<p dir="ltr">In a 1946 letter to Secretary of State James Byrnes, President Harry Truman proclaimed, "I'm tired of babying the Soviets." Once the United States' strongest anti-Fascist ally, the Soviet Union was rapidly becoming its greatest enemy, and fears that the Soviets would have access to atomic weapons led to an unprecedented era of paranoia and spying. Oppenheimer was not the only Jewish American to be a target of anti-Communist proceedings, and as Communism continued to spread across Europe and Asia, suspicion at home only continued to escalate. This week we're joined by Dr. Jonathan Brent, CEO of the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research.</p>

In a 1946 letter to Secretary of State James Byrnes, President Harry Truman proclaimed, "I'm tired of babying the Soviets." Once the United States' strongest anti-Fascist ally, the Soviet Union was rapidly becoming its greatest enemy, and fears that the Soviets would have access to atomic weapons led to an unprecedented era of paranoia and spying. Oppenheimer was not the only Jewish American to be a target of anti-Communist proceedings, and as Communism continued to spread across Europe and Asia, suspicion at home only continued to escalate. This week we're joined by Dr. Jonathan Brent, CEO of the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research.

<p>In a 1946 letter to Secretary of State James Byrnes, President Harry Truman proclaimed, "I'm tired of babying the Soviets." Once the United States' strongest anti-Fascist ally, the Soviet Union was rapidly becoming its greatest enemy, and fears that the Soviets would have access to atomic weapons led to an unprecedented era of paranoia and spying. Oppenheimer was not the only Jewish American to be a target of anti-Communist proceedings, and as Communism continued to spread across Europe and Asia, suspicion at home only continued to escalate. This week we're joined by Dr. Jonathan Brent, CEO of the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research.</p>

The Soviets

The Wreckage is a narrative podcast from the American Jewish Historical Society, chronicling the unique stories of American Jews throughout the Cold War. Season 3, Open Up the Gates, out now!

About Season 3: As totalitarianism descended across Eastern Europe, Soviet Jews struggled to leave the USSR. Cold War tensions continued to escalate, and by the 1970s, a grassroots movement among Jewish Americans to secure the release of their Soviet counterparts began to grow. This movement, which soon also found support outside Jewish communities, helped to create the political identity of the American Jewish community as we know it today.

Join host Rebecca Naomi Jones and a slate of special guests for the final chapter of The Wreckage. Jones is best known for her performances in the Broadway rock musicals Passing Strange, American Idiot, and Hedwig and the Angry Inch, as well as being the first woman of color to play Laurey in Oklahoma! on Broadway.

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History

The Wreckage is a narrative podcast from the American Jewish Historical Society, chronicling the unique stories of American Jews throughout the Cold War. Season 3, Open Up the Gates, out now! About Season 3: As totalitarianism descended across Eastern Europe, Soviet Jews struggled to leave the USSR. Cold War tensions continued to escalate, and by the 1970s, a grassroots movement among Jewish Americans to secure the release of their Soviet counterparts began to grow. This movement, which soon also found support outside Jewish communities, helped to create the political identity of the American Jewish community as we know it today. Join host Rebecca Naomi Jones and a slate of special guests for the final chapter of The Wreckage. Jones is best known for her performances in the Broadway rock musicals Passing Strange, American Idiot, and Hedwig and the Angry Inch, as well as being the first woman of color to play Laurey in Oklahoma! on Broadway.

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The Soviets

The Soviets

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