240. A Czech Spy Turned Little League Coach with Zach Dorfman

Today Justin is joined again by Zach Dorfman. Zach is a national security reporter whose work has appeared in Politico, The Atlantic, Wall Street Journal, The Los Angeles Times, and many other publications. He received his vachelor's degree from Skidmore College and a Master's degree in International Relations and Affairs from the University of Chicago. Zach is a former senior fellow at the Carnegie Council for Ethics and International Affairs. He's also the host of the Spy Valley Podcast from Project Brazen about a Cold Wars era spy in the heart of Silicon Valley. You might remember Zach from his previous appearance when he discussed operation entering a highly successful and never before reported operation against Soviet Block Intelligence operatives targeting US technology in the early 1980s, which Zach uncovered and reported about. Now he's back to talk about another previously unknown Cold War spy story about a Czech spy living in San Francisco at the end of the Cold War, and how he navigated the collapse of the government that sent him here to spy on the US. Check out Zach's first appearance on ep 160: How the FBI Sabotaged Soviet Tech Spies here. Connect with Zach [email protected] Twitter/X: @zachsdorfman Spy Valley Podcast: brazen.fm/podcasts/spy-valley Check out Zach's Politico story: "They Came to Spy on America. They Stayed to Coach Little League" here. https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2026/03/07/soviet-spy-america-cold-war-00755831 Connect with Spycraft 101: Get Justin's latest book, Murder, Intrigue, and Conspiracy: Stories from the Cold War and Beyond, here. spycraft101.com IG: @spycraft101 Shop: shop.spycraft101.com Patreon: Spycraft 101 Find Justin's first book, Spyshots: Volume One, here. Check out Justin's second book, Covert Arms, here. Download the free eBook, The Clandestine Operative's Sidearm of Choice, here. Kruschiki The best surplus military goods delivered right to your door. Use code SPYCRAFT101 for 10% off! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.