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

In the heart of Europe, Berlin stood as a city divided not only by walls but by ideologies. I dive into the world of espionage that thrived in this divided city with Special Forces and CIA veteran James Stejskal who has written a new book Berlin: A Spy’s Guide to its Cold War History in Story & Image. We explore in some detail the intricate web of intelligence operations that unfolded against the...

Doug and Mike served in CS Company, 1st Battalion, 37th Armor in the US 1st Armored Division in West Germany. They provide vivid accounts of their basic training experiences, where they faced the rigors of military life for the first time. Doug recalls the challenges of adapting to the strict regimen and the camaraderie that formed among the recruits. As their stories transition to life in Germany...

Welcome to a new type of episode I'm calling Cold War Short Stories — a collection of stories from our listeners and social media followers. These are fascinating Cold War tales that may not fill a full episode, but are far too good to leave untold. So keep them coming! Your Cold War memories, or those of a loved one, are part of history. Share them with us! If you have a story to share, whether i...

The Korean War is often called "the forgotten war"—a brutal, complex conflict that claimed millions of lives but has largely faded from public memory, particularly in the West. Yet its consequences are still very much with us today, shaping the geopolitical fault lines on the Korean peninsula and beyond. In their latest book, Korea : War Without End, Richard Dannatt and Robert Lyman challenge not...

In this gripping episode, we hear the harrowing account of Greg Devlin, a former US Air Force technician who barely survived a catastrophic explosion at a Titan II nuclear missile silo in 1980. He shares his journey from enlisting in the Air Force, the challenges he faced, and the fateful night that changed his life forever. Greg vividly describes how he and his colleagues struggle to contain a po...

The legacy of the Cold War in Europe continues to impact present day events, most notably in Ukraine. In this episode I speak with author Stephan Kieninger about his new book Securing Peace in Europe - Strobe Talbott, NATO, and Russia After the Cold War. Talbott was a key figure in US President Clinton’s administration playing a pivotal role in shaping US foreign policy, We talk about the NATO neg...

This is the story of a Communist family in East Germany whose world was turned upside down by the implosion of the GDR. The story is told by Katja Hesse, whose father was a Vice Admiral in the Volksmarine, the East German Navy. We start the episode with Katja crossing into West Berlin on the night of 9th November 1989 and journey through the emotional landscape of certainties overturned by the ope...

The story of how one man—a librarian for the KGB—became a traitor to the intelligence agency, stealing the most prized Soviet-era archives and smuggling them to the West. Historian and journalist Gordon Corera whose new book “The Spy in the Archive” tells the remarkable story of how Vasili Mitrokhin—an introverted archivist who loved nothing more than dusty archives—ended up changing the world. As...

Katja Hesse, daughter of Vice Admiral Gustav Hesse of the East German Navy, shares her deeply personal story of growing up behind the Iron Curtain. In this fascinating conversation, Katja provides rare insights into life in the GDR as the child of a high-ranking officer— from an idyllic childhood in privileged housing to working at the Grand Hotel Berlin. She recounts her father’s harrowing World...

In the annals of history, few leaders have faced the monumental challenges that Mikhail Gorbachev encountered when he rose to power in the Soviet Union in 1985. His ascent came at a time when the nation was grappling with stagnation, disillusionment, and an economy on the brink of collapse. Gorbachev, the youngest General Secretary in Soviet history, was thrust into a leadership role that demanded...

Simon Wood served in the British Army’s Royal Military Police in Berlin during the1980s. He describes the unique challenges he faced patrolling the Berlin Wall and policing British troops in the divided city. Discover the political tensions, the camaraderie with fellow soldiers, and the surreal moments such as being present at the post-mortem of Hitler’s deputy Rudolf Hess. We also hear about life...

Colonel Robert J. Graham, USAF (Ret.), was more than a fighter pilot—he was a leader, a warrior, and a witness to one of the most complex conflicts in modern history. From the chaotic early days of guerrilla warfare in Vietnam to the bureaucratic maze that engulfed the later years, Colonel Graham's four combat tours reveal the triumphs and tragedies of a war that reshaped his world and his nation....

Traian grew up in Romania during the tumultuous 1980s under the shadow of the communist regime of Nicolae Ceaușescu. We learn about the harsh realities of life under communism, where shortages of basic goods were commonplace. He shares the clever tactics he and his family employed to navigate these challenges, including trading items with tourists and listening to forbidden radio stations like Rad...

