Fred Burton talks with James Grady about Six Days of the Condor

One of the best parts of my job is I get to interview people who have influenced me. James Grady is one of them. His first novel, SIX DAYS OF THE CONDOR, influenced a generation of thriller and espionage writers. The book was turned into a classic movie starring the legendary Robert Redford. I was fascinated to learn that the KGB read the book and saw the movie, then created a unit to do exactly what James had depicted in his fiction thriller! Unbelievable. Enjoy the chat and let me know what you think?

When James Grady wrote, "Six Days of the Condor" in 1973, he had no idea his work of spy fiction would see repetition in the real world. But from an international assassination to a complete government-run espionage department, that's what happened. More than 40 years after the book was first published. with a TV series and several sequels to boot behind him, Grady says, his hero is still human. "One thing that has changed completely," he says," is that society is so much more complex and individuals are more...isolated than we were in the 1970's. The digital revolution has made it harder to separate fact from theory from propaganda from downright manipulation, which is the opposite of what people would have said at the dawn of the information age. But also, there are more and different kinds of ...bad actors now than there ever have been... in part due to fragmentation of society." And that makes today's world infinitely more vexing when it comes to security, geopolitics and diplomacy than the bad old days of the Cold War.

Fred Burton Talks with Mark Greaney and Rip Rawlings about Red Metal

An interview with Mark Greaney (author of the Gray Man series of thrillers) and Lt. Col. H. Ripley Rawlings IV. Together they have written a gripping and realistic action thriller in which World War III emerges as a conflict between the West and Russia.  In this novel, Russia creates a three-pronged front - testing the US military capabilities - in a gamble to lay claim to a rare mineral mine that will give Russia primacy over the entire world’s technology.Combining geopolitics, cover-to-cover action that include battles in the air, on land and sea, with  great camaraderie among a small and desperate team, Stratfor's Fred Burton says he was hooked to the last page.

An interview with Mark Greaney (author of the Gray Man series of thrillers) and Lt. Col. H. Ripley Rawlings IV. Together they have written a gripping and realistic action thriller in which World War III emerges as a conflict between the West and Russia.  In this novel, Russia creates a three-pronged front - testing the US military capabilities - in a gamble to lay claim to a rare mineral mine that will give Russia primacy over the entire world’s technology.Combining geopolitics, cover-to-cover action that include battles in the air, on land and sea, with  great camaraderie among a small and desperate team, Stratfor's Fred Burton says he was hooked to the last page.

Fred Burton Talks with Dr. Vince Houghton about Nuking The Moon

Greatly enjoyed chatting with Dr. Vince Houghton about his fun read Nuking The Moon. Vince also has a great job as the historian at The International Spy Museum in Washington, D.C. There are lots of stories about U.S. Government plans like putting listening devices into cats to tap the Soviets, bat bombs, false flag measures in Miami against Castro and the Cubans, and the secrets behind Area 51.

When Neil Armstrong announced that the Eagle had landed on July 20, 1969, the world listened. The first moon landing was the culmination of a presidential resolution firmly anchored in a wartime -- albeit a Cold War -- objective. Far less known, until now, are the many military plots and schemes aimed at countering the Soviets that never made it off the drawing board -- even though many were as technologically ground-breaking and breathtaking in their boldness. The stories of these amazing plans are revealed in Vince Houghton's new book: Nuking the Moon, and Other Intelligence Schemes and Military Plots left on the drawing board. Stratfor's Chief Security Officer, Fred Burton, spoke to the author and curator of the International Spy Museum about what worked and what didn't.

Fred Burton Talks to Jack Carr about True Believer

Best-selling author, Jack Carr’s new book, True Believer, merges the chaos of too much and too little information, who has it and who doesn't in a rip-roaring adventure for James Reece, the world’s most wanted domestic terrorist. Combining terror attacks, market tailspins, holidays and vengeance, with a little strong arming thrown in for good measure, True Believer has been called one of the best thrillers of 2019.

Stratfor’s Chief Security Officer, Fred Burton, spoke to Carr about the book, and his career as a Navy SEAL sniper, outdoorsman, and now, author.

