Episodes
The Great Grain Robbery: Nixon's Secret Soviet Wheat Deal
In 1972, as the Cold War seemed to thaw, the United States and the Soviet Union quietly pulled off one of the most lopsided trades in history: the Great Grain Robbery. This episode unpacks how a combination of Soviet harvest failures, American surplus, and a Nixon administration hungry for détente led to a secret deal that saw Moscow buy nearly a third of the US wheat crop at subsidized prices—while US consumers faced soaring bread prices. We explore the backroom negotiations, the role of Earl…
The Defector Who Faked His Own Death to Escape North Korea
In 1962, a young North Korean pilot named No Kum-sol — also known as No Kum-sok — stole a MiG-15 and flew it south to freedom, landing at a South Korean air base in one of the most daring escapes of the Cold War. His defection offered the West a prize: the Soviet Union's most advanced fighter jet, studied by American engineers who were stunned by its simplicity and the quality of its design. But No's story doesn't end there. He had left behind a family in the North, and the regime's retribution…
Code Talkers: The Navajo Code in the Pacific
In this episode, Lucas and Luna dive into the story of the Navajo Code Talkers, the Native American Marines whose unbreakable code helped secure victory in the Pacific during World War II. They explore the origins of the code, the ingenious use of the Navajo language, and the key battles where the code made a difference, including Iwo Jima. The conversation also touches on the irony that the code talkers used a language the US government had tried to suppress in boarding schools. With careful…
The 1961 Goldsboro B-52 Crash: How a Broken Switch Saved America
In this episode of The Cold War, Lucas and Luna examine the 1961 Goldsboro B-52 crash, a near-catastrophic accident that almost detonated a 3.8-megaton nuclear bomb over North Carolina. They trace the flight of the bomber, the mechanical failure that caused it to break apart, and the frantic recovery of the two Mark 39 weapons that followed. With input from eyewitness accounts and declassified documents, they piece together how one bomb's safety switch prevented a nuclear explosion that would…
The Moscow-Washington Hotline: Coded Phones, Red Phones, and the Day It First Rang
Before the red phone, before the Kremlin and the White House could talk in a crisis, there was a teleprinter, a set of codes, and a frantic moment in 1963 when the line went live. In this episode, Lucas and Luna trace the birth of the Moscow-Washington hotline — the backchannel that was supposed to keep the Cold War from boiling over. You'll hear about the tense days after the Cuban Missile Crisis, the cables that had to be shredded, the devices that scrambled diplomatic secrets, and the first…
The 1971 Indo-Pakistani War and the Birth of Bangladesh
In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the 1971 Indo-Pakistani War, a conflict that redrew the map of South Asia and led to the birth of Bangladesh. They trace the roots of the crisis in the political marginalization of East Pakistan, the brutal military crackdown Operation Searchlight, and the massive refugee exodus into India. They discuss the role of the Indian government under Indira Gandhi, the signing of the Indo-Soviet Treaty of Friendship, and the military strategy that led to…
The Man Who Dug the Tunnel: East Berlin's Great Escape
In September 1962, a group of West Berlin students dug a 145-meter tunnel under the Bernauer Strasse, emerging in the basement of a bakery in East Berlin. Over three nights, they helped fifty-nine East Germans escape to freedom — while the Stasi listened, suspected, and even knew. The tunnel was a daring act of civilian defiance, but it also exposed the brutal realities of a divided city. This episode follows the tunnel's organizer, Joachim Neumann, and the remarkable network of helpers, funded…
The Atomic Spies: Secrets Behind the Soviet Bomb
In this episode of The Cold War, Lucas and Luna explore the shadowy world of atomic espionage that helped the Soviet Union break the American nuclear monopoly. From the physicist Klaus Fuchs, who passed bomb blueprints from Los Alamos to Moscow, to the courier Harry Gold and the Rosenbergs, whose execution shocked the world, we trace how Soviet intelligence managed to steal the secrets of the atomic bomb. We also examine the role of the KGB's scientific espionage, the Venona decrypts that…
The Coded Words of the Cold War: How Spies Hid in Plain Sight
