In the aftermath of World War II, NATO, the CIA, and MI6 built clandestine "stay-behind" armies across Europe, ostensibly to fight a Soviet invasion. But in practice, these networks—most notoriously Italy’s Operation Gladio—were tied to political manipulation, antidemocratic actions, and even terror campaigns designed to discredit the left. In this episode, we uncover how these secret armies operated outside public oversight, the explosive parliamentary inquiries that erupted after their exposure in the 1990s, and what this hidden history reveals about the uneasy intersection of democracy, intelligence, and covert power.
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CrimeLess: Hillbilly Heist
It’s 1996 in rural North Carolina, and an oddball crew makes history when they pull off America’s third largest cash heist. But it’s all downhill from there. Join host Johnny Knoxville as he unspools a wild and woolly tale about a group of regular ‘ol folks who risked it all for a chance at a better life. CrimeLess: Hillbilly Heist answers the question: what would you do with 17.3 million dollars? The answer includes diamond rings, mansions, velvet Elvis paintings, plus a run for the border, murder-for-hire-plots, and FBI busts.