PODCAST · history
A COLD WAR
by Cameron Reilly & Ray Harris
A NSFW, detailed and funny long-form podcast about The Cold War.
Episodes
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CW 318 — The Politics of Illusion (Free Preview)
The CIA's plan for the Bay of Pigs was, in short, to land a brigade of exiles, hope the Cuban people spontaneously rose up, and call it a day. No backup plan. One in three odds of success, according to the Under Secretary of State's own memo. Kennedy then cut the air strikes almost in half as an...
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CW 318 — The Politics of Illusion
The CIA's plan for the Bay of Pigs was, in short, to land a brigade of exiles, hope the Cuban people spontaneously rose up, and call it a day. No backup plan. One in three odds of success, according to the Under Secretary of State's own memo. Kennedy then cut the air strikes almost in half as an...
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CW 317 — The John Wayne Complex (Free Preview)
The CIA's original plan for Cuba was a slow, subtle guerrilla operation.... then someone started adding things. A combined air and sea assault. A march on Havana. Possibly US troops. By October 1960, what began as a quiet covert infiltration had turned into D-Day Jr., and nobody seemed to notice...
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CW 317 — The John Wayne Complex
The CIA's original plan for Cuba was a slow, subtle guerrilla operation.... then someone started adding things. A combined air and sea assault. A march on Havana. Possibly US troops. By October 1960, what began as a quiet covert infiltration had turned into D-Day Jr., and nobody seemed to notice...
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CW 316 — "I Cannot Wait For You" (Free Preview)
The CIA's master plan for the Bay of Pigs invasion was, apparently, a cakewalk. The frogmen hit the coral reef they thought was seaweed, a light shorted out and alerted the shore, the winches on the landing boats squeaked loud enough to wake the neighbourhood, and Castro's planes showed up at…
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CW 316 — "I Cannot Wait For You"
The CIA's master plan for the Bay of Pigs invasion was, apparently, a cakewalk. The frogmen hit the coral reef they thought was seaweed, a light shorted out and alerted the shore, the winches on the landing boats squeaked loud enough to wake the neighbourhood, and Castro's planes showed up at…
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CW 315 — Like an Iron Filing to a Magnet (Free Preview)
Castro expropriated every American-owned asset in Cuba, got kicked out of his New York hotel for looking like a credit risk, and ended up hosting Malcolm X in a rundown place in Harlem.... which Khrushchev immediately recognised as the greatest PR move he'd ever seen. Meanwhile, Castro's sister…
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CW 315 — Like an Iron Filing to a Magnet
Castro expropriated every American-owned asset in Cuba, got kicked out of his New York hotel for looking like a credit risk, and ended up hosting Malcolm X in a rundown place in Harlem.... which Khrushchev immediately recognised as the greatest PR move he'd ever seen. Meanwhile, Castro's sister…
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CW 314 — The Coffins of United Fruit (Free Preview)
Eisenhower signs off on a covert plan to overthrow Castro in March 1960.... a plan which, to be clear, is literally titled "Program of Covert Action Against the Castro Regime." Subtle. Meanwhile Cuba starts nationalising US oil refineries, Washington cuts the sugar quota, and Castro responds by...
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CW 314 — The Coffins of United Fruit
Eisenhower signs off on a covert plan to overthrow Castro in March 1960.... a plan which, to be clear, is literally titled "Program of Covert Action Against the Castro Regime." Subtle. Meanwhile Cuba starts nationalising US oil refineries, Washington cuts the sugar quota, and Castro responds by...
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CW 313 — Pick Up the Gun (Free Preview)
The CIA didn't want Cuba buying weapons from Britain, so Allen Dulles quietly leaned on the British ambassador to kill the deal.... hoping Cuba would get desperate enough to buy from the Soviets instead, at which point the US could say "look, commies" and invade. Pick up the gun. Meanwhile…
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CW 313 — Pick Up the Gun
The CIA didn't want Cuba buying weapons from Britain, so Allen Dulles quietly leaned on the British ambassador to kill the deal.... hoping Cuba would get desperate enough to buy from the Soviets instead, at which point the US could say "look, commies" and invade. Pick up the gun. Meanwhile…
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CW 312 — Fatherland or Death (Free Preview)
A Belgian munitions ship called La Coubre blows up in Havana Harbour, killing somewhere between 75 and 100 people.... and Castro immediately points the finger at Washington, which is awkward given that the US had already been bombing Cuban sugar fields from Florida. Also at this funeral, Alberto...
