{"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":"How Far the US Went to Rescue Hostage Bowe Bergdahl","slug":"how-far-the-us-went-to-rescue-hostage-bowe-bergdahl","published_at":"2026-05-05T11:00:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/spycast-522614/how-far-the-us-went-to-rescue-hostage-bowe-bergdahl","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/spycast-522614","url":"https://thecyberwire.com/podcasts/spycast/731/notes","audio_url":"https://pdst.fm/e/tracking.swap.fm/track/YfZO4tERxneauNcW9Fgn/traffic.megaphone.fm/CYBW1587471404.mp3?updated=1777408021","summary":"In 2009, Bowe Bergdahl walked away from his Army post in eastern Afghanistan, only to be abducted and held hostage until 2014. He was captured by the Taliban and then handed to the Haqqani network, an aligned terrorist group. US officials said they kept Bergdahl locked in a metal cage in total darkness after he tried to escape. By 2012, the US government was turning to Tony Shaffer for help. The retired military intelligence officer had directed several special mission task forces that conducted black operations. Now, Tony was asked to create a track-two, non-official scheme to help secure Bergdahl's release. This was a ploy that pulled in Congress, backchannels in Pakistani intelligence, and British and American media outlets. 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":"In 2009, Bowe Bergdahl walked away from his Army post in eastern Afghanistan, only to be abducted and held hostage until 2014. He was captured by the Tali…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":2219,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/spycast-522614/episodes/how-far-the-us-went-to-rescue-hostage-bowe-bergdahl/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/spycast-522614/how-far-the-us-went-to-rescue-hostage-bowe-bergdahl.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}