KCSI Digest - Jun 2025 | King’s Centre for the Study of Intelligence

June 2025 Digest

Events:

Queen of Codes
04 June 2025
International Spy Museum, Online

Bletchley Park is famous for the British codebreaking effort mounted there during World War II. Less famous is the fact that the vast majority of codebreakers were women. And even less known is that foremost among them was Emily Anderson, the Queen of Codes. Dr. Jackie Uí Chionna has recently revealed Anderson’s amazing life in her book Queen of Codes: Emily Anderson, The Secret Life of Britain’s’ Greatest Female Codebreaker. Uí Chionna, will discuss Anderson’s very secret life unknown to even her closest contacts. The story spans over three decades in which Anderson was a leading member of British intelligence. She played key roles in both World Wars, worked in Bletchley Park and in the Middle East, and was considered one of the top three female codebreakers in the world. Secrecy was the keyword of her life, as she also had affairs with other women at a time when this was not generally accepted. In honor of World Pride, Uí Chionna will also explore the range of sexualities within the codebreaking community, particularly during the Second World War at Bletchley Park, and within the wider intelligence community. Uí Chionna will also share the new materials and sources she used to bring Anderson out of the shadows to take her rightful place at the forefront of great British codebreakers.

More details here.

The Hiroshima Men
5 June 2025
Imperial War Museum, London

A unique and ambitious narrative that seeks to explain the decade-long journey towards the first atomic attack in history on the eponymous Japanese city on 5 August 1945, The Hiroshima Men charts the race for nuclear technology before, during and after the Second World War, seen through the experiences of four key men: General Leslie Groves, leader of the Manhattan Project, Colonel Paul Tibbets II who would drop the Little Boy atomic bomb from his B-29 bomber, the Enola Gay War journalist and Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist John Hersey who would expose the devastation the bomb left on the city and produce one of the most important articles of the whole war for The New Yorker magazine a year after the attack. Finally, MacGregor has unearthed a quite remarkable story that was lost in the archives; that of the mayor of Hiroshima, Senkichi Awaya. Alongside over eighty thousand of his fellow citizens, he would die instantly, but by searching through Japanese archives, his life and wartime experiences are weaved into this incredible new story. Through extensive research in archives and conducting fresh interviews with eyewitnesses in both the United States and Japan The Hiroshima Men will take the reader on a journey through the European and Pacific theatres of the war, as our protagonists witnessed pivotal moments which would ultimately lead them to be forever tied to this iconic city.

More details here.

Inception: State Surveillance from Postal Systems to Global Networks
10 June 2025
UCL Laws, London, UK

A media history of how the UK and US governments have surveilled citizens by intercepting their private communications. It may not be Big Brother (yet), but the state is watching you—watching all of us, in fact, systematically intercepting our private communications and putting them to work in its own interests. In Interception, a media genealogy of the surveillance state at its most intimate, Bernard Keenan investigates the emergence of this practice as a governmental power and the secret role it has played in the development of communication systems and law. His book exposes the complex, largely obscure history of a covert and fundamental connection between the secret powers of the state and the means by which we communicate our everyday lives.

More details here.

Secrets and Spies: An Evening with Mick Herron
11 June 2025
The National Archives, Kew, UK

Mick Herron’s Slough House series has established him as one of today’s top spy novelists. Featuring an unlikely team of disgraced MI5 agents led by the irascible Jackson Lamb, the books have reached Number One on the Sunday Times Bestseller lists, as well as achieving critical success, being awarded two Crime Writers' Association (CWA) Daggers and the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year award. Join Mick Herron and Miranda Carter as they discuss fictional spies, real-life espionage, and the ways in which these two worlds sometimes meet. This in-conversation event will take place at The National Archives in Kew. The event will last approximately one hour. A pop-up bar will be open from 18.45, serving drinks before the event.

More details here.

Propaganda Girls
17 June 2025
International Spy Museum, Washington D.C. and Online

One of the most covert and successful military campaigns of WWII was also bloodless—the sole aim was to break the morale of Axis soldiers. In her new book, Propaganda Girls: The Secret War of the Women in the OSS, best-selling author Lisa Rogak tells the story of four women who spun the web of deception that helped win World War II. Join Rogak this evening as she sheds light on how these members of the United States Office of Strategic Services created a secret brand of propaganda to crush the enemy emotionally. Using gifts from writing to singing to linguistics, these four struck against the enemy in devastating ways. They forged letters and “official” military orders, wrote and produced entire newspapers, scripted radio broadcasts and songs, and even developed rumors for undercover spies and double agents to spread to the enemy. From a native of Czechoslovakia to a goddess of the silver screen, join us to celebrate these unsung heroes: Zuzka Lauwers, Marlene Dietrich, Elizabeth MacDonald, and Jane Smith-Hutton.

