Den of Spies with Craig Unger

Here's Where It Gets Interesting

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Den of Spies with Craig Unger

Sharon McMahon

Dec 23, 2024

Was there a secret conspiracy between Ronald Reagan’s campaign and Iran to help him win the 1980 election? NYT bestselling author Craig Unger unpacks the plot in his most recent book, “Den of Spies,” a story he worked on for 30 years. The Iran hostage crisis had plagued Jimmy Carter’s presidency, and was seen as one of his biggest failures. Reagan’s campaign worried that an October hostage release would give Carter a boost to win reelection. So, Unger explains, Reagan’s team hatched a plan to get Iran to hold the hostages until Reagan was president, trading weapons for their cooperation. It’s a real-life spy thriller filled with CIA operatives, code names, and countless people who tried to stop Unger from uncovering the truth.

Credits:

Host and Executive Producer: Sharon McMahon

Supervising Producer: Melanie Buck Parks

Audio Producer: Craig Thompson

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Here's Where It Gets Interesting

Here’s Where It Gets Interesting finds the stories of America you probably haven’t heard. Host Sharon McMahon, a longtime teacher and one of today’s most influential voices, will ignite your curiosity about the fascinating stuff that wasn’t in history textbooks. She’s joined by notable thought leaders who share insights about history, culture, and politics, and inspire us to grow into more thoughtful, well-informed citizens.

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