A Cold War US Soldier defects to East Germany (61)

A Cold War US Soldier defects to East Germany (61)

What could make a privileged 24-year-old American serving in the US Army in Germany in 1952 to swim across the Danube River to what was then the Soviet Zone? Victor Grossman who was born Stephen Wechsler but changed his name after defecting to the GDR. A child of the Depression, Grossman grew up in an environment that nurtured a commitment to left-wing causes. He continued his involvement with Communist activities as a student at Harvard in the late 1940s and after graduation, when he took jobs in factories in Buffalo, New York and tried to organize their workers. After being drafted into the US Army and fearful of his discovery as a communist Grossman ended up in GDR with other Western defectors, He was able to establish himself as a freelance journalist, lecturer and author. Travelling through East Germany he saw the failures as well as the successes of the GDR's "socialist experiment". While some of you will disagree with Victor's views, his first-hand account of his experiences is an important part of Cold War history. We start my Cold War Conversation with Victor telling us about this early life in the United States. Episode 2 is here https://coldwarconversations.com/episode69/ Radio GDR If you are interested in East Germany we can highly recommend our friends over at Radio GDR. Support the project! https://coldwarconversations.com/donate/ 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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jaksot(449)

In Conversation with Margot Honecker (394)

In Conversation with Margot Honecker (394)

I speak with Jon Benjamin who recounts his meetings with Margot Honecker, the unrepentant architect of East Germany’s education system and widow of GDR leader Erich Honecker then living in exile in Ch...

26 Maalis 202530min

The Cuban Missile Crisis Suicide Missions (393)

The Cuban Missile Crisis Suicide Missions (393)

Richard F Kaufman is the author of A One-Way Trip to Death A Survivor’s View of Cruise Missiles in the Cuban Missile Crisis In the 1950s he served in the Korean War, where he was shot down and provid...

22 Maalis 202555min

Rebel Queen: The Cold War, Misogyny, and the Making of a Chess Grandmaster (392)

Rebel Queen: The Cold War, Misogyny, and the Making of a Chess Grandmaster (392)

Susan Polgar is the author of Rebel Queen: The Cold War, Misogyny, and the Making of a Grandmaster. Born to a poor Jewish family in Cold War Budapest, Susan Polgar had the odds stacked against her g...

15 Maalis 202553min

The Keys to Armageddon: A Cold War Nuclear Missile Officer's Story (391)

The Keys to Armageddon: A Cold War Nuclear Missile Officer's Story (391)

Jim is a former Minuteman nuclear missile officer who served in the US Air Force. Throughout the episode, Jim shares first-hand accounts of life in the launch control centre. From evaluations to the...

8 Maalis 20251h 6min

The Secret History of Britain's Cold War Nuclear Experiments (390)

The Secret History of Britain's Cold War Nuclear Experiments (390)

The race to build a British nuclear bomb sucked thousands into its vortex, who are still dealing with the effects of radiation today: veterans, widows, children, scientists and indigenous people, all ...

1 Maalis 20251h 8min

Surviving the Fastnet Sailing Disaster with a British Prime Minister (389)

Surviving the Fastnet Sailing Disaster with a British Prime Minister (389)

David recounts his experiences sailing with former British Prime Minister Edward Heath, offering a unique glimpse into the life of a man who once led a nation. From the camaraderie on board to the c...

22 Helmi 202540min

From the Merchant Navy to Covert Hunter Killer Nuclear Submarine Missions (388)

From the Merchant Navy to Covert Hunter Killer Nuclear Submarine Missions (388)

David Arnold joined the merchant navy at just 14. His tales offer a glimpse into the rigorous and sometimes harsh realities of naval training in the 1950s. His story takes us through his progression ...

15 Helmi 20251h 14min

Frozen in Time  - the Cold War Nottingham War Rooms (387)

Frozen in Time - the Cold War Nottingham War Rooms (387)

Last year I was given the unique opportunity to visit the Nottingham War Rooms. The site is about to be re-developed so it was a rare chance to see a British Regional Seat of Government bunker that h...

8 Helmi 202550min

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