In this episode, Lucas and Luna step away from the flashpoints and treaties to explore the quietly brilliant world of Cold War espionage — specifically, how spies encoded their messages, hid their identities, and passed secrets without ever being detected. From the legendary 'numbers stations' that broadcast encrypted instructions to shortwave radio, to the KGB's one-time pads and the CIA's invisible inks, they uncover the craft behind the craft. Discover how a simple postcard could carry a…
The 1959 Kitchen Debate: Nixon vs Khrushchev's Cold War
In 1959, at the height of the Cold War, Richard Nixon and Nikita Khrushchev squared off in a model kitchen at the American National Exhibition in Moscow. Their heated exchange about washing machines, rockets, and capitalism became a defining moment of cultural diplomacy. This episode of The Cold War: The Battle Between Two Superpowers goes beyond the famous soundbites to explore the logistics, the stakes, and the aftermath of the Kitchen Debate. Learn why Nixon chose a lemon-yellow kitchen, how…
The 1960 U-2 Incident: The Spy Flight That Ended Summits
In this episode, Lucas and Luna dive into the 1960 U-2 incident, when an American spy plane was shot down deep inside Soviet territory, exposing the secret surveillance flights and derailing the Paris Summit. They explore the pilot Francis Gary Powers, the CIA's cover story, the Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev's dramatic reveal, and the aftermath that intensified the Cold War. The conversation touches on the U-2's development, the risks of aerial espionage, and the diplomatic fallout that set…
The Secret Radio War: Radio Free Europe and the Iron Curtain
In this episode of The Cold War: The Battle Between Two Superpowers, Lucas and Luna dive into the forgotten battle of the airwaves — the radio war between the CIA-funded Radio Free Europe and the Soviet Union's jamming stations. Broadcasting from Munich, RFE beamed news and entertainment into Eastern Europe, aiming to pierce the Iron Curtain's information blockade. But how effective was it really? We explore the early days of RFE, the role of Czech exile Ferdinand Peroutka, the CIA's covert…
The Berlin Wall's First Victim: Peter Fechter's Last Cry
Sixty years after the Berlin Wall's construction, we remember the moment it claimed its most haunting victim. On August 17, 1962, eighteen-year-old Peter Fechter was shot by East German border guards while attempting to escape. For nearly an hour, he lay bleeding in the death strip, as West Berliners watched helplessly, unable to intervene. His death sparked outrage, protests, and a dramatic shift in how the Wall was perceived—both in the East and the West. Join Lucas and Luna as they trace…
The 1969 Sino-Soviet Border War: The Ussuri River Clash That Nearly Went Nuclear
In March 1969, a skirmish on a frozen river island between Soviet and Chinese border guards nearly escalated into a full-scale war between two nuclear-armed communist superpowers. This episode zooms in on the Battle of Zhenbao Island — known in Russian as Damansky — and the tense weeks that followed, when Leonid Brezhnev's government flirted with the idea of a preemptive strike on Chinese nuclear facilities. We trace how a border dispute rooted in nineteenth-century treaties and a…
Tales of the Truce: Rescuing Captured POWs Along the Korean Armistice Line
In 1953, the Korean War's armistice created a strange new world: a Demilitarized Zone patrolled by both sides, and a Neutral Nations Supervisory Commission tasked with the delicate work of exchanging prisoners. But not all POWs were released. Thousands of Chinese and North Korean soldiers refused repatriation, and hundreds of UN prisoners were held back, their fates tangled in Cold War politics. This episode follows the little-known story of the prisoners' revolt on Koje Island, the brutal…
The 1969 Sino-Soviet Border War: When Two Communist Giants Almost Went Nuclear
In March 1969, a small island in the frozen Ussuri River became the flashpoint for a border war between the Soviet Union and China—two communist superpowers on the verge of nuclear conflict. This episode takes you inside the Zhenbao Island (Damansky) clashes, from the initial ambush to the Kremlin's secret nuclear planning and the behind-the-scenes US diplomacy that helped defuse the crisis. Learn how Mao Zedong's China, already at odds with Moscow over ideology, faced down Leonid Brezhnev's…
The 1953 East German Uprising: Workers Rise Against Stalinism
In 1953, just months after Stalin's death, a seemingly routine increase in work quotas sparked a massive uprising across East Germany. Starting with construction workers in East Berlin, protests swelled to over a million people in 700 towns and cities, demanding free elections and an end to Soviet control. Soviet tanks rolled in, crushing the rebellion in days. Yet the uprising forced the East German government to back down on the quotas and revealed deep cracks in Soviet authority. This…
