Cold War Conversations

Vadim was at school in Moscow during the 1970s and 80s. He attended an Advanced English Studies School where all subjects were taught, however the focus was on English. He provides us with insights into the setup of Soviet education as well as the school life, teaching methods and pop culture. We hear how the British newspaper “Morning Star” was a key teaching aid for Soviet English students. Now I know some of you skip this bit, but if you want to continue hearing these Cold War stories I’m asking listeners to pledge a monthly donation of at least $4, £3 or €3 per month to help keep the podcast on the air, although larger amounts are welcome too.  If you donate monthly via Patreon you will get the sought after CWC and bask in the warm glow of knowing you are helping to preserve Cold War history. Just go to https://coldwarconversations.com/donate/ If a financial contribution is not your cup of tea, then you can still help us by leaving written reviews wherever you listen to us as well as sharing us on social

We continue the story of Bill, a US Army Intelligence Analyst with Combined Analysis Detachment-Berlin (CAD-B) from episode 127. Germany has now been re-unified and Russian troops have withdrawn from East Germany. Bill tells us of the little known story of continued US Army involvement in intelligence gathering alongside the German security services, the BND. We hear about "Operation Giraffe", described as the largest intelligence service procurement campaign of the West since the end of World War II, how Russian sources recruited during the Cold War were managed and, how Britain’s MI6 was cut out of receiving the information they had received freely during the Cold War.  Bill tells us of a joint BND/CIA mission to monitor the disposal of Russian nuclear weapons. It’s a fascinating look into the murky world of human intelligence gathering, corruption, and rivalry in the immediate post Cold War period. I could really use your support to help me to continue to produce these podcasts. A monthly donation of $4, £

Charlie was 19 in 1956. A trip home from work by tram ended up with him being thrust into the heart of the Hungarian Revolution of 1956, a nationwide revolution against the Hungarian People's Republic and its Soviet-imposed policies, lasting from 23 October until 10 November 1956. I’m in conversation with Charlie and his daughter Angela as Charlie describes how he and his friends attacked the Communist held Budapest radio station and graphically details his experiences and what he saw during those momentous days. He also recalls his escape from Hungary and his later life in Wales and return visit to the country of his birth while it was still within the orbit of the Soviet Union. I do need your help to allow me to find the time to continue producing and preserving these Cold War stories.  I’m asking listeners to pledge a monthly donation of at least $4, £3 or €3 per month to help keep the podcast on the air, although larger amounts are welcome too.  As a thank you you will get the sought-after Cold War Conver

Professor Timothy Garton Ash is a British historian, author, commentator and Professor of European Studies at Oxford University. Professor Garton Ash witnessed some of the most critical moments in the Eastern Bloc during the 1980s as these populations threw off Communist rule. He provides us with vivid details of his time in East Germany, Gdansk, Poland where in 1980 the first free trade union in the Eastern Bloc was formed, and his time with then dissident Vaclav Havel when the Czechoslovak Communist government resigned in 1989. Professor Garton Ash genuinely had a front row seat to history and provides us with fascinating and profound analysis of those incredible years. I do really need your help to allow me to find the time to continue producing and preserving these Cold War stories.  I’m asking is for listeners to pledge a monthly donation of at least $4, £3 or €3 per month to help keep the podcast on the air, although larger amounts are welcome too.  If you donate monthly via Patreon you will get the sou

Ian Black is a former RAF Fighter Pilot with a passion for photography and motorcycles. He began his flying career with the legendary McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom in RAF Germany at the height of the Cold War.  After three years flying as a navigator Ian underwent Pilot Training in 1984-1986 during which time he was awarded prizes for flying ability , aerobatics and unsurprisingly navigation skills.  On completion of his flying training Ian was selected to fly the English electric Lightning in the Air Defence Role. Twenty five years earlier, Ian’s father had been one of the RAF’s first Lightning Pilots and his son was set to become the last. Serving on 11(F) Squadron.  Now I really need your help to allow me the time to continue producing and preserving these Cold War stories.  A monthly donation to help keep us on the air is only about $3, £3 or €3 per month (larger amounts are welcome too) plus you can get a sought after CWC coaster as a monthly financial supporter and you bask in the warm glow of knowing y

