Cold War in the News -- History

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Secret CIA manual - "Trickery and Deception" - from Cold War era on sale
A CIA manual teaching American agents on the use of magic tricks during the Cold War has gone on sale. It was written in 1953 by magician John Mulholland for a fee of $3,000. It includes deceptions such as spiking drinks and pocketing small items. The CIA ordered copies destroyed in the 1970s, but one survived. It has been republished as The Official CIA Manual of Trickery and Deception. The material - now unclassified - was uncovered by espionage historian Keith Melton, and Bob Wallace, a former CIA director. The guide was part of a bigger CIA programme, called Project MK-Ultra, aimed at countering the Soviet mind-control techniques of the Cold War era.
by bbc.co.uk :: 2009-12-09 :: CIA during Cold War

Fidel Castro's sister Juanita Castro helped CIA against Cuban leaders
Juanita Castro, the younger sister of Cuban leaders Fidel and Raul Castro, worked for the CIA during the Cold War, she reveals in her new memoir. Juanita Castro, at first a supporter of the Cuban revolution that catapulted Fidel Castro to power in 1959, said she became disillusioned by growing injustice. In the book - My Brothers Fidel and Raul, the Secret History - she said she was introduced to the CIA through a close friend on the island nation, Virginia Leitao da Cunha, wife of the Brazilian ambassador to Cuba in the 1960s. Castro agreed to help on the condition that she would not do anything violent against her brothers.
by cnn.com :: 2009-12-09 :: Fidel Castro & Cuba

Tours of escape tunnels under the Berlin Wall
When the East German government set up the Berlin Wall in 1961 to prevent its citizens from leaving, the regime failed to consider the creativity of those willing to risk anything to escape the communist system. But several hundred took advantage of the soft soil beneath Berlin to tunnel their way under the wall. Today Berlin's Cold War-era bunker and tunnel system has become one of the most popular attractions for tourists. In 2008, over 150,000 visitors explored the underground of the German capital, touring the bunkers and tunnels that serve as a chilling reminder of the city's grim history.
by abcnews.go.com :: 2009-10-22 :: Berlin Wall

Russia's Doomsday Machine still ready for action?
It's supposed to be science fiction: A device that triggers a nuclear attack in the event of an American strike against Russia. But the "Dr. Strangelove"-like technology isn't fantasy. The Cold War-era Soviet "doomsday machine" was - and might still be - very much a reality. From interviews with former Soviet arms officials and Defense Department documents, Wired editor Nicholas Thompson found out that the system was built 25 years ago to make sure a nuclear retaliation if Russia were attacked by the U.S. And though the Iron Curtain was removed, it's thought that the "doomsday" system was never switched off.
by abcnews.go.com :: 2009-10-22 :: Nuclear War

How vital were Cold War spies, did they actually make any difference?
The world of espionage is at the heart of the mythology of the Cold War. But while the tales of adventure, treason, and mole hunts are a great source for thriller writers, did they really make a difference to the outcome? Did intelligence make the Cold War hotter or colder? It is difficult to know the answer, because much of the intelligence collected was military or tactical in nature, and would only have useful if the Cold War had gone hot. But in the lack of traditional warfare, intelligence becomes itself the primary battleground.
by bbc.co.uk :: 2009-08-11 :: Spies, Intelligence, Espionage of Cold War

The spy who started the Cold War by passing Britain's atomic bomb secrets to the Soviet Union
For 10 years a Soviet spy codenamed Eric revealed Britain's nuclear secrets to Moscow, paving the way for the Cold War. The KGB treasured him; MI5 suspected him, trailed him, opened his letters and monitored his every move. But he was never caught. Now, with the opening of MI5 and KGB archives, Eric can be id'ed as Engelbert (Bertie) Broda, a Austrian scientist who evaded Britain's spy-catchers while working as a Soviet mole in the heart of the wartime nuclear research programme. The amazing story of Bertie Broda is like a spy novel: a tale of espionage and counter-espionage, elaborate spycraft, deception, and double-life.
by timesonline.co.uk :: 2009-08-11 :: Cold War Soviet Spies

Anthony Blunt: passing secrets to Communist Russia was the biggest mistake of my life
The memoirs of spy Anthony Blunt reveal how he regarded passing British secrets to Communist Russia as the "biggest mistake of my life". He passed secret documents to the Soviets while a WWII agent for MI5. Blunt was part of the Cambridge spy ring, with Kim Philby, Guy Burgess and Donald Maclean. His memoirs, at the British Library in London, says a "naive" desire to help Moscow beat fascism motivated him. Blunt penned the 30,000-word document after PM Margaret Thatcher exposed his treachery in 1979. Blunt says he became disillusioned with Moscow, wishing only to "return to my normal academic life". However, his knowledge of the others in the spy ring made this impossible.
by bbc.co.uk :: 2009-08-11 :: Spies, Intelligence, Espionage of Cold War

Majority of Eastern Germans say life was better under Communism
Glorification of the German Democratic Republic is increasing two decades after the Berlin Wall collapsed. Young people and the better off are among those rejecting criticism of East Germany. In a new poll over half of former eastern Germans defend the GDR. People are whitewashing the dictatorship, as if criticizing the state meant calling their own past into question. "Many eastern Germans perceive all criticism of the system as a personal attack. Not even half of young people in eastern Germany describe the GDR as a dictatorship, and a majority believe the Stasi was a normal intelligence service," Klaus Schroeder discovered in a 2008 study.
by spiegel.de :: 2009-08-11 :: East Germany

Cold War in the News is an edited review of hand-picked Cold War related news and articles.