Podcasts
SpyCast
Ep 580
SpyCast 3.28.23
Ep 580 | 3.28.23

“Secrets Revealed” – Curators Alexis and Andrew on SPY’s Pop-Up Exhibit

Show Notes
Transcript

Summary

Dr. Alexis Albion (LinkedIn, Twitter) joins Andrew (Twitter; LinkedIn) to discuss amazing artifacts with amazing stories from SPY’s newest pop-up exhibit: “Secrets Revealed: Highlights from the Grant Verstandig Collection.”

What You’ll Learn

Intelligence

  • Casablanca’s spy connection
  • Lasting effects of the Rosenberg trial
  • Women in Intelligence
  • WWII covert operations

Reflections

  • What makes a story timeless?
  • The human dimension of history

And much, much more …

Episode Notes

This year, the International Spy Museum opened a new pop-up exhibit, featuring artifacts from the private collection of Grant Verstandig, Co-founder, Chairman and CEO of Red Cell. Andrew and Alexis curated the exhibit and sat down to talk all about it...

Dr. Alexis Albion currently serves on the SPY team as the Curator of Special Projects. In previous chapters, she was a staff member on the 9/11 Commission Report, consultant with the World Bank, and strategist with the U.S. Department of State.

And…

Andrew and Alexis only scratched the surface of this exhibit. “Secrets Revealed: Highlights from the Grant Verstandig Collection.”

Quote of the Week

“To us, that might be the Rosenbergs – These sort of incredible historic figures from the Cold War Intelligence. But to Mike Meeropol, it's his mom and dad. So, I think it's a really human story as well. This letter makes recommendations about their sentencing, about life and death, and again, for me it evokes that really human dimension about whether or not this mother might have lived.”

Resources 

SURFACE SKIM

*SpyCasts*

*Beginner Resources*

*Artifacts Discussed*

DEEPER DIVE

Books

  • Ethel Rosenberg, An American Tragedy, A. Sebba (St. Martin’s Press, 2021)
  • Operation Neptune, B.B. Schofield (Pen & Sword Maritime, 2008)
  • Femme Fatale: Love, Lies, and Mata Hari, P. Shipman (Harper, 2008)

Articles

Video

Primary Sources 

*Wildcard Resource(s)*

  • The classic quote from Casablanca, “Here’s looking at you, kid” is ranked #4 on the American Film Institute’s Top 100 Movie Quotes. In fact, four quotes from the movie made it onto the list – Can you guess what the others are?
SpyCast
Podcast Info
HOST(S):
Andrew Hammond
Erin Dietrick
Andrew Hammond, Ph.D. is Historian & Curator at the International Spy Museum, home of the world's preeminent collection of intelligence-related artifacts. Previous chapters have included seven years in the RAF, Public Humanities at the 9/11 Museum in NYC, Fellowships here, there, and everywhere, and academia. He is author of the forthcoming book: "Struggles for Freedom": Afghanistan & US Foreign Policy Since 1979. He loves bialys.
Erin Dietrick is the Programs & Podcast Assistant at the International Spy Museum. Erin is a Cleveland native and graduate of the University of Rochester in Rochester, NY, where she studied history. She also holds an MA in Museum Studies from the George Washington University. Erin is passionate about storytelling, inspiring critical thinking, and inciting joy through museum programming. She has a special place in her heart for music history and named her orange cat Ringo after Ringo Starr.
Schedule: Tuesdays, 7am EST (weekly)
Credits: SPY: Mike Mincey and Memphis Vaughn III, Co-Producers; Emily Rens and Emily Coletta, Graphics; Afua Anokwa and Ariel Samuel, Social Media; Erin Dietrick, Researcher, Scheduler, Editor, Co-Producer, Social Media; Andrew Hammond, Writer, Editor-in-Chief, Executive Producer. CYBERWIRE: Elliott Peltzman, Sound Design; Elliott Peltzman and Tré Hester, mixing; Jen Eiben, Co-producer, Social Media; SpyCast opening music: Wayne Jones, “Cypher” (2018).
Creator: International Spy Museum
SpyCast