More details here.

Dark Worlds
19 June 2025
German Spy Museum, Berlin

In February 2025, the world premiere of "BEYOND THE BERLIN WALL – Reports from Stasi Prisoners" took place in Berlin. An unusual documentary about three people from very different backgrounds who share one thing in common: they all ended up in prison. A small, so-called misstep could land even a respected East German television presenter in a feared state security prison in East Berlin. For Edda Schönherz, however, the final destination for several years was the notorious Hoheneck women's prison. The Stasi also arrested Matthias Leupold, a driver for fashion magazines at the time. Today, he is an internationally recognized artist and professor of photography in Berlin. The film's third protagonist is Hans-Joachim Lietsche. He was doomed for distributing a few leaflets. We'll show excerpts from the film, which not only provides insights into the Stasi's gruesome strategies and specialized interrogation techniques, but also serves as a valuable historical document for future generations. All three protagonists are present. The film is currently being screened in Seattle and New York.

More details here.

The Wagner Group: Russia’s Shadow Army
24 June 2025
International Spy Museum, Washington D.C. and Online

“Blood. Honor. Justice. Homeland. Courage.” — the motto of Russia’s Wagner Group, perhaps the best known private military company in the world. Private militaries and mercenaries fuel pop culture storylines, but the Wagner Group’s reality has impacted the real world from Europe through sub-Sharan Africa and the Middle East. Wagner emerged in 2014 and has taken on greater prominence since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022. With original leadership from Putin’s confidante Yevgeny Prigozhin, Wagner became a key part of Russia’s foreign policy. This evening Wagner Group experts will discuss the current status of the entity, the effect of Prigozhin’s failed rebellion, and what the future for Russian private warfare looks like since Prigozhin’s dramatic death in August 2023. The conversation will be moderated by Amy Mackinnon, an award-winning national security reporter at POLITICO. She will be joined by Colin P. Clarke, Director of Research at the Soufan Group and Senior Research Fellow at The Soufan Center; John Lechner, journalist, researcher, and author of Death is Our Business: Russian Mercenaries and the New Era of Private Warfare; and Candace Rondeaux Senior Director of the Future Frontlines program and Planetary Politics initiative at the New America Foundation.

More details here.

Information as a Domain of War
26 June 2025
The Institute of World Politics, Washington D.C. and online

Conflict is no longer restricted to the domains of land, sea, and air. The Information Domain has emerged as a more than an equal warfighting domain for conflict from tension through armed conflict. The presentation will look at the information domain in military context in the Ukraine, Gaza, Bosnia, and Iraq. Attendees will get an inside look at how the military orchestrates non-kinetic (systems that don’t cause death or damage) using Information Operations (IO) as a battlefield multiplier in support of conflicts or potential conflicts. The Role of Information as a tool of Statecraft will also be addressed.

More details here.

My Father, the Spy
26 June 2025
German Spy Museum, Berlin

Even 35 years after German reunification, they continue to surface occasionally: fates and biographies from the shadowy world of spies and secret services. Often, they are discovered and analyzed in archives or databases by historians through years of research. But only rarely are they brought to the surface of contemporary history by relatives themselves. When Jürgen Tatzkow was 15 years old, his parents were sentenced to long prison terms in East Germany as CIA agents. His father, Horst Tatzkow, began his career as an agent after the war in East Berlin. There, he had already pursued a loyal career and was an official in the East German state apparatus. Then he made a 180-degree turn and was recruited by the CIA in 1958. In 1968, the State Security Service exposed him and sentenced him to life imprisonment. In prison, the Stasi turned him around – and from then on, he had a new employer. He was now a double agent. But why did the CIA only pay Horst Tatzkow his outstanding agent's salary of 100,000 DM after German reunification? What valuable data did he actually deliver to the CIA? What was the Stasi's mission? These questions tormented his son, Jürgen Tatzkow, for whom his father's adventurous life had consequences. *This discussion will be held in German.

More details here.

