Loading...

PODCAST

Cold War Conversations

"Listening to even one episode of "Cold War Conversations" will make this sprawling, potentially intimidating period of history feel vivid and compelling." The New York Times Experience the Cold War like never before with Cold War Conversations — an award-winning podcast. Each week, host Ian Sanders brings you raw, firsthand accounts from the people who lived through one of history’s most tense and transformative eras — soldiers, spies, civilians, and more. These aren’t stories from textbooks

history documentary

All Episodes

73:24

Conscripted to a West German Nuclear Missile Unit (457)

Cold War Conversations ·

2026/05/22

Kris is a former conscript in the West German Bundeswehr during the Cold War. He shares his experiences from the moment he received his conscription notice at 17, ultimately joining the Luftwaffe, where he served with the Pershing nuclear missile system.Basic training was a rite of passage filled with challenges. Kris recounts the camaraderie formed with fellow recruits and the harsh realities of military life. Still, it was during this time that he learned valuable lessons about discipline,

en

53:33

Fakers: A Top-Secret Tale of Phantoms and Forgeries...

Cold War Conversations ·

2026/05/15

I delve into the fascinating world of Cold War propaganda with historian Rory Cormac, author of a new book “Fakers - 'A Top Secret Tale of Phantoms and Forgeries on the Disinformation Front Line'. The episode uncovers the clandestine operations carried out by the Information Research Department (IRD), a little-known unit of the British Foreign Office that specialised in covert propaganda during the Cold War.Rory shares insights into the recent declassification of 8,000 files, which revealed the

en

47:00

30 Miles from the North Korean Border - A US Military...

Cold War Conversations ·

2026/05/08

Flynn describes life as a US military child just 30 miles from the North Korean Border during the 1970s. The political landscape of the time was tumultuous, marked by significant events such as the assassination of President Park and a number of serious border incursions and incidents. Flynn reflects on how these events affected his understanding of the world around him, even as a child. He recalls the fear instilled by air raid drills and the constant presence of military operations, which

en

84:31

The JFK Assassination: The human narratives behind...

Cold War Conversations ·

2026/05/01

Dallas, 22 November 1963. The main event is supposed to be on the appropriately named Main Street. News footage shows office workers leaning out of windows, peering at the motorcade through a blizzard of ticker tape. On the sidewalks, the crowds are fifty deep, a wall of noise and celebration. Everyone thinks this is the place to be. Well, nearly everyone....A few blocks away, in Dealey Plaza, the scene is different. There is no ticker tape here, and the crowds are thin. A dressmaker with vertigo

en

73:32

Chornobyl: Anatomy of a Catastrophe (453)

Cold War Conversations ·

2026/04/24

40 years ago at 1:23 a.m. on April 26, 1986, a routine safety test inside Reactor Four at the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant spiralled into the worst nuclear disaster in history.This episode traces the catastrophe from the control room, where exhausted operators struggled with an unstable reactor they did not fully understand, to the streets of Pripyat, where thousands of residents woke the next morning unaware that radioactive contamination had already settled around them. Through a dramatic,

en

94:09

From East Berlin to West Ireland (452)

Cold War Conversations ·

2026/04/17

Juli begins by recounting her early years in East Berlin, a time marked by the tragic loss of her father. Drafted into the army just days before her birth, her father continually deserted to see his family, ultimately leading to his untimely death. This early loss left Juli and her mother to navigate a harsh landscape in East Germany alone.Life in East Berlin was a world of contrasts. Juli describes the indoctrination she experienced in school, where lessons were steeped in socialist

en

68:57

Guarding the Wire at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba (451)

Cold War Conversations ·

2026/04/10

Chris was a US Marine assigned to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, a sprawling US base on the Communist island of Cuba. Chris describes the guard duty along the fence line, where the proximity to the Cuban border created an unusual tension. Chris also shares anecdotes of encounters with defectors and the fascinating dynamics of life on the base. From observing Cuban life across the fence to the camaraderie among Marines, his stories paint a vivid picture of military life. Chris also touches on the

en

60:36

Soviet - Afghan War, Mujahideen Resistance: The...

Cold War Conversations ·

2026/04/03

In this episode, historian and writer Michael G. Stroud explores how decades of political instability drew the Soviet Union into Afghanistan in 1979—and why the intervention quickly spiralled into a protracted and unwinnable war. From the struggle to control vast, rugged terrain to the challenge of winning support from a fiercely independent population, we examine the realities faced by Soviet and Afghan government forces. At the centre of the discussion are the battles for Zhawar, a vast

en

77:47

MI6 Director Looks Back at His Time in Cold War...

Cold War Conversations ·

2026/03/28

Former MI6 Director David Bickford takes us behind the scenes of one of the most unusual and precarious postings of the Cold War. Arriving in Berlin in 1979, the city is still technically under Allied occupation—surrounded by East Germany and governed through a complex web of agreements dating back to the Second World War. He recounts the day-to-day realities of maintaining access routes into the city, negotiating with the Soviets without the backing of force, and managing constant disputes over

en

48:51

An officer in The Internal Troops of the Soviet...

