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SpyCast
Ep 618
SpyCast 1.23.24
Ep 618 | 1.23.24

Australian National Day Special: “Intelligence Down Under with John Blaxland”

Show Notes
Transcript

Summary

John Blaxland (Twitter, LinkedIn) joins Andrew (Twitter; LinkedIn) to discuss intelligence in Australia and Oceania. John is a widely recognized as a leading expert in this area. 

What You’ll Learn

Intelligence

  • Australia’s Intelligence Community 
  • SIGINT in Australia during WWII 
  • Australia’s relationship with South Asia
  • The Pine Gap facility 

Reflections

  • The implications of geography
  • The power of collaboration

And much, much more …


Episode Notes

In this episode of SpyCast, Andrew was joined by John Blaxland, co-author of the new book Revealing Secrets: An unofficial history of Australian Signals intelligence and the advent of cyber. John is a professor of International Security & Intelligence Studies at the Australian National University. He was an instrumental collaborator on the creation of the three-volume Official History of ASIO. 

Andrew and John discuss all things Australian intelligence, from the very beginning of the cyber age during WWII through to Australia’s involvement in the East Timor crisis of 1999. As a critical member of the Five Eyes, the importance of Australia’s intelligence services and clandestine operations around the world cannot be understated. Tune in for a SpyCast trip down under to learn more! 

And… 

Canberra, the capital city of Australia, is commonly known to mean “meeting place” in the Indigenous language of Ngunnawal. The Ngunnawal Aboriginal people have inhabited the area of modern day Canberra for over 21,000 years – To learn more about the Ngunnawal people, check out their series Stories from Ngunnawal Country on YouTube. 

Quotes of the Week

“The shift from the analog to the digital world … The shift for digital espionage, digital footprint management. How do you hide in the noise? How do you cover your identity? How do you protect your identity? … The digital revolution has actually enabled states to exercise a lot more power, a lot more control, a lot more monitoring, a lot more surveillance, a lot more interference.” – John Blaxland.

Resources 

SURFACE SKIM

*Spotlight Resource*

  • Revealing Secrets: An unofficial history of Australian Signals intelligence and the advent of cyber, C. Birgin & J. Blaxland (University of New South Wales Press, 2023)

*SpyCasts*

*Beginner Resources*

DEEPER DIVE

Books

  • Spies & Sparrows: ASIO & the Cold War, P. Deery (Melbourne University Press, 2022)
  • Australia's First Spies: The Remarkable Story of Australia's Intelligence Operations, 1901-45, J. Fahey (Allen & Unwin, 2019)
  • The Official History of ASIO – 3 Volumes, D. Horner, J. Blaxland, R. Crawley (Allen & Unwin, 2014/2015/2016)

Articles

Video

Primary Sources 

*Wildcard Resource*

  • Pine Gap 
  • A TV show about the top-secret satellite surveillance base of the same name. If you’ve seen it, you know it all about Australian Intelligence. Just kidding. But it’s a good watch! 
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. Currently gaining her 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