Cold War Cast

Ho Chi Minh’s Speech - Vietnam’s Independence

February 12, 2024 02:27 - 18 minutes - 17.4 MB

On September 2, 1945 Ho Chi Minh delivered a speech in Hanoi announcing Vietnam’s independence from Japan and France. Tonight we’re going to read the speech and add a little context in order to hear it from the “other side”. Ho Chi Minh was one of America’s communist boogeymen, after all. I believe hearing all sides, even ones you don’t like, are important- especially today

Oppenheimer

August 04, 2023 18:16 - 20 minutes - 19.1 MB

My thoughts on the film Oppenheimer and one of the major themes of the film and how it relates to the Cold War

I Was A Communist For The FBI

May 04, 2023 19:13 - 26 minutes - 24.4 MB

Today we’re doing a Cold War analysis of the 1951 Film Noir gem “I Was A Communist For The FBI”, a dramatization of undercover agent Matt Cvetic’s time amongst the communists in Pittsburgh.

Western Tanks Coming to Ukraine

January 31, 2023 20:04 - 42 minutes - 39.7 MB

This episode is a little different because I’m giving my hot takes on the tanks coming to Ukraine. I feel that both the Ukrainian / Western and the Russian sides need a little moderation on the situation with the incoming tanks. I hope you enjoy this one, I’m shooting from the hip here on this subject

Red Nightmare (1962)

January 26, 2023 17:09 - 26 minutes - 24.7 MB

Today we’re looking at a real Cold War gem, “Red Nightmare”. Our protagonist gets taken on a twilight zone-esque journey into what his life would look like under communism. This short film is one of my favorite examples of the Cold War being fought through pop culture. Let me know what you think! As always, this is brought to you by Red Dragon Herbs, our own loose leaf tea business

Conelrad: Atomic Era Civil Defense

October 14, 2022 23:25 - 16 minutes - 15.3 MB

Today we’re talking about Conelrad, the American government’s answer to getting the word out in the event of a Soviet attack. This topic is a fun relic from those uncertain times. We had the power to blow each other up across the world, but communication across the country wasn’t foolproof

Eisenhower Introduces The Domino Theory

September 22, 2022 19:23 - 18 minutes - 17.3 MB

In a press conference in 1954, President Eisenhower cites the Domino Theory as a reason for America’s involvement in the war in Vietnam. Today we’re talking about the origins of the theory and its impact on the Cold War.

The Ayatollah’s Letter to Gorbachev

September 13, 2022 20:09 - 25 minutes - 23.2 MB

In January of 1989 Ayatollah Khomeini sent a letter to Gorbachev. He invites him to turn to Islam, but also gets his final digs in as the USSR crumbles. This letter is an interesting snapshot of the waning days of Gorbachev and the Soviet Union from a unique Cold War perspective we don’t hear from often.

Fighting Commies With J Edgar Hoover

August 30, 2022 20:04 - 25 minutes - 23.9 MB

Today we’re talking about the great Cold Warrior J Edgar Hoover and his 1958 book “Masters of Deceit: The Story of Communism in America and How To Fight It”. This is a real gem from the red scare era of the Cold War. I leave you with a few actionable tips on fighting communism at the end. Enjoy!

The Manchurian Candidate

July 27, 2022 22:46 - 20 minutes - 19.3 MB

Today we’re talking about a Cold War pop culture gem, The Manchurian Candidate. This book was written after the McCarthy era “red scare” began to cool down. A good satire on the era. Enjoy

Top Gun (1986)

June 03, 2022 03:07 - 33 minutes - 31.4 MB

We’re going right in to the danger zone tonight and discussing Top Gun, which I think was America’s on-screen Cold War victory lap. It’s a story of a nation regaining confidence and redemption after being shaken up by the experience of the Vietnam War. Enjoy the episode and let me know what you think. Share, subscribe and support reddragonherbs.net or I’ll have you flying a cargo plane of rubber dogshit out of Hong Kong.

Sputnik: How America Reacted

May 19, 2022 17:59 - 28 minutes - 26.2 MB

Today we dig into the archives of the Des Moines Register to get reactions from when the Soviet Union launched Sputnik, the first man made satellite into space.

May 9 Victory Day Parade

April 29, 2022 19:02 - 42 minutes - 38.9 MB

There will be a lot of eyes on this year’s Victory Day parade in Russia because of the speech Vladimir Putin will have to give. What will he say? In this episode I give a rundown of how the parade goes. At the end of the day, it’s a great Cold War throwback, lots of Soviet nostalgia and stunning military pageantry. I also discussed “babushka z” and how she plays into the current mood in Russia.

Austria’s Cold War Neutrality: A Template for Ukraine?

April 12, 2022 19:26 - 36 minutes - 33.9 MB

In this episode we talk about Austria, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Ukraine. There’s a little something for everyone, really

Ukraine, DEFCON and the Doomsday Clock

March 29, 2022 19:43 - 31 minutes - 28.7 MB

In this episode we’ll discuss DEFCON and the Doomsday Clock. I think these topics are relevant for understanding some of the information…and misinformation about the war in Ukraine

The Turkish Army in the Korean War

March 09, 2022 20:23 - 42 minutes - 39.8 MB

The second nation to step forward for Korea was Turkey. Today we’re talking about why they got involved, their experience and the mythos surrounding the Turks. We’ll also discuss the film “Ayla: Daughter of War”

Mcnamara’s Folly from a Cold War Perspective

January 27, 2022 19:34 - 32 minutes - 29.7 MB

Recently on the Jocko podcast he discussed Mcnamara’s Folly about Project 100,000 to draft substandard men into the armed forces. Today I discuss the Cold War considerations of the plan and how it relates to current American foreign policy. I’m all over the place on this one, enjoy!

Episodes