Spy agencies brief people in power. We brief you. Each week we bring you one story that matters, and a few that don’t!
Your Brief for April 24, 2025: A spy's bar, declassified assassination records, Smiley's map, heat-sensing membrane and more!
News
Declassified Assassination Records
The National Archives has released 10,000 documents related to the 1968 assassination of Senator Robert F. Kennedy, part of an ongoing effort to declassify records tied to major political assassinations in U.S. history. The release, which fulfills an order issued by President Donald Trump, consists of roughly 229 files hidden away for decades and also includes documents concerning the assassinations of President John F. Kennedy and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Image Credit: Commons/WikiMedia
True Spies
Q, Followed By U
Could you stare down a torpedo?
It's June 7, 1917. Somewhere in the thick fog and heavy seas of the North Atlantic, just southwest of Ireland, British Navy Captain Gordon Campbell's boat, the Pargust, is struck by a torpedo from a German submarine. From the outside, the Pargust appears to be an unarmed British merchant ship crewed by civilians and carrying supplies to the south coast of Britain...
However, the Pargust is not what it seems. It's one of the first 'Q-boats' - heavily armed sub-busters, ingeniously disguised as civilian ships. Hidden around the ship is a formidable arsenal: a four-inch Mark IV naval artillery gun concealed on the poop deck and four 12-pounder naval guns hidden along the sides of the vessel. Elsewhere, there are machine-gun nests and torpedo tubes, all manned by a battle-hardened Royal Navy crew that is silently out of sight. But all this firepower only matters if an enemy U-boat surfaces within range.
The Germans could easily finish the job from a safe distance. But then it happened—at 8:26 a.m., just off the port side, a great gray conning tower rose out of the waves! What came next? Set sail with Captain Campbell in this week's podcast selection, 'Q, Followed By U', to find out!
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Quirky
Boozy Chimps
Do chimpanzees have drinking buddies?
Researchers from the University of Exeter have captured footage of wild chimpanzees sharing fermented fruit in Guinea-Bissau, Africa. The study, published in Current Biology, focused on chimpanzees in Cantanhez National Park, where seasonal African breadfruit drops from trees and ripens on the forest floor. As the fruit softens, it ferments naturally, producing measurable alcohol levels.
The team set up camera traps across three sites and recorded 10 chimps eating and selectively sharing the fermented fruit. They noticed the animals preferred the ripest fruit with the highest alcohol content! When tested with a portable breathalyzer, 90% of the fallen fruit contained ethanol, with some reaching 0.61% ABV. The researchers believe the data may point to an evolutionary origin for the human tendency to share food, particularly in social settings. Watch the video here.
Food and Drink
A Spy's Bar
Where in London might a spy go for a stiff martini?
London has no shortage of dimly lit corners and discreet backrooms—perfect for tradecraft over cocktails. Some have even become espionage lore, whether for their famous patrons or cover vibes. Check out Dukes Bar in Mayfair, where Ian Fleming was a regular, to sip a martini served from a trolley and stirred tableside with finesse. Or head to Rules, in Covent Garden, where Bond characters M, Q, and Moneypenny convene to discuss covert operations in the James Bond film Spectre. Fancy a pint? During WWII, intelligence officers frequented pubs near Whitehall, like The Red Lion.
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MIT engineers have developed an ultrathin film—just 10 nanometers thick—that could revolutionize infrared sensing and wearable electronics. The flexible membrane, made from a heat-sensitive pyroelectric material, produces an electric current in response to even the slightest changes in temperature.
The technique enables electronic “skins”, thinner than a strand of hair, to be grown and peeled off like tape, making them ideal for lightweight devices like wearable sensors, bendable transistors, and compact infrared detectors. Far-infrared sensing tech previously required bulky cooling systems, but this new film stays highly sensitive without added hardware. It might one day power lighter, high-precision night-vision goggles or help autonomous vehicles detect heat through fog.
Books
Smiley's Map
Where did George Smiley chase secrets and shadows?
