This episode contains a 30 minute interview with former CIA Tech Director Robert Wallace, co-author of “Spycraft: The Secret History of the CIA’s Spytechs, from Communism to al-Qaeda” The interview begins 30 minutes into the show and is also available as a standalone audio download.

Vintage NBC News from 1994 and 1995 of Tom Brokaw reporting on the dawn of The Internet.

Special guest on Technology Bytes this Wednesday, June 17th will be Former CIA Tech Director Robert Wallace, co-author of SPYCRAFT: THE SECRET HISTORY OF THE CIA’S SPY TECHNOLOGY. Robert Wallace is the former director of the CIA’s Office of Technical Service. The recipient of the Intelligence Medal of Merit, he is the founder of the Artemus Consulting Group, a private national security firm, and a contributor to the CIA’s Center for the Study of Intelligence. He lives in Virginia.

From the press release:

Former CIA Tech Director Robert Wallace and Intelligence expert J. Keith Melton share the amazing gadgetry used by the CIA, from Communism to Al-Qaeda

What is an invisible photograph used for? What does it take to build a quiet helicopter? This may sound like a James Bond film, but these are actually technologies employed by CIA to gather information and insure national security. Now in paperback, SPYCRAFT: THE SECRET HISTORY OF THE CIA’S SPYTECHS, FROM COMMUNISM TO AL-QAEDA (Plume/June 2009) by Robert Wallace and J. Keith Melton, shares the CIA’s secret and amazing technology behind the art of espionage, including never before seen photographs of government gadgets.

Spy technology exploded during the Second World War, and in the decades-long standoff with the Soviets, cameras, microphones, and encryption systems were clandestinely developed years before the public had access to them. And since, the CIA has transitioned from the Cold War to the digital age, and spycraft skills have developed alongside technology in prosecuting the long war against terrorism.

In the interview we will discuss the history and development of some of these amazingly inventive devices, created and employed against a backdrop of geopolitical tensions—including the Cold War, the Cuban Missile Crisis, and continuing terrorist threats. Some of these devices include:

First show after Jay’s new purchase of a 24″ iMac.

phliKtid acting up in the control room.
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