The 1956 Hungarian Revolution: A Cry for Freedom Crushed
In October 1956, Hungary rose against Soviet domination. Thousands of students and workers took to the streets of Budapest, toppling the statue of Stalin and demanding democratic reforms. The brief, hopeful government of Imre Nagy declared neutrality and withdrawal from the Warsaw Pact. Within days, Soviet tanks rolled in, crushing the uprising in blood. This episode examines the causes, key figures, and brutal aftermath of the revolution that shook the Cold War order. We explore Khrushchev's…
The 1973 Oil Crisis: OPEC's Gambit and the Cold War
In October 1973, the Yom Kippur War ignited a crisis that turned oil into a weapon and pushed the United States and Soviet Union to the brink of confrontation. Egypt's Anwar Sadat and Syria's Hafez al-Assad, armed by Moscow, attacked Israel on its holiest day. The US resupplied Israel, and Arab members of OPEC retaliated with an oil embargo, quadrupling prices and triggering gas lines, stagflation, and a frantic diplomatic scramble. Henry Kissinger's shuttle diplomacy and a global DEFCON 3…
Prague Spring 1968 – Czechoslovakia's Brief Reform and Soviet Invasion
In 1968, Czechoslovakia experienced a brief but dramatic thaw in communist rule under Alexander Dubček. His reforms, known as the Prague Spring, aimed to create 'socialism with a human face' — easing censorship, decentralizing the economy, and granting more freedoms. But Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev saw this as a threat to the entire Eastern Bloc. After tense negotiations, the Warsaw Pact launched a massive invasion on the night of August 20, codenamed Operation Danube. Hundreds of thousands…
The Berlin Airlift: How the West Defied Stalin's Blockade
In 1948, Stalin blockaded West Berlin, hoping to starve it into submission. Instead, the Allies launched the Berlin Airlift—a monumental logistical effort that flew coal, food, and even candy into the city for nearly a year. This episode unpacks the daring operation, from General Clay's gamble to the 'Candy Bomber' Gail Halvorsen, and shows how a city of two million survived on a lifeline of planes. We also examine the Soviet miscalculation, the secret negotiations, and how the crisis cemented…
Crossing the 38th: The Decision That Brought China Into the Korean War
In September 1950, General Douglas MacArthur's daring amphibious landing at Inchon turned the tide of the Korean War. With North Korean forces in retreat, President Harry Truman faced a fateful choice: stop at the 38th parallel or press north to unify Korea. This episode examines the intense debate inside the White House, the ignored warnings from Mao Zedong's China, and the moment when American troops first encountered Chinese soldiers near the Yalu River. Drawing on declassified cables and…
Nixon in China: The Handshake That Reshaped the Cold War
In February 1972, Richard Nixon became the first US president to visit the People's Republic of China, a stunning turn in Cold War diplomacy. This episode walks through the secret preparations — Henry Kissinger's clandestine trip to Beijing, the ping-pong diplomacy that thawed relations — and the historic summit itself, where Nixon met Mao Zedong and Zhou Enlai. We explore the Shanghai Communiqué, the delicate dance of the US playing China off against the Soviet Union, and the lasting impact on…
The 1972 ABM Treaty: How the Superpowers Capped Missile Defense
In 1972, Richard Nixon and Leonid Brezhnev signed the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty, a landmark arms control agreement that limited the deployment of missile defense systems. This episode explores the strategic logic of the treaty: how it enshrined the doctrine of mutually assured destruction, the tense negotiations between the US and Soviet teams, the debate over whether defense or offense stabilizes the nuclear balance, and the eventual US withdrawal in 2002. We dive into the specifics of the…
The Cuban Missile Crisis Backchannel: RFK and Dobrynin
The Cuban Missile Crisis of October 1962 is the closest the world has come to nuclear war. But behind the public standoff, a secret backchannel between Robert F. Kennedy and Soviet Ambassador Anatoly Dobrynin played a pivotal role in reaching a peaceful resolution. This episode dives deep into those tense negotiations—the proposals, the misunderstandings, and the quiet trade of Jupiter missiles in Turkey for Soviet missiles in Cuba. Learn how backchannel diplomacy averted catastrophe and why…
