Cold War Cast

UVB-76 is in the news today because of a cryptic shortwave transmission. I wanted to jump on real quick and talk a little bit about what we know about the station, some speculation on what they’re up to and a little bit about shortwave in general during the Cold War (which is a fascinating topic)

Today we’re talking about a real Cold War gem - Carol Reed’s 1953 film noir thriller “The Man Between”. It’s a great showcase of one of the most tense times and places in the Cold War, Berlin in the early 50’s. It kept me on the edge of my seat and was also loaded with Cold War themes and imagery. The big question- was Ivo Kern, the antihero, a metaphor for Germany looking to atone for the past? D...

During the Cold War the United States started on a secret plan to build an extensive network of tunnels in Greenland’s ice cap for nuclear missiles. We’re going to talk about project iceworm, but we’ll also discuss the political fallout between the United States, Denmark and Greenland over this and another incident up there. I hope you’ll find this is an interesting topic with present day relevanc...

The defense of Greenland is in the hands of a handful of men - Denmark’s Sirius Patrol. They’re an elite long range reconnaissance patrol unit that prowls Greenland’s coastline on dogsleds looking for things that shouldn’t be there. These guys are one of the most elite and interesting units in NATO’s arsenal

Greenland is in the news right now because Donald Trump is looking to add it to America’s portfolio. Today we are talking about the strategic importance of Greenland during the Cold War and current day.

Today we are looking at the short and not very sweet history SEATO, The Southeast Asian Treaty Organization. We are also going to look at what’s made NATO work that SEATO didn’t have. Who knows, we may see them drag this alliance out again someday.

In this episode, I look at a recent book by Annie Jacobsen that gives a realistic account of what would go down if we detected nuclear missiles incoming. Although it takes place in the present, there’s a strong Cold War essence to the book, when all the protocols were developed. A must for those of us who are fans (?!?!?) of nuclear stuff!

On September 2, 1945 Ho Chi Minh delivered a speech in Hanoi announcing Vietnam’s independence from Japan and France. Tonight we’re going to read the speech and add a little context in order to hear it from the “other side”. Ho Chi Minh was one of America’s communist boogeymen, after all. I believe hearing all sides, even ones you don’t like, are important- especially today

My thoughts on the film Oppenheimer and one of the major themes of the film and how it relates to the Cold War

Today we’re doing a Cold War analysis of the 1951 Film Noir gem “I Was A Communist For The FBI”, a dramatization of undercover agent Matt Cvetic’s time amongst the communists in Pittsburgh.

This episode is a little different because I’m giving my hot takes on the tanks coming to Ukraine. I feel that both the Ukrainian / Western and the Russian sides need a little moderation on the situation with the incoming tanks. I hope you enjoy this one, I’m shooting from the hip here on this subject

Today we’re looking at a real Cold War gem, “Red Nightmare”. Our protagonist gets taken on a twilight zone-esque journey into what his life would look like under communism. This short film is one of my favorite examples of the Cold War being fought through pop culture. Let me know what you think! As always, this is brought to you by Red Dragon Herbs, our own loose leaf tea business

Today we’re talking about Conelrad, the American government’s answer to getting the word out in the event of a Soviet attack. This topic is a fun relic from those uncertain times. We had the power to blow each other up across the world, but communication across the country wasn’t foolproof

In a press conference in 1954, President Eisenhower cites the Domino Theory as a reason for America’s involvement in the war in Vietnam. Today we’re talking about the origins of the theory and its impact on the Cold War.

In January of 1989 Ayatollah Khomeini sent a letter to Gorbachev. He invites him to turn to Islam, but also gets his final digs in as the USSR crumbles. This letter is an interesting snapshot of the waning days of Gorbachev and the Soviet Union from a unique Cold War perspective we don’t hear from often.

Today we’re talking about the great Cold Warrior J Edgar Hoover and his 1958 book “Masters of Deceit: The Story of Communism in America and How To Fight It”. This is a real gem from the red scare era of the Cold War. I leave you with a few actionable tips on fighting communism at the end. Enjoy!

Today we’re talking about a Cold War pop culture gem, The Manchurian Candidate. This book was written after the McCarthy era “red scare” began to cool down. A good satire on the era. Enjoy

We’re going right in to the danger zone tonight and discussing Top Gun, which I think was America’s on-screen Cold War victory lap. It’s a story of a nation regaining confidence and redemption after being shaken up by the experience of the Vietnam War. Enjoy the episode and let me know what you think. Share, subscribe and support reddragonherbs.net or I’ll have you flying a cargo plane of rubber d...

Today we dig into the archives of the Des Moines Register to get reactions from when the Soviet Union launched Sputnik, the first man made satellite into space.

There will be a lot of eyes on this year’s Victory Day parade in Russia because of the speech Vladimir Putin will have to give. What will he say? In this episode I give a rundown of how the parade goes. At the end of the day, it’s a great Cold War throwback, lots of Soviet nostalgia and stunning military pageantry. I also discussed “babushka z” and how she plays into the current mood in Russia.

In this episode we talk about Austria, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Ukraine. There’s a little something for everyone, really

In this episode we’ll discuss DEFCON and the Doomsday Clock. I think these topics are relevant for understanding some of the information…and misinformation about the war in Ukraine

The second nation to step forward for Korea was Turkey. Today we’re talking about why they got involved, their experience and the mythos surrounding the Turks. We’ll also discuss the film “Ayla: Daughter of War”

Recently on the Jocko podcast he discussed Mcnamara’s Folly about Project 100,000 to draft substandard men into the armed forces. Today I discuss the Cold War considerations of the plan and how it relates to current American foreign policy. I’m all over the place on this one, enjoy!

Of all the countries that participated in the Korean War, Ethiopia stands out as the most unique. Today we’ll tell the story of the Kagnew Battalion in Korea.