Cold War Conversations
byIan Sanders
HistorySocietyCultureDocumentary
"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. They’re unfiltered voices from the frontlines of history — emotional, gripping, and deeply human. This is Cold War history, told from the inside out.
Episodes(40 episodes)
Season 34 - Episode 460
Cold War Football: A History in Ten Matches
The Cold War was a huge battle for hearts and minds — a true “people’s war.” But where did the “people’s game” fit into it?
In their new book, Cold War Football: A History in Ten Matches, Tony Shaw and Alan McDougall explore the surprising and fascinating links between football and the global struggle between capitalism and communism. From East Germany’s famous victory over West Germany at the 1974 World Cup to North Korea’s remarkable run in 1966, they show how football became much more than a game.
Tony and Alan reve...
Published: Jun 12, 2026Duration: 52m 51s
Season 34 - Episode 459
CIA and MI6 Covert Action in Communist Albania at the Dawn of the Cold War
In June 1949, the US and British governments secretly agreed to mount a joint covert action operation to overthrow the communist government in Albania. The top-secret plan would use exiled dissidents to conduct subversive intelligence, paramilitary and propaganda operations to foment an uprising against Albania's authoritarian ruler Enver Hoxha.
I speak with Stephen Long, the author of A Rich Harvest of Bitter Fruit: CIA and MI6 Covert Action in Communist Albania at the Dawn of the Cold War. He describes how the Albanian operation is a vital but misunderstood part of Cold War history and...
Published: Jun 5, 2026Duration: 1h 6m 53s
Season 34 - Episode 458
On the edge of war: A V-Force pilot during the Cuban Missile Crisis
I had the honour of speaking with Tony Dobbie, a former RAF V- Force bomber pilot who joined the RAF in 1960.
Tony shares amazing anecdotes from his training, including his experiences flying jets like the Meteor and the Vampire, and the transition to the mighty Victor bomber. He candidly discusses the realities of nuclear missions during the Cold War, revealing the tension and responsibility that came with such roles.
One of the most gripping parts of our conversation revolves around the Cuban Missile Crisis. Tony was on QRA on...
Published: May 29, 2026Duration: 1h 18m 6s
Season 34 - Episode 457
Conscripted to a West German Nuclear Missile Unit
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, teamwork, and resilience.
As the conversation unfolds, we explore the operational...
Published: May 22, 2026Duration: 1h 13m 24s
Season 34 - Episode 456
Fakers: A Top-Secret Tale of Phantoms and Forgeries on the Cold War Disinformation Front Line
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 astonishing operational details of the IRD. From bizarre forgeries to the creation of phantom organisations, the episode hi...
Published: May 15, 2026Duration: 53m 33s
Season 34 - Episode 455
30 Miles from the North Korean Border - A US Military Childhood
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 painted a stark picture of being within artillery range of North Korea.
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Published: May 8, 2026Duration: 47m 0s
Season 34 - Episode 454
The JFK Assassination: The human narratives behind one of history's most scrutinised events
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 films the action balanced on a concrete plinth. A man is opening...
Published: May 1, 2026Duration: 1h 24m 31s
Season 34 - Episode 453
Chernobyl: Anatomy of a Catastrophe
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, chronological account, I examine the fatal combination of human pressure, flawed reactor design, secrecy, and delayed decision-making...
Published: Apr 24, 2026Duration: 1h 13m 32s
Season 34 - Episode 452
From East Berlin to West Ireland
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 propaganda. The Berlin Wall, a symbol of division and oppression, loomed...
Published: Apr 17, 2026Duration: 1h 34m 9s
Season 34 - Episode 451
Guarding the Wire at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba
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 challenges faced by service members, including the isolation and the impact of...
Published: Apr 10, 2026Duration: 1h 8m 57s
Season 33 - Episode 450
Soviet Invasion, Mujahideen Resistance: The Fight for Zhawar
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 cave complex on the Afghan-Pakistan border that served as a critical Mujahideen st...
Published: Apr 3, 2026Duration: 1h 0m 36s
Season 33 - Episode 449
MI6 Director Looks Back at His Time in Cold War Berlin
Former Legal Director MI5 & MI6, 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 transport, tariffs, and air corridors. Against the backdrop of rising tensions following the Soviet invasion of...
Published: Mar 28, 2026Duration: 1h 17m 47s
Season 33 - Episode 448
An officer in The Internal Troops of the Soviet Ministry of Internal Affairs
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.
This is a rare opportunity to hear the everyday realities of military service inside the Sovi...
Published: Mar 21, 2026Duration: 48m 51s
Season 33 - Episode 447
Growing up in Soviet Ukraine in the 1960s and 70s
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 60s.
Episode extras here https://coldwarconversations.com/episode447
Go to https...
Published: Mar 14, 2026Duration: 49m 16s
Season 33 - Episode 446
Secret Warriors - British Submarines during the Cold War
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 enemy vessels, and observing major naval exercises. These missions were risky and occasionally resulted in collisions, such as th...
Published: Mar 7, 2026Duration: 1h 15m 25s
Season 33 - Episode 445
American MiG Pilot: Inside the Top Secret USAF "Red Eagles" MiG Squadron
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 salvage, the pilots who climbed into the MiGs - the...
Published: Feb 28, 2026Duration: 48m 20s
Season 33 - Episode 444
High School Student to The Top Secret USAF Red Eagles Soviet MIG Squadron Part 1
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, techniques, and procedures.
Rob shares anecdotes of training, close calls...
Published: Feb 21, 2026Duration: 50m 11s
Season 33 - Episode 443
The Moscow Playbook: How Russia Used, Abused, and Transformed Sports in the Hunt for Gold
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 will also hear about the iconic "Miracle on Ice" ice hockey game in 1980, where the...
Published: Feb 14, 2026Duration: 1h 1m 34s
Season 33 - Episode 440
Chasing Rogue Nukes after the Fall of the Soviet Union
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 uranium
Listen to part one here https://coldwarconversations.com/episode441/
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Published: Feb 7, 2026Duration: 52m 9s
Season 33 - Episode 441
Dead Drops and Disguises - A Female CIA Officer in 1980s Moscow
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 and the unique challenges faced by women in intelligence roles during that era.
Episode extras https://cold...
Published: Jan 31, 2026Duration: 49m 20s