Cold War Conversations

Lieutenant Commander Jørgen Brandsborg joined the Danish Navy in the 1980s. He met the Soviets up close and personal while serving in the North Atlantic where the Danish Navy acted as a coast guard when on patrol around the Faroe Islands, which meant boarding Soviet vessels for inspection. He also tells of Danish Navy training, Denmark’s position within NATO, as well as their defence plans, should the Cold War have turned hot. If you’re new here, you’ve come the right place to listen to first hand Cold War history accounts. Do make you subscribe in your podcast app so you don’t miss out on future episodes. Our reviews help the podcast grow, so if you are enjoying our content please leave a written review in Apple podcasts or share us on social media. If you can spare it I’m asking listeners to contribute $3 USD per month to help keep us on the air (larger amounts are welcome too) plus you can get a sought after Cold War Conversations coaster as a monthly financial supporter of the podcast and you bask in the

In early 1989 attention being paid to Albania in England by the English media because the England football team had recently travelled to Tirana for a World Cup qualifying game.  Looking for somewhere unusual to holiday Mike Innes went on 10 day tour to Albania. Arriving by air he travelled by coach, staying in the hotels which catered to foreigners and favoured party members.  If you are enjoying the podcast please leave a written reviews in Apple podcasts or share us on social media. By telling your friends you can really help the podcast grow. It costs money and time to produce this podcast so I’m asking listeners to contribute $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 helping preserve Cold War history. Just go to https://coldwarconversations.com/donate/ Mike provides us with a view of a little known country which although outside the Wa

Anthony enlisted in the British Army in 1987 and after 9 months he was posted to West Berlin. He tells the story of life as a Private in Berlin from the drinking (and the fighting) to the urban warfare training in Ruhleben & Dough Boy City. We also hear of the reality of knowing that should the Cold War have turned hot his life expectancy would have been in hours.   It’s also a tale of tragedy and the forgotten casualties of the Cold War where injury and death could come even in peacetime. Two of Anthony’s fellow soldiers died during his two-year tour of Berlin and we’d like to dedicate this episode to remembering Lance-Corporal Ian Fleming and Lance-Corporal Mick Quayle. We thank them for their service. If you are enjoying the podcast please leave a written review in Apple podcasts or share us on social media. By telling your friends you can really help the podcast grow. If you can spare it I’m asking listeners to contribute $3 USD per month to help keep us on the air (larger amounts are welcome too) plus yo

Charlie Flowers was 18 in 1988. He travelled by train across a divided Eastern Europe that was starting to show signs of the changes that manifested themselves in 1989. He shares stories of the interesting encounters he had along the way.  Now I’d like to thank some of our recent 5 star reviewers in Apple podcasts. Qwertykevboy, Fizzlepop202, simmovic, Dais28, Tim of Townsville and especially Marrdave who said “This is easily the best historical podcast out there…” I’m not sure I agree, but I’m very flattered.  If you are enjoying the show please leave a written reviews in Apple podcasts or share us on social media. By telling your friends you can really help the podcast grow. Now for $3 USD per month (larger amounts are welcome too) you will get a sought after CWC coaster as a monthly financial supporter of the podcast. Just go to https://coldwarconversations.com/donate/ Thank you so much to our 89 generous supporters who help keep the podcast available for you all to listen to. In today’s episode, I have a

For almost five decades, the United Kingdom made plans for a nuclear attack that never came. To help their citizens, civil servants and armed forces prepared those in power a variety of booklets, posters, and how-to guides.  Taras Young is a researcher & writer who has produced a book Nuclear War in the UK detailing much of this Cold War ephemera such as the infamous Protect and Survive guide, as well as fascinating lesser-known materials prepared for the United Kingdom Warning and Monitoring Organisation and the Royal Observer Corps.  If you are enjoying the podcast please leave a written review in Apple podcasts or share us on social media. By telling your friends you can really help the podcast grow. It costs money and time to produce this podcast so I’m asking listeners to contribute $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. Just go to https://coldwarconversations.com/donate/ In

