Episode Details

Summary

Henry Schlesinger (Rare Bird Books) joins Andrew (Twitter; LinkedIn) to discuss two of the most mysterious and alluring forces in human history: sex and spying. He is a journalist and author proudly based out of NYC. 

What You’ll Learn

Intelligence

• The impact of sexpionage on history 
• Debunking common “honey trap” myths 
• Examples of weaponized seduction and leveraged love 
• Cyber honey traps and digital sexpionage

Reflections

• Psychological implications of love and lies
• The relationship between pop culture myths and historical truth 

And much, much more …

Episode Notes

Sex. Espionage. Sometimes they both overlap by accident...but sometimes it's entirely intentional. From Samson and Delilah in the Bible to the Profumo Affair that rocked British society in the 1960’s, they are a heady and dramatic combination.

But how is sex used in modern espionage? How do the professionals combine them, if indeed they do? What myths surround the use of both? How have men and women used sex and seduction to spy? 

To answer these questions and more, Andrew sat down with Henry Schlesinger to discuss his newest book, Honey Trapped: Sex, Betrayal, and Weaponized Love, which explores the fascinating relationship between sex and spying. 

And… 

You know about Benjamin Franklin in Paris as a “bon vivant, wily diplomat and aging lion,” but read Henry’s article about him as the “Founding Forger” engaged in disinformation and fake news during the Revolution!

Quote of the Week

“The thing about espionage is that it encompasses the best in human beings and the worst and everything in between.” – Henry Schlesinger.

Resources 

SURFACE SKIM

*Andrew’s Recommendation*

• “Security Implications of Polygraph Derived Homesexual Fantasies”
• See how much social mores have changed since 1985

*Featured Resource*

• Honey Trapped: Sex, Betrayal, and Love, Henry R. Schlesinger (Rare Bird, 2022)

*Beginner Resources*

• The Stasi Spies Who Traded Sex for Secrets, Oliver Moody, The Times (2022) [Article] 
• Romeo Spies, CIA (2018) [Article]
• The Brilliant MI6 Spy Who Perfected the Art of the ‘Honey Trap’, Hadley Meares, Atlas Obscura (2017) [Article]
• The History of the Honey Trap, Philip Knightly, Foreign Policy (2010) [Article]

DEEPER DIVE

*SpyCasts*

• Mata Hari, The Spy with Dr. Julie Wheelwright (2019)
• Sexpionage with H. Keith Melton (2009) 

*Books*

• The Last Goodn