Cold War Conversations
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Cold War Conversations
Experience the Cold War like never before with Cold War Conversations — an award-winning podcast recommended by The New York Times. 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, spi...
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Growing up in Soviet Ukraine in the 1960s and 70s (447)
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 b...
Secret Warriors - British Submarines during the Cold War (446)
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...
American MiG Pilot: Inside the Top Secret USAF "Red Eagles" MiG Squadron Part 2 (445)
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 t...
High School Student to the Top Secret USAF Red Eagles Soviet MIG Squadron Part 1 (444)
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 h...
The Moscow Playbook: How Russia Used, Abused, and Transformed Sports in the Hunt for Power (443)
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 fasc...
Chasing Rogue Nukes after the Fall of the Soviet Union (442)
Susan Miller continues the story of her CIA career, recalling a harrowing experience of the 1991 US embassy fire in Moscow, and the unexpected humanit...
Dead Drops and Disguises - A Female CIA Officer in 1980s Moscow (441)
I explore the remarkable journey of a CIA operations officer who transitioned from a quiet childhood in California to the thrilling world of espionage...
Cold War British Army "stay behinds" - Live at the Imperial War Museum London (440)
This special episode was recorded in front of a live audience at the Imperial War Museum London, in October 2025.
I speak with Colin Fer...
Planning an Escape for 13 Years: How One Family Outsmarted the Iron Curtain (439)
What would you risk to escape a totalitarian state—and how long would you be willing to wait?
In this gripping episode, Pet...
Why did the U.S. invade Grenada in 1983? (438)
The US invasion of Grenada in 1983 remains a pivotal event in both Caribbean and Cold War history.
President Reagan, fearing the spread...
When Terrorism Went Global: Plane Hijackings and Violence in the 1970s (437)
In the 1970s, a network of radical extremists terrorised the West with intricately planned plane hijackings and hostage-takings. Among them was the y...
When East German Soldiers Dreamed of Flying Over the Wall (436)
Andrew was a British modern languages student in 1989. He recounts the serendipitous moment when he stumbled upon an advert for a work and holiday tri...
Cold War Kid to Space Age Engineer via President Kennedy's last flight alive & RAF Upper Heyford (435)
Keith Longstreth takes us through an extraordinary life shaped by the rhythms and risks of the Cold War. Born into an Air Force family, Keith grew up...
Eyes at the Edge of the Iron Curtain - Life in a 1960s British Reconnaissance Regiment (434)
This is the 2nd part of the story of Miles, a British National Service conscript during his military service in the late 1950s.
I’d like...
What was Cold War British Army Conscription really like? (433)
We hear the fascinating story of Miles, a British National Service conscript during his military service in the late 1950s.
I’d like to...
The Berlin Airlift - Victories, Myths, and the Berlin Blockade
The Berlin Blockade was one of the first major international crises of the Cold War when the Soviet Union blocked the Western Allies' railway, road, a...
Surrounded and outnumbered 8-1 : A forgotten story of the Korean War (431)
This is the largely untold story of Task Force Faith, the U.S. Army soldiers who although outnumbered 8-1 by Chinese troops fought valiantly during t...
Shaking Hands with China’s Second Most Powerful Man (430)
Bill Hodes was an American school child in 1950s Revolutionary China and this is the second part of his story.
Among many stories we he...
An American Childhood in 1950s Revolutionary China (429)
Bill Hodes was a red diaper baby, a baby born to Communist parents. Bill shares stories about his parents, Bob and Jane Hodes, both convinced communis...
The German Democratic Republic The Rise and Fall of a Cold War State (428)
Ned Richardson- Little has written a new book titled The German Democratic Republic: The Rise and Fall of a Cold War State.
It offers a d...
Trust but Verify: When the Soviets Came to South Dakota (427)
I continue chatting with Dennis Greene about his incredible journey from a challenging childhood in segregated Savannah, Georgia to a distinguished mi...
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I am trying to win an award for Cold War Conversations in
the Discover Pods Awards for best history podcast 2025 and I need your nomination to g...
From Racially Segregated Savannah to Nuclear Missile Crew Commander (426)
Dennis Greene, is a former Air Force officer, who shares his incredible journey from a challenging childhood in segregated Savannah, Georgia to a dist...
The KGB defector who saved MI5 and changed the Cold War (425)
Oleg Lyalin, was a KGB officer whose actions would provide British intelligence with pivotal information during the Cold War. I speak with Richard Ker...
Cold War Kids: The Unique Life of US Military BRATs (424)
Author Tom Hapgood is a US military BRAT aka the child of a parent or parents serving full-time in the United States Armed Forces. He talks about his...
The Cambridge Five Cold War Spy Ring: Philby, Burgess, Maclean, Blunt & Cairncross (423)
The incredible story of the five most damaging spies in
British history, from their recruitment at Cambridge University to their
infiltrat...
Cold War Britain: Fifty years in the shadow of the bomb (422)
Fraser McCallum is the author of a new book Cold War Britain: Fifty years in the shadow of the bomb which gives a fascinating insight into a period th...
D.B. Cooper: The Unsolved Cold War Aircraft Hijack (421)
On November 24, 1971, a man using the alias Dan Cooper hijacked a Northwest Airlines flight, demanding a ransom of $200,000 and four parachutes. What...
A Royal Scots Dragoon Guard in Cold War Berlin (420)
I delve into the remarkable life of Peter Stewart, a former Royal Scots Dragoon Guard Chieftain tank driver whose experiences during the Cold War offe...
The 2nd Most Famous Voice In Cold War Romania (419)
Irina Nistor worked as a translator of TV programs in Romania under the Communist regime, and is known for secretly voicing over thousands of banned m...
Codename Sunbeam - The story of MI6’s greatest Cold War spy (418)
He was a KGB colonel. A double agent. And the most valuable spy Britain ever had.
Born into a world of secrets & silence in Moscow Oleg G...
A 98 Year Old USAF Veteran Remembers the Berlin AIrlift (417)
The Berlin Airlift stands as one of the most significant events in Cold War history, a testament to the resilience and determination of the Allies in...
The Atomic Bombing of Japan - The First Shots of the Cold War? (416)
Today is 80 years since the atomic bombing of the Japanese city of Nagasaki. I talk with Stephen Walker who is the author of Shockwave: Countdown to...
Berlin: A Spy’s Guide to its Cold War History (415)
In the heart of Europe, Berlin stood as a city divided not only by walls but by ideologies. I dive into the world of espionage that thrived in this di...
With the US 1st Armored Division in Cold War West Germany (414)
Doug and Mike served in CS Company, 1st Battalion, 37th Armor in the US 1st Armored Division in West Germany.
They provide vivid accounts...
Cold War Short Stories Ep 1 (413)
Welcome to a new type of episode I'm calling Cold War Short Stories — a collection of stories from our listeners and social media followers. These ar...
Korea: War Without End (412)
The Korean War is often called "the forgotten war"—a brutal, complex conflict that claimed millions of lives but has largely faded from public memory,...
The Night a Nuclear Missile Exploded: A Firsthand Account of Survival (411)
In this gripping episode, we hear the harrowing account of Greg Devlin, a former US Air Force technician who barely survived a catastrophic explosion...
The Cold War Origins of the War in Ukraine (410)
The legacy of the Cold War in Europe continues to impact present day events, most notably in Ukraine.
In this episode I speak with auth...
The End of East Germany: A Communist Family’s Journey Through Change (409)
This is the story of a Communist family in East Germany whose world was turned upside down by the implosion of the GDR.
The...