In this interview, I had the pleasure of speaking with a Cold War expert--Shawnna Morris--about her fascinating book on the Cambridge Five spy ring. We talked about how her book has been received both in the UK and the US, and she shared some insights into the cultural attitudes around this famous espionage group. Shauna guided me through the recruitment storyline, explaining how Philby, McLean, Burgess, Blunt, and Cairncross became Soviet spies, and the social dynamics that let them operate undetected for so long. We explored the complicated personalities of each member—especially Philby’s evolution from idealist to, uhm, sociopath, and the betrayals that marked their personal lives. We also discussed how the legacy of the Cambridge Five continues to influence not just intelligence services, but also the way the story is told in books, films, and archives over time. Shauna reflected on the moral ambiguity at the heart of their actions and how new information continues to shift the narrative. Finally, she shared her excitement about her next project: a book focusing on extraordinary women in Cold War history.

Websites:

https://coldwarhistoryblog.com/

https://coldwarbookreviews.wordpress.com/

https://shawnnamorris.com/

Here are her socials:

https://www.facebook.com/CambridgeSpyRing/

https://www.facebook.com/coldwarhistoryblog/

https://www.facebook.com/ShawnnaMorrisAuthor/

https://www.instagram.com/thecambridgespyring/

https://www.instagram.com/coldwarhistoryblog/

https://www.instagram.com/shawnnamorrisauthor/

https://x.com/CambridgeSpies

The book is available at Pen and Sword https://www.penandswordbooks.com/9781036108687/the-cambridge-spy-ring/

and all major online retailers like Amazon, Barnes and Noble, etc.

References:

Films about the Cambridge Five across the decades...

Philby, Burgess, and MacLean (1977)

Blunt (1983)

An Englishman Abroad (1987)

A Spy Among Friends (2022)

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This episode of The Live Drop, I talk with James Stejskal — a former U.S. Army Special Forces operator from Detachment “A” in Cold War Berlin who later worked in intelligence before turning to history and fiction. He’s the author of Special Forces Berlin and the Snake Eater Chronicles, and his latest books — The Ratcatcher and The Berlin Spy Guide — bring that same mix of lived experience and deep research. We dig into The Ratcatcher, a Berlin spy novel that fuses counterintelligence, crime, and military thriller — following the murder of a CI officer and the hunt for a U.S. traitor--the premise of which comes from a real case buried deep in the Stasi files. James talks about class and culture inside Cold War espionage — Ivy League analysts versus scrappy gumshoe operators — and what it really took to recruit sources behind the Wall. We also get into his research adventures in the archives, Berlin’s Cold War landmarks including a McDonalds, and how today’s Russia mirrors old Soviet tactics through imperial nostalgia and opportunism abroad.

James Stejskal

Berlin Spy Guide

Ratcatcher of Berlin

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Episode 73 – The Invisible Spy: Ernest Cuneo and the Secret Machinations of American Power

This episode visits the untold life of Ernest Cuneo—a professional football player turned journalist, turned presidential fixer, turned invisible architect of wartime espionage. Before the CIA existed, Cuneo was already moving between the White House, British intelligence at Rockefeller Center, and the most powerful media outlets in the country. He leaked, spun, and buried stories. He brokered quiet alliances. He coordinated sabotage, propaganda, and double agents—then slipped back into obscurity.

Thomas Maier returns to The Live Drop to talk about his riveting new biography, The Invisible Spy, and the life of the man who helped shape the American intelligence apparatus from the shadows. We follow Cuneo from gridiron glory to Roosevelt’s secret inner circle, through the propaganda wars of WWII and into the paranoia of the Cold War. Along the way, we explore the cost of silence, the lure of anonymity, and how one man’s life reflected—and manipulated—the American century.

Wall Street Journal Review, Edward Kosner

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RAtLXsh4sEg

http://www.thomasmaierbooks.com/

The Invisible Spy: Churchill's Rockefeller Center Spy Ring and America’s First Secret Agent of World War II

My Substack: Propaganda Lessons from WWII, Mark Valley

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