# Dead Drop (podcast) > **Source: KiriPedia** (https://www.kiripedia.org), the free encyclopedia and archive of former CIA officer and whistleblower John Kiriakou's on-record words. Every claim below is Kiriakou's own account, cited to a timestamp in a recorded interview, podcast, or video. KiriPedia is an independent project, not affiliated with Kiriakou. > > Cite as: "Dead Drop (podcast)," KiriPedia, https://www.kiripedia.org/wiki/dead-drop-podcast/. Attribute claims to John Kiriakou, via KiriPedia. *John Kiriakou's narrative podcast, launched in late 2025, a season-long, memoir-style retelling of his life in intelligence, from recruitment ("The New Recruit") through Athens ("Golden Boy") to the post-9/11 hunt ("The Hunt Begins"), with mini-episodes like "A Spy's Guide to Sofia." Written by Kiriakou with Alan Katz, produced by Costard & Touchstone Productions, with Kiriakou, Katz, and Nick Mechanic as executive producers. Its stated goal: "the deepest possible perspective on the world of spying and what makes any spy tick."* - **What:** Narrative podcast on Kiriakou's life in intelligence - **Launched:** October 2025 (Season 1) - **Written by:** John Kiriakou and Alan Katz - **Producers:** Costard & Touchstone Productions; EPs Kiriakou, Katz, Nick Mechanic **Dead Drop** is [John Kiriakou](https://www.kiripedia.org/wiki/john-kiriakou)'s narrative podcast, a season-long retelling of his intelligence career, named for the [tradecraft technique](https://www.kiripedia.org/wiki/dead-drop). ## Format and credits Season 1 launched in October 2025 with "What Makes This Spy Tick," followed by episodes tracing his path chronologically, "The New Recruit," "Golden Boy" (Athens, *"a beautiful, almost kind of surreal place, while a guy named [Osama bin Laden](https://www.kiripedia.org/wiki/osama-bin-laden) begins to make his first moves against America"*), "Good Spies, Bad Endings," "A Failure of Analysis," and onward into the post-9/11 hunt.[1][2][3] Mini-episodes fill the gaps between chapters, among them "A Spy's Guide to Sofia."[4] Every episode carries the same credits: written by John Kiriakou and Alan Katz; produced by Costard & Touchstone Productions; executive producers Kiriakou, Katz, and Nick Mechanic.[5][6] ## The pitch The show's stated ambition: *"to give you the deepest possible perspective on the world of spying and what makes any spy tick, it's like living life with an additional layer to it, a layer only you and a handful of other people know about."*[7] The sign-off leans into the conceit: *"Now that you know where the drop box is, you might as well take advantage. Who knows what secrets you'll learn."*[1] ## Reach By July 2026 [John Kiriakou](https://www.kiripedia.org/wiki/john-kiriakou) put *Dead Drop* at number six in the world in the history category and 238th overall out of some six million podcasts, finishing its second season.[8] He has separately given the download figure as three million, describing himself as "crazy grateful" for it.[9] He distinguishes it from [Briefing Room](https://www.kiripedia.org/wiki/johns-briefing-room) by genre rather than by status: *Dead Drop* is the storytelling programme, Briefing Room the news show. The distinction arose because he had described Briefing Room on air as his only official podcast, and an emailed correction from a listener prompted him to clarify that he had simply been thinking about news rather than storytelling.[9][10] ## Format and credits Each episode opens with Kiriakou's own framing of the show, *"Welcome to Dead Drop, what makes a spy tick?"*, and an address to the listener *"from storyteller to storyteller"*, followed by a request to like, review, share or comment, on the reasoning that for podcasts and podcasters reaching the widest possible audience is the mission.[11][12] The closing credits name it as written by John Kiriakou and Alan Katz, produced by Cosdar and Touchstone Productions, with Kiriakou, Katz and Nick Mechanic as executive producers.