The longest-held prisoner of war in American history (360)

The longest-held prisoner of war in American history (360)

Jack Downey was the longest-held prisoner of war in American history. He was a CIA officer captured in China during the Korean War and imprisoned for twenty-one years. I speak with Barry Werth the author of Prisoner of Lies - Jack Downey's Cold War. He details Downey’s story when the CIA recruited him as a new Yale graduate in the post-World War II years. In a violation of protocol, Downey took part in an airdrop that failed and was captured over China. US government policy forbade ever acknowledging the identity of spies, no matter the consequences. Washington invented a fictitious cover story and stood by it through four Administrations. As a result, Downey was imprisoned during the decades that Red China, as it was called, was considered by the US to be a hostile nation. This is a harrowing, chilling story of one man whose life is at the mercy of larger forces outside of his control; in Downey’s case as a pawn of the Cold War, and more specifically the Oval Office and the State Department. However above all, it is an inspiring story of remarkable fortitude and resilience. Buy the book here & support the podcast https://amzn.to/3LRQyvW Linked episodes Gary Powers & the 1960 U2 Incident https://pod.fo/e/f830 The Chinese Civil War and the Independence of Taiwan https://pod.fo/e/b9f5d Episode extras https://coldwarconversations.com/episode360/ 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 also 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/ 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 Love history? Join Intohistory https://intohistory.com/coldwarpod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Episoder(447)

US Army Anti-Aircraft Missile Battery Command in Cold War West Germany (228)

US Army Anti-Aircraft Missile Battery Command in Cold War West Germany (228)

Dan served as a lieutenant and captain in a US Army air defence artillery battalion in West Germany from 1980 until 1985. He describes details of Soviet overflights deep into West Germany and we dis...

20 Jan 20241h 18min

Britain's first Cold War Nuclear Attack Warning Station at Jodrell Bank (327)

Britain's first Cold War Nuclear Attack Warning Station at Jodrell Bank (327)

The Jodrell Bank observatory in Cheshire in the UK played a significant secret role during the Cold War. It was established in 1945 by Bernard Lovell, a radio astronomer at the university, to investig...

13 Jan 20241h 35min

The East German Tank Commander (326)

The East German Tank Commander (326)

In the mid-1980s Dag was a T72 tank commander in the NVA, the East German Army and is now a volunteer at the Tank Museum at Bovington in the UK.   He describes his initial tank commander training, the...

6 Jan 20241h 38min

Twilight of the Soviet Union – Memoirs of a British Journalist in Moscow (325)

Twilight of the Soviet Union – Memoirs of a British Journalist in Moscow (325)

Kate is sent to Moscow in 1985 to write articles for The Morning Star, a left-wing British daily newspaper founded in 1930 as the Daily Worker by the Communist Party of Great Britain. She lives in a b...

30 Des 20231h 22min

Further Cold War Tank Tales from the Land Down Under (324)

Further Cold War Tank Tales from the Land Down Under (324)

Tim participates in Kangaroo 89, a huge military exercise with the entire Australian Army using an area the size of Western Europe and we hear about the Australian equivalent of Wolfgang the Bratty Ma...

23 Des 20231h

How To Catch A Cold War Spy (323)

How To Catch A Cold War Spy (323)

Since 1985, Ana Montes has been an asset of the Cuban intelligence service. In that time, she’s risen through the ranks to become one of the Pentagon’s most respected voices on Cuban affairs with easy...

16 Des 20231h 12min

Cold War, Warm Hearts - Hitchhiking behind the 1960s Iron Curtain (322)

Cold War, Warm Hearts - Hitchhiking behind the 1960s Iron Curtain (322)

In 1966 most of Bridget’s friends, in their early twenties, were settling down with jobs and/or husbands… She, on the other hand, set off alone to travel across Poland relying on the kindness of stran...

9 Des 202359min

Cold War Tank Tales from the Land Down Under (321)

Cold War Tank Tales from the Land Down Under (321)

Many of Tim’s family had served in WW1 and WW2 and from a young age, he was determined to follow their path. Overcoming huge competition for places he became a driver of the Leopard AS1 MBT at 1st Ar...

2 Des 20231h

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