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CW 312 — Fatherland or Death
A Belgian munitions ship called La Coubre blows up in Havana Harbour, killing somewhere between 75 and 100 people.... and Castro immediately points the finger at Washington, which is awkward given that the US had already been bombing Cuban sugar fields from Florida. Also at this funeral, Alberto...
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CW 311 — Coletillas (Free Preview)
Mikoyan, Soviet deputy premier and ice cream king, rolls into Havana in February 1960 with a 40-person delegation, a science exhibit, and advice for Castro to just take all the American-owned land without compensation. Meanwhile, Cuba's newspaper workers start inserting little clarification notes...
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CW 311 — Coletillas
Mikoyan, Soviet deputy premier and ice cream king, rolls into Havana in February 1960 with a 40-person delegation, a science exhibit, and advice for Castro to just take all the American-owned land without compensation. Meanwhile, Cuba's newspaper workers start inserting little clarification notes...
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CW 310 — Ice Cream and Ideology (Free Preview)
Cuba, 1959/1960, and Fidel Castro is desperately trying to walk the middle path.... no communism, no capitalism, just "humanism" - liberty with bread, bread without terror. Meanwhile one of his most senior commanders, Huber Matos, publicly resigns in protest at communist influence and ends up in...
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CW 310 — Ice Cream and Ideology
Cuba, 1959/1960, and Fidel Castro is desperately trying to walk the middle path.... no communism, no capitalism, just "humanism" - liberty with bread, bread without terror. Meanwhile one of his most senior commanders, Huber Matos, publicly resigns in protest at communist influence and ends up in...
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CW 309 — The Man Who Owned Everything (Free Preview)
This week we dig into the fallout from Castro's agrarian reform law — the land grabs, the diplomatic notes flying between Havana and Washington, and the moment a Texas cattle baron handed Eisenhower the blueprint for 60+ years of US Cuba policy. We also cover Castro's brilliant political theatre…
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CW 309 — The Man Who Owned Everything
This week we dig into the fallout from Castro's agrarian reform law — the land grabs, the diplomatic notes flying between Havana and Washington, and the moment a Texas cattle baron handed Eisenhower the blueprint for 60+ years of US Cuba policy. We also cover Castro's brilliant political theatre…
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CW 308 — The Land They Were Never Meant To Own (Free Preview)
On this episode we dig into the centrepiece of Cuba's revolution — the Agrarian Reform Act of 1959. We break down exactly what the law said, why even the Cuban Communist Party thought Castro was moving too fast, and how ordinary Cubans from all walks of life started pooling their own money to…
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CW 308 — The Land They Were Never Meant To Own
On this episode we dig into the centrepiece of Cuba's revolution — the Agrarian Reform Act of 1959. We break down exactly what the law said, why even the Cuban Communist Party thought Castro was moving too fast, and how ordinary Cubans from all walks of life started pooling their own money to…
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CW 307 — Fidel Does America
Fidel is the newly installed as Prime Minister of Cuba — and immediately does on a charm offensive to the United States, where he wows crowds, spars with Richard Nixon, and somehow convinces a CIA analyst he's basically anti-communist. Meanwhile, back in Washington, Eisenhower is conveniently...
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CW 307 — Fidel Does America (Free Preview)
Fidel is the newly installed as Prime Minister of Cuba — and immediately does on a charm offensive to the United States, where he wows crowds, spars with Richard Nixon, and somehow convinces a CIA analyst he's basically anti-communist. Meanwhile, back in Washington, Eisenhower is conveniently...
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Prime Minister Castro - Cold War #306 (free preview)
This week we're deep in the early days of Castro's Cuba — watching a revolutionary figure out he's now got to actually run a country. We cover Castro's sweeping reforms: dissolving Congress, banning political parties, freezing corrupt officials' assets, and the messy reality of ruling from…
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Prime Minister Castro - Cold War #306
This week we're deep in the early days of Castro's Cuba — watching a revolutionary figure out he's now got to actually run a country. We cover Castro's sweeping reforms: dissolving Congress, banning political parties, freezing corrupt officials' assets, and the messy reality of ruling from…
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CW 305 — Revolutionary Justice (or: Shut the Fuck Up, You Dropped Atomic Bombs) (Free Preview)
This week we dig into the messy aftermath of Castro's victory — the revolutionary tribunals, the firing squads, and the international blowback that followed. We also get into Fidel's complicated personal life, including his stunning mistress Naty Revuelta, his secret illegitimate daughter Alina,...