Harry served as a soldier in the Intelligence Corps in Germany in the 1960s and 1970s. His role was that of an Intelligence and Security Operator, focused on the identification of foreign and other malign activities which might undermine the effectiveness of the UK's military presence in the country. Accordingly, he had the experience of a range of security investigations and close liaison with the West German civil and military security authorities. Now I’m sure you are enjoying your weekly dose of Cold War history, and you’d like to continue to do so.  So I’m asking if you wouldn’t mind supporting us by paying at least $3 USD a month – higher amounts are welcome too. It’s very straightforward and you can stop whenever you want. Plus monthly supporters get the sought after CWC coaster too! Just go to https://coldwarconversations.com/donate/ You can also help the podcast by leaving written reviews in Apple podcasts as well as sharing us on social media. Back to today’s episode, Harry and I talk in detail abou

Today is a short bonus episode I recorded at the weekend while at a film showing of Dr Strangelove in a former UK Regional Seat of Government Bunker in Cheshire... The Hack Green Bunker is my local Cold War museum and a kind financial supporter of the podcast too so if you are ever in the Cheshire area of the UK I highly recommend a visit.  If you are enjoying the podcast please leave a written review in Apple podcasts or share us on social media. By telling your friends you can really help the podcast grow. In today’s episode, I interview Lucy Siebert the Museum Director and well as some of the audience for the film showing. We welcome the Hack Green Secret Nuclear Bunker 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. If you like what you are hearing, please leave reviews in Apple podcasts and share us on social media. If you can’t wait for next week’s episode do visit our Facebook discussion group where gues

When the Berlin Wall came down, the files of the East German secret police, the much-dreaded Stasi, were opened and read. And among the shocking stories revealed was that of the Stasi's infiltration of the Church.  The Lutheran Church was the only semi-free space in East Germany, where those who rebelled against the regime could find a way of living at least a little out of the government's grip.  Do you know how much $3 USD is in Pounds? It’s 76 pence which equals about 20p per episode if you sign up as a monthly financial supporter of the podcast.  Higher amounts are welcome too. It’s very straightforward and you can stop whenever you want. Plus monthly supporters get the sought after CWC coaster too! Just go to https://coldwarconversations.com/donate/ Recent supporters include David Banvery, Daisy Birkenhead, Steve Kerins, Tim Marks and Holly Meade. If that’s not your cup of tea then leave a written reviews in Apple podcasts or share us on social media. By telling your friends you can really help the podca

Our guest today is Marc Voss the Founder and Executive Director of The Regimes Museum which is the culmination of an effort to collect, preserve, and archive material and artifacts from some of the most notorious regimes of the 20th century. It is both a museum and an educational institution that offers resources to scholars and students while applying lessons of the past to the present. Now I’m sure you are enjoying your weekly dose of Cold War history, and you’d like to continue to do so.  So I’m asking if you wouldn’t mind supporting us by paying at least $3 USD a month – higher amounts are welcome too. It’s very straightforward and you can stop whenever you want. Plus monthly supporters get the sought after CWC coaster too! Just go to https://coldwarconversations.com/donate/ You can also help the podcast by leaving written reviews in Apple podcasts as well as sharing us on social media. Back to today’s episode, Marc & I have a varied chat about the nature of regimes, East German recycling, Romanian tech,

Regional seats of government or RSGs were a UK solution to disperse the machinery of government into the provinces, where there would be a greater chance of survival after a nuclear attack. Today we speak to Andrew who was assigned a role in an RSG and details his experiences on a week long training course at the Civil Defence college at Easingwold in Yorkshire during the 1980s. There’s some chilling details of the scenarios they had to prepare for… Now if you are enjoying your weekly dose of Cold War Conversations I’m asking if you could support us for $3 USD a month to help keep us on the air. That’s about 60 pence or 75 US cents per episode or perhaps a coffee or two a month – now that’s what I call good value. Plus, you become the envy of your friends with that sought after CWC coaster too. Just go to https://coldwarconversations.com/donate/ If you can’t donate financially then you can also help us by leaving a written review on Apple podcasts or wherever you listen to this podcast as well as sharing us o