Michael Zdanowski was born and raised in the UK, but his interest with the Cold War goes back generations. His grandfather having emigrated from Poland to the United Kingdom during the second world war and was a distinguished member of the RAF in the battle against Germany.  Michael’s interest in the Cold War prompted him to pursue a doctorate focused around the Sovietisation of Estonia post-WW2, which he researched over a number of years.  His findings indicated a wholesale imperialistic strategy that centered around language, culture and moving large numbers of Russians into Estonia.  However, his findings also demonstrate a great deal of Estonian resistance to these efforts, with the local population finding ways of celebrating their local culture and heritage through covert means.  It is a story of attempted social engineering that underestimated the desire of a people to be conquered. If you can spare it I’m asking listeners to contribute at least $3 USD per month to help keep us on the air (larger amoun

This is Part 2 of our conversation with Colin Munro who was the British Deputy Head of Mission in East Berlin from 1987 to 1990.  In this episode we move to the monumental events of 1989 as the GDR was wrought by internal protest prior to the opening of the Wall in Berlin. It’s a fascinating account of Colin’s contacts who were giving him insights into the eventual fall of the GDR. 0:00 Introduction and Colin Munro's views on Brezhnev 1:50 Sponsor: Listener Donations Appeal 2:28 Political situation in East Germany in 1989 10:01 Soviet embassy's uncertainty about orders to Soviet forces in East Germany 19:12 Colin Munro's personal experience during the opening of the Berlin Wall 22:30 UK government's position on German unification 30:02 The economic collapse of East Germany and the decision for a currency union 32:37 The 2+4 negotiations for German unification 35:20 The end of the Cold War and Thatcher's political career 40:27 Closing remarks and acknowledgments Table of contents powered by PodcastAI✨ Do you k

Colin Munro was the British Deputy Head of Mission in East Berlin from 1987 to 1990. Although the UK did not recognise East Berlin as part of the GDR in 1973 it established an Embassy “to” the GDR (not in the GDR) in East Berlin to provide a diplomatic presence. As Deputy Head of Mission Colin was effectively the Deputy Ambassador and was responsible for improving trade, ensuring correct dealings on status of Berlin and try to promote peaceful change.  0:00 Introduction and Colin Munro's roles in East Berlin 1:03 UK's stance on East Berlin and the GDR 2:24 Sponsor: Financial Supporters  2:42 Divided city of Berlin and its status 7:04 Colin's account of a sit-in at the embassy in East Berlin 15:31 Story of the sit-in at the Danish embassy 17:05 Trade between the UK and East Germany 26:18 Personal encounters with East German politburo members 33:01 Opening of the Hungarian border and its perception 40:56 Discussion on the unification of Germany 44:45 Show notes and appreciation of the podcast's patrons 45:37 In

In this episode we talk with Col. Keith Nightingale who served in the US military from 1965 to 1993. He completed two tours of Vietnam; the first as a Senior Advisor to a Vietnamese Ranger unit and the second as a rifle company commander in the 101st Airborne.   Keith used the experience of his first tour to write ‘Just another day in Vietnam’ which gives a vivid first-hand account of a jungle operation with the South Vietnamese Rangers against the Viet Cong.  UK listeners can buy Keith's book here https://amzn.to/3lWljkb US listeners can buy Keith's book here https://amzn.to/33VRcTD If you can spare it I’m asking listeners to contribute at least $4 USD per month to help keep us on the air (larger amounts are welcome too) plus you can get a sought after CWC coaster as a monthly financial supporter of the podcast and you bask in the warm glow of knowing you are helping to preserve Cold War history. Just go to https://coldwarconversations.com/donate/ Co-host James conducts our chat and I am delighted to welco

During her first visit to Poland in 1980, Dr Jacqueline Hayden met the leading members of the free trade union ‘Solidarność’, including the future president Lech Wałęsa. As a freelance journalist at that time, she reported the events in Gdańsk in August 1980, when the shipyard workers went on strike to demand the creation of Free Trade Unions. Our chat includes some vivid descriptions of what she saw and heard at the time, it explains the problems facing the nascent free trade union as well as details of the interviews she carried out with General Jaruselski and Cardinal Joseph Glemp among others. Now, I really do need your help to support my work preserving Cold War history. I deliver 4 episodes a month and all I’m asking for is about $3, £3 or €3 per month to help keep us on the air (larger amounts are welcome too) plus you can get a sought after CWC coaster as a monthly financial supporter and you bask in the warm glow of knowing you are helping to preserve Cold War history. Just go to https://coldwarconve

