Cold War Conversations

Refusenik was an unofficial term for individuals—typically, but not exclusively, Soviet Jews—who were denied permission to emigrate, primarily to Israel, by the authorities of the Soviet Union and other countries of the Eastern bloc. The term refusenik is derived from the "refusal" handed down to a prospective emigrant from the Soviet authorities.

Eric Hochstein was a staff member for Senator Carl Levin of Michigan working on human rights. Human rights were a big issue for Senator Levin. 

Eric went as part of a standard commercial tour of the SU for two weeks from Sep 28th,1980, where he visited Moscow, Kharkiv, Kyiv, Odessa, and Leningrad. Eric and his colleagues used this trip to peel off and visit various Refusenik families to bring them news, messages and supplies. 

Only protected by a US passport and a tourist visa Eric travelled by public transport under surveillance from the KGB carrying supplies for the families included Levi jeans which were better than money in the Soviet Union of the 1980s. 

0:00 Introduction

2:50 Guest Introduction: Eric Hochstein 

6:51 Lead-up to Eric Hochstein's trip to the USSR

13:41 Arrival and first impressions of the Soviet Union

23:39 Interaction with Refusenik families and their conditions

29:42 Anecdotes about being followed by the KGB

36:04 Soviet people's awareness about the United States and the West

40:12 Impressions of Leningrad and merchandise scarcity in Soviet Union

45:12 Acknowledgement and thanks to patrons

46:41 Cold War Conversations store promotion

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I could really use your support to help me to capture and preserve these amazing stories of the Cold War. 

If you could make either a one-off or better still sign up to monthly donations to help me to find the time to produce and finance the project.

If you’d like to know more just go to cwc.com/donate

If you can’t wait for next week’s episode do visit our Facebook discussion group where guests and listeners continue the Cold War Conversation. Just search Cold War Conversations in Facebook.

Peter Ryan is your host today and I am delighted to welcome Eric Hochstein to our Cold War conversation…

There’s further information here. https://coldwarconversations.com/episode215

Thank you very much for listening. It is really appreciated – goodbye.

Support the project! https://coldwarconversations.com/donate/

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Today’s episode is different. Brett Elliott died earlier this year and I was contacted by his ex-wife Polly who offered me a cassette tape. 

Polly and Brett had met in college and got to know each other in Russian Club at Oklahoma State. In the summer of 1991, they went to Moscow to pursue Polly’s goal of being a reporter in Russia and Brett’s goal of further studying Russia. 

They both worked together covering the Bush Gorbachev summit, with Polly as a reporter and Brett as an interpreter. Polly left Russia early, but Brett stayed a few weeks more and witnessed the collapse of the Soviet Union, August 19-21, 1991. During a rare phone call, Polly begged him to be careful, and he famously said she was worse than the coup leaders if she wanted to deny him getting out to witness history…

Polly's book is available on the links below

US Listeners https://amzn.to/3mEuPMa

UK listeners https://amzn.to/3CLuHjy

We have photos here https://coldwarconversations.com/episode214/

This podcast relies on listener support to enable me to continue to capture these incredible stories and make them available for free. You can support my work and help to preserve Cold War history via one-off or monthly donations

Just go to https://coldwarconversations.com/donate/ for more details.

Do join our Facebook discussion group where the cold war conversation continues between episodes. Just search Cold War Conversations on Facebook.

This episode is the audio from the cassette of Brett describing his experiences just two weeks after the coup. Being on cassette the sound quality is not great, but I am delighted and honoured to welcome Brett Elliott to our Cold War conversation…

0:00 Introduction and appeal for donations

1:47 Brett and Polly's experience in Russia

5:55 Brett's account before and during the coup

14:09 Brett's analysis of the coup leaders' strategy

16:03 Reaction to the arrival of armored vehicles in Moscow

21:23 Protestors' response to the show of military force

28:45 The march towards the Russian Federation building

31:01 Day 2: Speeches and continued protests

35:07 Brett's journey back home through Yugoslavia

44:22 Brett's reflection on the changes since the uprising

46:00 Ian Sanders: Closing remarks and thanks to patrons

47:13 Ian Sanders: Postscript and store promotion

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John Andrews joined the Royal Navy in 1981 and went on to serve aboard the HMS Repulse, one of the UK’s Polaris nuclear missile submarines from 1982.

His role was Missile Compartment Control Patrol which included security of the nuclear missile compartment as well as assisting in the maintenance of the missile tubes and the nuclear missiles themselves. 

