PODCAST

A COLD WAR

Cameron Reilly & Ray Harris

A NSFW, detailed and funny long-form podcast about The Cold War.

history

All Episodes

34:01

CW #292 - Batista’s Bloodless Coup: Havana 1952

A COLD WAR ·

2025/09/05

In this episode of The Cold War, Cameron and Ray take us to Havana in 1952, when Fulgencio Batista staged a meticulously planned coup d’état. They walk through the midnight maneuvers at Camp Columbia, the arrest of generals, the swift control of communication hubs, and the apathy of the Cuban people after years of corruption. We see how Batista positioned himself as “the man” while suspending civil liberties, dissolving Congress, and reassuring both the Americans and local elites. Alongside this,

24:04

CW #291 Free - The Lawyer for the Poor

A COLD WAR ·

2025/08/19

In this episode, Cameron and Ray continue the story of Fidel Castro’s early years, charting his transformation from a fiery young activist entangled with street gangs into a determined reformer and aspiring politician. They explore how Castro navigated gang violence in Havana, his involvement with the nonviolent September 30th movement, his bold courtroom defenses, and his law practice dedicated to the poor. The episode also covers his growing disillusionment with Cuba’s political parties, his

47:22

CW #291 - The Lawyer for the Poor

A COLD WAR ·

2025/08/19

18:40

CW 290 Free - The Making Of Fidel

A COLD WAR ·

2025/08/11

Cameron and Ray pick up Fidel Castro’s story in 1948 as he returns from Colombia in the wake of the Bogotazo riots. We follow Castro through his early 20s as he campaigns for Eduardo Chibás, clashes with Havana police over accusations of corruption, and narrowly escapes being framed for murder. The conversation dives into the student-led bus fare protests—linked to shady U.S. business deals—that propelled Castro into the spotlight. We hear about his whirlwind romance and three-month honeymoon in the

47:56

CW 290 - The Making of Fidel

A COLD WAR ·

2025/08/11

23:45

CW 289 Free - The Rise Of Fidel

A COLD WAR ·

2025/07/26

In this episode, Cam and Ray kick off their deep dive into the life and legend of Fidel Castro. Picking up from the Batista coup of 1952, they trace Fidel’s early years—born illegitimate on his father’s sugar plantation, educated by Jesuits, and shaped by political violence. We follow Fidel through elite boarding schools, law school radicalisation, and his early attempts to overthrow regimes across Latin America. From jumping ship with a machine gun to surviving student death threats, Castro emerges

53:39

CW 289 - The Rise Of Fidel

A COLD WAR ·

2025/07/26

22:25

CS 288 Preview - Seven Governments, One Puppetmaster

A COLD WAR ·

2025/07/09

In this raucous and revelatory episode of The Cold War Podcast, Cameron and Ray finally reach the man of the hour: Fulgencio Batista. From humble military stenographer to kingmaker of a chaotic Cuba, Batista’s rise is traced through coups, constitutions, and crushing dissent. Cameron performs a blistering freestyle rap tribute to Ray (“Ray Bear Has No Hair”), then the duo dive into Batista’s reign, the boom years of WWII, puppet governments, violent suppression of opposition, and the eerie parallels

37:19

CW 288 Member - Seven Governments, One Puppetmaster

A COLD WAR ·

2025/07/09

22:39

Cold War #287 (free)

A COLD WAR ·

2025/06/13

In this episode of the Cold War podcast, Cam and Ray continue their wild ride through Cuban history, focusing on the rise and fall of Gerardo “Macho Man” Machado, the proto-strongman president who turned Cuba into a playground for rich tourists—and a pressure cooker for everyone else. From political repression and violent union crackdowns to communist organizing and student uprisings, this chapter sets the stage for Cuba’s eventual revolution. Along the way, we meet fascinating figures like Julio

58:28

Cold War #287 - The Fall of Macho Man Machado

A COLD WAR ·

2025/06/13

51:59

Cold War #286 - The Macho Man Cometh (Cuban...

A COLD WAR ·

2025/05/19

In this wild episode, Cam and Ray kick things off with a “Cam-hole” into the politics and economics of Cuba in the early 20th century. From rigged elections to sugar-fueled financial collapses, and from macho presidents to the American colonization of Cuba’s economy, it’s a vivid portrait of how imperialism, tourism, and opportunistic strongmen shaped the island nation. Expect dead bankers, disco communists, FDR parallels, Einstein in the slums, Hemingway’s horniness, and some brutal political

39:23

285 - Cuban Schemes & Sugar Dreams

A COLD WAR ·

2025/05/14

In this episode, Cam and Ray pick up the story of post-independence Cuba as it slides from colonialism into an economic and racial stranglehold orchestrated by the United States. They trace the rise and fall of early Cuban presidents like José Miguel Gómez and Mario García Menocal, highlighting the rampant corruption, U.S.-controlled infrastructure, and systematic exclusion of Black Cubans from political and economic power. From the installation of U.S. companies like ITT and United Fruit to the

42:27

CW #284 - Freedomish

A COLD WAR ·

2025/04/18

In this episode, Cameron opens with a wild midnight ER visit that turns into a rumination on aging, mortality, and kung fu-induced hypochondria. Once the chest pains are out of the way, we pick up where we left off on Cuba’s “independence” after the Spanish-American War - President Tomás Estrada Palma, the illusion of Cuban self-rule under the Platt Amendment, and the classic U.S. playbook of indirect colonialism. We unpack how American businesses flooded Cuba, bought up the land, rigged elections,

29:40

Cold War #283 - The Platt Amendment

A COLD WAR ·

2025/03/27

Following the Spanish-American War, the U.S. Occupation Government of Cuba forced elections. They tried to engineer Cuba into voting to become one of the United States - instead the Cuban people chose independence. So the U.S. introduced the Platt Amendment, aimed at long term control over Cuba's military and economy while declaring them to be a sovereign nation. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

39:41

CW 282 - Rigging Democracy

A COLD WAR ·

2025/03/19

We look at the complexities surrounding America's occupation of Cuba at the dawn of the 20th century - General Leonard Wood’s appointment as governor, his controversial educational and economic reforms favoring American interests, and the racial tensions arising from imported labor practices. We look at America's strategic objectives behind colonial expansion, comparisons to Britain's occupation tactics in Egypt, and the intricacies of Cuba's manipulated elections aimed at ensuring American

42:42

Cold War 281 - The American Land Grab

A COLD WAR ·

2025/03/03

Towards the end of 1899, a new American governor was appointed in Cuba - General Leonard Wood, the recent commander of the Rough Riders along with Teddy Roosevelt. He set up thousands of free schools and introduced economic reforms - which caused a massive wave of dispossession and bankruptcy and enabled an American land grab. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

38:23

Cold War 280 - A U.S. Military Dictatorship

A COLD WAR ·

2025/02/17

So, it's 1898, the Spanish have evacuated the island of Cuba after 400 years of rule, and the United States have taken their place. They ran Cuba as a military dictatorship. General Brooke, the first U.S. governor of the island, said, "There is not a sensible man who thinks we can leave for a long time." Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

31:52

Cold War 279 - Gunpowder In Hell (Cuban Revolution #4)

A COLD WAR ·

2025/02/01

When the U.S. troops landed in Cuba, it changed the nature of the war. The old racism returned. Of course, when the war was over in July, the U.S. had no intention of letting the Cuban people have their independence. As the commander of US forces in Cuba said: "Why, these people are no more fit for self-government than gunpowder is for hell." In the fight for freedom, lives had been lost and the country had been wiped out economically. Yet the Cubans still weren't going to get their

44:45

Cold War 278 - Rough Riders, Buffalo Soldiers

A COLD WAR ·

2025/01/21

So in January of 1898, the Cubans were on the verge of victory in their battle for independence against Spain. And while the US government was happy to see Spain out of the picture, they had no intention of allowing Cuba to be independent. Since the days of Jefferson back in the 1790s, almost every presidential administration in Washington had imagined Cuba would eventually be US territory. The newly elected President, William McKinley, wanted to take Cuba without war if possible. But some, like

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