In this gripping episode, we hear a detailed account from an eyewitness right at the heart of the tense NATO and Russian confrontation in Kosovo in 1999 at Pristina Airport. NATO General Wesley Clark had ordered the British to use force to remove Russian forces, however British General Mike Jackson refused with the immortal words “Sir, I’m not going to start World War Three for you”. Former BRIXMI...

This is a repeat of an episode published in September 2022. 55 years ago last month Fred Haise was one of the three astronauts on the ill-fated Moon mission when a design fault caused an oxygen tank to explode mid-mission putting the Apollo 13 crew in mortal danger on April 13th, 1970. This was the seventh crewed mission in the Apollo space program and the third meant to land on the Moon. Buy Fred...

This episode covers themes of physical and emotional abuse as well as suicide. If you need support please follow the links below. UK https://www.samaritans.org/how-we-can-help/contact-samaritan/ Rest of the World  https://findahelpline.com/i/iasp Kerstin recounts her harrowing childhood and life experiences in East Germany. She was identified at a young age for elite sports training, which led to...

Chris Gueffroy, was the last person to be shot dead at the Berlin Wall and a new short film called “Whispers of Freedom” portrays his story. I speak with the film’s director Brandon Ashplant who shares the challenges of accurately portraying real individuals with deep personal histories. Actors Cameron Ashplant (Chris) and Wendy Makkena (Karin) reflect on research they undertook to authentically r...

Former US Navy Commander Henry Rausch is the author of Submerged: Life on a Fast Attack Submarine in the Last Days of the Cold War. Henry shares his experiences from training to life aboard a submarine, emphasising the challenges, mishaps, and the camaraderie among the crew. He provides vivid descriptions of the rigorous training, the psychological demands, and the technical operations of submarin...

In 2010, two decades after the Cold War had ended, ten Russian spies were arrested in America, having hidden their true identities from their friends, neighbours and even their children. They were part of a spy programme that had begun nearly a century earlier, when the revolutionary Bolshevik government began sending Soviet citizens abroad to pose as foreign aristocrats, merchants and students. T...

The Communist Polish press called it "Kentomania!"—the excitement surrounding a 23 year old, called Kent Washington who made history as the first American—and the first Black American—to sign a professional sports contract behind the Iron Curtain. Stepping off the plane in Poland, Kent was immediately struck by how different everything felt. Yet, it was on the basketball court where he found commo...

In a world where history often overlooks the contributions of women, ​the story of ​Agent ​Zo stands out as a beacon of bravery and resilience. ​I spoke with ​Claire ​Mulley about her book ​Agent ​Zo: the ​Untold ​Story of a fearless ​World ​War ​II ​resistance fighter. ​ From the first day of the war to the ​German surrender, ​Zo organised efforts to resist the ​Nazi invasion of ​Poland, ​display...

I speak with Jon Benjamin who recounts his meetings with Margot Honecker, the unrepentant architect of East Germany’s education system and widow of GDR leader Erich Honecker then living in exile in Chile. In 2012 and 2013, when Jon was British Ambassador to Chile, he had three long meetings with Margot Honecker, third wife of longtime East German leader, Erich Honecker, and Minister of Education o...

Richard F Kaufman is the author of A One-Way Trip to Death A Survivor’s View of Cruise Missiles in the Cuban Missile Crisis In the 1950s he served in the Korean War, where he was shot down and provides a vivid snapshot of flying in that conflict. On his way to Korea Richard meets a Japanese Kamikaze pilot. The pilot’s reflections on life and death left a lasting impact on Richard, shaping his pers...

Susan Polgar is the author of Rebel Queen: The Cold War, Misogyny, and the Making of a Grandmaster. Born to a poor Jewish family in Cold War Budapest, Susan Polgar had the odds stacked against her growing up in a sexist and oppressive culture. Yet her father subscribed to the belief that geniuses are not born, but created, so he set out to ensure her success in an unlikely field: chess. At age 4,...

Jim is a former Minuteman nuclear missile officer who served in the US Air Force. Throughout the episode, Jim shares first-hand accounts of life in the launch control centre. From evaluations to the strict checklist orientations, every aspect of his training was designed to ensure that he and his crew were prepared for the weighty responsibilities they bore. We also discuss false alarms, intense s...