Conferences:

BISA 2025 50th Anniversary Conference
18-20 June 2025
Europa Hotel, Belfast, Northern Ireland

Join a dynamic community of specialists from around the world to discuss, debate, and advance the field of international studies. Whether you're presenting your latest research, seeking insightful feedback, or simply looking to engage in thought-provoking discussions, our conference offers something for everyone. This is your opportunity to expand your knowledge, collaborate with fellow academics and practitioners, and connect with leading publishers and editors. Known for its inclusive, friendly atmosphere, BISA welcomes everyone, from seasoned experts to curious newcomers. You don’t have to be presenting a paper to attend – all are welcome.

More details here.

GMF Brussels Forum 2025
11-12 June 2025
Hotel Le Plaza, Brussels, Belgium and Livestream

Partnership Disrupted: How Can Transatlantic Cooperation Endure? In 2025, leaders on both sides of the Atlantic are confronting dramatic challenges in a highly unstable global environment. Wars in Ukraine and the Middle East, rising tensions in the Indo-Pacific, and the reconfiguration of alignments across the globe all demand new thinking. Mounting threats to democracy, anxiety about economic and technological competitiveness, coupled with declining trust in institutions, information and facts, and traditional alliances, all demand new approaches to transatlantic policy. Join us at this 20th edition of Brussels Forum where we will explore and debate the issues and ideas shaping the transatlantic outlook for prosperity, democracy, and security against a backdrop of unprecedented disruption.

More details here.

AIPIO Intelligence Conference
20-22 August 2025
Sheraton Grand Sydney Hyde Park, Sydney, Australia

The AIPIO is the peak representative body for intelligence practitioners in Australia. Our goal is to establish and promote intelligence as a widely recognised profession in Australia. AIPIO membership is drawn from a wide range of domains, including government, national security, defence, law enforcement, business, academia, integrity agencies, regulatory bodies, information technology, and information service providers. The theme for Intelligence 2025 is "A Thriving Intelligence Profession," with subthemes of Leadership, Transformation, Empowerment, and Developing Your Tradecraft. Our highly interconnected world is being reshaped by strategic competition, with growing complexity arising at the national and local levels. All domains of intelligence practice are confronting this complexity, working to glean insights for timely and effective decision-making. A robust intelligence profession is a critical influence and key national resource in securing our defense, security, and well-being. Intelligence 2025 – the AIPIO annual conference – will examine what is needed to support a thriving intelligence profession in Australia during these challenging times. A thriving intelligence profession hinges on effective leadership, transformation, and empowerment to navigate the complexities of an ever-changing global landscape.

More details here.

Call for Papers:

The Israeli Intelligence Studies Conference 2025
Call for Papers: Intelligence Transformations After Failure
Abstracts Due: 31 July 2025
Conference: 28 -29 October 2025

The Hamas-led surprise attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, and the multi-front war that followed have sparked global debates about intelligence, security, and adaptation. How can intelligence-policy relations be restructured to improve early warning and crisis preparedness in the wake of failure? What organizational reforms emerge after intelligence breakdowns, and how do they shape future effectiveness? What technological and methodological advancements should intelligence agencies integrate to enhance operations and decision-making, and to what extent? Intelligence failures often serve as catalysts for change, driving institutional learning, structural reforms, and innovation. At a time when intelligence agencies are under intense scrutiny and the demand for resilience is greater than ever, this conference explores the theme “Intelligence Transformations After Failure.”

We encourage submissions addressing the following issues, but not limited to them:

The politics of intelligence (e.g., intelligence-policy relations, intelligence oversight, state inquiries, public trust, ethics of secrecy and espionage)
Technological, methodological, and cultural dimensions of early warning & intelligence collection, analysis, and operations
State intelligence relations with the private sector & civil society
Intelligence education for students & practitioners

We also invite nominations of excellent research in Intelligence Studies (IS) for the following awards:

Best Book (or monograph dissertation)
Best Peer-Reviewed Article
Best Graduate Paper

More details here.

Recent Publications:

Sungar, Bülent, “The Oversight of Outsourcing US Intelligence After 9/11: Private Intelligence Contractors,” Springer Nature Switzerland https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-031-82042-7

KolaszyŃski, Mateusz, Dariusz and Stolicki, “Regulatory Capture of Intelligence Oversight Committees: A New Method for Detecting Interest Asymmetry Applied to the Polish Case,” Intl Journal of Intelligence and Counterintelligence https://doi.org/10.1080/08850607.2025.2479996

Bauer, Deborah, “Countering Espionage: The Expansion of Domestic Surveillance as Means of National Defense in Fin-de-Siècle France,” Journal of Intelligence History https://doi.org/10.1080/16161262.2025.2512301