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  • We’ve heard about a lot of evil on Secret Police, but the actions of the Kempeitai and the wider Imperial Japanese Army are particularly poignant for their brutality and the extent to which violence prevails if you believe your enemy is inhuman.

    Who were the Kempeitai?

    How did the Kempeitai develop out of Japan’s long military history?

    What were the Kempeitai’s connections to both German and Russian secret police?

    What was the level of the Kempeitai’s involvement in various atrocities in China?Thank you all for your patience and your continued support!

    Sources:

    Kempeitai: Japan's Dreaded Military Police by Raymond Lamont-Brown (1998).

    What Are The Major Natural Resources Of Japan? By Sophy Owour. https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/what-are-the-major-natural-resources-of-japan.html

    The Dawn Empire | Animated History of Japan. Suibhne. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Zwi3XXLci8&list=PLyw95kShWfm_JqDRyLAxEAob74zWH-BI2&index=4&ab_channel=Suibhne

    Origin of the Samurai | History of Japan 5. Linfamy. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O6xgz4p2d60&ab_channel=Linfamy

    How Europeans Tried to End Japanese Isolation - Colonialism DOCUMENTARY. Kings and Generals. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wFJRc6jYOaI&ab_channel=KingsandGenerals

    Feature History - First Sino-Japanese War. Feature History. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LdWY8aWxNL4&t=615s&ab_channel=FeatureHistory

    Japanese Invasion of Manchuria | 3 Minute History. Jabzy. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o_sdkbYWiww&ab_channel=Jabzy

    WW2 - Second Sino-Japanese War, 1937-1941. Eastory. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mTkRBg2Dwz0&ab_channel=Eastory

    THE NANJING MASSACRE - DOCUMENTARY OF THE RAPE OF NANKING. History of China. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_CAYFxXBohA&t=2s&ab_channel=HistoryofChina

    The Most Disturbing Human Experiment Ever. Wendigoon. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xRwCNiWuUpQ&ab_channel=Wendigoon

    Meiji and Taishō Japan: An Introductory Essay. University of Colorado Boulder. https://www.colorado.edu/ptea-curriculum/becoming-modern/meiji-and-taisho-japan-introductory-essay#:~:text=By%20the%201920s%2C%20things%20had,member%20of%20the%20international%20community.

    H-057-2: I-400 and Operation Cherry Blossoms at Night: Japanese Plan for Biological Warfare – September 1945. Naval History and Heritage Command. https://www.history.navy.mil/about-us/leadership/director/directors-corner/h-grams/h-gram-057/h-057-2.html

    Daniel Barenblat, A plague upon humanity, 2004.

    Sheldon Harris, Factories of Death, 2002.

    Japan’s Infamous Unit 731 by Hal Gol. 2004.

    The Unspeakable Things That Happened In Unit 731. A Day in History. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-BpKixUKbU8&ab_channel=ADayInHistory

    General Ishii Shiro: His Legacy is That of Genius and Madman General Ishii Shiro: His Legacy is That of Genius and Madman Gregory Dean Byrd East Tennessee State University. May 2005.

    The Path to Pearl Harbor.The National WWII Museum of New Orleans.

    Unit 731 by Avani Sihra. Atomic Heritage Foundation.

    Remembering Pearl Harbor, A Pearl Harbor Fact Sheet. US Census. https://www.census.gov/history/pdf/pearl-harbor-fact-sheet-1.pdf

    Japanese announcement of the attack at Pearl Harbor, 1941. THE GILDER LEHRMAN INSTITUTE OF AMERICAN HISTORY. https://www.gilderlehrman.org/history-resources/spotlight-primary-source/japanese-announcement-attack-pearl-harbor-1941#:~:text=In%20January%201941%2C%20Admiral%20Isoroku,tensions%20with%20the%20United%20States.

    Encyclopedia Britanica:

    Iva Toguri D'Aquino. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Iva-Toguri-DAquino

    Hideki Tojo. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Tojo-Hideki

    Counting the dead at Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists. https://thebulletin.org/2020/08/counting-the-dead-at-hiroshima-and-nagasaki/

    Tojo The Last Banzai by Courtney Browne. 1998.

    About the B-25 History Project. https://b-25history.org/history/carrier.htm#:~:text=Most%20everyone%20knows%20that%20on,of%20the%20CV%2D8%20U.S.%20S.

    Hideki Tojo -The Face of Japanese Militarism in WWII. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ecRuPE-PzVE&ab_channel=Biographics

    Second Sino-Japanese War

    https://www.britannica.com/event/Second-Sino-Japanese-War

    Bushido’s Eight Virtues. https://www.themartialway.com.au/bushidos-eight-virtues/

    More on Bushido

    https://www.britannica.com/topic/Bushido

    What Japanese history lessons leave out By Mariko Oi. BBC. https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-21226068

    Music:

    Scorching Action by Jonathan Margrove

    Blood Kiss by Hainbach - Topics

    Kalahari Wind by Humans Win

    Cinematic Ambient Orchestral Drama Trailer by MEDIA MUSIC GROUP

    Dramatic Investigation by Jon Presstone

    Exploring The Possibility by Jon Presstone

    Eye Of The Storm (Feat. Cicely Parnas) - Instrumental Version

  • V for Vendetta is a graphic novel written by Alan Moore and illustrated by David Llyod.

    The story shows a bleak future where the United Kingdom is run by a totalitarian government run by a political party called Norsefire. A masked vigilante known simply as "V" is bent on sparking a revolution, driven by a vendetta against those in the government that subjected him and his country to repression and terror. V orchestrates a series of symbolic attacks, picking off government officials in an effort to inspire resistance. Evey Hammond gets caught up in V’s schemes when she’s rescued from Norsefire's secret police, The Fingermen.Thank you for listening!

    YouTube - please subscribe! :D

    https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCsC0ajH6e2ko0wYGEhklbog

    Socials

    https://www.instagram.com/secretpolicepodcast/

    Patreon

    https://www.patreon.com/SecretPolicePodcast

    Sources:

    V for Vendetta graphic novel by Alan Moore - Thank you to yodaskid on YouTube for reading the entire novel with images.

    V for Vendetta (film)

    V for Vendetta wiki

    Vforvendetta.fandom.com

    Alan Moore talks - 01 - V For Vendetta. Livestreaming. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QX7ehbE1vc0&ab_channel=Livestreaming

    Selected bits from V for Vendetta (2006)

    Music:

    Scorching Action by Jon Presstone

    Tension in the Dark by Jon Presstone

    Gnosienne by Eric Satie performed by Neil Cross and Raighes Factory

    Introitus by Michele Nobler

    1 Minute Suspense Cinematic Dark Ambient Riser Build Trailer by MEDIA MUSIC GROUP

    "Hun Dun" - Hard Trap Beat by C.j. Harris

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  • The Tonton Macoute was a secret police force established by Haitian physician and dictator, Francois Duvalier, better known as Papa Doc. The Macoute brutalized the Haitian people and hijacked the country’s Vodou traditions to invoke fear of a mythical bogeyman. We’re going to go through the history of Haiti: how it was found by Europeans, the slave trade, the types of crops cultivated in Haiti, slave rebellion, and of course the secret police.

    We’re going to find out how Papa Doc got into power. Who led the Tonton Macoute through its years of activity? Why did Papa Doc find it necessary to establish such a brutal institution? And how close was this regime to the US government?

    Empires Podcast the Ottomans hosted by Frank:

    https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/empires-podcast-the-ottomans/id1439365965

    Sources:

    Perspectives in History Podcast. Haitian Revolution (series).

    Real Dictators. Papa Doc (series). Noiser Podcasts. August 2020.

    Christopher Columbus: Bad Explorer, Great Conman. Biographics. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pe9_FAANig8&t=143s&ab_channel=Biographics

    A Tale of Two Islands. Hoser. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U67cf6VDhXM&ab_channel=hoser

    State Areas

    https://wisevoter.com/state-rankings/states-by-area/#:~:text=Alaska%2C%20the%20largest%20state%2C%20covers,state%2C%20boasts%20163%2C695%20square%20miles.

    Vodou: Haiti's African-Derived Religion. ReligionForBreakfast. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VofAQYxcHHY&ab_channel=ReligionForBreakfast

    Vodou, Serving the Spirits. Harvard University. The Pluralism Project. 2020. /https://hwpi.harvard.edu/files/pluralism/files/vodou-serving_the_spirits_0.pdf

    The Origins of the Zombie, from Haiti to the U.S. | Monstrum. Storied. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KIGmsxBMnjA&ab_channel=Storied

    Stannard, David E. (October 14, 1993). "American holocaust : the conquest of the New World". New York: Oxford University Press – via Internet Archive.

    Thornton, Russel (1987). American Indian holocaust and survival : a population history since 1492. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press. p. 16. ISBN 978-0-8061-2074-4.

    Churchill, Ward, A Little Matter of Genocide: Holocaust and Denial in the Americas, 1492 to the Present, City Lights, 1997, 381 pages, p. 86, ISBN 978-0-87286-323-1

    Sheri P. Rosenberg, "Genocide Is a Process, Not an Event," Genocide Studies and Prevention 7, 1 (April 2012): 16–23. © 2012 Genocide Studies and Prevention. doi: 10.3138/gsp.7.1.16

    David Moshman (2007) Us and Them: Identity and Genocide, Identity: An International Journal of Theory and Research, 7:2, p. 125, DOI: 10.1080/15283480701326034,

    Alexander Laban Hinton, "Critical Genocide Studies," Genocide Studies and Prevention 7, 1 (April 2012): 4–15. © 2012 Genocide Studies and Prevention. doi: 10.3138/gsp.7.1.4, p. 11

    Keegan, William F., "Destruction of the Taino" in Archaeology. January/February 1992, pp. 51–56.

    Grenke, Arthur. God, greed, and genocide: The Holocaust through the centuries. NewAcademia Publishing, LLC, 2005. pp. 141–143, 200.

    Rosenbaum, Alan S. Is the Holocaust unique?: perspectives on comparative genocide. Routledge, 2018. p. 302.

    Donald Bloxham, A. Dirk Moses, The Oxford Handbook of Genocide Studies, OXFORD UNIVERSITY press, 2010, p. 310.

    Norman M Naimark, Genocide a world history , OXFORD UNIVERSITY press, 2017, p. 39.

    Jones, Adam. 2006. Genocide: a comprehensive introduction. London: Routledge. pp. 108–111.

    Dr. Mu-Kien Adriana Sang (1999). Dr. Mu-Kien Adriana Sang (ed.). Historia Dominicana: Ayer y Hoy (in Spanish). SUSAETA Ediciones Dominicanas. pp. 78–79, 81.

    The Dictator’s Handbook. Bruce Bueno De Mesquita & Alaster Smith. 2011.

    The Haitian Revolution. A Documentary History. David Geggus.

    Feature History - Haitian Revolution (Parts 1 & 2). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D9KbN5EFajk&ab_channel=FeatureHistory

    A Super Quick History of Haiti. Mr History. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S-XZLYGlLBA&ab_channel=MrHistory

    Yaws Disease. Cleveland Clinic. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/25011-yaws

    FOREIGN RELATIONS OF THE UNITED STATES, 1958–1960, AMERICAN REPUBLICS, VOLUME V. https://history.state.gov/historicaldocuments/frus1958-60v05/d309

    Juang, R. M., & Morrissette, N. (2008). Africa and the Americas : culture, politics, and history : a multidisciplinary encyclopedia. ABC-CLIO.

    Secretary of Legation Davis to the Secretary of State. Department of State, Washington, January 12, 1916. https://history.state.gov/historicaldocuments/frus1916/d352#:~:text=Since%201886%E2%80%94when%20General%20Salomon,and%20six%20driven%20from%20office.

    Florida Department of State. Division of Corporations. https://search.sunbiz.org/Inquiry/corporationsearch/SearchResultDetail?inquirytype=EntityName&directionType=ForwardList&searchNameOrder=HEMOCARIBBEAN%203681800&aggregateId=domp-368180-f7bebe83-4e09-4b58-8d66-efad7640d000&searchTerm=HEMMER%20&listNameOrder=HEMOCARE%20L410570

    Transatlantic Slave Trade Data

    https://www.un.org/en/observances/decade-people-african-descent/slave-trade#:~:text=For%20over%20400%20years%2C%20more,darkest%20chapters%20in%20human%20history.

    Alan Whicker meets Papa Doc 1969. Chatham43. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xMAbmaNHSoM&ab_channel=chatham43

    Sugar cane and milling

    Mastering Sugar Cane Cultivation: Easy Steps to Grow and Harvest Sugarcane in Your Home Garden! California Gardening. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VpnWyB-KLXg&ab_channel=CaliforniaGardening

    How Sugar is Made. Factora. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L-MJORaNkSQ&t=214s&ab_channel=Factora

    How to Make Best Sugar from Sugar Cane? 龙梅梅Longmeimei. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9iqG6VDoRPQ&t=528s&ab_channel=%E9%BE%99%E6%A2%85%E6%A2%85Longmeimei

    Music:

    Scorching Action by Jonathan Margrove

    Blood Kiss by Hainbach - Topics

    Sneaky Snitch by Kevin MacLeod

    The Vastness by Amber Waldron

    Kalahari Wind by Humans Win

    Cinematic Ambient Orchestral Drama Trailer by MEDIA MUSIC GROUP

    Tension In The Dark by Jon Presstone

    Dramatic Investigation by Jon Presstone

    Exploring The Possibility by Jon Presstone

    Gnossienne No. 1 by Erik Satie

  • A conversation with Latvian journalist, and host of the Eastern Border podcast, Kristaps Andrejsons. We recap the Russian secret police series while Kristaps provides his unique perspective on my show, Soviet times, and the future of Russian security services. Please check out Kristaps' show: https://theeasternborder.lv

    Aquarius by Viktor Suvorov: https://www.amazon.com/Aquarium-career-defection-Soviet-military/dp/0241115450 Secret Police IG: https://www.instagram.com/secretpolicepodcast/

    YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCsC0ajH6e2ko0wYGEhklbog

    Thanks for listening!

  • Almost 2 years ago, I was inspired by The Dictator's Handbook to start a podcast on secret police. It was a grueling task, much of it self-inflicted because I'm a sucker for detail, but this episode will be light.

    This episode starts with a brief summary of each episode part I - XI: the leaders, the secret police, and the history.

    Next, I'll share my thoughts and what I've learned on this journey.

    We'll end with some behind the scenes and I'll show you what's next for Secret Police podcast.

    Follow my socials:

    IG: https://www.instagram.com/secretpolicepodcast/

    Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/SecretPolicePodcast

    YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCsC0ajH6e2ko0wYGEhklbog*Subscribe!*

  • Just when you thought that Soviet security forces were a thing of the past, the double headed eagle rises from the ashes. The Federal Security Services or FSB are the Russian Federation’s modern day Chekists. Vladimir Putin and the security services have carefully crafted the image they want you to see, and Western journalists are very good at exaggerating the impact and the mystique of Putin. Both these elements have been at play since he took power. They say the first death in war is the truth, and information about Putin can be difficult to decipher what is fact from fiction. In this episode, we focus on the history and methods of Russia's modern security forces. They may not be beating Communist ideology into people but they were/are combatting terrorist groups, foreign adversaries, domestic opposition, and more. The FSB, unlike their predecessors, have the power of social media to almost literally visit you at home, something that would have required a real live agent in the past.

    Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/secretpolicepodcast/

    Become an Agent of the Secret Police!

    https://www.patreon.com/SecretPolicePodcast

    Sources:

    Russian Federation Explained. VanDeGraph. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qVoHAyEwhBc&ab_channel=VanDeGraph

    Political System and Politics in Russia Documentary. IntroBooks Education.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NWVigNrPVpw&list=PLVtoTh3hF-hyEPsA75YIss7EPCL0_vq9C&index=2&ab_channel=IntroBooksEducation

    The Day Russian Democracy Died. NFKRZ. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9af3KH-k8yc&list=PLVtoTh3hF-hyEPsA75YIss7EPCL0_vq9C&index=1&t=171s&ab_channel=NFKRZ

    In Russia's Far East, a Jewish Revival byDavid Holley.

    Yeltsin: A Revolutionary Life by Leon Aron. 2000.

    Yeltsin: A Life by Timothy Colton. 2008

    THE TRAGIC STORY OF HOW BORIS YELTSIN LOST TWO FINGERS. MATT REIGLE. Grunge. https://www.grunge.com/806982/the-tragic-story-of-how-boris-yeltsin-lost-two-fingers/

    How did one join the Communist Party?*

    https://www.quora.com/In-Soviet-Russia-how-did-one-officially-join-the-Communist-Party

    *Take Quora with a grain of salt. I also looked at Wikipedia (not a source) but their bit on membership doesn’t have a citation.

    ‘Never go to bed sober’ - meet the great Russian leaders who abused alcohol by ALEXEY TIMOFEYCHEV. MARCH 13 2018. https://www.rbth.com/history/327805-leaders-who-abused-alcohol

    Privatization. Investopedia. Privatization: What It Is, How It Works, Examples. https://www.investopedia.com/terms/p/privatization.asp#:~:text=Privatization%20describes%20the%20process%20by,goods%20quicker%20and%20more%20efficiently.

    Hungarian Privatization. https://www.britannica.com/place/Hungary/Economic-and-social-change

    What is a trade sale? https://www.freeagent.com/us/glossary/trade-sale/

    Russian Privatization in Perspective with Paulo Zannoni. Yale University. October 2015. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8xox1alqQRQ&list=PLVtoTh3hF-hyEPsA75YIss7EPCL0_vq9C&index=5&t=634s&ab_channel=YaleUniversity

    About Paulo Zannoni. https://theorg.com/org/prada-spa/org-chart/paolo-zannoni

    What is a voucher? https://www.investopedia.com/terms/v/voucher.asp

    Economic Indicators:

    Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis

    https://fred.stlouisfed.org

    Trading Economics

    https://tradingeconomics.com/

    RUSSIA STARTS ISSUING PRIVATIZATION COUPONS. Margaret Shapiro. October 2, 1992. https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1992/10/02/russia-starts-issuing-privatization-coupons/c515c8a2-66ae-408d-bafe-7dd869b8a844/

    Putin’s Story | The Puppet Show Banned In Russia (Kukly NTV 2000). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fmdEiL6Avv0&ab_channel=WaleedHiggins

    Curtis, G. E. & Library Of Congress. Federal Research Division. (1998) Russia: A Country Study. Washington, DC: Federal Research Division, Library of Congress: For sale by the Supt. of Docs., U.S. G.P.O. [Pdf] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/97007563/.

    Organized Crime and the Russian State. Challenges to US-Russian Cooperation. J. Micheal Waller.

    Michael Waller. https://centerforsecuritypolicy.org/author/imp_jmichael_waller/

    A chain of wars, a chain of crimes, a chain of impunity: Russian wars in Chechnya, Syria and Ukraine. О. Golubev, V. Malykhin, A. Cherkasov. Memorial Human Rights Defence Centre. 2023.

    The battle(s) of Grozny1. Ib Faurby, Royal Danish Defence College in co-operation with Märta-Lisa Magnusson, University of Southern Denmark. Baltic Defense Review 2/1999.

    Feature History - Chechen Wars (1/2). Feature History. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wX-xs9VJ-BI&ab_channel=FeatureHistory

    The First Chechen War - Documentary. Caesarius. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hUH0TZRT3WA&lc=UgwQnSEvaaUf5n7bIFN4AaABAg&ab_channel=Caesarius

    The First Chechen War - Jocko Willink. Global Frontier. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NpWshgCP6wo&t=9s&ab_channel=GlobalFrontier

    Vladimir Putin and Russian Statecraft by Allen Lynch. 2011. Potomac Books. pp. 10–11.

    Putin’s Parents. https://www.mtv.com.lb/news/articles/472895/putin_recalls_parents_wwii_ordeal_

    *Much of this is written by Vladimir Vladimirovich himself so please take it with a grain of salt

    Vladimir Putin - KGB to President... for Life? - Biography. Biographics. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xZcE45Ap4es&ab_channel=Biographics

    Putin's Way (full documentary) | FRONTLINE. Frontline PBS. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NIgqhU4lkgo&ab_channel=FRONTLINEPBS%7COfficial

    History of Vladimir Putin. John Coogan. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3yo_peHjcKQ&t=47s&ab_channel=JohnCoogan

    Did Vladimir Putin Support Anti-Western Terrorists as a Young KGB Officer? CATHERINE BELTON. June 20. 2020. https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2020/06/20/vladimir-putin-dresden-kgb-330203

    Mineral and Raw Materials Resources and the Development Strategy for the Russian Economy by Vladimir Putin. https://www.theatlantic.com/daily-dish/archive/2008/08/putins-thesis-raw-text/212739/

    The Russian Federal Security Service under President Putin by Eberhard Schneider.

    SVR/FSB application process. https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2014/10/02/how-to-become-a-russian-spy-a40036

    Russian DKRO

    https://www.wsj.com/articles/fsb-evan-gershkovich-russia-security-force-dkro-e9cf9a49

    A ‘Risky Westward Turn’? Putin’s 9-11 Script and Ordinary Russians. John O’loughlin, Gearid O Tuathail, and Vladimir Kolossov. Europe-Asia Studies. 2004.

    Flame-throwers used at Beslan siege by Andrew Osborn. The Independent, 24 October 2004.

    Feature History - Russo-Georgian War. Feature History. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a4LV6VnV9UI&ab_channel=FeatureHistory

    Putin's palace. History of world's largest bribe. Алексей Навальный.

    Timeline: Alexander Litvinenko death case. BBC. January 15, 2015.

    Vladimir Putin's hard-core daily routine includes hours of swimming, late nights, and no alcohol. July 2018. Aine Cain.

    US State Department Report on Human Rights Abuses. https://www.state.gov/reports/2018-country-reports-on-human-rights-practices/ukraine/ukraine-crimea/#:~:text=ROLE%20OF%20THE%20POLICE%20AND%20SECURITY%20APPARATUS&text=The%20FSB%20also%20conducted%20security,combatted%20organized%20crime%20and%20corruption.

    A new study says Russian trolls didn’t sway the 2016 election. Was the threat overhyped? Andrew Prokop. January 20, 2023.

    Improvements and Protest in the Perestroika Years by William Moskoff. The National Council for Soviet and East European Research. September 18, 1992.

  • In this 10th edition of Russian secret police, we’ll dive into the KGB’s downfall, the unraveling of the Soviet Union, and the atypical leadership of Mikhail Gorbachev.

    We’ll see how Gorbachev rose from life as a farm boy to the Kremlin’s Communist throne. We’ll discover how the KGB reacted to losing power and the final gasps of this security state in the face of Chernobyl, Glasnost, and Perestroika.

