What is a life of a spy like? Not the James Bond kind, but of a real-life spy? In episode 2 of the Secret Struggle for Cold War Dominance podcast we unveil the secret lives of one man, whose identity of a spy has never been discovered, that is until now. In fact, this ‘man of no country’ by the name of Dennis Phombeah worked for multiple agencies across the Cold War divide. How did he manage to get hired by sworn enemies? And what did he get out of this exhausting clandestine career?
With historian Dr. James Brennan of the University of Illinois, who discovered this mystery man, we discuss how glamorous but also difficult the life of a busy spy can be. How one enters the espionage world and who has the upper-hand in the spy-agency relationship.