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CW 305 — Revolutionary Justice (or: Shut the Fuck Up, You Dropped Atomic Bombs)
This week we dig into the messy aftermath of Castro's victory — the revolutionary tribunals, the firing squads, and the international blowback that followed. We also get into Fidel's complicated personal life, including his stunning mistress Naty Revuelta, his secret illegitimate daughter Alina,...
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CW 304 — The Dove Has Landed (Free Preview)
It's January 1959, and Fidel Castro has just pulled off the impossible — a ragtag band of bearded rebels from the Sierra Maestra mountains has toppled the Batista dictatorship, and all of Cuba is euphoric. In Episode 304 of A Cold War, Cameron and Ray follow Castro's triumphant five-day journey...
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CW 304 — The Dove Has Landed
It's January 1959, and Fidel Castro has just pulled off the impossible — a ragtag band of bearded rebels from the Sierra Maestra mountains has toppled the Batista dictatorship, and all of Cuba is euphoric. In Episode 304 of A Cold War, Cameron and Ray follow Castro's triumphant five-day journey...
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CW 303 — Fangio, Fatigues, and the Fall of Batista
It’s April 1958, and Cuba is a powder keg with a sputtering fuse. Fulgencio Batista is bleeding support from every direction — the church, the business elite, even his American backers — while Fidel Castro’s rebel movement is growing stronger in the Sierra Maestra mountains. But before the final...
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CW 303 — Fangio, Fatigues, and the Fall of Batista (Free Preview)
It’s April 1958, and Cuba is a powder keg with a sputtering fuse. Fulgencio Batista is bleeding support from every direction — the church, the business elite, even his American backers — while Fidel Castro’s rebel movement is growing stronger in the Sierra Maestra mountains. But before the final...
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The Mountain Shadow Government - Cold War 302 (Cuban Revolution #27)
In this episode, Cameron and Ray dive into the pivotal year of 1958, charting Fidel Castro’s transition from a guerrilla insurgent to the head of a sophisticated shadow government. As the Rebel Army swelled from a handful of survivors to a force of thousands, Castro moved beyond mere military...
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The Mountain Shadow Government - Cold War 302 (Cuban Revolution #27)
In this episode, Cameron and Ray dive into the pivotal year of 1958, charting Fidel Castro’s transition from a guerrilla insurgent to the head of a sophisticated shadow government. As the Rebel Army swelled from a handful of survivors to a force of thousands, Castro moved beyond mere military...
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The Miami Pact - Cold War 301
In this episode, Cameron and Ray delve into the complex internal and external power struggles facing Fidel Castro in the late 1950s as he attempts to consolidate his leadership over the anti-Batista movement. The discussion highlights the stark divide between Castro’s rural guerrilla...
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Castro Goes Viral. - CW 300 (Free)
Episode 300 marks a major waypoint for the Cold War Podcast, and the discussion dives straight back into the hard mechanics of revolution. Castro is alive, hiding in the Sierra Maestra with a tiny guerrilla force, but survival alone isn’t victory. This episode explores the real problem facing…
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Castro Goes Viral - CW 300
Episode 300 marks a major waypoint for the Cold War Podcast, and the discussion dives straight back into the hard mechanics of revolution. Castro is alive, hiding in the Sierra Maestra with a tiny guerrilla force, but survival alone isn’t victory. This episode explores the real problem facing…
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Castro Is Dead. Long Live Castro - CW 299
In this episode, Cameron and Ray pick up the Cuban Revolution story at its most fragile moment: Fidel Castro has just landed in eastern Cuba with 82 men, most of them dead, scattered, or captured within days. Batista’s regime confidently declares Castro dead, the international press runs with it,...
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The Worst Landing in Revolutionary History - CW 298
Episode 298 follows Fidel Castro’s disastrous return to Cuba aboard the *Granma* and the near-total collapse of his carefully laid plans within days of landing. What was meant to be a coordinated uprising turns into a brutal fight for survival as delays at sea, bad weather, poor logistics, and...