    Who was Mikhail Gorbachev?

    How did the KGB try to survive?

    How did the Soviet Union dissolve?

    Twitter: @hush_popo

    IG: @secretpolicepodcast

    Sources:

    Taubman, William (2017). Gorbachev: His Life and Times. New York City: Simon and Schuster.

    Alexander Gorbachev - PhosAgro

    https://www.alexander-gorbachev.info/about-me-1

    Robert V. Daniels, The End of Communist Revolution. 1993.

    Comparing Economic Systems in the Twenty-First Century, 2003, by Gregory and Stuart. ISBN 0-618-26181-8. "Material Balance Planning", (P.127)

    Carr, Edward Hallett; Davies, Robert William (1971). Foundations of a Planned Economy, 1926-1929. Macmillan. p. 199.

    Mikhail Gorbachev, Perestroika (New York: Harper Collins, 1987), quoted in Mark Kishlansky, ed., Sources of the West: Readings in Western Civilization, 4th ed., vol. 2 (New York: Longman, 2001), p. 322.

    Semenov, B.A. "Nuclear power in the Soviet Union." IAEA. Retrieved 17 September 2019.

    RBMK Reactors - Design Overview | The Nuclear Reactor that was used in Chernobyl. Antares. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vDPh1JA72nk&ab_channel=Antares

    MIT Nuclear Reactor Laboratory. https://nrl.mit.edu/about

    Inside MIT's Nuclear Reactor. MITK12Videos. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5QcN3KDexcU&ab_channel=MITK12Videos

    Nuclear 101: How Nuclear Bombs Work Part 1 of 2. Belfer Center. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zVhQOhxb1Mc&ab_channel=BelferCenter

    World Nuclear Association. Nuclear Power Reactors. May 2023. https://www.world-nuclear.org/information-library/nuclear-fuel-cycle/nuclear-power-reactors/nuclear-power-reactors.aspx

    Xenon Can Be a Problem. Illinois EnergyProf. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RZQwL-2WTgA&ab_channel=IllinoisEnergyProf

    CHERNOBYL AZ-5 why it exploded. Mike Bell. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pOzJQJ1yAaM&t=598s&ab_channel=MikeBell

    What is radiation?. Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission - CNSC. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zw0pHT47AAU&ab_channel=CanadianNuclearSafetyCommission-CNSC

    The Only Radiation Units You Need to Know. SciShow. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MpQzhZ0RRDM&ab_channel=SciShow

    Radiation Exposure in Healthcare. https://www.health.harvard.edu/cancer/radiation-risk-from-medical-imaging

    United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission. High Radiation Doses. https://www.nrc.gov/about-nrc/radiation/health-effects/high-rad-doses.html

    Was Chernobyl a cunning KGB conspiracy? Rein F. Deer. https://www.politico.eu/article/was-chernobyl-a-cunning-kgb-conspiracy/

    Knight, Amy. “The KGB, Perestroika, and the Collapse of the Soviet Union.” Journal of Cold War Studies, vol. 5, no. 1, 2003, pp. 67–93. *Contact me if you want a copy of the PDF*

    The Breakup of the Soviet Union Explained. History Scope. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t2GmtBCVHzY&ab_channel=HistoryScope

    The Last Ditch Attempt to Save the USSR - August Coup of 1991 (Short Animated Documentary). History Matters. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SXfvo34Ubpc&ab_channel=HistoryMatters

    "Mikhail Gorbachev was hospitalized in the Central Clinical Hospital". Forbes.ru (in Russian). 11 June 2013. Retrieved 2 September 2022.

    How Instagram Ruined Chernobyl…Again. Kyle Hill. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=326wzbsmjGk&ab_channel=KyleHill

    Original Pripyat Evacuation Recording - IT'S HISTORY. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yW6ryRYPRCE&ab_channel=IT%27SHISTORYMusic/Sounds:

    Scorching Action by Jon Presstone

    Cinematic Ambient Orchestral Drama Trailer by MEDIA MUSIC GROUP

    Dramatic Investigation by Jon Presstone

    Gnossienne No. 1 by Erik Satie

    Kalahari Wind by Humans Win

    Exploring the Possibility by Jon Presstone

    Emerging Science by Jon Presstone

    Sneaky Snitch by Kevin MacLeod

    Giant wyrm by Kevin MacLeod

    Select clip(s) from South Park

    Beethoven - Pathetique Sonata 3rd movement

    Clips from The Simpsons S3 E5 - Homer Defined

    Clip from South Park S20 Ep 1 - Member Berries

    mycompasstv

    ***NO I AM NOT SPONSORED BY PIZZA HUT OR YUM BRAND : | ***

  • The downing of Korean Air Flight 007 demonstrates the level of stupidity and paranoia the Cold War reached. More astounding is this was the second passenger jet the Soviet Union shot down.

    The first instance was in 1978 when Korean Air flight 902 was on route from Paris to Seoul with a stop over in Anchorage. This flight took the plane over the North Pole and due to the navigation technology they had at the time and how compasses function when flying over the top of the Earth, the pilots ended up off course. Instead of flying towards Seoul, they ended up flying toward Murmansk in the Soviet Union.

    The jet was discovered on radar, the Soviets sent a Sukhoi Su-15 fighter to intercept the airliner. The airliner did not respond to warnings, and the fighter pilot, Alexander Bosov, seeing the plane was clearly marked as a Korean Airlines jet, tried to convince his superiors on the ground the craft he was looking at was a passenger plane. They ordered him to shoot it down. Bosov launched two R-60 short-range air-to-air missiles. One missed, the other hit the left wing and punctured the fuselage. One Korean passenger was killed and others were injured. KAL 902 was forced to land in a frozen lake in Korelia close to the Finnish border. In the aftermath, there were 2 deaths and 107 survivors of the incident, but the Soviets refused to cooperate with the international investigation as to why exactly the plane flew so far off course. Those 107 survivors on Flight 902 were lucky, unlike those on Flight 007. Victims of a titanic conflict between East and West.

    We’re going to talk about events mostly during Brezhnev’s leadership of the USSR, a period that’s often dubbed the Era of Stagnation: lackluster economic growth and a feeling of no purpose. I heard a Russian youtuber describe this period as an existence within the movie GroundHog Day -- nothing changes. But the Soviet Union maintained their military might in terms of funding, technology, and firepower. In the game of superpowers, you couldn’t let your guard down. And the KGB was right there on the espionage front.

    Twitter: @hush_popo

    IG: @secretpolicepodcast

    Sources:

    The Russian Secret Police by Ronald Hingley

    Brezhnev: The Making of a Statesman by Susanne Schattenberg

    Cold War Conversations podcast - Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev - aspiring actor and poetry fan (209)

    The Hated and the Dead podcast - EP38: Leonid Brezhnev

    History of Modern Russia: From Tsarism to the Twenty-first Century (3 ed.) by Robert Service (2009).

    The Life and Times of Soviet Socialism by Alex Dowlah and John Elliott.1997

    The Soviet-Vietnamese Intelligence Relationship during the Vietnam War: Cooperation and Conflict By Merle L. Pribbenow II, December 2014

    Vietnam Admits K.G.B. Interrogated American. Barbara Crossette. 1992. New York Times.

    Drug Games. The International Olympic Committee and the Politics of Doping, 1960–2008 by Thomas M. Hunt. 2011

    Feature History - Soviet-Afghan War. Feature History. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FDQLHFBp4aM&ab_channel=FeatureHistory

    KGB Spy Gadgets: The Ultimate Secret Cameras & Espionage Tools. Spyscape. Date unknown.

