S8 Ep172: 1939: Diplomatic Disasters and Soviet Infiltration: Colleague Charles Spicer explains that by early 1939, relations deteriorated as Ribbentrop, now Foreign Minister, turned violently anti-British following his social failures in London, characterizing Bri

S8 Ep172: The Oster Conspiracy and the Resilience of the Fellowship: Colleague Charles Spicer discusses the 1938 crisis, focusing on the "Oster Conspiracy," a credible German plot to arrest Hitler that was undermined by Prime Minister Chamberlain's appeasement visi

S8 Ep172: 1938: Accurate Warnings and the May Crisis: Colleague Charles Spicer explains that in early 1938, as Vansittart was sidelined, Christie continued to extract "spookily accurate" war plans from Göring, providing London with a clear map of Hitler's intention

S8 Ep172: Halifax at the Berghof and Soviet Paranoia: Colleague Charles Spicer explains that by late 1937, the Anglo-German Fellowship was infiltrated by spies including Soviet mole Kim Philby, fueling Stalin's fear of an Anglo-German alliance; the narrative focuse

S8 Ep172: The Coronation Party and Intelligence Channels: Colleague Charles Spicer recounts how during the coronation of King George VI in May 1937, the Ribbentrops hosted a disastrously overcrowded embassy party that alienated the British elite; distinguishing bet

S8 Ep172: Ribbentrop in London: Gaffes and Alienation: Colleague Charles Spicer describes Ribbentrop's arrival in London as Ambassador with a cynical mandate from Hitler to neutralize Britain diplomatically, characterizing his tenure as a social disaster marked by

S8 Ep172: Coffee with Hitler: Lloyd George at the Berghof: Colleague Charles Spicer recounts the pivotal September 1936 meeting between David Lloyd George and Hitler at the Berghof, facilitated by Conwell-Evans, where Hitler was delighted to meet the "man who won t

S8 Ep172: The Rhineland Crisis and the Olympic Charm Offensive: Colleague Charles Spicer details the 1936 Rhineland crisis, where Graham Christie provided London with accurate advance warning of Hitler's move, only to have the intelligence ignored due to public pac

S8 Ep172: Graham Christie and the Specter of Militarism: Colleague Charles Spicer profiles Graham Christie, a decorated WWI aviator and engineer whose background allowed him to befriend Hermann Göring, operating as an agent for Robert Vansittart, the anti-appeaseme

S8 Ep172: Commercial Interests and the Anglo-German Fellowship: Colleague Charles Spicer explores the founding of the Anglo-German Fellowship in 1935, headquartered at the Metropole Hotel, explaining that it attracted major financial and media interests such as Uni

S8 Ep172: Founding the Fellowship: Amateur Spies and the Quest for Peace: Colleague Charles Spicer introduces Ernest Tennant, a British WWI veteran deeply traumatized by the loss of his peers, who established a connection with Joachim von Ribbentrop, then an Anglop

S8 Ep172: Establishing the Capital and the Rise of Political Division — Nathaniel Philbrick — Washington selected the Potomac River as the location for the new national capital, believing it would economically connect Western and Eastern commercial interests, despi

S8 Ep172: Echoes of Civil War and Hidden Histories in the South — Nathaniel Philbrick — Retracing Washington's Southern route reveals prophetic historical connections to the future American Civil War, as many mansions and estates Washington visited were subsequentl

S8 Ep172: The Arduous Southern Tour and Charleston's Splendor — Nathaniel Philbrick — In 1791, Washington undertook a grueling three-month, 2,000-mile tour of the American South over "impassable" roads designed to unite the fragmented southern states with the feder

S8 Ep172: Sailing to Rhode Island and the Storms of Politics — Nathaniel Philbrick — Washington sailed to Newport, Rhode Island in August 1790 to embrace the state after it finally ratified the Constitution, completing the original union of thirteen states. Philbri

S8 Ep172: The Secret Tour of Long Island's Spy Ring — Nathaniel Philbrick — Washington's tour of Long Island in April 1790 is characterized as a secretive journey implemented with a deliberate "press blackout," likely designed to quietly thank members of the Culper

S8 Ep172: Power Dynamics in Boston and the Paradox of Slavery — Nathaniel Philbrick — In Boston, Washington asserted the supreme constitutional authority of the presidency over state governors by refusing John Hancock's dinner invitation until Hancock paid his resp

S8 Ep172: The Inauguration and the New England Tour — Nathaniel Philbrick — Philbrick recounts Washington's inauguration ceremony, noting his emotional collapse immediately following the ritual, which revealed him not as an impassive "marble man" but as a human pro

S8 Ep172: Washington's Reluctant Journey to the Inauguration — Nathaniel Philbrick — Philbrick discusses the beginning of George Washington's presidency, focusing on his journey from Mount Vernon to New York in April 1789. Despite massive public adulation and cerem

S8 Ep172: Ranking Resilience and the Importance of Water: Colleague Eric Cline uses definitions from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change—coping, adapting, and transforming—to rank ancient civilizations, attributing the survival of Egypt and Assyria partly