred Burton and Kate Winkler Dawson Discuss Death in the Air

It happened unexpectedly. The whole city was afraid. No one could see. Many could not breathe. And amid the terror of London's Great Smog of 1952, a different, equally sinister drama was underway.

The London Smog killed an estimated 12,000 people. It lasted less than one week. But those who died from the smog were not the only victims in those dark days.

Kate Winkler Dawson's book, Death in the Air, tells parallel stories of the Great Smog. Both left victims struggling to breathe.

Fred Burton and Author Mark Greaney Discuss Mission Critical

Court Gentry (a.k.a.The Gray Man) is restless. He's been dumped on a flight last minute by his CIA handlers. A mystery passenger boards just before takeoff. Against his better judgment, Gentry stays aboard. Next thing he knows, he's on a remote island, he's in a firefight and he's got a mystery on his hands. The latest episode of Stratfor's podcast is for fans of espionage and thrillers.