Robert - The anti Cold War activist (131)

Robert Perschmann describes himself as an anti-Cold War activist. His political views started to form while serving in the US Air Force during the Vietnam War period where he saw first hand the toll on the US military and the racism prevalent in the American South. An interview with a Soviet journalist which was broadcast on PBS radio (the US equivalent of the BBC) was the catalyst for an almost one-man campaign to reduce tensions between the two superpowers. At this point, Robert was working as a US Mailman where he financed numerous visits to the Soviet Union to foster a better understanding between the two systems and became friends with many Soviet personalities including Dean Reed and legendary Soviet journalist Vladimir Posner. 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 us grow the number of listeners. If you can spare it I’m asking listeners to contribute at least $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 our latest supporters including Greg Collins, Derek Worthington, Craig Donald, Janet Kelley, David O’Leary, STepwolf, Paul Hatzer, Chris Cock, Jon Forsyth, & James Roberts Back to today's episode, we welcome Robert Perschmann 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 here. https://coldwarconversations.com/episode131/ 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 on Facebook. Thank you very much for listening. It is really appreciated – goodbye. 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 Robert Pershman's unexpected call from FBI 2:26 Sponsor: Fundraising plea for the podcast 3:16 Robert's experience in the US Air Force and his exposure to racism 8:42 Experiences of racism in the American South and impact of Martin Luther King on Robert's life 15:35 Robert's transition from military to civilian life and anti-cold war activism 20:07 First impressions of Aeroflot and the Soviet Union, meeting and connecting with Vitali Chirkin 28:40 Robert's perspective on living conditions and work in the Soviet Union 35:36 Dealing with the FBI due to Soviet connections, encounters with the KGB 43:56 Activism efforts during the Cold War, meeting Dean Reed 51:55 Changing family dynamics due to Soviet connections, meeting Svetlana Starodubtseva 1:00:57 Discussion about the Soviet Union's role in World War II, Robert's views on the Soviet Union's post-war actions 1:06:31 Closing remarks and acknowledgements Chapters powered by PodcastAI✨ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices