Who Trolled Amber? - Introducing: Walter's War

Episode Date: November 9, 2023

It’s London, 2012. Oliver is a dashing diplomat. Charlie is a young graduate trying to find her feet in the world. They meet online and she falls in love. With his encouragement, Charlie applies for a job in British intelligence. Then, she receives a text message that turns her life - and her relationship - upside down, and 10 years later, a mystery is still hanging over her. Walter's War is an investigation into what happened next – a journey through big tech and national security, hype and hucksterism, where anyone who can tell a good story can go far. But how much is true?Episode 1 goes live on Tuesday 21st November. The first three episodes will be available to Tortoise members on the free Tortoise audio app, and subscribers to Tortoise+ on Apple Podcasts.You can find out more about Tortoise:Download the Tortoise app - for a listening experience curated by our journalistsSubscribe to Tortoise+ on Apple Podcasts for early access and ad-free contentBecome a member and get access to all of Tortoise's premium audio offerings and moreIf you want to get in touch with us directly about a story, or tell us more about the stories you want to hear about contact [e-mail] Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Last year, I met a woman for a coffee, and she told me that she had a story. It starts in London, over a decade ago. Charlie was a young graduate trying to find her feet in the world. A new city, new friends, new job. It was just really exciting. And soon she meets a dashing diplomat who's just back from Afghanistan. People like me reading intelligence reports. Pretty quickly, she falls in love.

She's enamoured with the world that he lives in. And with his encouragement, she applies for a job in British intelligence. She's optimistic. The interview goes well. I was just sat at my desk and I looked down at my mobile phone. But then she receives a text message. It didn't mention his name, but it was so obvious to me that that's who it was about. That turns her life and her relationship upside down. Yeah, I just couldn't believe it.

It was like the bottom fell out of everything. I was just so shocked. She discovers that the story he's told her about his life, well, it's not what it seems. What could the motivation possibly be? I still think that's how I feel a little bit today and it's probably why I'm here right now is because I just want to know why he's done this.

Ten years later, a mystery is still hanging over Charlie. She's watched this man climb to the top of academia, the civil service and into the world of national security. And she's seen him set up a billion dollar company, claiming that it's going to build the technology to save us in a new era of warfare. Whenever someone describes me, it always sounds like someone I'd prefer to meet. But then people started asking questions about that company too. What they do is figure out how you see the world. They tell you what you want to hear.

They tell you what you already believe. It matters who is in the room when decisions are being made that impact people's lives, particularly when you're talking about military and warfare. That's why I think this is not just a story of, you know, I had a bad ex-boyfriend. This is a much bigger story than that. The dashing diplomat had found himself in a world where someone with a good story can go far. What was the word that you used earlier, the name for people who? Walter. And what, tell me what that is. Walter Mitty, the man who makes up stories. Walter's War is an investigation into big tech

and national security, hype and hucksterism. But where does the story end and the truth begin?