In 2003, a single Iraqi refugee — codenamed Curveball — fabricated stories about Iraqi weapons. The U.S. intelligence community, desperate for sources after 9/11, laundered his claims into a National Intelligence Estimate produced in under three weeks. Bob Drogin, the award-winning journalist who broke the story and wrote the definitive book on it, joins John & Jerry to examine how political will, institutional groupthink, and bureaucratic cowardice allowed a con man’s tales to be treated as fact. But history repeats itself as now, in 2026, fuzzy claims about Iranian weapons undergirds another Middle East war.

Watch Mission Implausible on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@MissionImplausiblePod

In 2003, a single Iraqi refugee &mdash; codenamed Curveball &mdash; fabricated stories about Iraqi weapons. The U.S. intelligence community, desperate for sources after 9/11, laundered his claims into a National Intelligence Estimate produced in under three weeks. Bob Drogin, the award-winning journalist who broke the story and wrote the definitive book on it, joins John &amp; Jerry to examine how political will, institutional groupthink, and bureaucratic cowardice allowed a con man&rsquo;s tales to be treated as fact. But history repeats itself as now, in 2026, fuzzy claims about Iranian weapons undergirds another Middle East war.
Watch Mission Implausible on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@MissionImplausiblePod

Do you want to know the truth behind the world’s wildest conspiracy theories? Former CIA officers John Sipher & Jerry O’Shea try to determine where misinformation is coming from, when we’re being lied to and when a conspiracy theory is an actual real conspiracy. In the world of espionage, they were part of creating conspiracies. Now they and their circle of experts probe what’s true and when we’re being manipulated.

New episodes every week.

Watch Mission Implausible on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@MissionImplausiblePod
Executive Producers: Adam Davidson, John Sipher, Jerry O'Shea & Jonathan Stern. Producer: Rachel Harner
A production of Honorable Mention and Abominable Pictures

Do you want to know the truth behind the world&rsquo;s wildest conspiracy theories? Former CIA officers John Sipher &amp; Jerry O&rsquo;Shea try to determine where misinformation is coming from, when we&rsquo;re being lied to and when a conspiracy theory is an actual real conspiracy. In the world of espionage, they were part of creating conspiracies. Now they and their circle of experts probe what&rsquo;s true and when we&rsquo;re being manipulated.
New episodes every week.
Watch Mission Implausible on YouTube: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@MissionImplausiblePod" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.youtube.com/@MissionImplausiblePod&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1765390388763000&amp;usg=AOvVaw2Xv6PaRO8ms-z_hEp0Uxvi">https://www.youtube.com/@MissionImplausiblePod</a>
<ul>
<li>Executive Producers: Adam Davidson, John Sipher, Jerry O'Shea &amp; Jonathan Stern. Producer: Rachel Harner</li>
<li>A production of Honorable Mention and Abominable Pictures</li>
</ul>

Mission Implausible

Mission Implausible: Ex-CIA Officers on Conspiracy Theories

Swinging at Curveball: When You Want It Bad, You Get It Bad (with Bob Drogin)

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/d81a63ae-60dc-48ff-a25f-b462003121f2/transcript