Sign up to save your podcasts
Or
Share One man’s escape from McCarthyism
Share to email
Share to Facebook
Share to X
Share to email
Share to Facebook
Share to X
Or
One man’s escape from McCarthyism
In 1951, at the height of the McCarthy era, a time when the US government pursued suspected communists, Victor Grossman was drafted into the army. A committed communist since his teens, he hid his political beliefs.
Stationed in West Germany and under FBI scrutiny, he faced the threat of a possible court martial. To avoid prison, he fled to the Soviet Union in 1952, swimming across the Danube River.
Victor tells Lizzy Kinch about his dramatic escape and life in East Germany. A Whistledown production.
Eye-witness accounts brought to life by archive. Witness History is for those fascinated by the past. We take you to the events that have shaped our world through the eyes of the people who were there.
For nine minutes every day, we take you back in time and all over the world, to examine wars, coups, scientific discoveries, cultural moments and much more.
Recent episodes explore everything from the death of Adolf Hitler, the first spacewalk and the making of the movie Jaws, to celebrity tortoise Lonesome George, the Kobe earthquake and the invention of superglue.
We look at the lives of some of the most famous leaders, artists, scientists and personalities in history, including: Eva Peron – Argentina’s Evita; President Ronald Reagan and his famous ‘tear down this wall’ speech; Thomas Keneally on why he wrote Schindler’s List; and Jacques Derrida, France’s ‘rock star’ philosopher.
You can learn all about fascinating and surprising stories, such as the civil rights swimming protest; the disastrous D-Day rehearsal; and the death of one of the world’s oldest languages.
(Photo: Victor Grossman. Credit: Victor Grossman)
View all episodes
By BBC World Service
4.5
903903 ratings
In 1951, at the height of the McCarthy era, a time when the US government pursued suspected communists, Victor Grossman was drafted into the army. A committed communist since his teens, he hid his political beliefs.
Stationed in West Germany and under FBI scrutiny, he faced the threat of a possible court martial. To avoid prison, he fled to the Soviet Union in 1952, swimming across the Danube River.
Victor tells Lizzy Kinch about his dramatic escape and life in East Germany. A Whistledown production.
Eye-witness accounts brought to life by archive. Witness History is for those fascinated by the past. We take you to the events that have shaped our world through the eyes of the people who were there.
For nine minutes every day, we take you back in time and all over the world, to examine wars, coups, scientific discoveries, cultural moments and much more.
Recent episodes explore everything from the death of Adolf Hitler, the first spacewalk and the making of the movie Jaws, to celebrity tortoise Lonesome George, the Kobe earthquake and the invention of superglue.
We look at the lives of some of the most famous leaders, artists, scientists and personalities in history, including: Eva Peron – Argentina’s Evita; President Ronald Reagan and his famous ‘tear down this wall’ speech; Thomas Keneally on why he wrote Schindler’s List; and Jacques Derrida, France’s ‘rock star’ philosopher.
You can learn all about fascinating and surprising stories, such as the civil rights swimming protest; the disastrous D-Day rehearsal; and the death of one of the world’s oldest languages.
(Photo: Victor Grossman. Credit: Victor Grossman)
More shows like Witness History
View all
Global News Podcast
7,709 Listeners
From Our Own Correspondent
376 Listeners
Business Daily
523 Listeners
More or Less
891 Listeners
Newshour
1,066 Listeners
World Business Report
303 Listeners
In Our Time
5,472 Listeners
The Documentary Podcast
1,805 Listeners
History Extra podcast
3,232 Listeners
The History Hour
592 Listeners
Friday Night Comedy from BBC Radio 4
2,114 Listeners
Great Lives
477 Listeners
The Interview
356 Listeners
Lives Less Ordinary
589 Listeners
The Inquiry
738 Listeners
The Life Scientific
236 Listeners
The Audio Long Read
850 Listeners
Science In Action
333 Listeners
CrowdScience
473 Listeners
Evil Genius with Russell Kane
367 Listeners
Have You Heard George's Podcast?
234 Listeners
Elis James and John Robins
334 Listeners
You're Dead to Me
3,221 Listeners
Sport's Strangest Crimes
66 Listeners
Uncanny
842 Listeners
Lady Killers with Lucy Worsley
535 Listeners
Believe in Magic
622 Listeners
History's Heroes
509 Listeners
The Global Story
352 Listeners
Miss Me?
266 Listeners
The Explanation
26 Listeners
The History Podcast
60 Listeners
Rory Stewart: The Long History of...
77 Listeners
Havana Helmet Club
2 Listeners