Sue Boyd has been the head of Australian diplomatic missions in Fiji, Hong Kong, Vietnam and Bangladesh. She also had postings at the United Nations in New York and in the former East Germany. Sue was posted to East Germany in 1976 and tells of her work, friendships, and life as a single woman in the diplomatic community of 1970s East Berlin. She reveals the fascinating contents of her Stasi file, detailing the intense surveillance she was under as well as confirmation of some of her suspicions, but also there are some surprising revelations too.  Buy Sue's book and support the podcast here https://amzn.to/2JfHiEU Now it does take a lot of effort and expense to produce the podcast and I could really do with some help to support my work. So if you want to really help preserve Cold War history then for only about $3, £3 or €3 per month you can help keep us on the air (larger amounts are welcome too) plus you can get a sought after CWC coaster as a monthly financial supporter and bask in the warm glow of knowin

Today we speak with Ian Ballantyne, the author of “Hunter Killers”, also known as “Undersea Warriors” in the United States. Hunter Killers’ tells the incredible, true inside story of the Royal Navy’s Cold War beneath the waves. Buy the book and support the podcast here https://amzn.to/3jalire We talk about the forgotten role Royal Navy submarines played in the Cuban Missile Crisis while also learning the truth behind what official statements called collisions with ‘icebergs’. In addition, we cover the processes and procedures of the Polaris submarine nuclear missile launch as well as the “Letters of Last Resort”. Now I really need your help to allow me the time to continue producing and preserving these Cold War stories. A monthly donation to help keep us on the air is only about $3, £3 or €3 per month (larger amounts are welcome too) plus you can get a sought after CWC coaster as a monthly financial supporter and you bask in the warm glow of knowing you are helping to preserve Cold War history. Just go to h

Today we speak with Richard Crowder, the author of “Détente – the chance to end the Cold War”. Help support the podcast buy the book here  UK listeners https://amzn.to/34yNeB2 US listeners https://amzn.to/3kHU3pO Between 1968 and 1975, there was a subtle thawing of relations between East and West, for which Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev coined the name Détente.  The leaders of the United States and the Soviet Union, Richard Nixon and Leonid Brezhnev, hoped to forge a new relationship between East and West.  We talk about some of the key moments such as where Henry Kissinger, Nixon’s Secretary of State agreed the end to the war in Vietnam, the 1973 Arab Israeli war where the world stood on the brink of armed conflict between the Soviet Union and the United States and the Helsinki Accords where the agreement to uphold human rights unleashed dissident movements against the Communist Parties of Eastern Europe. Now I really need your help to allow me the time to continue producing and preserving these Cold War sto

Guy Burgess was the most important, complex, and fascinating of The Cambridge Spies, brilliant young men recruited in the 1930s to betray their country to the Soviet Union. An engaging and charming companion to many, an unappealing, utterly ruthless manipulator to others, Burgess rose through academia, the BBC, the Foreign Office, MI5 and MI6, gaining access to thousands of highly sensitive secret documents which he passed to his Russian handlers. In his book “Stalin’s Englishman”, Andrew Lownie tells us how even Burgess's chaotic personal life of drunken philandering did nothing to stop his penetration and betrayal of the British Intelligence Service. Even when he was under suspicion, the fabled charm which had enabled many close personal relationships with influential Establishment figures (including Winston Churchill) prevented his exposure as a spy for many years. UK fans can buy the book and support the podcast here https://amzn.to/3jyvcTH US fans can buy the book and support the podcast here https://am

At 2 a.m. on 10 March 1983, 12-year-old Carmen Bugan was home alone after her father had left for Bucharest. That afternoon, Carmen returned from school to find secret police in her living room. Her father’s protest against the regime had changed her life forever. This is her story. This is one of the most powerful stories I have recorded so far. What you will hear in Carmen’s own words is an incredibly emotional story about childhood, family, spirit and humanity – do stay and listen to the end. It's safe to say it's a hell of a story and an emotional one too... Buy the book and support the podcast If you want to support our work preserving Cold War history then only about $3, £3 or €3 per month really helps keep us on the air (larger amounts are welcome too) plus you can get a sought after CWC coaster as a monthly financial supporter and you bask in the warm glow of knowing you are helping to preserve Cold War history. Just go to https://coldwarconversations.com/donate/ If a financial contribution is not yo

