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)

Author: Ian Sanders December 20, 2025 Duration: 1:27:11
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 to Texas, where he describes a poignant last farewell to President Kennedy before his assassination. His career in the USAF placed him behind the scenes of America’s most critical aircraft, including time at RAF Upper Heyford during the tense early 1980s. There, he lived through chemical-attack drills, nuclear-strike simulations, and the ever-present pressure of NATO–Soviet confrontation. Rising to become an astronautical engineer, Keith later worked on GPS satellites and experiments flown on the Space Shuttle. Episode Extras ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://coldwarconversations.com/episode435/ ⁠⁠Help me preserve Cold War history. ⁠⁠⁠ You’ll become part of our community, get ad-free episodes, and get a sought-after CWC coaster as a thank you and you’ll bask in the warm glow of knowing you are helping to preserve Cold War history. Just go to ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://coldwarconversations.com/donate/⁠⁠⁠⁠ If a monthly contribution is not your cup of tea, We also welcome one-off donations via the same link. Find the ideal gift for the Cold War enthusiast in your life! Just go to ⁠⁠https://coldwarconversations.com/store/⁠⁠ CONTINUE  THE COLD WAR CONVERSATION Follow us on BlueSky ⁠⁠https://bsky.app/profile/coldwarpod.bsky.social⁠⁠ Follow us on Threads ⁠⁠https://www.threads.net/@coldwarconversations⁠⁠ Follow us on Twitter/X ⁠⁠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

There's a human texture to history that official records often miss, the kind found in a personal recollection or a private fear. Cold War Conversations Podcast is built from those very materials, weaving a tapestry of the 20th century's defining standoff not with dry dates, but with the voices that held its weight. Host Ian Sanders acts as a careful curator, drawing out raw, firsthand accounts from an astonishing array of individuals-from soldiers who stared across the Berlin Wall to civilians who navigated the daily anxieties of the nuclear age, and even the spies whose shadows shaped events. This award-winning series, noted by The New York Times, moves beyond textbook summaries to deliver something far more compelling: intimate, often emotional testimony from the frontlines of a frozen conflict that was anything but cold for those living it. Each episode in this podcast feels like a direct conversation, pulling you into the personal dilemmas, narrow escapes, and quiet moments of defiance that defined the era. You'll hear the tension in a voice recalling a border crossing, the resolve in stories of protest, and the complex humanity behind the headlines. For anyone drawn to the profound impact of this period on global culture and society, this documentary-style podcast offers a gripping, deeply personal portal into the past, reminding us that history is ultimately a collection of individual stories waiting to be heard.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

Cold War Conversations - "vivid & compelling" The NY Times
Podcast Episodes
The Secret History of Britain's Cold War Nuclear Experiments (390) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:08:54
The race to build a British nuclear bomb sucked thousands into its vortex, who are still dealing with the effects of radiation today: veterans, widows, children, scientists and indigenous people, all subjected to fear, r…
Frozen in Time  - the Cold War Nottingham War Rooms (387) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 50:49
Last year I was given the unique opportunity to visit the Nottingham War Rooms. The site is about to be re-developed so it was a rare chance to see a British Regional Seat of Government bunker that has lain relatively un…
Defending Baltic Skies : A Swedish Air Force Pilot's Cold War (386) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:31:50
During the Cold War Sweden outwardly maintained its neutrality, however from the 1960s the U.S. secretly promised to provide military force in aid of Sweden in case of Soviet aggression. As part of the military cooperati…