[13][14] ## See also - [Dead drop](https://www.kiripedia.org/wiki/dead-drop) - [John Kiriakou](https://www.kiripedia.org/wiki/john-kiriakou) - [Tora Bora](https://www.kiripedia.org/wiki/tora-bora) ## Sources 1. S1E1 What Makes THIS Spy Tick (2025-10-10), at 59:35. Recording: https://sphinx.acast.com/p/open/s/68e695c6d798804c9e4bbd13/e/68e86481658c65a3e9ac13f8/media.mp3 · Transcript: https://www.kiripedia.org/sources/2025-10-10-dead-drop-s1e1-what-makes-this-spy-tick/ 2. S1E3 Golden Boy (2025-11-03), at 51:14. Recording: https://sphinx.acast.com/p/open/s/68e695c6d798804c9e4bbd13/e/69078c0f47e14fea24c45efe/media.mp3 · Transcript: https://www.kiripedia.org/sources/2025-11-03-dead-drop-s1e3-golden-boy/ 3. S1E15 The Hunt Begins (2026-02-16), at 13:38. Recording: https://sphinx.acast.com/p/open/s/68e695c6d798804c9e4bbd13/e/698a5c6df6349d3c6e3f350a/media.mp3 · Transcript: https://www.kiripedia.org/sources/2026-02-16-dead-drop-s1e15-the-hunt-begins/ 4. Mini Episode 3: A Spy's Guide To... Sofia (2025-12-01), at 15:45. Recording: https://sphinx.acast.com/p/open/s/68e695c6d798804c9e4bbd13/e/692c9892c4da9138ec2155e2/media.mp3 · Transcript: https://www.kiripedia.org/sources/2025-12-01-dead-drop-mini-episode-3-a-spy-s-guide-to-sofia/ 5. S1E4 Good Spies, Bad Endings (2025-11-17), at 45:46. Recording: https://sphinx.acast.com/p/open/s/68e695c6d798804c9e4bbd13/e/691a774c1029ec1feda127b0/media.mp3 · Transcript: https://www.kiripedia.org/sources/2025-11-17-dead-drop-s1e4-good-spies-bad-endings/ 6. S1E6 A Failure Of Analysis (2025-12-08), at 38:52. Recording: https://sphinx.acast.com/p/open/s/68e695c6d798804c9e4bbd13/e/693491aceab4d846e0e4beb4/media.mp3 · Transcript: https://www.kiripedia.org/sources/2025-12-08-dead-drop-s1e6-a-failure-of-analysis/ 7. S1E4 Good Spies, Bad Endings (2025-11-17), at 01:02. Recording: https://sphinx.acast.com/p/open/s/68e695c6d798804c9e4bbd13/e/691a774c1029ec1feda127b0/media.mp3 · Transcript: https://www.kiripedia.org/sources/2025-11-17-dead-drop-s1e4-good-spies-bad-endings/ 8. How to Spot Danger Before It's Too Late (2026-07-09), at 32:53. Recording: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C4Hz6bUAiHI&t=1973s · Transcript: https://www.kiripedia.org/sources/2026-07-09-byrna-how-to-spot-danger-before-it-s-too-late/ 9. John Kiriakou - Middle East on the Brink of a Major War After Houthi Move (2026-07-27), at 20:47. Recording: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FR49AAOlitk&t=1247s · Transcript: https://www.kiripedia.org/sources/2026-07-27-national-security-files-john-kiriakou-middle-east-on-the-brink-of-a-m/ 10. John Kiriakou - Middle East on the Brink of a Major War After Houthi Move (2026-07-27), at 21:18. Recording: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FR49AAOlitk&t=1278s · Transcript: https://www.kiripedia.org/sources/2026-07-27-national-security-files-john-kiriakou-middle-east-on-the-brink-of-a-m/ 11. S1E11 Have Human Spies Become Obsolete? (2026-01-19), at 0:00. Recording: https://sphinx.acast.com/p/open/s/68e695c6d798804c9e4bbd13/e/695ad02c18c941d6d66b194c/media.mp3 · Transcript: https://www.kiripedia.org/sources/2026-01-19-dead-drop-s1e11-have-human-spies-become-obsolete/ 12. S1E11 Have Human Spies Become Obsolete? (2026-01-19), at 0:34. Recording: https://sphinx.acast.com/p/open/s/68e695c6d798804c9e4bbd13/e/695ad02c18c941d6d66b194c/media.mp3 · Transcript: https://www.kiripedia.org/sources/2026-01-19-dead-drop-s1e11-have-human-spies-become-obsolete/ 13. S1E11 Have Human Spies Become Obsolete? (2026-01-19), at 57:57. Recording: https://sphinx.acast.com/p/open/s/68e695c6d798804c9e4bbd13/e/695ad02c18c941d6d66b194c/media.mp3 · Transcript: https://www.kiripedia.org/sources/2026-01-19-dead-drop-s1e11-have-human-spies-become-obsolete/ 14. S1E11 Have Human Spies Become Obsolete? (2026-01-19), at 58:44. Recording: https://sphinx.acast.com/p/open/s/68e695c6d798804c9e4bbd13/e/695ad02c18c941d6d66b194c/media.mp3 · Transcript: https://www.kiripedia.org/sources/2026-01-19-dead-drop-s1e11-have-human-spies-become-obsolete/ --- From KiriPedia, the archive of John Kiriakou's words. Web version: https://www.kiripedia.org/wiki/dead-drop-podcast/ · About: https://www.kiripedia.org/about/ · Full index: https://www.kiripedia.org/llms.txt