In this second episode with Don Snedeker we talk to him about his time after his tour of Vietnam when he served in West Germany.  From 1974 to 1986 Don served in a number of roles but most noticeably he was assigned to the 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment in Fulda, one of the locations where it was assumed that Warsaw Pact units would attack through.  He also trained as a Foreign Area Officer specialising in Western Europe and studied at the German Armed Forces Staff College in Hamburg. From 1991 to 1992, Don headed the Inspectors and Escorts branch conducting conventional arms control inspections and confidence-building visits in the former Soviet Union and other Warsaw Pact countries. If you can spare it I’m asking listeners to contribute at least $3 USD per month to help keep us on the air (larger amounts are welcome too) plus you can get a sought after CWC coaster as a monthly financial supporter of the podcast and you bask in the warm glow of knowing you are helping to preserve Cold War history. Just go to

Barry Mullen was a Navigator Radar on the legendary Royal Air Force nuclear bomber, the Vulcan. The Navigator Radar (Nav Radar) had the responsibility for coordinating bombing from the aircraft. This role was performed entirely via instrumentation and was achieved via the ground-facing radar and the Navigation Bombing System a direct successor of the WW2 H2S system used in aircraft such as the Lancaster.  This allowed accurate bombing from 57,000 feet down to an incredibly low height of 250 feet. Barry served during the 1970s and candidly shares his experiences. He tells us about his time at RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus during the Turkish invasion as well as the detail of his mission scenarios, both conventional and nuclear. He also shares information about his escape and evasion training as well as much more.  If you can spare it I’m asking listeners to contribute about $3, £3 or €3 per month to help keep us on the air (larger amounts are welcome too) plus you can get a sought after CWC coaster as a monthly financ

In this bonus episode, we talk again with Paul Grant, author of "Coercion" the fourth book about the Schultz family who live in Berlin. His books are set at the end of the Second World War and the start of the Cold War.  Coercion is set in 1962 against the backdrop of the Berlin Wall while it is still barbed wire and a fragile wall. Escape attempts are frequent and these attempts are the major theme of Paul’s latest book. If you can spare it I’m asking listeners to contribute at least $3 USD per month to help keep us on the air (larger amounts are welcome too) plus you can get a sought after CWC coaster as a monthly financial supporter of the podcast and you bask in the warm glow of knowing you are helping to preserve Cold War history. Just go to https://coldwarconversations.com/donate/ Co-host James conducts our chat and I am delighted to welcome Paul Grant to our Cold War conversation… There’s further information on this episode in our show notes, which can also be found as a link in your podcast app here.

This is the first of two episodes we have following Don Snedeker’s experiences through the Cold War. In this episode, we hear about his time in Vietnam and the book he has written entitled "The Blackhorse in Vietnam: The 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment in Vietnam and Cambodia, 1966–1972”. Don was born in Brooklyn New York but followed his Father’s postings around the globe as an ‘Army brat’. Don was commissioned into the Armour branch of the US Army in February 1969 and by December he had been posted to Vietnam initially assigned to the 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment (Blackhorse) but later joining the 1st Armoured Cavalry Regiment (Blackhawks) serving as an armoured cavalry platoon leader and as a Long Range Reconnaissance Patrol platoon leader. He was awarded a Bronze Star with ‘V’ for Valour, a Purple Heart, and the Combat Infantryman’s Badge. Buy Don's book and support the podcast here https://amzn.to/3nAj7Ra If you can spare it I’m asking listeners to contribute at least $3 USD per month to help keep us on

Today’s episode is brought to you by Osprey publishing and we’re speaking with Michael Napier, the author of “In Cold War Skies – NATO and Soviet airpower 1949-89”.  Michael also flew the Tornado during the Cold War and served during the 1980s at 14 Sqn and 31 Sqn at RAF Brüggen in West Germany where he talks about nuclear QRA, low-level training in Germany, Canada and Exercise Red Flag in the US plus lots more.  His book is packed with first-hand accounts of operational flying during the Cold War as well as stunning photos. You can buy the book and support the podcast on this link https://amzn.to/3bELNDa If you want to support our work in preserving Cold War history then only about $3, £3 or €3 per month helps keep us on the air (larger amounts are welcome too) plus you can get a sought after CWC coaster as a monthly financial supporter and you bask in the warm glow of knowing you are helping to preserve Cold War history. Just go to https://coldwarconversations.com/donate/ If a financial contribution is not