Cold War Conversations - "vivid & compelling" The NY Times

Today we’re at the Wende Museum in Los Angeles at their Watching Socialism exhibition. Organized in collaboration with British-Slovenian media historian Sabina Mihelj and British cultural historian Susan Reid, this exhibition focuses on the impact of Cold War-era television programming in Eastern and Western Europe on private lives.  Now many of our fans are the proud owners of a Cold War Conversa...

Phil Logan served in the US Army from 1986-1991. He went through infantry school at Fort Benning, Georgia was sent to Germany and assigned to the ground defence force for the Pershing II tactical nuclear missiles. He describes in some detail defence tactics including against Special Forces, the Red Army Faction and anti-nuclear demonstrators. Phil was also there when the INF disarmament treaty was...

Richard Easton is the co-author of GPS Declassified which examines the development of GPS or Sat Nav as some of us call it now, from its secret, Cold War military roots. Roger Easton, Richard's father, assisted in laying the foundations for the GPS system. However, Roger Easton worked also on the early US space program and Richard vividly describes his childhood when his father was working on the...

Today we’re talking to Alison Lewis, a professor in German at the University of Melbourne. She is the author of several books, including one in German about love and gender in literature during Germany's reunification and a book in German about the Stasi's infiltration of the literary underground. We spoke to Alison in episode 71.  In this episode we talk about her latest collaboration a new book...

I’m here today at the RAF Burtonwood Heritage Centre, near Warrington in the UK. Based on what was once the largest and longest-running military airbase in Britain. The Heritage Centre was established to preserve and uphold the history of the men, women and activities that occurred here. Now many of our fans are the proud owners of a Cold War Conversations Coaster, a gift from me to thank them for...

We speak today with Alistair Coleman who joined BBC Monitoring as a technician in 1989, just in time for the Berlin Wall.  He was on a console night shift at Caversham, on the night of the coup against Soviet Leader Gorbachev in 1991 and describes that night as the highlight of his career at the time.  Thanks to Andrew Adolfson, Rick Mason, Mike Smith, Ade Bryant and Ole Bjørsvik, the latest membe...

In a world divided by the ideological struggles of the Cold War, the Vietnam War and the Civil Rights Movement, more than one-fifth of the people on the planet paused to watch the live transmission of the Apollo 11 mission. To watch as humanity took a giant leap forward exactly 50 years ago. Now before we start a special thanks to our select band of supporters who are helping us financially for th...

In this episode we speak with Dr Alison Lewis is Professor of German in the School of Languages and Linguistics, The University of Melbourne, Australia. She is the a co-author of Cold War Spy Stories from Eastern Europe which is published in August 2019. Now several of our fans are the proud owners of a Cold War Conversations Coaster, a gift from me to thank them for helping the podcast financiall...

During the Cold War, six Dutch submarines secretly gathered intelligence about the Soviet Navy. Only a handful of people outside the Royal Netherlands Navy were aware of these operations, as they were not NATO operations.  Thanks to our latest financial supporters Victor Osprey, Joe Collins, Eric Telander and Andrew Tyler who are helping us financially for the price of a cup of coffee or two a mon...

We continue the story of Victor Grossman the US Army soldier who defected to East Germany. He tells us of his life in the GDR, his close friendship with Dean Reed “The Red Elvis”, of shortages, his views on Egon Krenz and his first trip back to the US in the 1990s. Thanks to our select band of supporters who are helping us financially for the price of a cup of coffee a month to cover our increasin...

We talk with Vince Houghton – Curator of the International Spy Museum who has just written a new book called “Nuking the Moon & Other Intelligence Schemes & Military Plots left on the Drawing Board" If you’d to send us a few quid to help me run the podcast click here. Thankyou so much to our latest Supporters Leaving reviews on Itunes also helps so thanks to our latest reviewers Cheeses Word 101,...

Todays episode is different, the interviewer is not me, but one of our listeners who contacted me to help produce content for the podcast. This gave me the idea for a new area of the podcast called “Cold War Contributions” where listeners can send in audio interviews for broadcast on the show. Email me at Ian@coldwarpod.com if you are interested. If you’d to send us a few quid to help me run the p...

