Flying for the CIA's Air America in South East Asia (233)

04/29/22 • 86 min

1 Listener

In 1964, pilot Captain Hansen found himself unemployed. He began to send out feelers to several companies including one that had placed an ad in the Washington Post called Air America. When he was called in for an interview which primarily consisted of two questions - can you fly good and do you drink a lot.

Air America was the airline owned by the CIA. Its operations were unknown. Its schedules were irregular. Its pilots were shadow people. Its world was the world of spooks, covert air ops, adventure, and danger. Hansen would be flying in Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos and other locations in Southeast Asia. It could not have been a better fit for Hansen, an addicted adrenaline junkie. He would end up staying in Asia for over a decade and was fortunate enough to live to tell us about it in his book “Flight”

Buy Neil's book here

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I am delighted to welcome Neil Hansen to our Cold War conversation...

Further information is here. https://coldwarconversations.com/episode233/

0:00 Introduction of guest, Neil Hansen, and his journey with Air America

2:02 Call for financial support for the Cold War Conversations podcast

3:35 Hansen's recruitment and early experiences with Air America

13:31 Hansen's black flight missions and promotion within Air America

20:13 Hansen's unique flight training methods and handling emergencies

26:12 Planning missions and gathering intelligence in Vietnam and Laos

30:53 Hansen's first-hand account of the Tet Offensive

41:21 Navigating the dangers and challenges in Laos during the Cold War

1:00:01 Hansen's harrowing experience of being shot down and bailing out

1:04:07 The last flight out of Cambodia: Neil Hansen's escape and reflection

1:20:26 Neil Hansen's fight for recognition, his book, and concluding remarks

Table of contents powered by PodcastAI✨

If you can’t wait for next week’s episode do visit our Facebook discussion group where guests and listeners continue the Cold War Conversation. Just search Cold War Conversations in Facebook.

Support the project! https://coldwarconversations.com/donate/

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/groups/coldwarpod/

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Buy Neil's book here

Just go to https://coldwarconversations.com/donate/

I am delighted to welcome Neil Hansen to our Cold War conversation...

Further information is here. https://coldwarconversations.com/episode233/

0:00 Introduction of guest, Neil Hansen, and his journey with Air America

2:02 Call for financial support for the Cold War Conversations podcast

3:35 Hansen's recruitment and early experiences with Air America

13:31 Hansen's black flight missions and promotion within Air America

20:13 Hansen's unique flight training methods and handling emergencies

26:12 Planning missions and gathering intelligence in Vietnam and Laos

30:53 Hansen's first-hand account of the Tet Offensive

41:21 Navigating the dangers and challenges in Laos during the Cold War

1:00:01 Hansen's harrowing experience of being shot down and bailing out

1:04:07 The last flight out of Cambodia: Neil Hansen's escape and reflection

1:20:26 Neil Hansen's fight for recognition, his book, and concluding remarks

Table of contents powered by PodcastAI✨

If you can’t wait for next week’s episode do visit our Facebook discussion group where guests and listeners continue the Cold War Conversation. Just search Cold War Conversations in Facebook.

Support the project! https://coldwarconversations.com/donate/

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

Previous Episode

A photojournalist in Cold War Eastern Europe (232)

During the 1970s and 1980s, Arthur Grace travelled extensively behind the Iron Curtain, working primarily for news magazines. One of only a small corps of Western photographers with ongoing access, he was able to delve into the most ordinary corners of people's daily lives, while also covering significant events. His remarkable book Communism(s) A Cold War Album is effectively psychological portraits that leave the viewer with a sense of the gamut of emotions in that era.

Illustrated with over 120 black-and-white images-nearly all previously unpublished- Communism(s) gives an unprecedented glimpse behind the veil of a not-so-distant time filled with harsh realities unseen by nearly all but those that lived through it. Shot in the USSR, Poland, Romania, Yugoslavia and the German Democratic Republic, here are portraits of factory workers, farmers, churchgoers, holidaymakers and loitering teens juxtaposed with Social Realist-designed apartment blocks, annual May Day Parades, Poland's Solidarity movement (and the subsequent imposition of martial law) and the vastness of Moscow's Red Square.

Buy the book here https://uk.bookshop.org/a/1549/9788862087674

Cold War history is disappearing; however, a simple monthly donation will keep this podcast on the air. You’ll 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 financial contribution is not your cup of tea, then you can still help us by leaving written reviews here. It really helps us get new guests on the show.

0:00 Introduction to Cold War Conversations and Arthur Grace

2:37 Sponsor: Cold War Conversations merchandise and donations

5:31 Arthur Grace's experiences in Romania

15:45 Encounters and photo opportunities in East Germany

21:23 Anti-government memorials and Solidarity movement in Poland

33:39 The art and challenges of photojournalism during the Cold War

40:42 Transition and transformation in Poland between 1982 and 1989

46:16 Reflections on Cold War assignments and favorite photographs

48:45 Anecdotes from Moscow, Warsaw and the Gobi Desert

58:11 Arthur's book

Table of contents powered by PodcastAI✨

If you can’t wait for next week’s episode do visit our Facebook discussion group where guests and listeners continue the Cold War Conversation. Just search Cold War Conversations in Facebook.

More episode info here https://coldwarconversations.com/episode232/

Thank you very much for listening. It is really appreciated.

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Next Episode

Britain’s Cold War Human Chemical Warfare Experiments (234)

Ian Foulkes was exposed to the deadly nerve agent Sarin in 1983 at the Porton Down Chemical & Biological Defence Establishment., one of the UK's most secretive and controversial military research facilities.

Ian describes in detail the process and the ill effects this caused him and shares details of a little-known fatality where 20-year-old Ronald Maddison died 45 minutes after what scientists thought was 200mg of liquid Sarin dripped onto his arm.

We also talk about the development of chemical weapons during the Cold War and the history of the Porton Down Chemical & Biological Defence Establishment.

Up to 20,000 people took part in various trials at Porton Down from 1949 up to 1989. In 2004 Maddison’s death was ruled to have been Corporate Manslaughter. The MoD withdrew a challenge to this ruling minutes before the hearing. In 2008 the MoD paid 600 veterans of the tests £8k each without admitting liability.

Now if you think there is a vast army of research assistants, audio engineers and producers putting together this podcast you’d be wrong. This podcast relies on your support to enable me to continue to capture these incredible stories and make them available to everyone for free.

If you’d like to help to preserve Cold War history and enable me to continue to produce this podcast you can via one-off or monthly donations.

Just go to https://coldwarconversations.com/donate/ for more details.

0:00 Introduction and background of the 13th World Festival of Youth and Students

2:21 Interview with Greg Elma: The History and Politics of the Youth Festivals

9:15 Economic implications of North Korea's festival expenditures

12:06 The Canadian Delegation: Composition and Journey to Pyongyang

21:19 Festival Atmosphere and Experiences in North Korea

27:18 Delegates' Realizations and Long-Term Impact of the Festival

36:44 The Canadian Delegation's Response to Tiananmen Square

45:20 Reaction to the Film "The Canadian Delegation"

53:19 How to Access the Film on Vimeo and Future Plans

54:07 Ian Sanders' Closing Remarks and Cold War Conversations' Call to Action