Inside Counterintelligence: Secret, Scandals, Reform

In this episode of the IWP Podcast: Inside Counterintelligence series, Professors John J. Quattrocki and Paul Kepp take us through a deep examination of the history and evolution of U.S. counterintelligence. The discussion traces how American counterintelligence developed across distinct historical periods, from World War I sabotage concerns and Hoover-era domestic security practices to the post-1947 national security framework, the impact of the Church Committee, FISA, and the changing relationship between the FBI and CIA. The episode also explores how presidential direction, legal authorities, interagency cooperation, and resource constraints shaped the modern counterintelligence mission.Secrets, Scandals, Reform explores the history of U.S. counterintelligence through the forces that shaped it most: covert threats, institutional failures, political pressure, and the reforms that followed. This episode examines how espionage, controversy, and government oversight helped redefine the roles of the FBI, CIA, and the broader American counterintelligence mission.This is a timely and important discussion for anyone interested in intelligence, national security, espionage, and the institutional history behind how the United States detects and responds to foreign threats. The Institute of World Politics teaches counterintelligence, intelligence policy, and the instruments of statecraft as part of its graduate education in national security and international affairs.