Tag: Cold War
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A Voice Beyond the Wall
“Can you tell me what you feel about tonight?” In this fiction piece, Ambrose Brown explores the hope and heartache of those separated by the Berlin Wall.
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The Strange History of X-Ray Music in the Soviet Union
Black markets throughout the Soviet Union were no stranger to selling western goods. But perhaps the most creative way to smuggle western music into the USSR was through the repurposing of X-Rays for vinyl records. Sally Dolphin explores the unique history of ‘bone music’ in the Soviet Union and how the craft help spread prohibited…
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Threads; The Story of a Harrowing Nuclear Drama
During the Cold War, nuclear annihilation was perhaps the most harrowing extinction-level event people worried about. Jess Clark explores how the 1984 BBC television-drama terrified British citizens by showing them what may have been if the bombs dropped.
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BT Tower: London’s Most Underrated Landmark
For decades, the tallest building in London and a major tourist attraction was officially a government secret. Sam Marks dives into the history of the BT Tower.
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Project Greek Island: Duck and Uncovered
In the 1950s, during the height of the Cold War, nuclear panic led to the creation of underground fallout shelters around the world–sometimes in unexpected places. Sam Marks tells the story of the creation of a classified nuclear bunker for members of the US government underneath an unassuming hotel.
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Performing in the Theatre of the Cold War: Race, Jazz, and United States Foreign Policy
Written by Jack Bennett. What role did Jazz play in the Cold War? Jack Bennett discusses the often paradoxical enterprise of American State Department sponsoring international tours for its prominent Black musicians, to promote American values and liberties, with enduring racial discrimination and Jim Crow haunting in the background.
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The Portland Spy Ring: The Remarkable Story of Love, Deceit, and Illegal Espionage
Written by Sally Dolphin. The presence of spies in suburban life during the 1950s did not seem probable. And yet, on the Isle of Portland, Dorset, one of the most successful Soviet spy rings was operating directly under the nose of MI5.
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MK-Ultra: Mind-Control, LSD and the US Government
Written by Eva Campbell. MK-Ultra, sanctioned during the Cold War, was programme of convert experiments conducted by the US government to develop mind-control drugs. Eva Campbell explores the horrifying human cost of the operation, a period of history which remains shrouded in mystery.
Retrospect Journal 