Cold War #275 – 1983 (Interview)

Cold War #275 – 1983 (Interview)

Author: Cameron Reilly & Ray Harris December 5, 2024 Duration: 1:37:08

Some people have said 1983 was the most dangerous year in human history. On four separate occasions, the U.S.A. and the USSR nearly ended up in a hot nuclear war. Soviet leaders apparently became deeply worried that the US was preparing to launch a surprise nuclear attack on the USSR under the cover of a NATO exercise titled ‘Able Archer.’ Brian J. Morra is a former U.S. intelligence officer and a retired senior aerospace executive who took part in the events of 1983 and has written an excellent and terrifying book on the topic, “The Able Archers”. He’s our guest today. We talk about the events of 1983, why 2024 might be even more dangerous, and why world leaders haven’t learned the lessons of 1983.


Dive deep into the decades-long geopolitical standoff that shaped our modern world with Cam & Ray's Cold War Podcast. Hosts Cameron Reilly and Ray Harris unpack this complex period not with dry academic detachment, but with a lively, conversational approach that’s both deeply researched and genuinely entertaining. Their long-form discussions delve into the pivotal events, secret operations, and towering personalities behind the Iron Curtain and beyond, offering a detailed narrative you won’t find in standard textbooks. What you’ll hear is an engaging blend of sharp analysis and humor, often venturing into NSFW territory as they explore the absurdities and intense realities of the era. This history podcast feels more like a compelling conversation between two knowledgeable friends, making the intricate strategies of deterrence and the shadowy world of espionage accessible and surprisingly funny. Each episode builds a comprehensive picture, from the origins of the tension to its final thaw, ensuring listeners come away with a richer understanding of how this global conflict continues to echo today. Settle in for a thorough and offbeat exploration that proves learning about nuclear brinkmanship and proxy wars can be as engaging as it is enlightening.
Author: Language: en-us Episodes: 100

Cam & Ray's Cold War Podcast
Podcast Episodes
#95 – Marshall Plan II [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 0:00
* Something that Marshall mentions only briefly in his speech is the effect that would have on the US economy. (around the 7’20″ mark)* Europe’s economy might have been destroyed after the war, but America’s wasn’t looki…
#94 – Marshall Plan I [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 0:00
* One of the greatest pieces of mythology to ever be produced in America is the “Marshall Plan”.* It’s right up there with the idea of glorifying the “Founding Fathers”, who were actually just tax dodgers who orchestrate…
#93 – The X Article [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 0:00
* The X Article.* George Kennan, the Soviet expert who wrote the Long Telegram, wrote another piece, but this time published publicly and anonymously, in July 1947, just after Truman’s “Truman Doctrine” speech.* The actu…
#92 – The Truman Doctrine [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 0:00
* And so on March 12, 1947, before a joint session of Congress, President Truman articulated, for the first time, a comprehensive American foreign policy for the postwar world.* He did not mention the Soviet Union by nam…
#91 – The Baruch Plan [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 0:00
* So here we are in 1946.* The Truman administration has decided on a “containment” policy.* But who is going to contain the containers?* According to the Novikov telegram, the Soviets felt like they had to contain the U…
#90 – The Novikov Telegram. [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 0:00
* The last, and certainly most conspicuous, of the four events that transformed the political culture of Washington in 1946 was a speech given in early March by Winston Churchill at Westminster College in Truman’s home s…
#89 – The “Long Telegram” [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 57:41
* Stalin’s speech in February 1946 wasn’t a declaration of war.* It wasn’t anything that couldn’t have been said in the past.* He issued no direct threats toward the United States, and emphasized above all else the secur…
#88 – Mine All Mine [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:03:30
* In October 1945, Navy Day 1945 in New York City, at the Commissioning of the aircraft carrier USS Franklin D. Roosevelt, Harry Truman gave a speech.* Here’s a clip.* https://youtu.be/BjUz4BPWwbc?t=2m21s* FAKE TRUMAN AC…
#87 – The Aftermath Part 2 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:35:16
* The military had long declared that radiation dissipated quickly in the atomic cities and posed little threat to the soldiers.* A 1980 Defense Nuclear Agency report concluded, “Medical science believes multiple myeloma…

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