Cold War Conversations

In this episode we visit RAF Upper Heyford for a photography tour for Cold War enthusiasts …

The episode is in three parts, the first is some audio from the tour, followed by an interview with Ric Batson a former member of the USAF 20th Security Police Squadron and tour guide as well as an interview with his wife who is also a tour guide covering some aspects of the challenges of being the British wife of USAF service personnel.

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Todd Anton was arrested by the Stasi while on a day trip to East Berlin and gives a raw and powerful account of his arrest, interrogation and eventual release.

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We welcome Todd Anton to our Cold War Conversation.

Radio GDR

If you are interested in East Germany we can highly recommend our friends over at Radio GDR.

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Laurie Hawn is a retired Canadian Member of Parliament and former career fighter pilot in the Royal Canadian Air Force.  

Laurie tells the story of low level delivery of nuclear weapons via the Starfighter as well as conventional missions. Also we get insight into the escape, evasion and interrogation training given to NATO pilots. 

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Now back to today’s episode where you won't want to miss the story of how Laurie got his nickname of "Hawnski".

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In this episode we speak with Dr Becky-Alexis Martin who is a lecturer in Cultural and Political Geography at Manchester Metropolitan University and author of Disarming Doomsday – The Human Impact of Nuclear Weapons since Hiroshima.

If you like what you’re hearing then from the price of a cup of coffee a month you can help us cover our increasing costs and keep us on the air as well as receive a Cold War Conversations coaster- this year’s sought after household accessory!

Just click here. Thank you so much to our current and latest Patrons.

We welcome Dr Becky Alexis-Martin to our Cold War Conversation.

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What could make a privileged 24-year-old American serving in the US Army in Germany in 1952 to swim across the Danube River to what was then the Soviet Zone?

Victor Grossman who was born Stephen Wechsler but changed his name after defecting to the GDR. A child of the Depression, Grossman grew up in an environment that nurtured a commitment to left-wing causes. He continued his involvement with Communist activities as a student at Harvard in the late 1940s and after graduation, when he took jobs in factories in Buffalo, New York and tried to organize their workers.

After being drafted into the US Army and fearful of his discovery as a communist Grossman ended up in GDR with other Western defectors, He was able to establish himself as a freelance journalist, lecturer and author. Travelling through East Germany he saw the failures as well as the successes of the GDR's "socialist experiment".

While some of you will disagree with Victor's views, his first-hand account of his experiences is an important part of Cold War history.

We start my Cold War Conversation with Victor telling us about this early life in the United States.

Episode 2 is here https://coldwarconversations.com/episode69/

Radio GDR

If you are interested in East Germany we can highly recommend our friends over at Radio GDR.

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In this episode we speak with Colin Munro who has had an extensive career with the British Diplomatic Service. 

Today we speak about his time as Head of Chancery in Bucharest, Romania between 1981 to 1982. He provides a vivid view of a country initiating a policy of total repayment of the foreign debt by imposing austerity that impoverished the population and exhausted the economy.

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Now back to today’s episode where we start with Colin describing his role within the embassy. 

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In this episode we speak with Mark Wiegers who travelled on the Trans-Siberian Railway in the late 1980s. His story tells of trouble with officialdom, the unexpected kindness of strangers and the beauty of a Soviet Union on the cusp of major change. Mark has taken a stunning set of photos on his journey which you can view below. I really recommend you take a look via our show notes here. 

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Now back to today’s episode where we start with Mark and his friend in East Berlin.

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In this episode, we welcome back John Green to talk further about his covert journalism for East Germany. 

His story continues with his account of the Portuguese Carnation Revolution and a dangerous assignment to Pinochet’s Chile where he comes face to face with the infamous Dictator.

We join my Cold War Conversation with John Green in Portugal.

Can't wait for the next episode? Visit our discussion group here

Radio GDR

If you are interested in East Germany we can highly recommend our friends over at Radio GDR.

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

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Today we speak to Manuel Alzaga who as a 17 year old joined the US Army in 1981.

Manuel signed up to the artillery and tells his story from life of poverty in Los Angeles through to deployment in West Germany for a Reforger exercise.

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If you’d like to support us with a few dollars, pounds or roubles then head over to cwc.com and click here to learn more. Thank you so much to all our fans that are supporting us – it is really appreciated!

Now back to today’s episode. We start by talking about Manuel’s early life. 

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We speak to 98 year old Gail Halvorsen aka "The Candy Bomber" who flew in the Berlin Airlift in 1948.

The Soviets had started a 11-month land blockade against West Berlin. The blockade was broken by a massive U.S.-British airlift of vital supplies to West Berlin. Gail tells an incredible story of an iconic humanitarian mission at the dawn of the Cold War.

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If that’s not your cup of tea then you can really help us by leaving reviews on Itunes or with your favourite podcast provider. This really helps raise our profile and get guests on the show.

Now back to today’s episode. The line wasn’t great, but I felt so honoured to be able to speak with Gail.

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