John shares details of life aboard the ship including missile launch tests, alcohol, practical jokes, escape procedures from a submerged submarine and many more.

This podcast relies on listener support to enable me to continue to capture these incredible stories and make them available for free. You can support my work and help to preserve Cold War history via one-off or monthly donations

Just go to https://coldwarconversations.com/donate/ for more details.

Do join our Facebook discussion group where the cold war conversation continues between episodes. Just search Cold War Conversations on Facebook.

Now, this episode was recorded at the Hack Green Nuclear Bunker Soviet Threat event so you will hear some background noise, but I am delighted to welcome John Andrews 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. 

0:00 Introduction and guest John Andrews' role in the Royal Navy

3:05 Detailed background of John's service

6:13 Discussion on John's claustrophobia and PTSD diagnosis

9:02 Recollection of a missile launch test

15:32 Understanding of ship-wide activities

20:38 Role of detonators in missile launch

24:28 Monitoring radiation exposure and experiences with PTSD

28:17 Relationships and interactions with officers

31:40 Family communication on the submarine

37:52 Running quiet on the submarine when being followed

42:22 Rivalry between submarines and crews

44:30 Closing remarks by Ian Sanders

43:55 Acknowledging patrons and call for donations

44:45 Cold War Conversations store advertisement

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I speak with Colin Ferguson a veteran from the British Army‘s covert Special Observation Post Troop which was founded in 1982.

The "stay behind" Special OP Troop consisted of selected soldiers in 6 man patrols whose task was to dig in large underground hides known as "mexe" shelters along the inner German border. They would then allow the main Soviet forces to pass over them before deploying to two smaller observation posts (Ops) where they would engage the enemy with the long-range guns and rockets of the British Army.

Colin, covers in detail, selection, training and deployment as well as how the mexes were constructed. Do check out Colin’s podcast, “The Unconventional Soldier” which offers first-hand accounts of past conflicts, military history, book and film reviews, plus guests, dits and digression

This podcast relies on listener support to enable me to continue to capture these incredible stories and make them available for free. You can support my work and help to preserve Cold War history via one off or monthly donations

Just go to https://coldwarconversations.com/donate/for more details.

Do join our Facebook discussion group where the cold war conversation continues between episodes.

This episode is dedicated to remembering two members of the Special Op Troop. Lance Bombardier Steve Cummins, who is pictured on the episode cover and Gunner Miles Amos who lost their lives in 1989 when their vehicle struck a mine near Londonderry. We thank them for their service.

I am delighted and honoured to welcome Colin Ferguson to our Cold War conversation…

There are photos and further info here. https://coldwarconversations.com/episode212/

0:00 Introduction

0:24 Interview with Colin Ferguson, a veteran from the British Army's covert Special OP troop

7:22 Basic training for the artillery and assignment to the 12th air defense regiment

14:24 Volunteering and initial training for the Special OP troop

20:30 The selection process for the Special OP troop and field experience training

33:08 Survival skills, live field firing and the final exercise of the course

36:48 Historical accuracy of army depictions in movies and use of Soviet vehicles for training

40:31 Deployment of special OP troops, selection of shelter locations and creation of target information packs

50:20 Communication distance with the artillery and encryption of communication

59:45 Participation in Exercise Reforger, end of the Cold War and escape and evasion training

1:02:51 Survival and resistance interrogation course and experiences facing the Soviet army

1:12:13 Reflections on the sacrifices of fellow soldiers and remembering the casualties of the Cold War

1:13:44 Introduction to the "Unconventional Soldier" podcast

1:16:31 Store promotion and closing remarks

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Lea Ypi grew up in one of the most isolated countries on earth, a place where communist ideals had officially replaced religion. Albania, the last Stalinist outpost in Europe, was almost impossible to visit, almost impossible to leave. It was a place of queuing and scarcity, of political executions and secret police. To Lea, it was home. People were equal, neighbours helped each other, and children were expected to build a better world. There was community and hope.

Then, in December 1990, a year after the fall of the Berlin Wall, everything changed. The statues of Stalin and Hoxha were toppled. Almost overnight, people could vote freely, wear what they liked and worship as they wished. There was no longer anything to fear from prying ears. But factories shut, jobs disappeared and thousands fled to Italy on crowded ships, only to be sent back. Predatory pyramid schemes eventually bankrupted the country, leading to violent conflict. As one generation's aspirations became another's disillusionment, and as her own family's secrets were revealed, Lea found herself questioning what freedom really meant.