The 1953 Iranian Coup: How the CIA Toppled a Democracy
In 1953, the CIA and MI6 orchestrated a coup that overthrew Iran's democratically elected Prime Minister Mohammad Mossadegh, who had nationalized the country's oil industry. This episode dives into the covert operation—codenamed TPAJAX—led by Kermit Roosevelt, the role of the British government, the involvement of the Shah and Iranian military, and the lasting consequences for U.S.-Iran relations. We explore the political crisis, the propaganda campaign to turn public opinion against Mossadegh…
The 1964 Gulf of Tonkin Incident: The Lie That Escalated Vietnam
In August 1964, the USS Maddox reported being attacked by North Vietnamese torpedo boats in the Gulf of Tonkin. The incident gave President Lyndon B. Johnson the justification to pass the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, which effectively gave him a blank check to escalate U.S. involvement in Vietnam. But the second attack—the one that triggered the resolution—almost certainly never happened. In this episode, Lucas and Luna dig into the murky events of August 2 and August 4, 1964: what the NSA…
The 1959 Tibetan Uprising: A Forgotten Rebellion
In 1959, a massive uprising in Tibet against Chinese rule led to the flight of the 14th Dalai Lama to India. This episode explores the road to rebellion: the 1951 Seventeen-Point Agreement, the brutal suppression of the Khampas, the role of the CIA in arming Tibetan guerrillas, and the international fallout. We discuss the Lhasa revolt of March 10, 1959, the People's Liberation Army's crackdown, and the establishment of the Tibetan government-in-exile in Dharamshala. Also covered: the Chinese…
The 1958 Lebanon Crisis: When US Marines Hit the Beach
When Lebanon's president faced a rebellion in 1958, he invoked the Eisenhower Doctrine and called for American help. The result was Operation Blue Bat — the first large-scale US military deployment to the Middle East. This episode follows the fifteen thousand Marines who landed on the beaches of Beirut, the political maneuvering in Washington and Moscow, and the quiet diplomacy that ultimately left Lebanon in a precarious peace. Lucas and Luna explore how a crisis born from Cold War rivalries…
The 1954 Battle of Dien Bien Phu: France's Colonial Waterloo
In 1954, a remote valley in northwestern Vietnam became the site of a decisive battle that shattered French colonial power in Indochina. This episode of The Cold War examines the 56-day siege of Dien Bien Phu, where General Võ Nguyên Giáp’s Viet Minh forces surrounded and crushed the French garrison. We explore the strategic miscalculations of French commander Henri Navarre, the ingenious logistics that allowed Giáp to move heavy artillery through jungled mountains, and the brutal combat that…
The 1954 Battle of Dien Bien Phu: France's Colonial Waterloo
In 1954, a remote valley in northern Vietnam became the site of a brutal 56-day siege that shattered French colonial power in Indochina and set the stage for America's long war in Vietnam. This episode follows the French commander General Henri Navarre's disastrous plan to lure the Viet Minh into a set-piece battle at Dien Bien Phu, and the Viet Minh commander Võ Nguyên Giáp's masterful response — switching from a rapid assault to a grinding siege, dragging artillery pieces up impossible jungle…
The 1978 Treaty of Peace and Friendship Between the USSR and Vietnam
In November 1978, the Soviet Union and Vietnam signed a Treaty of Peace and Friendship that effectively made Vietnam a Soviet ally and escalated Cold War tensions in Southeast Asia. This episode tells the story behind the treaty: the Vietnamese invasion of Cambodia that followed, the resulting Third Indochina War, and China's punitive invasion of Vietnam in 1979. We explore key figures like Le Duan, Pham Van Dong, Leonid Brezhnev, and Deng Xiaoping, and discuss the strategic calculations in…
The 1975 Battle of Snuol: Khmer Rouge vs Lon Nol
In early 1975, as the Vietnam War raged and Cambodia spiraled toward catastrophe, a little-known battle at a logging town called Snuol became a decisive turning point. Lucas and Luna dive into the chaotic fight between the Khmer Rouge and the Cambodian government forces loyal to Lon Nol, the U.S.-backed general who had overthrown Prince Norodom Sihanouk. They explore how the battle exposed the deepening U.S. involvement in Cambodia, the role of CIA-backed small arms and American airstrikes, and…
The 1983 Soviet Nuclear False Alarm: The Petrov Incident Reexamined