Scotbom: Evidence and the Lockerbie Investigation With Author Richard Marquise

On December 21, 1988, a plane full of travelers bound from London to New York exploded over Lockerbie, Scotland. All on board were killed, as were 11 people on the ground. The subsequent investigation into the bombing spread over hundreds of square miles in a hunt for evidence that had been blown to smithereens.

The FBI's lead investigator in the case, Richard Marquise, was assigned to the monumental task of helping determine what had happened, who was responsible and, eventually, how to prosecute the case. He talked about his book detailing those efforts, Scotbom: Evidence and the Lockerbie Investigation with Stratfor Chief Security Officer Fred Burton.

Read more at Stratfor Worldview

Fred Burton Talks to Bryan Burrough about Days of Rage

"Domestic terrorism" is a phrase that has had its fair share of US headlines in the years since the Al Qaeda terror attacks of 9/11/2001. We've all read reports of bombings, mail attacks using fire and biological weapons, and the dramatic death tolls from dozens and dozens of mass shootings. But domestic terrorism was not hatched in the wake of foreign attacks. It predates online radicalization and the US wars in the Middle East and South Asia. In fact, a series of domestic bombings, and other actions of radical underground groups were all too common during the 1970s.

Those “Days of Rage” and the FBI’s response to them are the subject of Bryan Burrough’s investigation into and retelling a decade of America’s experience of domestic terrorism, which he published in the 2015 book, Days of Rage: America's Radical Underground, the FBI and the Forgotten Age of Revolutionary Violence.

"Domestic terrorism" is a phrase that has had its fair share of US headlines in the years since the Al Qaeda terror attacks of 9/11/2001. We've all read reports of bombings, mail attacks using fire and biological weapons, and the dramatic death tolls from dozens and dozens of mass shootings. But domestic terrorism was not hatched in the wake of foreign attacks. It predates online radicalization and the US wars in the Middle East and South Asia. In fact, a series of domestic bombings, and other actions of radical underground groups were all too common during the 1970s. Those “Days of Rage” and the FBI’s response to them are the subject of Bryan Burrough’s investigation into and retelling a decade of America’s  experience of domestic terrorism, which he published in the 2015 book, Days of Rage: America's Radical Underground, the FBI and the Forgotten Age of Revolutionary Violence.

Fred Burton and Scott Stewart Discuss Workplace Shootings

A broad ranging discussion with Scott Stewart on preventing workplace shootings. Can attacks be prevented? Do you know how to Stop The Bleed? How do you leverage tools to mitigate the risk? Is training critical for the workplace?

One of the most memorable images from June, 2019 was that taken by a Dallas Morning News Photographer. It shows a man in a black armored, pocketed vest with a black cap, face covering, green clothes, black boots and a large black gun about to enter the Earle Cabell federal courthouse in Dallas, Texas.  Another was of sobbing survivors of a mass shooting at the Virginia Beach municipal center hugging each other on a bright, sunny day. Only the shooter was killed in the Dallas event. 12 people died at the scene of the Virginia Beach event. In a recent column for Stratfor Worldview, VP of Tactical Analysis, Scott Stewart, noted that while incidents of workplace violence and mass public attacks are a persistent concern, taking security measures ahead of time is a critical step toward avoiding attacks. He spoke with Chief Security Officer, Fred Burton.

Fred Burton Talks with Brad Thor About His New Thriller Backlash

Brad Thor has done it again. Backlash is Brad’s follow up thriller to Spymaster and grabs the reader from the first page. The story has an amazing tempo and plot. At the end of the book, you want more of Scot Harvath. What is Harvath going to do next? We also discuss how Brad hones his writing craft and how he goes about conducting research for his stories. Loved our discussion about guns. Spoiler alert: Brad likes Glock.

Brad Thor is the best-selling author of the Scot Harvath series of thrillers. "You can go to Backlash never having read a Brad Thor book before," Thor told Stratfor's Chief Security Officer and host of the Pen And Sword podcast, "And in my book is Scot Harvath, who's American's number one operative...This hostile nation decides 'this guy gets in our way way too often. So what we're gonna do is we're gonna grab him, wring him dry. We're gonna get  all the intel we can get out of him and then we're gonna kill him." Well, needless to say, Harvath is not amused. That's page one. And the action continues right until the end.