    The KGB (Russian Secret Police): Its composition, aims and methods by Lt Cdr H.G. Graser. South African Journal of Military Studies. 1984.

    Cold War Mystery – The Umbrella Assassin. Element 18. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HsVRYhLLPCM&ab_channel=Element18

    Gennadiy Nikolayevich Osipovich. This Day in Aviation. Bryan R. Swopes. 2018. https://www.thisdayinaviation.com/tag/gennadiy-nikolayevich-osipovich/

    Music:

    Scorching Action by Jon Presstone

    Cinematic Ambient Orchestral Drama Trailer by MEDIA MUSIC GROUP

    Dramatic Investigation by Jon Presstone

    Gnossienne No. 1 by Erik Satie

    Kalahari Wind by Humans Win

    Terrifying Journey (Extra Dire) by The Turquoise Moon

    Scary Ambient Tension & Suspense Ghost With Pounding Impacts Trailer by MEDIA MUSIC GROUP

    Sneaky Snitch by Kevin MacLeod

    Select clip(s) from South Park


  • Happy almost birthday, Secret Police! Host of the History Impossible podcast, Alex von Sternberg has a ton of experienced in the podcast space and one of the top established shows. He's covered many different topics, most recently the Black Death, as well as Muslim Nazis and a sort of obscure, yet arguably powerful group, called the Professional Managerial Class (PMCs).
     


    On this episode, Jack and Alex discuss COVID, PMCs, erosion of trust in institutions, and much more. We let the conversation flesh itself out. Alex clearly has a passion for history and podcasting. That will become apparent when you hear what he has done in the name of content creation.
     


    *** SOCIALS ***


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    @hush_popo


    @ARaderVon
     


    Instagram:


    @secretpolicepodcast


    @historyimpossible
     


    Support us on Patreon!

  • Do you know somebody who was alive during the Cuban Missile Crisis? Do they remember how it felt thinking that the world may end in a literal flash? At least one could duck and cover their way into a false sense of safety. In this 8th episode of our Russia series, we are going to wrap up the early years of the KGB and explore some of the cold war tension in Berlin; uprising in Hungary, KGB activities in the US Civil Rights Movement, and the first visit of a Russian leader to the US. Khrushchev toured across the United States, met real Americans, and we missed a golden opportunity for photos of Khrushchev in Mickey Mouse ears.

    What were Khrushchev’s limits when it came to liberalizing the Soviet Union?

    How did the US and USSR back away from the brink of nuclear war?

    Why was Khruschev not allowed at Disneyland?

    ** American Lung Association Donation! **

    action.lung.org/goto/annie

    ** Support the show! **

    patreon.com/secretpolicepodcast

    or via paypal at secretpolicepodcast.com

    Please provide a rating and subscribe!

    Sources:

    The Russian Secret Police by Ronald Hingley

    Nikita Khrushchev – The Man Behind the Missile Crisis. Biographics. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gjGLD8bx7Qo&ab_channel=Biographics

    Nikita Khrushchev. Spartacus Educational. https://spartacus-educational.com/RUSkhrushchev.htm

    Taubman, William (2003), Khrushchev: The Man and His Era, W.W. Norton & Co., ISBN 978-0-393-32484-6

    Khrushchev, Nikita (2004), Khrushchev, Sergei (ed.), Memoirs of Nikita Khrushchev, Volume 1: Commissar, The Pennsylvania State University Press, ISBN 978-0-271-02332-8

    Khrushchev, Nikita (2006), Khrushchev, Sergei (ed.), Memoirs of Nikita Khrushchev, Volume 2: Reformer, The Pennsylvania State University Press, ISBN 978-0-271-02861-3

    Khrushchev, Nikita (2007), Khrushchev, Sergei (ed.), Memoirs of Nikita Khrushchev, Volume 3: Statesman, The Pennsylvania State University Press, ISBN 978-0-271-02935-1

    The Structure of KGB - Cold War DOCUMENTARY. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QeZZYRaGUXQ&t=471s&ab_channel=TheColdWar

    1963 Fletcher Markle Interviews Walt Disney. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4nMrLcmBCuI&ab_channel=onstageDisney

    How KGB spies were trained | Jack Barsky and Lex Fridman. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G4oRBsGW_Tc&ab_channel=LexClips

    Why People Betray Their Countries, According to an Israeli Expert. https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2020-09-20/ty-article-magazine/.premium/why-whistleblowers-betray-their-countries-according-to-an-israeli-expert/0000017f-dc31-df62-a9ff-dcf752540000

    Secrets Of War, The Cold War 05 Inside The KGB. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ypuuxrxcVek&ab_channel=AnotherTv

    KGB Assassinations. Spyscape. https://spyscape.com/article/the-13th-directorate-the-kgbs-top-secret-1960s-assassination-unit

    Communist Control Techniques. An Analysis of the Methods Used by Communist State Police in the Arrest, Interrogation, and Indoctrination of Persons Regarded as “Enemies of the State.” National Security Archive. April 1956.

    Museum of the Occupation of Latvia. https://okupacijasmuzejs.lv/en

    The World Was Going Our Way: The KGB and the Battle for the Third World - Newly Revealed Secrets from the Mitrokhin Archive. Christopher Andrew. 2005.

    Information about the Cooperation between the KGB of the USSR and the MfS of the DPRK. Wilson Center. August 1984.

    REALPOLITIK: The KGB in Africa. Mark Hackard. 2015.

    Soviet Intelligence in Latin America During the Cold War. Nikolai Leonov. 1998.

    The Sword and the Shield. Christopher Andrew and Vasili Mitrokhin. 2000.

    The History of Russian Involvement in America's Race Wars. Julia Ioffe. October 2017.

    Why did the USSR hand over West Berlin? (Short Animated Documentary). History Matters. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9YPbue5bfgk&ab_channel=HistoryMatters

    1963 Fletcher Markle Interviews Walt Disney. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4nMrLcmBCuI&list=PLVtoTh3hF-hykIPanJdicW55k2WWqn9Ov&index=2&t=774s&ab_channel=onstageDisney

    Khrushchev Does America (full length documentary). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VpxsNqAYXB8&list=PLVtoTh3hF-hykIPanJdicW55k2WWqn9Ov&index=3&ab_channel=docukino

    Arkansas National Guard Prevent School Desegregation - 1957 | Today in History | 4 Sept 16. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RFVGKykCGyw&t=67s&ab_channel=BritishMovietone

    Duck and Cover 1951 Bert the Turtle. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IKqXu-5jw60&t=493s&ab_channel=NuclearVault

    Music:

    Scorching Action by Jon Presstone

    Cinematic Ambient Orchestral Drama Trailer by MEDIA MUSIC GROUP

    Cinematic Action Drums And Percussion With Dark Ambient Atmospheric Tension Trailer by MEDIA MUSIC GROUP

    Dramatic Investigation by Jon Presstone

    Darkness Marching (Trailer Music) Jon Presstone

    Stayin’ Alive by the Bee Gees

  • In this 7th episode of our Russia series, we will take a deep dive into the KGB itself. We’ll examine its structure, leadership, and most of all, its methods with particular interest in the KGB’s infiltration of governments across the globe. Who were some of the KGB’s most prominent agents? How did one become a KGB agent? All that and more on Secret Police!

