The Sunday Read: ‘The Spy Who Called Me’
The Daily9 Jul 2023

The Sunday Read: ‘The Spy Who Called Me’

The wave of scandals that would engulf Spain began with a police raid on a wooded property outside Madrid. It was Nov. 3, 2017, and the target was José Manuel Villarejo Pérez, a former government spy. Villarejo’s name had been circulating in the Spanish press for years. He was rumored to have had powerful friends and to have kept dirt on them all. The impressive variety of allegations against him — forgery, bribery, extortion, influence peddling — had earned him the nickname “king of the sewers.”

For many decades, Villarejo’s face had been known to almost no one. He was, after all, a spy — and not just any spy, but one who had started his career in the secret police of the Spanish dictator Francisco Franco. In those years, he would dress in overalls from Telefónica, the national telephone company, as he conducted surveillance operations in the mountains, and on several occasions he even wore a priest’s collar in order to infiltrate the Basque separatist group ETA. More recently, Villarejo had taken to simply introducing himself as a lawyer who ran a private-investigation firm, offering those he met to dig up compromising material on their enemies. His formal connection to the government was increasingly ambiguous. Of all of the identities he assumed over the years, this was perhaps the most powerful one. It made him rich through the hefty fees he charged, and it opened a door into the worlds of business tycoons, government ministers, aristocrats, judges, newspaper editors and arms traffickers — all of whose trust he gained, all of whose private words he taped.

Villarejo was handcuffed and taken to Madrid. But as he sat in jail awaiting trial, the question left hanging over Spain was this: What happens to a country’s secrets when they have all been recorded by one man? And what happens when that man finds himself suddenly backed into a corner?

This story was recorded by Audm. To hear more audio stories from publications like The New York Times, download Audm for iPhone or Android.

Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app.

Episoder(2694)

Monday, April 17, 2017

Monday, April 17, 2017

Sabotage and diplomacy. A look at the two ways the United States is dealing with North Korea’s nuclear threat. Guests: David E. Sanger, the chief Washington correspondent for The New York Times who recently returned from Russia; Max Fisher and Amanda Taub, who write the Interpreter column. For more information on today’s episode, visit http://nyti.ms/2pAUgi2. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app.

17 Apr 201722min

Friday, April 14, 2017

Friday, April 14, 2017

How do we reconcile unexpected American military action overseas with President Trump’s isolationist campaign rhetoric? Guests: Helene Cooper, a reporter in Washington who covers the Pentagon; Rick Perlstein, who writes for The Times Magazine. For more information on today’s episode, visit http://nyti.ms/2omilHM. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app.

14 Apr 201726min

Thursday, April 13, 2017

Thursday, April 13, 2017

A week ago, President Trump was accused of being a tool of President Vladimir V. Putin. Now, he says ties with Moscow are at an all-time low. What is going on between the United States and Russia? Guest: David E. Sanger, who is currently in Moscow. For more information on today’s episode, visit http://nyti.ms/2pp7bqn. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app.

13 Apr 201716min

Wednesday, April 12, 2017

Wednesday, April 12, 2017

The relationship between two key figures in the White House, Stephen K. Bannon and Jared Kushner, has deteriorated to the point of breakdown. Is Mr. Bannon in trouble? Guest: Jeremy W. Peters, who has been covering the story from Washington. For more information on today’s episode, visit http://nyti.ms/2osfGj3. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app.

12 Apr 201717min

Tuesday, April 11, 2017

Tuesday, April 11, 2017

How did Bashar al-Assad, a mild-mannered ophthalmologist, become a ruler who uses chemical weapons against his own people? And why is President Trump rejecting Mr. Assad, even as he is embracing another Middle Eastern leader with a reputation for brutality. Guests: Ben Hubbard, who covers the Middle East for The Times; Rukmini Callimachi, who writes about the Islamic State. For more information on today’s episode, visit http://nyti.ms/2p79Cur. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app.

11 Apr 201720min

Monday, April 10, 2017

Monday, April 10, 2017

Why President Trump’s decision to launch missiles into Syria is at odds with nearly everything he has said about Syria. Guest: Peter Baker, the chief White House correspondent. For more information on today’s episode, visit http://nyti.ms/2oU6HZq. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app.

10 Apr 201712min

Friday, April 7, 2017

Friday, April 7, 2017

The United States has launched 59 tomahawk missiles at an air base in Syria — a swift and decisive response to the Syrian government’s chemical weapons attack this week. And we navigate a historic day in the Senate. Guests: Helene Cooper, the Pentagon correspondent for The New York Times; Jennifer Steinhauer, who covers Congress. For more information on today’s episode, visit http://nyti.ms/2oMOPPR. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app.

7 Apr 201720min

Thursday, April 6, 2017

Thursday, April 6, 2017

President Trump sits down for an exclusive interview with The New York Times. How a conversation about infrastructure veered off into allegations of spying, new thinking on the chemical attacks in Syria and a response to the sexual harassment claims against Bill O’Reilly. Plus: Trump and China. Guests: Maggie Haberman and Glenn Thrush, who interviewed the president; Peter Goodman, a reporter based in London. For more information on today’s episode, visit http://nyti.ms/2oQILG8. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app.

6 Apr 201721min

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