A COLD WAR

We’re talking about Reza Shah, a soldier who rose to power from a humble background, pulled of a British-engineered coup, and effectively ruled Iran from 1921 - 1941. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Iran's first attempt at democracy ended when the British and the Russians decided amongst themselves to divide up Iran in 1907 and supported the new Shah's desire to crush the parliament. But the Iranians fought on, exiled the Shah and replaced him with his 11 year old son. Then they hired an American banker to clean up corruption. The British and Russians didn't like that, so they had him thrown...

The Shah continued selling the family jewels to the British and Russians, including the entire Iranian tobacco industry. He was eventually assassinated and replaced by his son, who had learned nothing. In 1901 he sold William Knox D'Arcy the entire Iranian oil industry. This shaped all of subsequent Iranian history.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, we delve into the history of Iran, focusing on the US's role in ending democratic rule in 1953 and installing Mohammad Reza Shah's dictatorship, a fact well-known in Iran but only admitted by the US in the 90s. This event led to the Islamic Revolution of 1979, headed by Ayatollah Khomeini, and fueled anti-Western sentiments across the Middle East. We discuss the significant figure...

The trial of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg and the concept of psychological warfare. The Rosenberg trial, which began in March 1951, was a sensational case involving accusations of espionage for the Soviet Union. The couple, tried alongside fellow Communist Morton Sobell, were defended by Manny and Alexander Bloch. The trial involved key testimonies, including that of David Greenglass, Ethel's brothe...

We continue the shocking story of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg, charged with conspiracy to commit espionage from 1944 to 1950. The US government sought the death penalty and engaged in questionable tactics during the trial, while public debate grew over the extreme sentencing. We discuss the role of Roy Cohn, Donald Trump’s future mentor and lawyer, the unethical conduct of judge Irving R. Kaufman,...

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Our final NATO episode! The Pentagon is worried that there isn’t enough military budget to pay for both domestic and European defence. Until someone had the insight that the two might be closely related. So now the Western Union’s defense committee had to pick a commander-in-chief.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Everyone is trying to figure out a model for European co-operation. Secret meetings at the Pentagon between the US, UK and Canada in March/April 1948 explored three possible extensions of the Brussels pact. Churchill’s son-in-law, Duncan Sandys then put together a pan-European conference at The Hague (when he wasn’t getting sneaky blowjobs from the wife of a duke). The CIA even had their own secre...

During 1947-48, England and France had been working on their own treaty as well as one involving the so-called Benelux countries (Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg). That became the basis of discussions about a broader treaty creating a United States of Europe, something many US and European leaders wanted, especially in light of the Marshall Plan. But the path to get there wasn’t clear. Europe was...

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Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After Benes took control of Czechoslovakia again after WWII, with the support of the Allies, he ran a program of ethnic cleansing, mostly targeting people of German ancestry. And the Czech Communist party became the most popular political party of any country in history in proportion to the total national population. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Let’s talk about the history of Czechoslovakia. The anti-semitic founder of the modern state was well connected in the USA, all the way up to POTUS. His list of important American friends included a Nazi-lovin’ industrialist. But the state he founded was friendly to Jews and pushed through some socialist progressive reforms…. Until it was abandoned by the Western powers and practically handed to H...

Significant electoral victories and strikes by domestic socialist parties in France and Italy pushed the UK to insist on American military support for the Marshall Plan’s rollout. In the United States, there were divergent views on whether or not that was a good idea - until something happened in 1948 which sealed the deal. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

European recipients of the Marshall Plan funds were quite clear to the USA that they needed help keeping the socialists down and out of their countries. And the USA recognized that its own economic welfare rested on the revival of Europe. Funding a pro-capitalist European recovery was a matter of national self-interest. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We want to take a break from Korea to talk about the creation of NATO. Obviously relevant with the whole Ukraine situation. And it took on a new kind of mission during the Korean War. But let’s go back and look at where it came from. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

MacArthur is gone but he isn’t going quietly. He thinks he can rally his support into a run for the POTUS job. He is gravely mistaken. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

By April 1951, MacArthur wanted to nuke China. But Truman had had enough of his giant ego. It was time for him to go. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ridgway thought there was no reason for the US army to abandon the Korean peninsula. They just needed to do a better job of digging themselves in. The transformation of Eighth Army after the coming of its new commander astonished and profoundly impressed all those who witnessed it. Meanwhile, MacArthur’s relationship with the Joint Chiefs, and Truman, just became worse and worse. And China conduct...