Cold War Cast
HistorieThe history and the pop culture of the Cold War with Ryan Lewellin
Siste episoder av Cold War Cast podcast
- The Long Walk - Stephen King (00:20:47)
The film for the Stephen King book The Long Walk just hit the theaters over the weekend. While we have a lot of accounts of the horrors of war, this story is the product of the dread over the prospect of being forced to fight a war from the perspective of a young horror writer. The boomers get a lot of grief for having had it easy, but King captured the horror of having the draft and Vietnam looming over your head as a young man in the 60’s.
- Strategic Rocket Forces of Russia/USSR (00:32:48)
In a recent episode about nuclear first strike plans, I got carried away and forgot to mention the strategic rocket forces of Russia/the Soviet Union. In this episode, I talk about one of the world’s most unique military branches including their history and their purpose over the years. The rocket forces are the guardians of Russia’s superpower status, with their finger on the button as their motherland’s ultimate trump card.
- Nuclear First Strike Plans and How They Change (00:48:12)
Today we are addressing a listener question on how nuclear strike plans have changed over the course of the Cold War for both the United States and her adversaries. This is a fun question to answer because a lot changed during the Cold War and into the present day in both countries as far as military, economic, and demographic concerns go. In this episode I cover who makes these plans and how they do it for both sides and what potential for strikes would look like in the United States as far as the top targets. Enjoy! I always like talking about nuclear war.
- Poland Invokes NATO’s Article 4 (00:16:34)
Breaking news of Cold War interest! Poland invokes article 4 of the North Atlantic Treaty in response to Russian drones violating Polish airspace. In this off the cuff episode i discuss what the article means and its history.To support the show, check out our sponsor Red Dragon Herbs
- The US Army in Poland (01:18:36)
In this episode we talk about how a Cold War rival became one of the United States’ greatest allies - Poland. This episode is for my wife (and kids), as my stepson recently deployed with the Army to Poland. I’ll explain what they’re doing there and how the relationship between our two nations started.
- Finland: Cold War to NATO (00:57:27)
Today we are talking about Finland’s Cold War experience - one of coerced neutrality and military preparedness. We’ll also spend some time talking about Finland’s recent NATO membership and geopolitical considerations with her neighbor Russia.
- The Eternaut / El Eternauta (00:24:21)
Today we’re going south of the equator for an interesting Cold War perspective from Argentina - El Eternauta, a comic series that originated in 1957 and was recently remade into a Netflix series. We’re going to discuss some of the Cold War influences and themes in the series. While The Eternaut on Netflix takes place in three modern day, it is a nice throwback to the spirit of classic 1950’s sci-fi.
- The Dalai Lama Flees Tibet (00:47:59)
The last episode we talked about the Chinese invasion of Tibet, and today we’re concluding it with the Dalai Lama escaping to India. In an already contentious world, the actions of this one man from an inconsequential part of the world put 1/3 of the world’s population at each other’s throats. In this episode we talk about how the Chinese occupation became intolerable, the dramatic escape and the political fallout afterwards The Dalai Lama became a symbol that maybe one side of the Cold War wasn’t always right, but one was definitely wrong.
- China Invades Tibet - 1950 (00:33:24)
Today we’re talking about the Chinese invasion of Tibet in 1950. We’ll discuss how China lost Tibet in the first place, the “century of humiliation” and the agreement China gave Tibet. We’ll also discuss how India reacted and Tibet’s unlikely ally - El Salvador
- Smiling Buddha - India Goes Nuclear (00:31:37)
With the recent tensions between India and Pakistan, i figured it was a good time to talk about India’s entrance to the nuclear club. We’ll talk about the reasons why India would want the bomb and the world’s reaction (particularly Pakistan’s). We’ll also discuss some issues of nuclear proliferation- if the US and USSR can have these weapons and be trusted to not end civilization as we know it, what’s the problem with nations like India or Pakistan having them? Enjoy!
- UVB-76 - Russia’s Doomsday Radio (00:13:52)
UVB-76 is in the news today because of a cryptic shortwave transmission. I wanted to jump on real quick and talk a little bit about what we know about the station, some speculation on what they’re up to and a little bit about shortwave in general during the Cold War (which is a fascinating topic)
- The Man Between (1953) (00:19:40)
Today we’re talking about a real Cold War gem - Carol Reed’s 1953 film noir thriller “The Man Between”. It’s a great showcase of one of the most tense times and places in the Cold War, Berlin in the early 50’s. It kept me on the edge of my seat and was also loaded with Cold War themes and imagery. The big question- was Ivo Kern, the antihero, a metaphor for Germany looking to atone for the past? Do we trust them? It’s easy for us to answer now, but not so much then. I hope you check it out, I assume most of us haven’t seen it since it was new to me.