What was it like to be the first western pilot to fly the most advanced Soviet fighter aircraft? At the 1989 Abbotsford Air Show, during the dying days of the Cold War, Canadian CF-18 pilot Major Bob Wade became the first Western pilot to fly a Soviet MiG-29 Fulcrum fighter aircraft. This episode tells you how he did it. Now I’m sure you are enjoying your weekly dose of Cold War history, and you’d like to continue to do so.  So I’m asking if you wouldn’t mind supporting us by paying at least $3 USD a month – higher amounts are welcome too. It’s very straightforward and you can stop whenever you want. Plus monthly supporters get the sought after CWC coaster too! Just go to https://coldwarconversations.com/donate/ You can also help the podcast by leaving written reviews in Apple podcasts as well as sharing us on social media. Back to today’s episode, Bob and I talk in detail on the circumstances of the flight as well as what it was actually like to fly an aircraft you’ve never flown before with instruments in a

What are your dreams at 18 and what happens in the next 20 years? Children of the Silent Revolution is a documentary film following a tight-knit group of classmates from Bulgaria who reveal their stories over a period of 20 years, spanning the transition from communism to democracy in their country.  It’s a powerful memoir and love letter to the filmmaker’s classmates, as well as a compelling historical document about Bulgaria’s recent history. Now I’m sure you are enjoying your weekly dose of Cold War history, and you’d like to continue to do so.  So I’m asking if you wouldn’t mind supporting us by paying at least $3 USD a month – higher amounts are welcome too. It’s very straightforward and you can stop whenever you want. Plus monthly supporters get the sought after CWC coaster too! Just go to https://coldwarconversations.com/donate/ You can also help the podcast by leaving written reviews in Apple podcasts as well as sharing us on social media. Back to today’s episode, we speak with Viktoria Ershova who wa

Operation Gold (also known as Operation Stopwatch by the British) was a joint operation conducted by the American Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and the British MI6 Secret Intelligence Service (SIS) in the 1950s to tap into landline communication of the Soviet Army headquarters in Berlin using a tunnel into the Soviet-occupied zone.  Steve Vogel is a veteran journalist who reported for the Washington Post and the author of Betrayal in Berlin a new book that tells the story of one of the West’s greatest espionage operations of the Cold War. Now I’m sure you are enjoying your weekly dose of Cold War history, and you’d like to continue to do so.  So I’m asking if you wouldn’t mind supporting us by paying at least $3 USD a month – higher amounts are welcome too. It’s very straightforward and you can stop whenever you want. Plus monthly supporters get the sought after CWC coaster too! Just go to https://coldwarconversations.com/donate/ Back to today’s episode, Steve’s dogged research unearthed recently declassi

John Tarver was born into a middle-class family. He joined the British Communist Party on his 18th birthday in 1948 because he felt the Soviet Union had made the most effective resistance to fascism. He worked as a party activist in Britain and made several trips to the GDR where he would get a job at Potsdam as head of the final year of studies in the English language. His 18 years’ work as a Communist party organizer set him apart from other Britons in the GDR and he became an informer for the Stasi. Now if this podcast was a magazine you wouldn’t mind paying a few quid or dollars a week so I’m asking you to support us for the bargain price of $3 a month. In the last few weeks John Newlove and Mike Hart have joined in helping to cover the show’s increasing costs and keep us on the air, plus they’ve got the sought after CWC coaster too. Just go to https://coldwarconversations.com/donate/ Special thanks to Ian Hawkins who allowed me to use these audio files from his excellent documentary “My DDR T-Shirt” whic

Jay Lieberman talks about his early childhood memories of the Cold War as well as his long career in the US Navy. He tells a fascinating story of how he obtained high security clearance in the US Navy and served at a number of classified command facilities including the 2nd Pentagon and the Fleet Ocean Surveillance Information Facility, at Rota, Spain. Now if this podcast was a magazine you wouldn’t mind paying a few quid or dollars a week so I’m asking you to support us for the bargain price of $3 a month. In the last few weeks John Newlove and Mike Hart have joined in helping to cover the show’s increasing costs and keep us on the air, plus they’ve got the sought after CWC coaster too. Just go to https://coldwarconversations.com/donate/ This conversation was recorded as part of the Imperial War Museum North, Voices of the Wall event commemorating 30 years since the fall of the Berlin Wall. Make sure you stay subscribed for future conversations. Jay talks about his various postings, his security clearance an

