Reporting the 1989 Romanian Revolution (126)

We talk again to Mark Brayne who worked as a Reuters & BBC journalist during the Cold War. This time we are in Romania in December 1989 where riots, street violence and murder in several cities over the course of roughly a week led the Romanian leader Nicolae Ceaușescu to flee the capital city on 22 December with his wife. We hear the challenges of being a journalist in what was effectively a war zone without the risk assessments and protective gear of the present day. If you are enjoying the podcast please leave a written review in Apple podcasts or share us on social media. By telling your friends you can really help the podcast grow. If you can spare it I’m asking listeners to contribute $3 USD per month to help keep us on the air (larger amounts are welcome too) plus you can get a sought after CWC coaster as a monthly financial supporter of the podcast and you bask in the warm glow of knowing you helping preserve Cold War history. Just go to https://coldwarconversations.com/donate/ Thanks to latest Patreons Back to today’s episode, part 3 of three episodes with Mark and it’s been an honour for Mark to share his stories with us in such an honest and revealing fashion… We welcome Mark Brayne back to our Cold War conversation… There’s further information on this episode in our show notes, which can also be found as a link in your podcast app. https://coldwarconversations.com/episode126 If you like what you are hearing, please leave reviews in Apple podcasts and share us on social media. If you can’t wait for next week’s episode do visit our Facebook discussion group where guests and listeners continue the Cold War Conversation. Just search Cold War Conversations in Facebook. Thank you very much for listening. It is really appreciated. 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 0:00 Introduction and welcome 0:16 Interview with Mark Brayne: Recollections of Romania in 1989 2:15 Sponsor: Call for listener support and donations 9:24 First-hand reporting from Bucharest during the Romanian revolution 14:44 Mark Brayne's diagnosis of Asperger's and fearlessness during the Cold War 19:14 Witnessing the aftermath of protests in Bucharest 23:50 Mark Brayne's personal life post-Cold War and transition into psychotherapy 27:08 Off-the-record conversation with Vasil Biliak about his early years in communism 34:32 Anecdotes from the 4+2 negotiations 39:06 Producing a documentary on the psychology of the Cold War 41:49 Ian Sanders: Wrapping up the episode and promoting content on Cold War Conversations website Chapters powered by PodcastAI✨ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices