Unmissables: Explosive Lies

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He said it could save lives. It didn’t. It couldn’t even find golf balls… Jim McCormick was a cocky English salesman with an outrageous claim: a black plastic gadget that could sniff out bombs using “electromagnetic energy.” The science was pure fiction. But in the panic after 9/11, governments bought the lie - paying up to $60,000 for a device that started life as a $20 novelty golf-ball finder. McCormick sold hope to armies and security forces across the globe. But hope turned deadly. Behind the deals were fragmented friendships, betrayals, and a truth so dangerous it would take years to drag into the light. Alice Levine uncovers the jaw-dropping story of a con that cost countless lives - and the unlikely people who stopped at nothing to uncover the truth. Explosive Lies is a Global Original podcast, produced by Forest Sounds in partnership with Dentsu Entertainment.

BONUS

Introducing: Explosive Lies

Coming January 13th 2026. He said it could save lives. It didn’t. It couldn’t even find golf balls… Jim McCormick was a cocky English salesman with an outrageous claim: a black plastic gadget that could sniff out bombs using “electromagnetic energy.” The science was pure fiction. But in the panic after 9/11, governments bought the lie - paying up to $60,000 for a device that started life as a $20 novelty golf-ball finder. McCormick sold hope to armies and security forces across the globe. But hope turned deadly. Behind the deals were fragmented friendships, betrayals, and a truth so dangerous it would take years to drag into the light. Alice Levine uncovers the jaw-dropping story of a con that cost countless lives - and the unlikely people who stopped at nothing to uncover the truth. Explosive Lies is a Global Original podcast, produced by Forest Sounds in partnership with Dentsu Entertainment. Listen to all episodes on Global Player.

3 min

See All Season 3 (1)

Hannah Maguire

Host
Suruthi Bala

Host

He said it could save lives. It didn’t. It couldn’t even find golf balls… Jim McCormick was a cocky English salesman with an outrageous claim: a black plastic gadget that could sniff out bombs using “electromagnetic energy.” The science was pure fiction. But in the panic after 9/11, governments bought the lie - paying up to $60,000 for a device that started life as a $20 novelty golf-ball finder. McCormick sold hope to armies and security forces across the globe. But hope turned deadly. Behind the deals were fragmented friendships, betrayals, and a truth so dangerous it would take years to drag into the light. Alice Levine uncovers the jaw-dropping story of a con that cost countless lives - and the unlikely people who stopped at nothing to uncover the truth. Explosive Lies is a Global Original podcast, produced by Forest Sounds in partnership with Dentsu Entertainment.