Free is an engrossing memoir of coming of age amid political upheaval. With acute insight and wit, Lea Ypi traces the limits of progress and the burden of the past, illuminating the spaces between ideals and reality, and the hopes and fears of people pulled up by the sweep of history.

Buy the book and support the podcast

Now time doesn’t come free and I’m asking listeners to support my work recording these incredible stories via a small (or large)l donation. If you become a monthly supporter via Patreon, you will get the sought after CWC coaster as a thank you and bask in the warm glow of knowing you are helping to preserve Cold War history.

Just go to https://coldwarconversations.com/donate/

If you can’t wait for next week’s episode do visit our Facebook discussion group where guests and listeners continue the Cold War Conversation. Just search Cold War Conversations in Facebook. Schattenberg

I am delighted to welcome Lea Ypi to our Cold War conversation…

There’s further information here. https://coldwarconversations.com/episode210/

Thank you very much for listening. It is really appreciated – goodbye.

Support the project! https://coldwarconversations.com/donate/

Follow us on Twitter https://twitter.com/ColdWarPod

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/groups/coldwarpod/

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0:00 Introduction

1:01 Life in Albania during the Cold War: Lea Ypi's Background

3:08 Lea Ypi's Family History and the Impact of Politics

7:15 Tourism and International Influence in Cold War Albania

15:46 Decoding Family Secrets: The Coded Language of Dissidence

19:25 The Delayed Fall of Communism in Albania and its Aftermath

26:35 Lea Ypi's Exposure to the Outside World and Cultural Shifts

34:39 Childhood Memories: The Tourist Area and Italian Television

42:13 Political Transition in Albania: From Communism to Liberalism

51:48 Rise and Fall of Pyramid Schemes in Transitioning Albania

54:18 Lea Ypi's Journey into Studying and Teaching Marx and Marxism

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On 17 July 1975 the first manned international space mission, carried out jointly by the United States and the Soviet Union. Millions of people around the world watched on television as a United States Apollo module docked with a Soviet Union Soyuz capsule. 

The project, and its memorable handshake in the heavens, was a symbol of détente between the two superpowers during the Cold War, and it is generally considered to mark the end of the Space Race.

Unthinkable only years earlier the Apollo–Soyuz mission was made possible by the thaw Soviet-US relations. According to Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev, "The Soviet and American spacemen will go up into outer space for the first major joint scientific experiment in the history of mankind. They know that from outer space our planet looks even more beautiful. It is big enough for us to live peacefully on it, but it is too small to be threatened by nuclear war.”

Our guest is Cold War Conversations favourite, author Stephen Walker, the author of Beyond: The Astonishing Story of the First Human to Leave Our Planet and Journey into Space.

Buy the book here and support CWC

UK https://amzn.to/3wOBZRI

US https://amzn.to/30vgsld

Do check out our two previous episodes with Stephen. Yuri Gagarin, the first human in space here https://coldwarconversations.com/episode172/ and the Forgotten Cosmonaut here https://coldwarconversations.com/episode192/

I’m asking listeners to support my work and enable me to continue recording these incredible stories. If you become a monthly supporter via Patreon, you will get the sought after CWC coaster as a thank you and bask in the warm glow of knowing you are helping to preserve Cold War history.

Just go to https://coldwarconversations.com/donate/

If you can’t wait for next week’s episode do visit our Facebook discussion group where guests and listeners continue the Cold War Conversation. Just search Cold War Conversations in Facebook.

I am delighted to welcome Stephen Walker back to our Cold War conversation…

There’s further information here. https://coldwarconversations.com/episode210/

Thank you very much for listening. It is really appreciated – goodbye.

Support the project! https://coldwarconversations.com/donate/

Follow us on Twitter https://twitter.com/ColdWarPod

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/groups/coldwarpod/

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/coldwarconversations/

Youtube https://youtube.com/@ColdWarConversations

0:00 Introduction and historic narration of the Apollo-Soyuz mission

1:24 Significance of the Apollo-Soyuz mission in the Cold War context

5:44 Detailed discussion on the Apollo-Soyuz mission: technological, political, and human aspects

10:17 Beginning of the thawing of Cold War tensions and the role of Apollo-Soyuz mission

20:06 Challenges encountered during the Apollo-Soyuz mission: Language and technology

24:38 Profiles of Apollo-Soyuz mission crew members

32:23 Training, first impressions, and cultural exchange between the American and Soviet teams

44:51 The launch of the mission and the first-ever televised Soviet launch

50:23 First meeting in space, exchange of gifts, shared journey, and near disaster

57:41 Troubled return of the Apollo and the aftermath

1:01:53 Legacy of the Apollo-Soyuz mission and the changing dynamics of space travel

1:08:05 Reflections on the collapse of the Soviet Union and the Berlin Wall

1:08:49 Introduction to Stephen Walker's book "Beyond"

1:11:23 Acknowledgement of the show's patrons and supporters

1:12:29 Closing remarks and promotion of the Cold War Conversations store

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Now, what do you think of when you hear the name Leonid Brezhnev who ruled the Soviet Union for 18 years from the 1960s to the 1980s? 

