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(443)

From the Merchant Navy to Covert Hunter Killer Nuclear Submarine Missions (388)

From the Merchant Navy to Covert Hunter Killer Nuclear Submarine Missions (388)

David Arnold joined the merchant navy at just 14. His tales offer a glimpse into the rigorous and sometimes harsh realities of naval training in the 1950s. His story takes us through his progression ...

15 Feb 20251h 14min

Frozen in Time  - the Cold War Nottingham War Rooms (387)

Frozen in Time - the Cold War Nottingham War Rooms (387)

Last year I was given the unique opportunity to visit the Nottingham War Rooms. The site is about to be re-developed so it was a rare chance to see a British Regional Seat of Government bunker that h...

8 Feb 202550min

Defending Baltic Skies : A Swedish Air Force Pilot's Cold War (386)

Defending Baltic Skies : A Swedish Air Force Pilot's Cold War (386)

During the Cold War Sweden outwardly maintained its neutrality, however from the 1960s the U.S. secretly promised to provide military force in aid of Sweden in case of Soviet aggression. As part of th...

1 Feb 20251h 31min

Letters across the Iron Curtain -  Unseen Cold War Correspondence between Soviet and American Women (385)

Letters across the Iron Curtain - Unseen Cold War Correspondence between Soviet and American Women (385)

In the tense years of the early Cold War, American and Soviet women conducted a remarkable pen-pal correspondence that enabled them to see each other as friends rather than enemies. In a compelling n...

25 Jan 20251h 2min

From Cold War Berlin to Belfast – A Paratrooper’s Story Pt 2 (384)

From Cold War Berlin to Belfast – A Paratrooper’s Story Pt 2 (384)

David Mackay is a former Cold War special forces officer and author of Bubbleheads, SEALs and Wizards: America's Scottish Bastion in the Cold War. He continues his unvarnished anecdotes about his Cold...

18 Jan 20251h 10min

Bombs, Berlin & Peacekeeping: A Paratrooper's Cold War Story Pt 1 (383)

Bombs, Berlin & Peacekeeping: A Paratrooper's Cold War Story Pt 1 (383)

David Mackay is a former Cold War special forces officer and author of Bubbleheads, SEALs and Wizards: America's Scottish Bastion in the Cold War. He returns by popular demand to share his compelling ...

11 Jan 20251h

Watching the Jackals: Prague's Covert Liaisons with Cold War Terrorists and Revolutionaries (382)

Watching the Jackals: Prague's Covert Liaisons with Cold War Terrorists and Revolutionaries (382)

Author Daniela Richterova new book "Watching the Jackals" tells the untold history of Czechoslovakia's complex relations with Middle Eastern terrorists and revolutionaries during the closing decades o...

4 Jan 20251h 6min

The Truth about the Gulf of Tonkin incident that sparked the Vietnam War (381)

The Truth about the Gulf of Tonkin incident that sparked the Vietnam War (381)

The Gulf of Tonkin incident, was a pivotal moment that escalated U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War. I talked with US Marine Veteran John F. Davies, who researched the Gulf of Tonkin Incident. He sh...

28 Des 202456min

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