Cold War Radio - by Richard H Cummings (Paperback)

About the Book

During the Cold War, the Munich-based radio stations Radio Free Europe and Radio Liberty provided clandestine broadcasts to thousands of individuals living behind the Iron Curtain. As American-sponsored radio stations, Radio Free Europe and Radio Liberty were two critical elements in the CIAs early covert activities directed against the communist regimes in Eastern Europe. While the importance of these stations in the Cold War cannot be denied, accurate information on the stations history and years of operation can be hard to come by. Most early corporate and government records either no longer exist or cannot be located, and most persons who were responsible for the stations' initial development have long since died, leaving only fragmentary documentation of the stations critical formative years.

Book Synopsis

During the Cold War, Radio Free Europe and Radio Liberty broadcast uncensored news and commentary to people living in communist nations. As critical elements of the CIA's early covert activities against communist regimes in Eastern Europe, the Munich-based stations drew a large audience despite efforts to jam the broadcasts and ban citizens from listening to them. This history of the stations in the Cold War era reveals the perils their staff faced from the Soviet Union, Bulgaria, Romania and other communist states. It recounts in detail the murder of writer Georgi Markov, the 1981 bombing of the stations by "Carlos the Jackal," infiltration by KGB agent Oleg Tumanov and other events. Appendices include security reports, letters between Carlos the Jackal and German terrorist Johannes Weinrich and other documents, many of which have never been published.

Review Quotes

"The Director of Security Radio Liberty for 15 years from 1980 onwards. Cummings' experience as a Russian linguist serving in the US Air Force in Berlin in the 1960s places him in the perfect position to supply this examination. For anyone with even the slightest interest in the machinery of the Cold War, it's safe to say that "Cold War Radio" deserves your attention"-Historytimes.com; "heartily recommend"-Popular Communications; "valuable...excellent"-Journal of Cold War Studies; "a shortwave radio thriller...takes readers deep inside a world that their casual listening to these shortwave stations would never have revealed"-Radio Heritage Foundation; "very well-documented"-Free Media Online.

About the Author

Richard H. Cummings was the director of security for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty for 15 years beginning in 1980. He currently lives in Düsseldorf, Germany.