In the early hours of September 26, 1983, the Soviet early-warning system Oko reported that the United States had launched five Minuteman intercontinental ballistic missiles toward the USSR. The officer on duty at the command center Serpukhov-15, Lieutenant Colonel Stanislav Petrov, had to decide within minutes whether to report the attack to his superiors — a move that could trigger a full-scale nuclear retaliation. This episode reexamines the Petrov incident beyond the popular narrative: the…
The 1961 Berlin Wall: How a Barbed Wire Night Split a City
In August 1961, East Germany sealed off West Berlin with barbed wire and concrete, turning a divided city into a Cold War fortress. Lucas and Luna explore the overnight construction, the escape stories, and the political chess game between Kennedy, Khrushchev, and East German leader Walter Ulbricht. They discuss Checkpoint Charlie, the death strip, and the iconic escapes that captured the world's attention. This episode delves into the human cost of the Wall, the failed negotiations, and how it…
The 1969 Coup in Libya: Qaddafi's Cold War Power Play
In September 1969, a little-known 27-year-old army captain named Muammar Qaddafi led a bloodless coup that toppled the Libyan monarchy. This episode explores how the Free Officers Movement, inspired by Nasser's Egypt, seized power while Libya was still a Cold War chessboard. We discuss the strategic importance of Libya's oil fields, the US and Soviet reactions, the evacuation of Wheelus Air Base, and how Qaddafi's early nationalism set the stage for decades of anti-Western policy. We also touch…
The 1979 Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan: Brezhnev's Vietnam
In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in December 1979—a conflict that became Moscow's quagmire and a key Cold War flashpoint. They discuss the communist coup of April 1978 (the Saur Revolution), the rise of Hafizullah Amin, and the Soviet decision to send in the 40th Army under Marshal Sergei Sokolov. The episode covers the role of the KGB's Alpha Group in Operation Storm-333, the assassination of Amin, and the installation of Babrak Karmal. It delves into…
The 1949 Chinese Civil War: Stalin vs Mao at the Endgame
In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the final year of the Chinese Civil War, focusing on the tense relationship between Mao Zedong and Joseph Stalin as the Chinese Communist Party swept toward victory in 1949. They unpack the secret February 1949 Mikoyan visit to Xibaipo, where Stalin's envoy Anastas Mikoyan met Mao face-to-face for the first time, revealing deep suspicions on both sides. The conversation examines Stalin's dual-track policy — officially backing Mao while maintaining…
The 1956 Hungarian Revolution: A Uprising Crushed by Soviet Tanks
In October 1956, Budapest erupted. Students and workers took to the streets, demanding an end to Soviet domination. Within days, Hungary had a new government under Imre Nagy, who promised free elections and withdrawal from the Warsaw Pact. But Moscow was watching. This episode follows the 13-day revolt from the student protests at the Parliament building to the Soviet tank invasion that crushed it. We explore the role of the AVH secret police, the execution of Nagy, and the wave of refugees who…
The 1955 Austrian State Treaty: A Neutral Cold War Victory
In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the 1955 Austrian State Treaty, a rare Cold War agreement that ended the four-power occupation of Austria and established its permanent neutrality. They discuss how Austrian Chancellor Julius Raab leveraged the changing Soviet leadership under Nikita Khrushchev to secure a deal, the role of the 1953 East German uprising as a cautionary tale, and the clever diplomacy of Foreign Minister Leopold Figl. The episode examines the treaty's unique escape clause…
The 1983 Stanislav Petrov Incident: The Man Who Saved the World
On September 26, 1983, the Soviet early-warning system Oko reported five incoming American Minuteman missiles. Lieutenant Colonel Stanislav Petrov, the duty officer at Serpukhov-15, had to decide whether to launch a retaliatory strike—or trust his gut that the system was wrong. This episode explores the geopolitical context: the Able Archer 83 exercise, the KAL 007 shootdown just weeks earlier, and the hair-trigger alert status of both superpowers. Lucas and Luna walk through Petrov's agonizing…
The 1968 Tet Offensive: How a Surprise Attack Changed the Vietnam War
In January 1968, North Vietnamese and Viet Cong forces launched a massive, coordinated assault across South Vietnam during the Tet Lunar New Year ceasefire. The Tet Offensive targeted over 100 cities and military bases, including a dramatic breach of the US Embassy in Saigon. Though a military defeat for the communists, it shocked the American public and media, turning domestic opinion decisively against the war. This episode explores the planning by General Võ Nguyên Giáp, the brutal battle…
