Thomas Maier Reveals the Invisible Spy
From The Live Drop by Mark Valley
April 8, 2025 · 36 min · Episode 73
About this episode
Thomas Maier discusses the life of Ernest Cuneo, a key figure in American wartime espionage, in the context of his new biography.
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…
People in this episode
Host: Mark Valley
Guest: Thomas Maier
Topics covered
- espionage
- American history
- World War II
- Cold War
- journalism
- intelligence
- propaganda
Keywords
- Ernest Cuneo
- Thomas Maier
- espionage
- CIA
- World War II
- propaganda
- journalism
- American intelligence
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: CIA, Wall Street Journal, British intelligence
Books & works: The Invisible Spy, Propaganda Lessons from WWII
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