    *** Socials ***

    Twitter @hush_popo

    Instagram @secretpolicepodcast

    *** Support the show! ***

    patreon.com/secretpolicepodcast

    or

    secretpolicepodcast.com for one-time donations via paypal

    Sources:

    The Russian Secret Police by Ronald Hingley

    Nikita Khrushchev – The Man Behind the Missile Crisis. Biographics. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gjGLD8bx7Qo&ab_channel=Biographics

    Nikita Khrushchev. Spartacus Educational. https://spartacus-educational.com/RUSkhrushchev.htm

    Taubman, William (2003), Khrushchev: The Man and His Era, W.W. Norton & Co., ISBN 978-0-393-32484-6

    Khrushchev, Nikita (2004), Khrushchev, Sergei (ed.), Memoirs of Nikita Khrushchev, Volume 1: Commissar, The Pennsylvania State University Press, ISBN 978-0-271-02332-8

    Khrushchev, Nikita (2006), Khrushchev, Sergei (ed.), Memoirs of Nikita Khrushchev, Volume 2: Reformer, The Pennsylvania State University Press, ISBN 978-0-271-02861-3

    Khrushchev, Nikita (2007), Khrushchev, Sergei (ed.), Memoirs of Nikita Khrushchev, Volume 3: Statesman, The Pennsylvania State University Press, ISBN 978-0-271-02935-1

    The Structure of KGB - Cold War DOCUMENTARY. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QeZZYRaGUXQ&t=471s&ab_channel=TheColdWar

    1963 Fletcher Markle Interviews Walt Disney. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4nMrLcmBCuI&ab_channel=onstageDisney

    How KGB spies were trained | Jack Barsky and Lex Fridman. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G4oRBsGW_Tc&ab_channel=LexClips

    Why People Betray Their Countries, According to an Israeli Expert. https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2020-09-20/ty-article-magazine/.premium/why-whistleblowers-betray-their-countries-according-to-an-israeli-expert/0000017f-dc31-df62-a9ff-dcf752540000

    Secrets Of War, The Cold War 05 Inside The KGB. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ypuuxrxcVek&ab_channel=AnotherTv

    KGB Assassinations. Spyscape. https://spyscape.com/article/the-13th-directorate-the-kgbs-top-secret-1960s-assassination-unit

    Communist Control Techniques. An Analysis of the Methods Used by Communist State Police in the Arrest, Interrogation, and Indoctrination of Persons Regarded as “Enemies of the State.” National Security Archive. April 1956.

    Museum of the Occupation of Latvia. https://okupacijasmuzejs.lv/en

    The World Was Going Our Way: The KGB and the Battle for the Third World - Newly Revealed Secrets from the Mitrokhin Archive. Christopher Andrew. 2005.

    Information about the Cooperation between the KGB of the USSR and the MfS of the DPRK. Wilson Center. August 1984.

    REALPOLITIK: The KGB in Africa. Mark Hackard. 2015.

    Soviet Intelligence in Latin America During the Cold War. Nikolai Leonov. 1998.

    The Sword and the Shield. Christopher Andrew and Vasili Mitrokhin. 2000.

    The History of Russian Involvement in America's Race Wars. Julia Ioffe. October 2017.

    Music:

    Scorching Action by Jon Presstone

    Cinematic Ambient Orchestral Drama Trailer by MEDIA MUSIC GROUP

    Cinematic Action Drums And Percussion With Dark Ambient Atmospheric Tension Trailer by MEDIA MUSIC GROUP

    Dramatic Investigation by Jon Presstone

    Darkness Marching (Trailer Music) Jon Presstone

    Dramatic Gossip - Reality Documentary Tension Background by MEDIA MUSIC GROUP

    Disclaimer! The section on the Cambridge Five was written using the assistance of ChatGPT and was vetted for dates and facts.

  • Many if not most people have heard of the KGB. Their spy craft is legendary and their presence was menacing. To Americans, they were the illusive boogeymen in the shadows of Cold War events. They're probably the most recognizable Russian spy agency and I’d bet money they’re the most infamous spy agency in history, ever.

    In Part 6, we are covering Nikita Khrushchev's steady rise to power and ultimate succession of Joseph Stalin, but Khrushchev took a very different path and actively reversed Stalin's repressive policies to some degree.Over the next few weeks, we will cover, in smaller episodes, the history and methods of the Komitet Gosudarstvennoy Bezopasnosti, the KGB.

    Thank you for listening!

    *** support ***

    patreon.com/secretpolicepodcast

    or

    secretpolicepodcast.com

    *** socials ***

    Twitter @hush_popo

    IG @secretpolicepodcast

    Sources:

    The Russian Secret Police by Ronald Hingley

    Nikita Khrushchev – The Man Behind the Missile Crisis. Biographics. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gjGLD8bx7Qo&ab_channel=Biographics

    Nikita Khrushchev. Spartacus Educational. https://spartacus-educational.com/RUSkhrushchev.htm

    Taubman, William (2003), Khrushchev: The Man and His Era, W.W. Norton & Co., ISBN 978-0-393-32484-6

    Khrushchev, Nikita (2004), Khrushchev, Sergei (ed.), Memoirs of Nikita Khrushchev, Volume 1: Commissar, The Pennsylvania State University Press, ISBN 978-0-271-02332-8

    Khrushchev, Nikita (2006), Khrushchev, Sergei (ed.), Memoirs of Nikita Khrushchev, Volume 2: Reformer, The Pennsylvania State University Press, ISBN 978-0-271-02861-3

    Khrushchev, Nikita (2007), Khrushchev, Sergei (ed.), Memoirs of Nikita Khrushchev, Volume 3: Statesman, The Pennsylvania State University Press, ISBN 978-0-271-02935-1

    The Structure of KGB - Cold War DOCUMENTARY. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QeZZYRaGUXQ&t=471s&ab_channel=TheColdWar

    1963 Fletcher Markle Interviews Walt Disney. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4nMrLcmBCuI&ab_channel=onstageDisney

    How KGB spies were trained | Jack Barsky and Lex Fridman. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G4oRBsGW_Tc&ab_channel=LexClips

    Why People Betray Their Countries, According to an Israeli Expert. https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2020-09-20/ty-article-magazine/.premium/why-whistleblowers-betray-their-countries-according-to-an-israeli-expert/0000017f-dc31-df62-a9ff-dcf752540000

    Secrets Of War, The Cold War 05 Inside The KGB. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ypuuxrxcVek&ab_channel=AnotherTv

    KGB Assassinations. Spyscape. https://spyscape.com/article/the-13th-directorate-the-kgbs-top-secret-1960s-assassination-unit

    Communist Control Techniques. An Analysis of the Methods Used by Communist State Police in the Arrest, Interrogation, and Indoctrination of Persons Regarded as “Enemies of the State.” National Security Archive. April 1956.

    Museum of the Occupation of Latvia. https://okupacijasmuzejs.lv/en

    The World Was Going Our Way: The KGB and the Battle for the Third World - Newly Revealed Secrets from the Mitrokhin Archive. Christopher Andrew. 2005.

    Information about the Cooperation between the KGB of the USSR and the MfS of the DPRK. Wilson Center. August 1984.

    REALPOLITIK: The KGB in Africa. Mark Hackard. 2015.

    Soviet Intelligence in Latin America During the Cold War. Nikolai Leonov. 1998.

    The Sword and the Shield. Christopher Andrew and Vasili Mitrokhin. 2000.

    The History of Russian Involvement in America's Race Wars. Julia Ioffe. October 2017.

  • George Orwell's famous novel, 1984, can be interpreted in multiple ways by people of varying political identities. They can offer the story as a warning as to why the other side, in their view is dangerous. When the book was published, some viewed it as a warning of what England would turn into if a Stalinist regime took power; others interpreted it as a condemnation of Stalin's Soviet Union; and in recent years, the novel is seen as a warning against totalitarianism. I think at the core of the novel, that's what it is: a warning against giving all power to a single ruler.

    1984 presents a regime to end all regimes. Big Brother and INGSOC have a stranglehold over the society, language, and privacy that I don't think any real world authoritarian regime has achieved. Secret Police podcast is taking its first look at a fictional secret police institution, the terrifying, but thankfully made-up, Thought Police. We will look at the Telescreens, Thoughtcrime, and the regime of Big Brother.

