Interrogators Without Pliers - Airs Jan 28th

Interrogators Without Pliers by Matt Thompson
The Chinese strategist and philosopher Sun Tzu wrote in 'The Art of War' that 'If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles.' Which is obviously brilliant advice -- but finding out about the enemy is not often straightforward. In this program, Julian Putkowski sets aside all moral questions about torture and instead thinks about efficiency. What is the most effective way to extract high quality information out of the enemy? Surprisingly, Julian's unlikely role model is the enigmatic Nazi, Hanns Scharff. "Master Interrogator" Scharff gently extracted a wealth of information from downed US fighter pilots by being both friendly and shockingly hospitable. He gained the reputation of magically getting all the answers he needed from the POWs, often with the prisoners never even realizing that their words, small talk or otherwise, were important pieces of the mosaic he was building.
Julian interviews: Dr. Gavin Oxburgh, an international expert on police questioning, Ali Soufan, a FBI special agent and author of 'The Black Banners,' and Hanns Scharff's son, Claudius.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Dr. Frankenstein's Monster - Airs Oct 29th

Image
The Frankenstein Family Crypt from The American Forces Network In 1952, announcer Carl Nelson's producers sent him to the Frankenstein Castle near Darmstadt , Germany to explore the family crypt. Little did he know, they had set up a prank which was waiting for him. Despite the rising fear in his voice, Nelson dutifully reports everything as it happens, even going so far as to examine a grotesque statue he thinks he saw moving. Panic and terror rightfully ensue. Frankenstein from The Witch's Tale The Witch's Tale was the first horror radio serial . The series ran from 1931-1943 and was created, written, and directed by St. Paul's own Alonzo Deen Cole . The stories were hosted by an old Salem witch and her black cat, Satan.  In this episode , a young scientist named Victor conducts experiments into human anatomy, physiology, and electro-chemistry; intent on improving the human race. Eventually he succeeds in creating life but is instantly repulsed by his cre
Read more

Computer Love - Airs Feb 19th

Image
Love and Robots by Anton Foek Dr. David Levy ,  an expert in artificial intelligence,  argues that the automata we once deemed cold and mechanical will soon become the objects of real companionship as well as human desire. He explores many aspects of human relationships and how they have changed over time. Levy believes it inevitable that these same attachments will eventually extend to love for robots . My Sex Robot by Audrey Quinn Brooklyn make-up artist Jessica Jacobs desperately needed a job . Because she had experience sculpting and special effects for the movies , a friend asked her to take over on a very special assignment. We'll hear how this girl-next-door became the woman behind the world's first sex robot, Roxxxy .  TI-99/4A from The Optimist What could be more fun than a Texas Instruments home computer , a dot matrix printer, and a text adventure game on a cassette drive!? Well, all of this and some poorly written BASIC programming awaits you at
Read more

Capturing Noise - Airs Nov 5th

Image
Life in the City  from Noise: A Human History of Sound and Listening Professor David Hendy considers the comforts and irritations of next-door's noise . As cities grew, neighbor's hullabaloo became increasingly hard to escape. We will explore the writer Thomas Carlyle ’s grumpy attempts at soundproofing, before travelling to New York to imagine the teaming, boisterous world of the Lower East Side tenements in the early twentieth century. Capturing Sound from Noise: A Human History of Sound and Listening Sounds were ephemeral until recording technology made it possible to capture them. Professor Hendy of the University of Sussex introduces bottled moments from the past, including the voices of Robert Browning and Florence Nightingale as well as 9/11 answerphone messages.
Read more