Red Reporter - Covert Correspondent for Cold War East Germany - Part 1 (47)

Red Reporter - Covert Correspondent for Cold War East Germany - Part 1 (47)

Today we speak to John Green. John Green grew up in Coventry in a communist family. After abandoning a zoology degree course after his second year at Bristol University, he switched to Drama. In 1964 he made the adventurous move to the German Democratic Republic to study film at the National Film School in Babelsberg, near Potsdam. He was the sole British student in the country. Returning to his native Britain in 1968, he became television correspondent for the GDR and spent 22 years reporting from around the world. Because the GDR, particularly at the height of the Cold War, was not officially recognised as an independent state, he and his colleagues were obliged to work anonymously and quasi-clandestinely in order to obtain the footage they needed. We start with John telling us about this early life in Coventry. Don't forget to check out our show notes here. https://coldwarconversations.com/episode47/ The second part of this interview is here https://coldwarconversations.com/episode58/ 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

Episoder(442)

Chasing Rogue Nukes after the Fall of the Soviet Union (442)

Chasing Rogue Nukes after the Fall of the Soviet Union (442)

Susan Miller continues the story of her CIA career, recalling a harrowing experience of the 1991 US embassy fire in Moscow, and the unexpected humanity displayed by a KGB officer who helped save lives...

7 Feb 52min

Dead Drops and Disguises - A Female CIA Officer in 1980s Moscow (441)

Dead Drops and Disguises - A Female CIA Officer in 1980s Moscow (441)

I explore the remarkable journey of a CIA operations officer who transitioned from a quiet childhood in California to the thrilling world of espionage. What began as a joke application to the CIA tu...

31 Jan 49min

Cold War British Army "stay behinds" - Live at the Imperial War Museum London (440)

Cold War British Army "stay behinds" - Live at the Imperial War Museum London (440)

This special episode was recorded in front of a live audience at the Imperial War Museum London, in October 2025. I speak with Colin Ferguson, a veteran from the British Army‘s covert Special Obser...

24 Jan 54min

Planning an Escape for 13 Years: How One Family Outsmarted the Iron Curtain (439)

Planning an Escape for 13 Years: How One Family Outsmarted the Iron Curtain (439)

What would you risk to escape a totalitarian state—and how long would you be willing to wait? In this gripping episode, Peter Kasl, author of Escaping the Grip of Eastern European Communism, tells ...

17 Jan 1h 23min

Why did the USA invade Grenada in 1983? (438)

Why did the USA invade Grenada in 1983? (438)

The US invasion of Grenada in 1983 remains a pivotal event in both Caribbean and Cold War history. President Reagan, fearing the spread of communism in the Caribbean and the safety of US citizens, i...

10 Jan 50min

When Terrorism Went Global: Plane Hijackings and Violence in the 1970s (437)

When Terrorism Went Global: Plane Hijackings and Violence in the 1970s (437)

In the 1970s, a network of radical extremists terrorised the West with intricately planned plane hijackings and hostage-takings. Among them was the young Leila Khaled with her jewellery made from gre...

3 Jan 1h

When East German Soldiers Dreamed of Flying Over the Wall (436)

When East German Soldiers Dreamed of Flying Over the Wall (436)

Andrew was a British modern languages student in 1989. He recounts the serendipitous moment when he stumbled upon an advert for a work and holiday trip to the GDR. The trip was organized by the Grea...

27 Des 20251h 14min

Cold War Kid to Space Age Engineer via President Kennedy's last flight alive & RAF Upper Heyford (435)

Cold War Kid to Space Age Engineer via President Kennedy's last flight alive & RAF Upper Heyford (435)

Keith Longstreth takes us through an extraordinary life shaped by the rhythms and risks of the Cold War. Born into an Air Force family, Keith grew up on bases across the world—from Scotland to Italy t...

20 Des 20251h 27min

Populært innen Samfunn

rss-spartsklubben
giver-og-gjengen-vg
aftenpodden
aftenpodden-usa
konspirasjonspodden
alt-fortalt
rss-nesten-hele-uka-med-lepperod
popradet
rss-henlagt-andy-larsgaard
wolfgang-wee-uncut
grenselos
synnve-og-vanessa
frokostshowet-pa-p5
fladseth
min-barneoppdragelse
rss-dannet-uten-piano
rss-dette-ma-aldri-skje-igjen
rss-frekvens-med-anine-olsen
relasjonspodden-med-dora-thorhallsdottir-kjersti-idem
198-land-med-einar-trnquist