Author Devin Thomas O'Shea hops on the pod to talk about his new book, The Veiled Prophet: Secret Societies, White Supremacy, and the Struggle for St. Louis, which details some of the exploits of Washington fixer Clark Clifford.Like so many powerful men, Clifford found his way to the world of politics through his connections. After joining the Veiled Prophet Society, a notorious secret society for St. Louis elites, he got a commission in the Navy, and was assigned as a military aide to President Harry Truman. He leveraged his position in the White House to build a career as a power broker spanning decades. Devin helps me unravel how a seemingly inauspicious beginning led to a life of high finance and low morals. You can follow Devin at @devintohsea on X, @devintoshea.bsky.social on Bluesky, and @devintoshea on Instagram. Devin publishes a personal Substack under his name. Check him out! Music licensed through Soundstripe.Code: GJVO9NMM3ORLW77B Show notes: Clark Clifford, U.S. Department of State, Office of the Historian, “The Israeli Attack on the USS Liberty.” The Daily Oklahoman, “Jury to Hear Tape Implicating Sutton.” Devin Thomas O’Shea, The Veiled Prophet: Secret Societies, White Supremacy, and the Struggle for St. Louis.Douglas Frantz and David McKean, Friends in High Places: The Rise and Fall of Clark Clifford. House Banking Committee on Finance and Urban Affairs, C-SPAN “BCCI Investigation, Day 1.” Larry Gurwin and Peter Truelli, False Profits: The Inside Story of BCCI, the World’s Most Corrupt Financial Empire. Naif Alrogi, Reason Magazine, “Robert Anderson’s Cold War.” Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on International Relations, C-SPAN, “BCCI Investigation, Day 8.” Sidney Blumenthal, Washington Post, “The Essential Clark Clifford.”Sterling and Peggy Seagrave, Gold Warriors: America’s Secret Recovery of Yamashita’s Gold. Steve Lohr, New York Times, “Indictment Charges Clifford Took Bribes.” Get full access to Neither Confirm Nor Deny at neitherconfirmnordeny.substack.com/subscribe