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To Cuba or to Martyrdom - CW 297
In this episode of *The Cold War*, Cameron and Ray trace the strange, lucky, unlikely, often chaotic road that led Fidel Castro, Che Guevara, and their small band of exiles from a rented farm outside Mexico City to the deck of the *Granma* in late 1956. The show follows their botched guerrilla...
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When Fidel Met Che - Cold War 296
In this episode, Fidel Castro steps out of prison in 1955 and straight into revolutionary planning. We trace his transformation from imprisoned dissident to a man preparing an armed insurrection in exile. We explore his belief in luck, conviction and humility, his frustrating attempt to re-enter...
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History Will Absolve Me - CW 295 Preview
Fidel Castro’s first attempt to ignite revolution in Cuba ends in disaster — but also forges the legend. We follow the aftermath of the failed 1953 Moncada Barracks raid: the brutal reprisals, Fidel’s near-execution, the unlikely lieutenant who saves him, the public opinion shift as Batista’s...
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History Will Absolve Me - CW 295
Fidel Castro’s first attempt to ignite revolution in Cuba ends in disaster — but also forges the legend. We follow the aftermath of the failed 1953 Moncada Barracks raid: the brutal reprisals, Fidel’s near-execution, the unlikely lieutenant who saves him, the public opinion shift as Batista’s...
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Castro’s First Swing: The Moncada Misfire (preview)
In this episode, Cam and Ray bring their trademark banter and historical nerdery to the story of Fidel Castro’s first attempt at revolution — the ill-fated 1953 Moncada Barracks attack. What starts as a coup joke about Batista’s boredom quickly spirals into a lively mix of history and comedy. We...
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Castro’s First Swing: The Moncada Misfire - Cold War #294
In this episode, Cam and Ray bring their trademark banter and historical nerdery to the story of Fidel Castro’s first attempt at revolution — the ill-fated 1953 Moncada Barracks attack. What starts as a coup joke about Batista’s boredom quickly spirals into a lively mix of history and comedy. We...
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CW #293 (preview) - Castro’s Crossroads
In this preview of Cold War #293, Cameron and Ray dig into the aftermath of Batista’s March 1952 coup in Cuba and how it shaped Fidel Castro’s early strategies. The conversation explores Castro’s proclamation denouncing the coup, his first failed attempts to rally the public, and why the Cuban...
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CW #293 - Castro’s Crossroads
In this episode of Cold War, Cameron and Ray dig into the aftermath of Batista’s March 1952 coup in Cuba and how it shaped Fidel Castro’s early strategies. The conversation explores Castro’s proclamation denouncing the coup, his first failed attempts to rally the public, and why the Cuban people...
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CW #292 Preview - Batista’s Bloodless Coup: Havana 1952
In this preview of episode of The Cold War, Cameron and Ray take us to Havana in 1952, when Fulgencio Batista staged a meticulously planned coup d’état. They walk through the midnight maneuvers at Camp Columbia, the arrest of generals, the swift control of communication hubs, and the apathy of…
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CW #292 - Batista’s Bloodless Coup: Havana 1952
In this episode of The Cold War, Cameron and Ray take us to Havana in 1952, when Fulgencio Batista staged a meticulously planned coup d’état. They walk through the midnight maneuvers at Camp Columbia, the arrest of generals, the swift control of communication hubs, and the apathy of the Cuban...
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CW #291 Free - The Lawyer for the Poor
In this episode, Cameron and Ray continue the story of Fidel Castro’s early years, charting his transformation from a fiery young activist entangled with street gangs into a determined reformer and aspiring politician. They explore how Castro navigated gang violence in Havana, his involvement…
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
A NSFW, detailed and funny long-form podcast about The Cold War.
HOSTED BY
Cameron Reilly & Ray Harris
CATEGORIES
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does A COLD WAR have?
A COLD WAR currently has 344 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is A COLD WAR about?
A NSFW, detailed and funny long-form podcast about The Cold War.
How often does A COLD WAR release new episodes?
A COLD WAR publishes regularly with 344 episodes available. Check the episode list for the typical release schedule.
Where can I listen to A COLD WAR?
You can listen to A COLD WAR on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts A COLD WAR?
A COLD WAR is created and hosted by Cameron Reilly & Ray Harris.
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