An old guy waving weakly from the Lenin mausoleum?

Well, think again! We speak with Susanne Schattenberg, the author of a new biography that systematically dismantles the stereotypical and one-dimensional view of Brezhnev as the stagnating Stalinist by drawing on a wealth of archival research and documents not previously studied in English. 

The Brezhnev that emerges is a complex one, from his early apolitical years, as an aspiring actor and poetry fan, through his swift and surprising rise through the Party ranks. 

We talk about his hitherto misunderstood role in Khrushchev's ousting and appointment as his successor, to his somewhat pro-Western foreign policy aims, deft consolidation and management of power, and ultimate descent into addiction and untimely death. 

For Schattenberg, this is the story of a flawed and ineffectual idealist - for the West, this biography makes a convincing case that Brezhnev should be reappraised as one of the most interesting and important political figures of the twentieth century.

Buy the book here and support CWC 

UK https://amzn.to/3kCUaVn

US https://amzn.to/3c9fOvZ

Now time doesn’t come free and I’m asking listeners to support my work recording these incredible stories via a small (or large)l donation. If you become a monthly supporter via Patreon, you will get the sought after CWC coaster as a thank you and bask in the warm glow of knowing you are helping to preserve Cold War history.

Just go to https://coldwarconversations.com/donate/

If you can’t wait for next week’s episode do visit our Facebook discussion group where guests and listeners continue the Cold War Conversation. Just search Cold War Conversations in Facebook.

I am delighted to welcome Susanne Schattenberg to our Cold War conversation…

Thank you very much for listening. It is really appreciated 

Support the project! https://coldwarconversations.com/donate/

Follow us on Twitter https://twitter.com/ColdWarPod

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/groups/coldwarpod/

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0:00 Introduction

2:58 Brezhnev's early life, education, and career

8:07 Start of Brezhnev's political career and navigation of Stalinist purges

23:08 Brezhnev's rise to power and relationship with Khrushchev

34:06 Brezhnev's leadership style, reforms, and international crisis

38:12 Brezhnev's portrayal as a Western statesman and health decline

49:34 Brezhnev's involvement in Afghanistan and Poland's situation

56:41 Closing remarks and promotion of Cold War Conversations store

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Fred Weir was a third-generation red diaper baby from Toronto and a long-time member of the Communist Party. His uncle, trained at the Lenin School in Moscow in the 1920s as an agent of the Communist International, the Comintern and spent many years in the USSR.

Fred had visited a few times, had studied Russian history up to the graduate level, but never wanted to live there until Gorbachev came to power in 1985. The new general secretary, the party’s first to be born after the revolution, talked, unlike any Communist leader since the original Bolsheviks. Suddenly, there was the electrifying prospect of socialism powered from below, a system focused on creative human potential rather than crop statistics. 

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 or Buy Me a Coffee you will get the sought after CWC coaster 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 media. It really helps us get new guests on the show.

I am delighted to welcome Fred Weir to our Cold War conversation…

There’s further information here. https://coldwarconversations.com/episode208/

If you can’t wait for next week’s episode do visit our Facebook discussion group where guests and listeners continue the Cold War Conversation. Just search Cold War Conversations in Facebook.

Thank you very much for listening. It is really appreciated 

Support the project! https://coldwarconversations.com/donate/

Follow us on Twitter https://twitter.com/ColdWarPod

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/groups/coldwarpod/

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/coldwarconversations/

Youtube https://youtube.com/@ColdWarConversations

0:00 Introduction

3:00 Introduction of guest Fred Weir and discussion on his early life

9:16 Recollection of the Prague Spring and its impact

15:24 Decision to stay in Moscow after the collapse of the Soviet Union

19:03 Socializing with local Communist Party members and life in Soviet Union

25:48 Covering the impact of Glasnost and Perestroika

35:41 The transition from Yeltson's to Putin's leadership

39:15 Fred Weir's experiences during the 1991 coup

52:09 Predicting and understanding the collapse of the Soviet Union

55:13 Life after the collapse of the Soviet Union

1:00:34 Acknowledging the support of patrons

1:01:20 Cold War Conversations discussion group on Facebook

1:02:28 Cold War Conversations store

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For almost half a century, the hottest front in the Cold War was right across Berlin. From summer 1945 until 1990, spying was part of everyday life in both East and West Berlin.