Cold War Conversations ·

2026/03/21

Ihor reflects on his time serving as an officer in the Soviet Union’s Ministry of Interior troops. After volunteering for military service, he found himself travelling from Lviv to Lithuania to begin officer training in communications and field operations.The training program brought together recruits from across the Soviet Union and beyond communications; these troops had a wide range of responsibilities—from guarding strategic facilities to responding to hostage crises and public disturbances

en

49:16

Growing up in Soviet Ukraine in the 1960s and 70s (447)

Cold War Conversations ·

2026/03/14

Born in Lviv in Ukraine, in 1958, Ihor grew up in a city where borders shifted, but memories endured. In this episode, he recalls a childhood shaped by silence, censorship, and family stories that could only be told in private. While official history came from Moscow, a very different past survived in the countryside—passed down by grandparents who had lived through empire, war, and occupation. This is a unique personal account of what it meant to grow up in Soviet Ukraine in the 1950s and

en

75:25

Secret Warriors - British Submarines during the Cold...

Cold War Conversations ·

2026/03/07

During the Cold War, some of the most dangerous encounters between East and West took place far beneath the ocean’s surface.I speak with historian Dr. Paul Brown, author of Secret Warriors: British Submarines during the Cold War. Brown reveals the extraordinary covert missions carried out by Royal Navy submarines as they monitored Soviet naval bases near Murmansk and the Barents Sea. British boats gathered vital intelligence by recording the acoustic signatures of Soviet submarines, trailing

en

48:20

American MiG Pilot: Inside the Top Secret USAF "Red...

Cold War Conversations ·

2026/02/28

Lt Col Rob “Z-Man” Zettel is the author of American MiG Pilot - Inside the Top Secret USAF “Red Eagles. He tells the Red Eagles story for the first time through the experiences of a pilot who flew Soviet MiGs to their maximum performance in simulated combat engagements, often several times a day, against some of the very best fighter pilots hand-picked from the ranks of the USAF, US Navy and US Marine Corps.With controls labelled in Russian and the only spare parts being the ones they could

en

50:11

High School Student to the Top Secret USAF Red Eagles...

Cold War Conversations ·

2026/02/21

Rob “Z-Man” Zettel is the author of American MiG Pilot - Inside the Top Secret USAF “Red Eagles. In part one of a two-part episode, he reveals how he made it into this top-secret US operation that wouldn't feel out of place in 'Top Gun'. From a high school student with no aviation background, Rob discovered he had a natural aptitude for flying via the USAF Reserve Officer Training Corps. He then joined the USAF, progressing to an Aggressor Squadron where his unit replicated enemy tactics,

en

61:34

The Moscow Playbook: How Russia Used, Abused, and...

Cold War Conversations ·

2026/02/14

I speak with Bruce Berglund, the author of The Moscow Playbook: How Russia Used, Abused, and Transformed Sports in the Hunt for Power, which is a fascinating journey through the world of Soviet sports and its intricate ties to politics as a means of soft power and national pride.We learn how the Soviets achieved strategic advantage through women's sports, the abuse of amateur status, the controversial topic of doping and how sports science revolutionised the performance of athletes. Listeners

en

52:09

Chasing Rogue Nukes after the Fall of the Soviet...

Cold War Conversations ·

2026/02/07

Susan Miller continues the story of her CIA career, recalling a harrowing experience of the 1991 US embassy fire in Moscow, and the unexpected humanity displayed by a KGB officer who helped save lives during the crisis. Episode one is here https://coldwarconversations.com/episode441/In Poland, a KGB walk-in claims to have microfiche containing the names of every spy the KGB was running overseas. And as CIA Chief in Vilnius, Susan is confronted by another KGB walk-in with a box of weapons-grade

en

49:20

Dead Drops and Disguises - A Female CIA Officer in...

Cold War Conversations ·

2026/01/31

I explore the remarkable journey of a CIA operations officer who transitioned from a quiet childhood in California to the thrilling world of espionage. What began as a joke application to the CIA turned into a life-changing opportunity. The episode delves into her rigorous training, including paramilitary courses that prepared her for the realities of fieldwork and thrilling stories from her time in Moscow during the late 1980s. Susan also gives tradecraft insights on surveillance techniques

en

54:23

Cold War British Army "stay behinds" - Live at the...

Cold War Conversations ·

2026/01/24

This special episode was recorded in front of a live audience at the Imperial War Museum London, in October 2025. I speak with Colin Ferguson, a veteran from the British Army‘s covert Special Observation Post Troop. This "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

en

83:11

Planning an Escape for 13 Years: How One Family...

Cold War Conversations ·

2026/01/17

What would you risk to escape a totalitarian state—and how long would you be willing to wait?In this gripping episode, Peter Kasl, author of Escaping the Grip of Eastern European Communism, tells the extraordinary true story of his family’s escape from behind the Iron Curtain. Born into a country transformed by repression after the 1968 Prague Spring and the Soviet invasion, Peter grew up in a world of fear, surveillance, and whispered conversations. He recounts how his uncle’s defection

en

50:22

Why did the USA invade Grenada in 1983? (438)

Cold War Conversations ·

2026/01/10

The US invasion of Grenada in 1983 remains a pivotal event in both Caribbean and Cold War history. President Reagan, fearing the spread of communism in the Caribbean and the safety of US citizens, initiated military action. US forces launched a swift invasion, aiming to seize control of the island and restore order. However, the operation was fraught with challenges. Intelligence failures, miscommunication, and the chaotic nature of the military operation raised questions about the effectiveness

en

478 results

Similar Podcasts

Today In History with The Retrospectors

The Retrospectors

pplpod

pplpod

The Old Front Line

Paul Reed

This Day in Disney History

ATIS Products

Blues Moments in Time...

The Blues Hotel Collective