    Follow Secret Police Podcast!

    Twitter @hush_popo

    or

    Instagram @secretpolicepodcast

    Sources

    1984 by George Orwell

    George Orwell: A Life in Pictures. BBC. 2003. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s6txpumkY5I

    George Orwell: The Uncompromising Visionary. Biographics. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gfabA0KdniY&ab_channel=Biographics

    The Dystopian World of 1984 Explained. AlternateHistoryHub.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GQxOKXEff4I&ab_channel=AlternateHistoryHub

    Video SparkNotes: Orwell's 1984 Summary. VideoSparkNotes. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h9JIKngJnCU&t=13s&ab_channel=VideoSparkNotes

    1984 Video Summary. GradeSaver. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y1kXkGjoluY&ab_channel=GradeSaver

    Music

    Scorching Action by Jon Presstone

    Tension in the Dark by Jon Presstone

    Gnosienne by Eric Satie performed by Neil Cross and Raighes Factory

    Cinematic Ambient Orchestral Drama Trailer by MEDIA MUSIC GROUP

    Giant Wyrm by Kevin MacLeod

  • Imagine a state apparatus of terror; they monitor citizens, they kidnap people in the middle of the night, they torture people to extract false confessions. Now imagine that same state apparatus of terror is run by a murderous pedophile. That was the Soviet people's reality with appointment of Lavrenti Beria to the dreaded People's Commissariat of Internal Affairs or the NKVD, the Soviet secret police.

    Please leave us a rating, or a review if you're feeling really generous.

    Follow Secret Police!

    Twitter @hush_popo

    Instagram @secretpolicepodcast

    Sources

    Beria - The NKVD & Death of Stalin Documentary. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N0bnt7hYmDY&list=PLVtoTh3hF-hwiZixdKcerUzA777jS27Ml&index=3&t=1927s

    Lavrenti Beria Biography

    https://spartacus-educational.com/RUSberia.htm

    Richard Sorge. https://spartacus-educational.com/GERsorge.htm

    On Stalin's Secret Service - Richard Sorge - WW2 Biography Special. World War Two. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fn9NyRfbSOo&ab_channel=WorldWarTwo

    Stalin and Trotsky rivalry

    https://www.rbth.com/history/333272-how-stalin-and-trotsky-fought

    Stalin: The Court of the Red Tsar by Simon Sebag Montefiore.

    Russia: The Wild East by Martin Sixsmith and the BBC.

    Flowers in Russia: What You Need to Know by Matt Shannon. 2021. https://expatriant.com/flowers-in-russia/

    The Finnish Language. LangFocus. 2016. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D-uWYvlyeBc&list=PLVtoTh3hF-hwiZixdKcerUzA777jS27Ml&index=5&t=316s

    Winter War - Soviet Finnish 1939-1940 War - FULL 3d DOCUMENTARY. Kings and Generals. 2021. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Uk5bY22RSE&t=2448s

    US Census. Quick Facts. https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/US/PST045221

    The investigation of the dead or lost Finnish stages of Stalin's persecution will continue – SKS also finds out what traces of persecution left on the victims' descendants. Pekka Torvinen. https://www.hs.fi/kulttuuri/art-2000007766248.html

    China and International Law -- The Boundary Disputes by Byron N. Tzou. 1990.

    The end of "Millionka": the liquidation of Chinatown in Vladivostok (1936). Russia and the Pacific (in Russian). Vladivostok: Institute of History, Archaeology and Ethnography of the Peoples of the Far East of the Far Eastern Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences (4): 24–31.

    A Historical Investigation of the Soviet Union's Handling of the Chinese Issue in the Far East (1937-1938)]. Modern Chinese History Studies (in Simplified Chinese). Beijing: Institute of Modern History, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (2): 41.

    Khisamutdinov, Amir Aleksandrovich (2018). "Millionka": a culture that grew up in the backyard.

    The Origins of Soviet Ethnic Cleansing by Martin Terry. 1998. Journal of Modern History.

    L'Affaire Lyushkov: Anatomy of a Defector by Alvin D Coox. 1968.

    Why didn't the Allies declare war on the USSR when they invaded Poland? Knowledgia. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VBd60UsL9u0&ab_channel=Knowledgia

    The NKVD: from Pen-Pushers to Communist Hit Squads - WW2 Special. World War Two. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8HwKl8VUZHA&t=507s&ab_channel=WorldWarTwo

    State Committee of Defence Decree. Concerning the security measures in rear areas and communications of the Red Army in East Prussia, Poland, Czechoslovakia, Hungary and Romania. December 1944. https://weaponsandwarfare.com/2015/12/10/soviet-nkvd-iv/

    Sonja Schmid. Producing Power: The Pre-Chernobyl History of the Soviet Nuclear Industry. 2015.

    The Atomic Bomb, Russia and Spies. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_nOrMZCThNg&t=136s&ab_channel=JohnKerruish

    Harry S Truman Library

    Bombing of Hiroshima Newsreel from the AP

    Music

    Scorching Action by Jon Presstone

    Tension in the Dark by Jon Presstone

    Gnosienne by Eric Satie performed by Neil Cross and Raighes Factory

    It’s Beginning to Look A lot Like Christmas by Perry Como (a parody)

    Mozart K.488 Piano Concerto #23 in A 2nd mov. Adagio

    Cinematic Ambient Orchestral Drama Trailer by MEDIA MUSIC GROUP

    Electra to the Baltic Sea by Giuseppe Rizzo

    Dramatic Investigation by Jon Presstone

    Sad Smooth Piano Jazz Background Music by Volodymyr Piddubnyk

    Eye Of The Storm (Feat. Cicely Parnas) - Instrumental Version Humans Win

    Kalahari Wind by Humans Win

    Sneaky Snitch by Kevin MacLeod

    Giant Wyrm by Kevin MacLeod

    Selected clips from The Death of Stalin (2017)

  • The early USSR owes many of its achievements to Stalin's secret police, called the People's Commissariat for Internal Affairs, or the NKVD. These guys really took Russian espionage to a new level. Their reach was global in scale; nearly anybody Stalin wanted dead, the NKVD could get it done. They administered the infamous Gulags and repressed their own people. They blurred the lines between internal police and military force by supporting Leftists during the Spanish Civil War and infiltrating the Manhattan Project.

    The NKVD was a secret police force dictators dream of: vast, pervasive, feared, deadly, deceptive. They were at Stalin's beck and call.

    On this episode, we explore the history and methods of the NKVD under the leadership of Genrikh Yagoda and Nikolai Yezhov. We'll cover the NKVD during WWII under Lavrentri Beria in part 5.

    Sources

    The Russian Secret Police. Ronald Hingley. 1970.

    Stalin: Paradoxes of Power. Stephen Kotkin. 2014.

