One man’s escape from McCarthyism

One man’s escape from McCarthyism

In 1951, at the height of the McCarthy era, a time when the US government pursued suspected communists, Victor Grossman was drafted into the army. A committed communist since his teens, he hid his political beliefs.

Stationed in West Germany and under FBI scrutiny, he faced the threat of a possible court martial. To avoid prison, he fled to the Soviet Union in 1952, swimming across the Danube River.

Victor tells Lizzy Kinch about his dramatic escape and life in East Germany. A Whistledown production.

Eye-witness accounts brought to life by archive. Witness History is for those fascinated by the past. We take you to the events that have shaped our world through the eyes of the people who were there. For nine minutes every day, we take you back in time and all over the world, to examine wars, coups, scientific discoveries, cultural moments and much more. Recent episodes explore everything from the death of Adolf Hitler, the first spacewalk and the making of the movie Jaws, to celebrity tortoise Lonesome George, the Kobe earthquake and the invention of superglue. We look at the lives of some of the most famous leaders, artists, scientists and personalities in history, including: Eva Peron – Argentina’s Evita; President Ronald Reagan and his famous ‘tear down this wall’ speech; Thomas Keneally on why he wrote Schindler’s List; and Jacques Derrida, France’s ‘rock star’ philosopher. You can learn all about fascinating and surprising stories, such as the civil rights swimming protest; the disastrous D-Day rehearsal; and the death of one of the world’s oldest languages.

(Photo: Victor Grossman. Credit: Victor Grossman)

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Who Killed Luis Colosio?

Who Killed Luis Colosio?

On 23 March 1994 the presidential candidate for Mexico's ruling Institutional Revolutionary Party, PRI, was shot dead in the border town of Tijuana. Luis Donaldo Colosio, who was expected to be the country's next leader, was killed when out campaigning. A sole gunman is still in jail for his murder, but Alfonso Durazo, Colosio's former private secretary, tells Mike Lanchin why he believes the murder was part of a wider political plot.Photo taken from Televisa TV broadcast showing amateur video footage of the moment that Luis Colosio was about to be shot dead during a campaign rally (credit: TELEVISA/AFP/Getty Images)

23 Mars 20189min

The Skull Valley Sheep Kill

The Skull Valley Sheep Kill

In March 1968 more than 6,000 sheep died while grazing close to the Dugway Proving Ground, the US military's leading chemical warfare testing site, located in the US state of Utah. One theory was that they were killed by a nerve agent. Deputy Sheriff William Pitt arrived at the scene as some of the sheep were still in convulsions. He has been telling Mike Lanchin about that strange event, which became known as the Skull Valley Sheep Kill.Photo: Two farmers checking the corpses of dead sheep on a farm ranch, possibly connected to a chemical and biological warfare testing at Dugway Proving Ground, March 1968. (Photo by Rolls Press/Popperfoto/Getty Images)

22 Mars 20189min

Radiocarbon Dating of the Turin Shroud

Radiocarbon Dating of the Turin Shroud

The Turin Shroud is one of the most revered relics of the Catholic Church: a piece of linen cloth that appears to show the imprint of a blood-stained crucified man. Some Christians believe it is the ancient cloth that Jesus Christ was buried in. In 1988, the Church allowed scientists to perform a radiocarbon dating test on a small sample of the shroud. The results are still controversial. In 2016 Rob Walker spoke to Professor Michael Tite who supervised the testing process. This programme is a rebroadcast.(Photo: Picture showing a facsimile of the Shroud of Turin at the Cathedral of Malaga. Credit: Jorge Guerrero/AFP/Getty Images)

22 Mars 20188min

A Brief History of Time

A Brief History of Time

In memory of the renowned theoretical physicist, Stephen Hawking, who died on the 14th of March 2018, Witness looks back at the publication in March 1988 of his best-selling book, A Brief History of Time. Louise Hidalgo has been talking to the editor who published it, Peter Guzzardi, about the book and the ideas about physics, existence and the universe that made it so popular.Picture: Physicist Stephen Hawking (Credit: Liam White/Alamy)

21 Mars 20189min

Elvis in the US Army

Elvis in the US Army

In March 1958, Elvis Presley, then at the height of his fame as the 'King' of Rock'n'Roll, was called up and joined the US Army. Simon Watts has been listening to the memories of the soldiers who served alongside him. The interviews are taken from the G.I. Blues of Elvis Presley, made for the BBC by Sugar Productions.(Photo: Elvis Presley listening to an army lecture. Credit:Getty Images)

20 Mars 20188min

Latvia's Controversial Waffen-SS Fighters

Latvia's Controversial Waffen-SS Fighters

On March 16th 1998, veterans of the Latvian Legion who had fought for the Nazis during World War Two, marched through the capital Riga commemorating their greatest battle against the Soviet Red Army. It was a rare official remembrance of the efforts of the Waffen SS. Dina Newman has been speaking to two veterans of the Latvian Legion. Photo: Latvian infantrymen march through a street in Riga under the German occupation. Credit: Three Lions/Getty Images

16 Mars 20189min

Tancredo Neves - Doomed Hero of Brazilian Democracy

Tancredo Neves - Doomed Hero of Brazilian Democracy

In March 1985, Brazil experienced the most traumatic moment in its transition to democracy when the first civilian president-elect in more than twenty years was rushed to hospital on the eve of his inauguration. Tancredo Neves, who had led political opposition to military rule in Brazil, eventually died 38 days later. He is now regarded as a hero in Brazil. Simon Watts talks to Tancredo Neves' spokesman, Antonio Britto.PHOTO: Tancredo Neves, centre, on a visit to Spain (Getty Images)

15 Mars 20188min

The Battle of the Airwaves in Latin America

The Battle of the Airwaves in Latin America

In March 1938 the BBC began its first broadcasts to Latin America in Spanish and Portuguese. The new foreign language service was launched amid rising concerns over the influence of Nazi Germany and fascist Italy in Central and South America. Mike Lanchin has been listening back to archive recordings from the time, including the very first broadcast on March 14th 1938 and the memories of some of the BBC's first Latin American Service presenters and producers. (Photo: Rehearsals for a feature in the BBC's Brazilian programme, London 1943)

14 Mars 20189min

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