{"podcast":{"title":"SpyCast","slug":"spycast-522614","podcast_index_feed_id":522614,"rss_url":"https://feeds.megaphone.fm/spycast","website_url":"https://www.thecyberwire.com/podcasts/spycast","image_url":"https://megaphone.imgix.net/podcasts/06849954-7d71-11ec-a50f-43595c0df468/image/1cab27db818b67bbc3a38f2f0bc4d50d.jpg?ixlib=rails-4.3.1&max-w=3000&max-h=3000&fit=crop&auto=format,compress","author":"SpyCast","episode_count":755,"summary":"SpyCast, the official podcast of the International Spy Museum, is a journey into the shadows of international espionage. Each week, host Sasha Ingber brings you the latest insights and intriguing tales from spies, secret agents, and covert communicators, with a focus on how this secret world reaches us all in our everyday lives. Tune in to discover the critical role intelligence has played throughout history and today. Brought to you from Airwave, Goat Rodeo, and the International Spy Museum. The Spy Museum does not endorse, approve, or support the opinions stated by guest speakers. Statements made by speakers do not represent the position or opinion of the International Spy Museum.","last_synced_at":"2026-07-28T22:17:28.951627+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/spycast-522614"},"episode":{"title":"Closer than Cuba: the Able Archer Nuclear Crisis of 1983","slug":"closer-than-cuba-the-able-archer-nuclear-crisis-of-1983","published_at":"2026-06-30T11:00:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/spycast-522614/closer-than-cuba-the-able-archer-nuclear-crisis-of-1983","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/spycast-522614","url":"https://thecyberwire.com/podcasts/spycast/739/notes","audio_url":"https://pdst.fm/e/tracking.swap.fm/track/YfZO4tERxneauNcW9Fgn/traffic.megaphone.fm/CYBW8509041681.mp3","summary":"It's November of 1983, the closest the world came to nuclear war, some may argue even closer than the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962. Yet the Able Archer 1983 exercise incident is relatively unknown by comparison. A series of events that started with the Soviet shootdown of a Korean Air Lines plane, ended with not one but two almosts, when it came to accidental nuclear war. This included a simulated nuclear release authority request that may have been seen in Moscow as the prelude to a first strike. How these events unfolded was a result of heightened Cold War tension, antagonism, and miscommunication. Brian Morra was a US Air Force intelligence officer who had a front row seat to this, and sits down with guest host Dr. Mark Jacobson to discuss how the world came to the brink of nuclear war. Subscribe to Sasha's Substack, HUMINT, to get more intelligence stories: https://sashaingber.substack.com/ For more information about the International Spy Museum, visit: https://www.spymuseum.org/ And if you have feedback or want to hear about a particular topic, you can reach us by email at spycast@spymuseum.org. This show is brought to you by N2K Networks, Goat Rodeo, and the International Spy Museum in Washington, DC. This episode was produced by Flora Warshaw and the team at Goat Rodeo. At the International Spy Museum, Mike Mincey and Memphis Vaughan III are our video editors. Emily Rens is our graphic designer. Joshua Troemel runs our SPY social media. Amanda Ohlke is our Director of Adult Education and Mira Cohen is the Vice President of Programs.","meta_description":"It's November of 1983, the closest the world came to nuclear war, some may argue even closer than the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962. Yet the Able Archer 19…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":2393,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/spycast-522614/episodes/closer-than-cuba-the-able-archer-nuclear-crisis-of-1983/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/spycast-522614/closer-than-cuba-the-able-archer-nuclear-crisis-of-1983.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}