Cold War Conversations

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