Gareth Rubin is an author and journalist and today we’re talking to him about his latest novel, Liberation Square set in a Soviet occupied UK in the 1950s. Thanks to our select band of supporters who are helping us financially for the price of a cup of coffee a month to cover our increasing costs and keep us on the air. They are the proud owners of a CWC coaster- don’t you want one too? Just click...

In this episode we visit RAF Upper Heyford for a photography tour for Cold War enthusiasts … The episode is in three parts, the first is some audio from the tour, followed by an interview with Ric Batson a former member of the USAF 20th Security Police Squadron and tour guide as well as an interview with his wife who is also a tour guide covering some aspects of the challenges of being the British...

Todd Anton was arrested by the Stasi while on a day trip to East Berlin and gives a raw and powerful account of his arrest, interrogation and eventual release. If you’d like to support us then from the price of a cup of coffee a month you can help us cover our increasing costs and keep us on the air as well as receive a Cold War Conversations coaster- this year’s sought after household accessory!...

Laurie Hawn is a retired Canadian Member of Parliament and former career fighter pilot in the Royal Canadian Air Force.   Laurie tells the story of low level delivery of nuclear weapons via the Starfighter as well as conventional missions. Also we get insight into the escape, evasion and interrogation training given to NATO pilots.  As the podcast gets more popular our costs of hosting and running...

In this episode we speak with Dr Becky-Alexis Martin who is a lecturer in Cultural and Political Geography at Manchester Metropolitan University and author of Disarming Doomsday – The Human Impact of Nuclear Weapons since Hiroshima. If you like what you’re hearing then from the price of a cup of coffee a month you can help us cover our increasing costs and keep us on the air as well as receive a C...

What could make a privileged 24-year-old American serving in the US Army in Germany in 1952 to swim across the Danube River to what was then the Soviet Zone? Victor Grossman who was born Stephen Wechsler but changed his name after defecting to the GDR. A child of the Depression, Grossman grew up in an environment that nurtured a commitment to left-wing causes. He continued his involvement with Com...

In this episode we speak with Colin Munro who has had an extensive career with the British Diplomatic Service.  Today we speak about his time as Head of Chancery in Bucharest, Romania between 1981 to 1982. He provides a vivid view of a country initiating a policy of total repayment of the foreign debt by imposing austerity that impoverished the population and exhausted the economy. If you like wha...

In this episode we speak with Mark Wiegers who travelled on the Trans-Siberian Railway in the late 1980s. His story tells of trouble with officialdom, the unexpected kindness of strangers and the beauty of a Soviet Union on the cusp of major change. Mark has taken a stunning set of photos on his journey which you can view below. I really recommend you take a look via our show notes here.  If you w...

In this episode, we welcome back John Green to talk further about his covert journalism for East Germany.  His story continues with his account of the Portuguese Carnation Revolution and a dangerous assignment to Pinochet’s Chile where he comes face to face with the infamous Dictator. We join my Cold War Conversation with John Green in Portugal.   Can't wait for the next episode? Visit our discuss...

Today we speak to Manuel Alzaga who as a 17 year old joined the US Army in 1981. Manuel signed up to the artillery and tells his story from life of poverty in Los Angeles through to deployment in West Germany for a Reforger exercise.   Before we get going you can really help us get more listeners by leaving reviews on Itunes or with your favourite podcast provider. This really helps raise our prof...

We speak to 98 year old Gail Halvorsen aka "The Candy Bomber" who flew in the Berlin Airlift in 1948. The Soviets had started a 11-month land blockade against West Berlin. The blockade was broken by a massive U.S.-British airlift of vital supplies to West Berlin. Gail tells an incredible story of an iconic humanitarian mission at the dawn of the Cold War. Now if you’d like to support our operating...

We welcome back Mark Baker from episode 9 where we spoke about his time in 1980s Czechoslovakia.   Mark is a freelance journalist & travel writer living in his adopted hometown of Prague. I really recommend his blog which can be found here. Mark has lived in Central Europe for more than two decades and seeks out communist architecture in his home town and further afield. He is the ideal candidate...

Colonel Terry Chester spent a good portion of his RCAF career hunting for Soviet Submarines in both the Pacific and Atlantic area's of operation.  He was instrumental in the design criteria for sub hunting capability's when Canada procured the, then new Aurora, for anti-submarine hunting in the early 1980's. Terry has great stories to tell regarding sub hunting tactics as well as Canadian particip...