I speak with historian Bernd von Kostka of the Allied Museum in Berlin-Dahlem who has co-authored with Sven Felix Kellerhoff the book Capital of Spies: Intelligence agencies in Berlin during the Cold War recently published by Casemate.

The book describes the spectacular successes and failures of the various secret services based in the city and in this episode we will concentrate on one of the chapters detailing the work of the various Allied listening stations.

Buy "Capital of Spies" and support the podcast here

This podcast relies on listener support to enable me to continue to capture these incredible stories and make them available for free. You can support my work and help to preserve Cold War history via one off or monthly donations

Just go to https://coldwarconversations.com/donate/for more details.

Do join our Facebook discussion group where the cold war conversation continues between episodes. Just search Cold War Conversations on Facebook.

I am delighted and honoured to welcome back Bernd von Kostka to our Cold War conversation…

There’s further information here. https://coldwarconversations.com/episode207/

Thank you very much for listening. It is really appreciated – goodbye.

Support the project! https://coldwarconversations.com/donate/

Follow us on Twitter https://twitter.com/ColdWarPod

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/groups/coldwarpod/

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/coldwarconversations/

Youtube https://youtube.com/@ColdWarConversations

0:00 Introduction and discussion on Berlin's role in the Cold War

2:42 Historical significance of Teufelsberg in Berlin

9:14 Listening stations in Berlin: Marienfelde and Templehof

16:28 Collaboration between the Western powers in Berlin

20:47 Technology and operations at Teufelsberg

27:47 Infiltration of Field Station Berlin by Soviet and East German agents

38:32 US counterintelligence's awareness of spy activities

43:33 Exposure and fate of the spies post-arrest

47:59 Fate of Teufelsberg after the Wall opened

50:07 Sponsor: Promotion for Bernd's book "Capital of Spies"

51:57 Closing remarks and promotion for the Cold War Conversations store

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In 1985, an eighteen-year-old named Riho Terras arrived at the Soviet armed forces’ large conscript assessment facility in Tallinn obeying his conscription orders.

Little did he know that 26 years later he would be a NATO General.

Riho shares his experiences in the Soviet Navy with us in some detail. We hear about his service on the Soviet frigate Zadornyy including trips to the Mediterranean and Cuba as well as monitoring NATO warships.

Riho also shares his experiences of Estonian independence and the challenges of converting the country into an independent nation.

I’m extremely grateful to Elisabeth Braw, a resident fellow at the American Enterprise Institute who facilitated this interview via her Englebert Ideas essay.

Thanks to all of you for listening to the podcast. It is an absolute passion for me to save these stories from being forgotten and sharing them weekly for free for everyone to hear. 

Whilst this is a passion, I am asking if each listener could make either a one-off or better still sign up for monthly donations to help me to find the time to produce and finance the project.

If you’d like to know more 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 media. It really helps us get new guests on the show.

I am delighted to welcome Riho Terras to our Cold War conversation…

There’s further information about this episode here. https://coldwarconversations.com/episode206/

If you can’t wait for next week’s episode do visit our Facebook discussion group where guests and listeners continue the Cold War Conversation. Just search Cold War Conversations in Facebook.

Thank you very much for listening. It is really appreciated – goodbye.

Support the project! https://coldwarconversations.com/donate/

Follow us on Twitter https://twitter.com/ColdWarPod

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/groups/coldwarpod/

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/coldwarconversations/

Youtube https://youtube.com/@ColdWarConversations

0:00 Introduction and Riho Terras' early life in Estonia

1:41 Sponsor: Call for listener support and donations

9:06 Riho's military draft notice and initial experiences in the Soviet Navy

16:41 Riho's unique experience as an artist in the Navy and decision to join a naval ship

22:37 Riho's role and experiences on the Soviet naval ship in the Mediterranean

27:43 Riho's experiences in Cuba and encounters with NATO warships

36:19 Riho's return to Estonia, observations on its independence movement and joining the national guard

47:39 Transitioning from Soviet Union to independent Estonia and its economic changes post-independence

51:03 Riho joining the Estonian Armed Forces and progression through the ranks

54:51 Influence of Riho's Soviet military experience on his career in the Estonian Armed Forces

56:43 Conclusion and acknowledgements to patrons

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