A Cold War US Soldier defects to East Germany (61)

A Cold War US Soldier defects to East Germany (61)

What could make a privileged 24-year-old American serving in the US Army in Germany in 1952 to swim across the Danube River to what was then the Soviet Zone? Victor Grossman who was born Stephen Wechsler but changed his name after defecting to the GDR. A child of the Depression, Grossman grew up in an environment that nurtured a commitment to left-wing causes. He continued his involvement with Communist activities as a student at Harvard in the late 1940s and after graduation, when he took jobs in factories in Buffalo, New York and tried to organize their workers. After being drafted into the US Army and fearful of his discovery as a communist Grossman ended up in GDR with other Western defectors, He was able to establish himself as a freelance journalist, lecturer and author. Travelling through East Germany he saw the failures as well as the successes of the GDR's "socialist experiment". While some of you will disagree with Victor's views, his first-hand account of his experiences is an important part of Cold War history. We start my Cold War Conversation with Victor telling us about this early life in the United States. Episode 2 is here https://coldwarconversations.com/episode69/ Radio GDR If you are interested in East Germany we can highly recommend our friends over at Radio GDR. 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

Avsnitt(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 Dec 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 Dec 20251h 27min

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