- Project Iceworm - Missiles in Greenland (00:36:00)
During the Cold War the United States started on a secret plan to build an extensive network of tunnels in Greenland’s ice cap for nuclear missiles. We’re going to talk about project iceworm, but we’ll also discuss the political fallout between the United States, Denmark and Greenland over this and another incident up there. I hope you’ll find this is an interesting topic with present day relevance.
- Sirius Patrol - Greenland’s First Line of Defense (00:21:58)
The defense of Greenland is in the hands of a handful of men - Denmark’s Sirius Patrol. They’re an elite long range reconnaissance patrol unit that prowls Greenland’s coastline on dogsleds looking for things that shouldn’t be there. These guys are one of the most elite and interesting units in NATO’s arsenal
- Greenland: NATO’s Atlantic Shield (00:26:48)
Greenland is in the news right now because Donald Trump is looking to add it to America’s portfolio. Today we are talking about the strategic importance of Greenland during the Cold War and current day.
- SEATO (vs. NATO) (00:28:55)
Today we are looking at the short and not very sweet history SEATO, The Southeast Asian Treaty Organization. We are also going to look at what’s made NATO work that SEATO didn’t have. Who knows, we may see them drag this alliance out again someday.
- Nuclear War: A Scenario by Annie Jacobsen (00:19:13)
In this episode, I look at a recent book by Annie Jacobsen that gives a realistic account of what would go down if we detected nuclear missiles incoming. Although it takes place in the present, there’s a strong Cold War essence to the book, when all the protocols were developed. A must for those of us who are fans (?!?!?) of nuclear stuff!
- Ho Chi Minh’s Speech - Vietnam’s Independence (00:18:48)
On September 2, 1945 Ho Chi Minh delivered a speech in Hanoi announcing Vietnam’s independence from Japan and France. Tonight we’re going to read the speech and add a little context in order to hear it from the “other side”. Ho Chi Minh was one of America’s communist boogeymen, after all. I believe hearing all sides, even ones you don’t like, are important- especially today
- Oppenheimer (00:20:35)
My thoughts on the film Oppenheimer and one of the major themes of the film and how it relates to the Cold War
- I Was A Communist For The FBI (00:26:21)
Today we’re doing a Cold War analysis of the 1951 Film Noir gem “I Was A Communist For The FBI”, a dramatization of undercover agent Matt Cvetic’s time amongst the communists in Pittsburgh.
- Western Tanks Coming to Ukraine (00:42:52)
This episode is a little different because I’m giving my hot takes on the tanks coming to Ukraine. I feel that both the Ukrainian / Western and the Russian sides need a little moderation on the situation with the incoming tanks. I hope you enjoy this one, I’m shooting from the hip here on this subject
- Red Nightmare (1962) (00:26:42)
Today we’re looking at a real Cold War gem, “Red Nightmare”. Our protagonist gets taken on a twilight zone-esque journey into what his life would look like under communism. This short film is one of my favorite examples of the Cold War being fought through pop culture. Let me know what you think! As always, this is brought to you by Red Dragon Herbs, our own loose leaf tea business
- Conelrad: Atomic Era Civil Defense (00:16:34)
Today we’re talking about Conelrad, the American government’s answer to getting the word out in the event of a Soviet attack. This topic is a fun relic from those uncertain times. We had the power to blow each other up across the world, but communication across the country wasn’t foolproof
- Eisenhower Introduces The Domino Theory (00:18:39)
In a press conference in 1954, President Eisenhower cites the Domino Theory as a reason for America’s involvement in the war in Vietnam. Today we’re talking about the origins of the theory and its impact on the Cold War.
- The Ayatollah’s Letter to Gorbachev (00:25:05)
In January of 1989 Ayatollah Khomeini sent a letter to Gorbachev. He invites him to turn to Islam, but also gets his final digs in as the USSR crumbles. This letter is an interesting snapshot of the waning days of Gorbachev and the Soviet Union from a unique Cold War perspective we don’t hear from often.