SNAFU with Ed Helms

4.6 (1.3K)
HISTORY
WEEKLY SERIES

Hosted by Ed Helms, SNAFU is a podcast about history's greatest screw-ups. This is Season 2: MEDBURG. The story of a daring heist that exposed a colossal FBI SNAFU.

EPISODE 1

1. The Citizens' Commission to Investigate the FBI

In March 1971, Washington Post reporter Betty Medsger receives a mysterious envelope full of classified documents. Soon, what's inside will change the way America sees the FBI. Logo and branding by The Collected Works: www.thecollectedworks.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

31 min
EPISODE 2

2. Want to Come to a Party?

It’s 1970 when John and Bonnie Raines get a call from their friend and fellow activist, Bill Davidon. He suspects something is very wrong with the FBI, and plans to do the unthinkable: break into an FBI office to prove it. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

38 min
EPISODE 3

3. The Girl from Hartford

With the team assembled, the burglars begin staking out a small FBI satellite office in Media Pennsylvania. And Bonnie Raines takes a big risk. To read more about the FBI’s history, check out Daniel Chard’s book, Nixon’s War at Home. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

46 min
EPISODE 4

4. The Heist of the Century

As Ali and Frazier go head-to-head in The Fight of the Century, Bill Davidon and his team aim to pull off the heist of the century. But at what cost? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

34 min
EPISODE 5

5. G-Men Are Coming to Town

The FBI hunts the burglars, who suddenly have a window into J. Edgar Hoover's most twisted and sinister operations. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

45 min
EPISODE 6

6. Tin, Rubber, and Oil

A mole, a raid, and a war on trial. The Camden 28 make national headlines. But will their trial jeopardize the identities of the Media burglars? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

51 min
EPISODE 7

7. The 'Do Not File' File

Journalist Carl Stern stumbles upon a single, curious codeword in the burglarized documents: COINTELPRO. As shocking revelations about the FBI come to fruition, Congress forms the Church Committee to investigate. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

52 min
EPISODE 8

8. Statute of Limitations

The FBI tries to clean up its act, but will all those lessons learned later be… forgotten? Plus, the legacy of the Media Burglary. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

40 min
SEASON 2 TRAILER

Introducing Season 2: MEDBURG

In 1971, a courageous group of activists broke into an FBI office and stole files containing J. Edgar Hoover's deepest, darkest secrets. How did their actions forever upend everything Americans knew about their country's most powerful law enforcement agency? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

2 min

See All Season 2 (9)

Ed Helms

Host

4.6

out of 5

1,277 Ratings

History with Heart and Humor!

Feb 1

ScottSent

More poignant than ever. We may be entering a new era of Cointelpro. I thought we were beginning to live MLK’s dream, instead we are repeating the nightmares of the past. We shall overcome!
Well done! 👏👏👏

Jan 21

IyaToyin

One of my all time favorite podcasts!! Beautifully researched and expertly executed. Thank you!
5 Stars

Jan 19

wervw

Really well written and the production quality is palpable. An excellent listen.
Fun and Thought-provoking

Jan 13

Anita Smartman

Well researched and engaging. Ed Helms does a good job keeping things light without going overboard with jokes. The audio is well-mixed so the only time your ears might get annoyed is from interviews where the interviewee has a scratchy voice, but not much to do about that.

Hosted by Ed Helms, SNAFU is a podcast about history's greatest screw-ups. This is Season 2: MEDBURG. The story of a daring heist that exposed a colossal FBI SNAFU.

Channel

iHeartPodcasts
Creator

iHeartPodcasts
Episodes

27
Seasons

2
Rating

Explicit
Copyright

2025 iHeartMedia, Inc. © Any use of this intellectual property for text and data mining or computational analysis including as training material for artificial intelligence systems is strictly prohibited without express written consent from iHeartMedia
Show Website

SNAFU with Ed Helms
Provider

iHeartMedia + Entertainment, Inc