And now for something completely different... today I’m chatting with listener Peter Ryan who will be turning the tables and questioning me about my Cold War story! Now, listeners, I can see you are enjoying the podcast by the increasing listener numbers so if you’d like the podcast to continue all I’m asking for a few quid or dollars a month to help keep us on the air plus you become the envy of your friends with that sought after CWC coaster too. Just go to https://coldwarconversations.com/donate/ If you can’t donate financially then you can also help us by leaving a written review on Apple podcasts or wherever you consume this podcast. By the way, we’ve opened a Cold War Conversations merchandise store to help support us, just go to https://coldwarconversations.com/store/ This conversation was recorded at the Barbican Centre in London, so excuse some random noises in the background.  Peter asks me about how the podcast started, what motivates me alongside my recommended Cold War movies. We welcome Peter Ry

Manuel Alzaga returns to the podcast after his debut in episode 57 with his experiences as US Army 18-year-old assistant artillery gunner in West Germany. He tells of his first impressions of West Germany, details of the 1982 Reforger exercise (return of forces to Germany) Exercise, as well as the life expectancy of a front line soldier on the East German border, should the Cold War had turned hot. Now if this podcast was a magazine you wouldn’t mind paying a few quid or dollars a week so I’m asking you to support us for the bargain price of $3 a month.  You join a select band who help cover the show’s increasing costs, keep us on the air and bask in the warm glow of being official supporters of the podcast – they also receive the sought after CWC coaster too. Just go to https://coldwarconversations.com/donate/ So to today’s episode, Manuel's story starts as he steps off the plane at the Rhein-Main Air Base which was the primary airlift and passenger hub for United States forces in Europe. We welcome Manuel A

There’s an area near Bergen, Norway known as Isdalen (“Ice Valley”), but also nicknamed "Death Valley", due to the area's history of suicides in the Middle Ages, and more recent hiking accidents. In November 1970 a man and his two young daughters noting an unusual burning smell and to their horror discovered the charred body of a woman, located among some scree. Now if this podcast was a magazine you wouldn’t mind paying a few quid or dollars a week so I’m asking you to support us for the bargain price of $3 a month. In the last few weeks Pete Hobson, Richard Goyette, Hamish Macintyre, Alastair Bassett, David Roberts, James Marks and Richard Harvey have joined in helping to cover the show’s increasing costs and keep us on the air, plus they’ve got the sought after CWC coaster too. Just go to https://coldwarconversations.com/donate/ So back to today’s episode – We speak with Marit Higraff, an investigative reporter for the Norwegian broadcaster NRK, who has investigated this case and is the co-presenter of the

We return to Ramona Reed’s account of her father, Dean Reed who was an American actor, singer, songwriter, director, and Socialist who became a huge star in Latin America and the Eastern Bloc. Now if you like the podcast you can help to support us for the price of a couple of coffees a month. You’ll be helping to cover the show’s increasing costs and keep us on the air, plus you get the sought after CWC coaster too. Just go to https://coldwarconversations.com/donate/ If that’s not your cup of tea, you can also help us by placing a written review on Itunes. This helps to raise our profile and get new guests on the show. So back to today’s episode – Ramona continues the story with details of the latter years of her father’s life as well her theories about his death.  We welcome Ramona back to our Cold War conversation… Episode 1 of this interview is here https://coldwarconversations.com/episode97     If you like what you are hearing sign up to our email list at coldwarconversations.com. We have further photos

Ramona Reed’s father was Dean Reed an American actor, singer, songwriter, director, and Socialist who became a huge star in Latin America and the Eastern Bloc. Now if you like the podcast you can help to support us for the price of a couple of coffees a month. You’ll be helping to cover the show’s increasing costs and keep us on the air, plus you get the sought after CWC coaster too. Just go to https://coldwarconversations.com/donate/ If that’s not your cup of tea, you can also help us by placing a written review on Itunes. This helps to raise our profile and get new guests on the show. So back to today’s episode – Ramona was born in 1968 and gives insight into his life via private correspondence, but also what it was like to be the daughter of such a huge Eastern Bloc star.  We welcome Ramona to our Cold War conversation… Episode 2 of this interview is here https://coldwarconversations.com/episode98/ We have further photos and information on this episode in our episode notes at https://coldwarconversation