The 1989 Velvet Revolution: Czechoslovakia's Nonviolent Coup
In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the Velvet Revolution of 1989 in Czechoslovakia, a pivotal moment in the Cold War's endgame. They focus on the key figures—Václav Havel, Alexander Dubček, and the Civic Forum—and the nonviolent protests that toppled the communist regime. The conversation covers the spark of the violence on November 17th, the role of student protests and general strikes, the formation of Civic Forum, and the two-hour general strike that paralyzed the country. They also…
The 1969 Sino-Soviet Border War: When Communists Fought Communists
In March 1969, the world's two largest communist powers went to war. The Sino-Soviet split, long brewing beneath ideological rhetoric, erupted into open conflict on the frozen banks of the Ussuri River. This episode dives into the border clashes at Zhenbao Island (Damansky to the Soviets), where Chinese and Soviet troops fought with rifles, grenades, and artillery over a sliver of land. We explore how Mao Zedong and Leonid Brezhnev's mutual distrust escalated into a full-scale military…
The 1958 Iraqi Revolution: Coup that Reshaped the Middle East
In July 1958, a military coup in Baghdad overthrew the Hashemite monarchy and sent shockwaves through the Cold War. This episode dives into the 1958 Iraqi Revolution — the secret Free Officers conspiracy, the brutal end of King Faisal II and Nuri al-Said, and the rise of Brigadier Abd al-Karim Qasim. We explore how the Eisenhower Doctrine, the Baghdad Pact, and Arab nationalism collided in Iraq, and how Qasim's subsequent tug-of-war with the US, USSR, and fellow pan-Arabists like Gamal Abdel…
The 1960 U-2 Incident Over Sverdlovsk
In this episode, Lucas and Luna re-examine the 1960 U-2 incident from a fresh angle: the Soviet side of the story. Rather than rehashing the shootdown and the Paris Summit collapse, they focus on the Soviet air defense operation, the interrogation of Francis Gary Powers, and the lasting impact on US-Soviet relations. Lucas explains how the S-75 Dvina missile system brought down the high-flying spy plane, how the KGB extracted a confession, and how the incident derailed Eisenhower's hopes for…
The 1953 Iranian Coup: Oil, Democracy, and the CIA
In 1953, the CIA and MI6 orchestrated the overthrow of Iran's democratically elected prime minister, Mohammad Mossadegh. This episode dives into the details of Operation Ajax: the propaganda campaign, the bribes to clerics and politicians, the Shah's flight and return, and the bloody street clashes that toppled a government. We explore Mossadegh's nationalization of the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company, the role of President Eisenhower and Prime Minister Churchill, the U.S. fear of Soviet influence…
The 1961 Vienna Summit: Kennedy vs Khrushchev
In June 1961, John F. Kennedy and Nikita Khrushchev met face-to-face for the first and only time in Vienna. The summit was supposed to ease Cold War tensions, but it nearly sparked a nuclear war over Berlin. This episode dives into the two-day meeting that left Kennedy shaken and Khrushchev emboldened. We cover the key players—Khrushchev's interpreter Viktor Sukhodrev, Kennedy's advisor Charles Bohlen—and the dramatic moments: the heated exchange over Berlin, Khrushchev's ultimatum, and…
The 1954 Coup in Guatemala: How the CIA Overthrew a Democracy
In 1954, a CIA-backed coup toppled the democratically elected government of Jacobo Árbenz in Guatemala, setting off decades of civil war and state terror. This episode explores the hidden story of Operation PBSUCCESS, the role of the United Fruit Company, and the Cold War logic that turned a small Central American nation into a battleground between the US and the Soviet Union. We discuss Árbenz's land reform, the Dulles brothers' ties to United Fruit, the CIA's psychological warfare, and the…
The 1948 Berlin Blockade: Stalin's First Cold War Test
In June 1948, Stalin cut off all land and water routes to West Berlin, hoping to starve the Western Allies out of the city. This episode takes you inside the extraordinary Allied response: the Berlin Airlift, code-named Operation Vittles. Meet the American pilot Gail Halvorsen, who started dropping candy to German children in 'Little Vittles,' and the Royal Air Force crews who flew around the clock. We explore the logistics that kept a city of two million alive: the Tempelhof and Gatow…
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