“Spies: The Epic Intelligence War Between East vs. West” – with Calder Walton
Summary
Calder Walton (Website, Twitter) joins Andrew (Twitter; LinkedIn) to discuss the 100-year intelligence war between the United States and Russia. Calder is the author of the new book, SPIES.
What You’ll Learn
Intelligence
- The epic clash of intelligence systems
- Russia’s assassination program then and now
- The roots of Putinism
- China as “the Soviet Union on steroids”
Reflections
- Cold War 2.0
- Could it have been otherwise?
And much, much more …
Episode Notes
Since the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991 the Cold War has come to be viewed as a thing of the past. This week’s guest argued it never went away. Tensions between the United States and Russia have come back into the foreground in recent years - especially with the political ascent of Vladimir Putin.
While Russia is not the superpower it once was, the West now faces an even larger threat, China – which Calder Walton calls, “the Soviet Union on steroids.” Calder sat down with Andrew to discuss his new book, SPIES: The Epic Intelligence War Between the East and West. Informed by Calder’s book, they discuss the past century of Russia-US relations and take a closer look at what has changed (or stayed the same) over those past 100 years.
And…
Lake Baikal in southern Siberia is the deepest lake on the planet, the largest freshwater lake in the world, and the oldest freshwater lake in the world. It was here that the “Russian Ten” took a collective vacation after being released by the U.S. The Ten were illegal spies, operating without diplomatic cover, who were caught by the FBI in 2010. They were later transferred back to Russia as part of a prisoner swap between east and west.
Quotes of the Week
My conclusion, unfortunately, Andrew, is that looking at this large sweep of history that we have, not so much a Putin problem today, but a Russia problem. And the Russia problem has been persistent over a hundred years, which is why it makes me very cautious about speculation … Unfortunately, it seems to me that the Putin and the people he surrounds himself with in the Kremlin are all cut from this very similar cloth as he is. – Calder Walton
Resources
SURFACE SKIM
*Headline Resource*
- SPIES: The Epic Intelligence War Between East and West, Calder Walton (Simon & Schuster, 2023)
*SpyCasts*
- Ukraine & the Alliance with NATO’s Assistant Secretary General for Intelligence David Cattler (2023)
- Ukraine & Intelligence: One Year On with Shane Harris (2023)
- Becoming a Russian Intelligence Officer with Janosh Neumann (2022)
- The Spies Who Came in From the Cold with Chris Costa and John Quattrocki at the Pritzker Military Museum & Library in Chicago (2022)
- Dealing with Russia with Counterintelligence Legend Jim Olson (2022)
- CIA Legend Jack Devine on Countering Russian Aggression (2012)
*Beginner Resources*
- Putin’s Revisionist History of Russia and Ukraine, I. Chotiner, New Yorker (2022) [Short article]
- Has Putin's war failed and what does Russia want?, P. Kirby, BBC (2023) [Short article]
- The Cold War Explained in 15 Minutes, YouTube (2021) [15 min. video]
DEEPER DIVE
Books
- Russian Intelligence, K. Riehle (NIU, 2022)
- Putin’s People, C. Belton (William Collins, 2021)
- Between Two Fires, J. Yaffa (Duggan Books, 2020)
- The New Cold War, E. Lucas (St. Martin’s Griffin, 2014)
Articles
- If a Divided Germany Could Enter NATO, Why Not Ukraine?, S. Erlanger, New York Times (2023)
- The New Cold War, E. Abrams, Council on Foreign Relations (2022)
- Cold War Lessons and Fallacies for US-China Relations Today, M. McFaul, The Washington Quarterly (2020)
- Promoting Russia abroad: Russia's post-Cold war national identity and public diplomacy, T. Just, Journal of International Communication (2016)
- Toward the Post-Cold War World, J. L. Gaddis, Journal of Foreign Affairs (1991)
- Détente and Arms Control, 1969–1979, Office of the Historian
Audio
- China, Russia and the Risk of a New Cold War, The Daily Podcast, New York Times (2023)
Video
- George F. Kennan’s “Long Telegram” at 75, Wilson Center (2021)
- Moles, Defectors, and Deceptions: James Angleton and His Influence on US Counterintelligence, Wilson Center (2012)
Primary Sources
- The Putin Files, CBS (n.d.)
- Memorandum of Conversations (Rise of Putin)
- Clinton with Putin (2000)
- Clinton with Putin (2000)
- Clinton with Yeltsin (1999)
- Clinton with Yeltsin (1999)
- Clinton with Putin (1999)
- Madelaine Albright with Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov (1999)
- Clinton with Putin (1999)
- Clinton with Yeltsin (1999)
- Philby on the Disappearance of Guy Burgess (1951)
- The Truman Doctrine, National Archives (1947)
- George Kennan’s Long Telegram, GWU Archives (1946)
Oral Histories
- U.S. Ambassadors to Moscow
- John Huntsman (2017-2019)
- John F. Tefft (2014-2017)
- Michael McFaul (2012-2014)
- John Beryle (2008-2012)
- Alexander Vershbow (2001-2005)
- James F. Collins (1997-2001)
- Thomas R. Pickering (1993-1996)
- Jack F. Matlock (1987-1991)
*Wildcard Resource*
- Putin Strikes: The Coming War for Eastern Europe
- A two-player board game where one commands the Kremlin’s forces and the other an international polyglot force. Trippy or what?