The Atomic Bombing of Japan -  The First Shots of the Cold War? (416)

The Atomic Bombing of Japan - The First Shots of the Cold War? (416)

Today is 80 years since the atomic bombing of the Japanese city of Nagasaki. I talk with Stephen Walker who is the author of Shockwave: Countdown to Hiroshima. He has spent years researching the atomic bombings and highlights how they impacted Soviet/US relations in the early Cold War as well as US relations with their Allies. We reflect on the decisions made at the time, his interviews with the scientists who worked on them and the last surviving aircrew who dropped the bombs. Many aircrew believed they were participating in a mission that would hasten the end of the war, but the reality of what they witnessed—cities obliterated in an instant—haunted them for the rest of their lives. The threat of nuclear warfare remains a pressing issue today, and understanding the motivations and decisions that led to Hiroshima and Nagasaki can help inform our current global discussions on security and peace. Buy the book https://uk.bookshop.org/a/1549/9780008372552 Stephen's Guardian article https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/jun/22/atomic-bomb-hiroshima-nagasaki-author-stephen-walker Resources from the National Security Archive's Nuclear Documentation Project detailing the available documents of the time https://nsarchive.gwu.edu/project/nuclear-vault Episode extras ⁠⁠https://coldwarconversations.com/episode415⁠⁠ The fight to preserve Cold War history continues and via a simple monthly donation, you will give me the ammunition to continue to preserve Cold War history. You’ll become part of our community, get ad-free episodes, and get a sought-after CWC coaster as a thank you and you’ll bask in the warm glow of knowing you are helping to preserve Cold War history. Just go to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://coldwarconversations.com/donate/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ If a monthly contribution is not your cup of tea, we welcome one-off donations via the same link. Find the ideal gift for the Cold War enthusiast in your life! Just go to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://coldwarconversations.com/store/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Follow us on BlueSky ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://bsky.app/profile/coldwarpod.bsky.social⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Follow us on Threads ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.threads.net/@coldwarconversations⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ 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 Love history? Join Intohistory ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://intohistory.com/coldwarpod⁠⁠⁠⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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British Army "stay behinds"  the Special OP Troop (212)

British Army "stay behinds" the Special OP Troop (212)

I speak with Colin Ferguson a veteran from the British Army‘s covert Special Observation Post Troop which was founded in 1982. The "stay behind" Special OP Troop consisted of selected soldiers in 6 ma...

11 Joulu 20211h 19min

A Cold War childhood in Albania (211)

A Cold War childhood in Albania (211)

Lea Ypi grew up in one of the most isolated countries on earth, a place where communist ideals had officially replaced religion. Albania, the last Stalinist outpost in Europe, was almost impossible to...

3 Joulu 20211h 1min

The Cold War handshake in the heavens - the Apollo-Soyuz mission (210)

The Cold War handshake in the heavens - the Apollo-Soyuz mission (210)

On 17 July 1975 the first manned international space mission, carried out jointly by the United States and the Soviet Union. Millions of people around the world watched on television as a United State...

27 Marras 20211h 15min

Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev - aspiring actor and poetry fan (209)

Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev - aspiring actor and poetry fan (209)

Now, what do you think of when you hear the name Leonid Brezhnev who ruled the Soviet Union for 18 years from the 1960s to the 1980s?  An old guy waving weakly from the Lenin mausoleum? Well, think a...

14 Marras 202159min

Born into a family of  Canadian Communists (208)

Born into a family of Canadian Communists (208)

Fred Weir was a third-generation red diaper baby from Toronto and a long-time member of the Communist Party. His uncle, trained at the Lenin School in Moscow in the 1920s as an agent of the Communist ...

13 Marras 20211h 5min

Berlin: Capital of Spies (207)

Berlin: Capital of Spies (207)

For almost half a century, the hottest front in the Cold War was right across Berlin. From summer 1945 until 1990, spying was part of everyday life in both East and West Berlin. I speak with historian...

6 Marras 202155min

How a Soviet conscript became a NATO General (206)

How a Soviet conscript became a NATO General (206)

In 1985, an eighteen-year-old named Riho Terras arrived at the Soviet armed forces’ large conscript assessment facility in Tallinn obeying his conscription orders. Little did he know that 26 years lat...

29 Loka 20211h 1min

Terrorism in the Cold War (205)

Terrorism in the Cold War (205)

I talk with the writers and editors of Terrorism in the Cold War a new two volume book that uses a wide range of case studies including Polish Military Intelligence and Its Secret Relationship with th...

22 Loka 202159min

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