Award-winning real stories of the Cold War told by those who were there. Every week we interview an eyewitness of the Cold War.
Across soldiers, spies, civilians, and others, we aim to cover the whole range of Cold War experiences. Hosts Ian Sanders, James Chilcott, and Peter Ryan bring your ears into the heart of the Cold War.
Reading a history book is one thing, but hearing a human voice, with every breath, hesitation and intonation brings a whole new dimension to understanding what it was like to be there.
We cover subjects such as spies, spying, the Iron Curtain, nuclear weapons, warfare, tanks, jet aircraft, fighters, bombers, transport aircraft, aviation, culture, and politics.
We also cover personalities such as Fidel Castro, JFK, Ronald Reagan, Nikita Khrushchev, Leonid Brezhnev, Yuri Andropov, Mikhail Gorbachev, Konstantin Chernenko, Margaret Thatcher, John F. Kennedy, Josef Stalin, Richard Nixon, Lech Walesa, General Jaruzelski, Nicolae Ceaușescu.
Other subjects include Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia, Romania, Checkpoint Charlie, Berlin, West Berlin, East Berlin, Cuban missile Crisis, Berlin Airlift, Bay of Pigs, SALT, Perestroika, Space Race, superpower, USSR, Soviet Union, DDR, GDR, East Germany, SDI, Vietnam War, Korean War, Solidarność, Fall of the Wall, Berliner Mauer, Trabant, Communist, Capitalist, Able Archer, KGB, Stasi, STB, SB, Securitate, CIA, NSA, MI5, MI6, Berlin Wall, escape, defection, Cuba, Albania, football, sport, Bulgaria, Soviet Union, Poland, China, Taiwan, Austria, West Germany, Solidarity, espionage, HUMINT, SIGINT, OSINT, IMINT, GEOINT, RAF, USAF, British Army, US Army, Red Army, Soviet Army, Afghanistan, NVA, East German Army, KAL007, T-72, T-64, Chieftain, M60
The podcast is for military veterans, school teachers, university lecturers, students and those interested in Cold War history, museums, bunkers, weapons, AFVs, wargaming, planes, A Level, GCSE students
In 1966 most of Bridget’s friends, in their early twenties, were settling down with jobs and/or husbands…
She, on the other hand, set off alone to travel across Poland relying on the kindness of strangers. Fascinated by what she experienced she continued to wander the highways and byways of, Hungary Czechoslovakia, Romania, Bulgaria and Yugoslavia for the next couple of years seeking out remote rural communities almost untouched by the passage of time…
Bridget travelled with virtually no money, however, this was not a problem but an opportunity: it enabled a rare and deep insight into the lives and experiences of ‘ordinary’ people in these Warsaw Pact countries.
We hear how she stumbles across remote German minorities, gets arrested by border guards and finds love in a youth hostel in Munich.
Buy the book here https://uk.bookshop.org/a/1549/9781915603326
Extra Photos and videos here https://coldwarconversations.com/episode352/
The fight to preserve Cold War history continues and via a simple monthly donation, you will give me the ammunition to continue to preserve Cold War history. You’ll become part of our community, get ad-free episodes, and get a sought-after CWC coaster as a thank you and you’ll bask in the warm glow of knowing you are helping to preserve Cold War history.
Just go to https://coldwarconversations.com/donate/
If a monthly contribution is not your cup of tea, We also welcome one-off donations via the same link.
Find the ideal gift for the Cold War enthusiast in your life! Just go to https://coldwarconversations.com/store/
Follow us on Twitter https://twitter.com/ColdWarPod
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/coldwarconversations/
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/groups/coldwarpod/
Youtube https://youtube.com/@ColdWarConversations
Love history? Check out Into History at this link https://intohistory.com/coldwarpod
0:00 Introduction to the episode
3:06 Bridget’s journey and adventures in Poland
12:18 Bridget’s job in Germany and exploration of the iron curtain
15:56 Bridget’s smuggling adventure in Slovakia and visit to Hungary
26:02 Bridget’s journey to Yugoslavia and her experiences there
32:04 Socio-economic situation and life experiences in Slovakia
34:36 Encounter with West German border guards
37:16 Meeting Bill in Munich and travelling to Romania
43:30 Journey to Bulgaria and experiences there
48:34 Using travel diaries to write “Cold War, Warm Hearts”
53:01 Acknowledging financial supporters and engaging with listeners on Facebook
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Tim served in the USAF and the NSA from 1975 to 1988 during some of the most tense periods of the Cold War.
This included stints at the US Air Force Electronic Warfare Center at Kelly AFB, Texas, and RAF Chicksands, in the UK working on SIGINT collection of USSR/Warsaw Pact/Other targets.
He also served as part of the Cryptologic Support Group, Strategic Air Command HQ, Offutt AFB, Nebraska providing SIGINT briefings to SAC leadership on worldwide events
In 1983 he transferred to the NSA and later GCHQ, Cheltenham, Glos 1984-1988.
We hear about how the first indications that something was amiss the morning Chernobyl reactor exploded in 1986, the day the cleaners answered the secure phone at SAC HQ, and how at GCHQ the US and British intelligence share information as part of the UKUSA Agreement.
0:00 Introduction and Tim’s background in the US Air Force
5:12 Understanding electronic warfare and data gathering at Kelly Air Force Base
16:58 Posting at RAF Chicksands in Bedford, UK, and monitoring for changes in regular patterns
25:52 The Soviet invasion of Afghanistan and the Iranian hostage crisis
36:19 Able Archer alerts and other instances of signals intelligence at Strategic Air Command, Nebraska
44:16 Incident of the KAL007 Korean airliner and US Navy exercise incidents
57:08 Misinterpretation during a briefing on a recon flight of TU-95 bear bombers and gathering intel on the Soviet Union
1:01:18 Constant pressure to provide intel on Soviet leadership and missile alerts during Soviet drills
1:05:34 Transition from Air Force to NSA and role at the NSA
1:14:08 Tracking Chinese air defense and transition to GCHQ
1:22:08 U.S. stance during the Falkland conflict and witnessing the Chernobyl reactor explosion
1:30:59 Anecdote about NSA bureaucracy and language proficiency test
1:34:21 Closing and thanks to supporters
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Extra episode info here https://coldwarconversations.com/episode310/
The fight to preserve Cold War history continues and via a simple monthly donation, you will give me the ammunition to continue to preserve Cold War history. You’ll become part of our community, get ad-free episodes, and get a sought-after CWC coaster as a thank you and you’ll bask in the warm glow of knowing you are helping to preserve Cold War history.
Just go to https://coldwarconversations.com/donate/
If a monthly contribution is not your cup of tea, We also welcome one-off donations via the same link.
Find the ideal gift for the Cold War enthusiast in your life! Just go to https://coldwarconversations.com/store/
Follow us on Twitter https://twitter.com/ColdWarPod
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/groups/coldwarpod/
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/coldwarconversations/
Youtube https://youtube.com/@ColdWarConversations
Love history? Check out Into History at this link https://intohistory.com/coldwarpod
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
