Cold War Conversations

Conscripted to a West German Nuclear Missile Unit (457)

Fakers: A Top-Secret Tale of Phantoms and Forgeries on the Cold War Disinformation Front Line (456)

30 Miles from the North Korean Border - A US Military Childhood (455)

The JFK Assassination: The human narratives behind one of history's most scrutinised events (454)

Chornobyl: Anatomy of a Catastrophe (453)

The Chernobyl nuclear disaster on April 26, 1986, resulted from a fatal combination of flawed RBMK reactor design, human error, and a culture of institutional secrecy. During a routine safety test, operators pushed the reactor into an unstable state, triggering a catastrophic power surge and subsequent explosions that ...

From East Berlin to West Ireland (452)

Guarding the Wire at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba (451)

Soviet - Afghan War, Mujahideen Resistance: The Brutal Fight for Zhawar (450)

Former MI5 & MI6 Legal Director Looks Back at His Time in Cold War Berlin (449)

Former MI6 director David Bickford recounts his experiences as a legal advisor in West Berlin during the Cold War, detailing the complex political landscape and the constant negotiations with the Soviets over access rights. Bickford describes the stark contrast between the capitalist showcase of West Berlin and the opp...

An officer in The Internal Troops of the Soviet Ministry of Internal Affairs (448)

The podcast explores Ihor's experiences as an officer in the Soviet Union's Ministry of Interior troops, focusing on his training, responsibilities, and observations during the Cold War era. Ihor recounts his initial officer training in Lithuania, detailing communications and field operations, and later his role in Lat...

Growing up in Soviet Ukraine in the 1960s and 70s (447)

Growing up in Soviet Ukraine during the Cold War, Ihor's experiences were shaped by censorship and a complex family history. He recalls a stark contrast between city life, where his parents avoided discussing the past, and summers with his grandparents near the Polish border, where stories of war and shifting national ...

Secret Warriors - British Submarines during the Cold War (446)

American MiG Pilot: Inside the Top Secret USAF "Red Eagles" MiG Squadron Part 2 (445)

High School Student to the Top Secret USAF Red Eagles Soviet MIG Squadron Part 1 (444)

The Moscow Playbook: How Russia Used, Abused, and Transformed Sports in the Hunt for Power (443)

Chasing Rogue Nukes after the Fall of the Soviet Union (442)

Dead Drops and Disguises - A Female CIA Officer in 1980s Moscow (441)

The podcast explores Susan Miller's journey from a journalism student to a CIA operations officer during the Cold War. Miller recounts her initial, almost accidental, application to the CIA and the rigorous vetting process that followed, including humorous anecdotes about questions regarding drug use. She details her p...

Cold War British Army "stay behinds" - Live at the Imperial War Museum London (440)

The Royal Artillery's Special Observation Post Troop during the Cold War is examined through the experiences of veteran Colin Ferguson. The conversation explores the troop's formation in 1982 to address a capability gap in targeting Warsaw Pact forces, detailing their role in digging in behind enemy lines to direct art...

Planning an Escape for 13 Years: How One Family Outsmarted the Iron Curtain (439)

The podcast explores Peter Kasl's family's daring escape from communist Czechoslovakia, detailing the meticulous 13-year planning process driven by the oppressive political climate after the Prague Spring. Kasl recounts the constant surveillance, limited opportunities, and the severe repercussions faced after his uncle...

Why did the U.S. invade Grenada in 1983? (438)