Founded in 1879, the Austro-Hungarian Evidenzbureau was the first permanent military intelligence service in the world. In 1901 Colonel Alfred Redl was appointed head of counter espionage. Redl’s reign saw a burst of innovation, helping propel Austro-Hungary to the forefront of the espionage world.

What nobody knew was that Redl was a double-agent, also working as a spy for the Russian Empire. His exposure, in the run up to the First World War, created a huge intelligence and political scandal in Austro-Hungary and led to Redl’s suicide.

In this episode we’re going to discuss this often forgotten spy scandal and why it deserves to be better remembered today.