Coming in From the Cold: Untold Stories from the Cold War

Feb 28 2023 472

Coming in From the Cold: Untold Stories from the Cold War Podcast artwork

Coming in from the Cold explores forgotten—or never-remembered—national security policy initiatives, incidents and events during the Cold War. In each episode Cold War Historian Bill Rosenau, sits down with experts on a wide range of topics to discuss these events and how they are relevant to today’s challenges. The views expressed here are those of the commentators and do not necessarily reflect the views of CNA or any of its sponsors.

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J. Edgar Hoover

Feb 28 2023 41 mins

Today, J. Edgar Hoover is remembered as a power-hungry, corrupt and prejudiced man, obsessed with an imagined threat of domestic communists. But during his life, he was widely respected and admired as the man responsible for building the FBI into a premier law enforcement agency. In the final episode of Coming in from the Cold Bill sits down with Beverly Gage, author of “G- Man:

Weaponizing the Weather

Dec 31 2022 37 mins

Jim Fleming is the Charles A. Dana Professor of Science, Technology, and Society at Colby College and a research associate at the Smithsonian Institution. He has earned degrees in astronomy (B.S. Penn State University), atmospheric science (M.S. Colorado State University) and history (Ph.D. Princeton University). Professor Jim Fleming's website. “Fixing the Sky: The Checkered His

The Moscow Signal and Havana Syndrome

Oct 31 2022 26 mins

In 2017, reports of the mysterious “Havana Syndrome” dominated the news. American diplomats around the world reported experiencing a variety of symptoms including hearing a sudden loud noise, pain in one or both ears, feeling of pressure or vibrations in the head, tinnitus, visual problems, vertigo, nausea and cognitive difficulties. There is no consensus among American Intelli

Napalm: The Original Weapon of Mass Destruction

Sep 30 2022 37 mins

The dropping of the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki is seen by most as the ultimate display of man’s capacity to destroy. While the destructive power of nuclear weapons cannot be denied, there was another weapon used in the Pacific campaign which was responsible for even more civilian death, Napalm. In this episode, Bob Neer, author of “Napalm an American Biography,” j

Able Archer: The Invisible Cuban Missile Crisis

Aug 31 2022 46 mins

The Cuban Missile Crisis is widely considered to be the closest the world has come to nuclear war. But while that crisis played out in public view, there was another close call that happened in the shadows. In this episode the story of Able Archer 83. Brian Morra is the author of “The Able Archers.” He has spent his career in intelligence and national security beginning with hi

In Review

Jul 31 2022 34 mins

In this episode, we are taking a look back at the series so far and looking ahead to where it's going in the future. John Stimpson is the producer of Coming in From the Cold and a member of CNA’s Office of Communications. Lt. Cdr. Steven Wills served for 20 years as an active-duty U.S. Navy officer, he served on a variety of small and medium surface combatants, including an assig

The Rise of the Right

Jun 30 2022 47 mins

From the beginning of the Cold War, a network of U.S. conservatives dreamed of an international anti-communist revolution. Rather than overthrowing communist regimes directly, they instead pinned their hopes on armed groups who could topple communist states from within. In this episode, we explore the ideology of anticommunist internationalism and how it connects to today’s Ameri

Nixon and Watergate 50 Years Later

May 31 2022 41 mins

50 years ago, the Watergate scandal rocked American politics. The break-in and subsequent cover-up by the Nixon administration led to the only presidential resignation in American history and defines political scandal to this day. In this episode of Coming in From the Cold: Michael Dobbs, author of “King Richard: Nixon and Watergate--An American Tragedy,” joins Bill to discuss

Urgent Fury: The 1983 Invasion of Grenada

Apr 30 2022 32 mins

In 1983, the United States along with Caribbean partner nations invaded the island nation of Grenada. The goals of the operation outlined by the Reagan administration were to protect American citizens on the island, forestall further chaos, and restore the rule of law and order on the island of Grenada. While broadly successful in objectives, the operation was criticized by both U

The Chernobyl Meltdown: Past and Present

Mar 31 2022 32 mins

On April 26, 1986, reactor No.4 of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant exploded, triggering one of the worst man-made disasters in human history. Today, Chernobyl is back in the news as the site of one of the first battles in the Russia-Ukraine War. In this episode of Coming in From the Cold, Steve Wills sits down with Michael Kofman and Mary Chesnut, from CNA’s Russia Studies prog