    How did the Soviet Union work? By Viki1999

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6emmgC6rsGA&list=PLVtoTh3hF-hzRxUfRlpUs9sapwTPnIg6C&index=2&t=665s

    Joseph Stalin: The Red Terror

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KqfcpNrcGb0&t=508s

    Genrikh Yagoda

    https://spartacus-educational.com/RUSyagoda.htm

    Nikolai Yezhov

    https://spartacus-educational.com/RUSyezhov.htm

    Cannibal Island

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CaOwcYLGTMo&list=PLVtoTh3hF-hzRxUfRlpUs9sapwTPnIg6C&index=4&t=108s

    The Nazino Gulag

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qkauF4MndOw&t=518s&ab_channel=GoyimDefenceLeague

    Cannibal Island location

    http://wikimapia.org/14057879/Nazino-island

    Gulag: History, Camps, Conditions, Economy, Effect, Facts, Quotes (2003). Interview of Anne Applebaum. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aGeHPwgLm6Y&list=PLVtoTh3hF-hzRxUfRlpUs9sapwTPnIg6C&index=5

    Gregory Zinoviev

    https://spartacus-educational.com/RUSzinoviev.htm

    Nikolay Bukharin

    https://spartacus-educational.com/RUSbukharin.htm

    Alexei Rykov

    https://spartacus-educational.com/RUSrykov.htm

    Mikhail Tomsky

    https://spartacus-educational.com/RUStomsky.htm

    Sergey Kirov

    https://spartacus-educational.com/RUSkirov.htm

    Music

    Scorching Action by Jon Presstone

    Tension in the Dark by Jon Presstone

    Gnosienne by Eric Satie performed by Neil Cross and Raighes Factory

    Cinematic Ambient Orchestral Drama Trailer by MEDIA MUSIC GROUP

    Big Epic Drums by Psystein

    March of the Defenders of Moscow by Alexey Surkov and Boris Mokrousov

    Scheherazade Op. 35 by Rimsky Korsakov

    Special Thanks To:

    Sergey Vaynshank

    Kristaps Andrejsons at the Eastern Border Podcast

    Roberto at the History of Saqartvelo Georgia Podcast

    *** Important *** Interview audio was edited for quality and soundbites that fit into the subject matter. I intent to post full interviews as bonus material provided I have permission from the interviewee.

  • From 1917 to 1922, the Cheka terrorized the Russian people into dedicating their lives to the Soviet State. Old institutions were destroyed, people were targeted on the basis of their socio-economic status, and farmers were forced into collectives. Those who disobeyed were likely shot, the most unfortunate were subjected to sadistic torture not seen since the time of Ivan the Terrible.

    Under the leadership of Vladimir Ilych Lenin, the Bolsheviks seemed at first to bring real, much needed change to Russia. But it didn’t take long for Lenin’s true intentions to become clear: a dictatorship of the proletariat with himself at the helm.

    Lenin was a man with many similarities to those he later deemed political enemies. He was unwavering in his faith in Marxism, but tweaked Marx’ original writings into Leninism both in theory and in practice because, when it came to governing, Leninism was only achievable through the Red Terror unleashed by the Cheka.

    Sources:

    The Russian Secret Police. Ronald Hingley. 1970.

    Stalin: Paradoxes of Power. Stephen Kotkin. 2014.

    The Russian Civil War. Evan Mawdsley. 2005.

    The Life of Lenin. Louis Fischer. 1964.

    Vladimir Lenin: The Founder of the Soviet Union. Biographics.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wSWT8oPb1mM

    Holidays in Russia

    https://russiatrek.org/about-russian-holidays

    Felix Dzerzhinsky

    https://alphahistory.com/russianrevolution/felix-dzerzhinsky/

    Princess Stories: The Secret of Anastasia

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2e7t_jUt8sY&list=PLVtoTh3hF-hwvWhPtFZp9XVByI0uRvvLI&index=2

    Thanks to @regina_imperatrix for the Anastasia film

    Music:

    Scorching Action by Jon Presstone

    Tension in the Dark by Jon Presstone

    Gnosienne by Eric Satie performed by Neil Cross and Raighes Factory

    Mystery Warrior by LIVINGFORCE

    Cinematic Ambient Orchestral Drama Trailer by MEDIA MUSIC GROUP

    Final Speech by Humans Win (formerly Lance Conrad)

    Big Epic Drums by Psystein

    Ammil by The Tides

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nlHZd94pdhQ

  • Imagine for a moment you're an early 20th Century Russian factory worker in Moscow. You do your job everyday to support your family but it's dangerous work. You have moments when you wonder what you're family would do if you were injured or killed on the job. Then you overhear a coworker talking about a movement to petition your Tsar, Nicholas II, for better working hours and pay.

    Laborers like you can join a union called the Moscow Mechanical Productions Workers' Mutual Aid Society that will advocate for these better conditions you've been hoping for. Plus this organization sounds like a better option than those radial groups out there throwing bombs at government officials.

    But if this union sounds too good to be true, that's because it is. Unbeknownst to you, the union was created by the Tsar's secret police, the Okhrana, to spy on any potentially dangerous radicals.

    Source:

    The Russian Secret Police. Ronald Hingley. 1970.

    Stalin: Paradoxes of Power. Stephen Kotkin. 2014

    Fyodor I

    https://www.britannica.com/biography/Fyodor-I

    Boris Godunov

    https://www.britannica.com/biography/Boris-Godunov-tsar-of-Russia

    American home square footage

    https://www.statista.com/statistics/456925/median-size-of-single-family-home-usa

    Lee, Eric (1993-06-01). "The Eremin letter: Documentary proof that Stalin was an Okhrana spy?". Revolutionary Russia. 6 (1): 55–96. doi:10.1080/09546549308575595. ISSN 0954-6545.

    Butovo Memorial

    https://coldwarsites.net/country/russia/butovo-execution-and-burial-site-moscow/

    Rasputin’s Twig ‘n Berries

    https://www.cultofweird.com/curiosities/rasputin-penis/

    Inflation Calculator

    https://www.bls.gov/data/inflation_calculator.htm

    Music:

    Scorching Action by Jon Presttone

    Electra to the Baltic Sea (Full) by Giuseppe Rizzo

    Ammil by The Tides

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nlHZd94pdhQ

    Giant Wyrm by Kevin MacLeod

    Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3807-giant-wyrm

    License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

  • They wore black robes and rode black horses like a monastic order of death itself. From 1565 to 1572, the Oprichniki inflicted medieval terror and torture upon the Russian people in the name of Ivan the Terrible. ***Content Warning*** contains descriptions of torture techniques.

    This is the first part of a series on Russian secret police and the first episode ever of this new podcast, Secret Police.

    Sources:

    Armies of Ivan the Terrible: Russian Troops 1505–1700 (Men-at-Arms) Paperback – Illustrated, January 31, 2006 by David Nicolle, Viacheslav Shpakovsky, Angus McBride (Illustrator)

    Dictators and their secret police : coercive institutions and state violence Studies of the East Asian Institute. Sheena Chestnut Greitens

    The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2012, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.

    Dictators and their Secret Police - Coercive Institutions and State Violence. Sheena Chestnut Greitens.

    A Short History of Russia. A compilation from the study of a number of other works, in particular H.A.L. Fisher's "History of Europe", Paul Crowson's "A History of the Russian People", and William L. Langer's "Encyclopaedia of World History”.

    Andreyev, Nikolay. "Ivan the Terrible". Encyclopedia Britannica, 21 Aug. 2021, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Ivan-the-Terrible. Accessed 31 December 2021.

    The Oprichnina as a Carnival of Violence: Ivan the Terrible and Muscovite Popular Culture Maureen Perrie Emeritus Professor of Russian History, Centre for Russian, European and Eurasian Studies, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK

    Skrynnikov and Graham, Ivan the Terrible. Solovʹev and Rhinelander. History of Russia. 1981.

    Nizhny Novgorod. Sergei Maltcev. To My American Friends. 2015.

    The Oprichnina of Ivan the Terrible: Part 1, Creation. A Region of Fear Patrolled by Black Robed Soldiers. Robert Wilde. May 30, 2019. https://www.thoughtco.com/the-oprichnina-of-ivan-the-terrible-3860937

    Music:

    Main Theme: Scorching Action - Jon Prestone

    Mysterious fantasy with gloomy choir and harp for dark fairytale setting - Suite Tracks Music

    Introitus - Audio Waves - Eliche Remblon

    Odious Signs - Humans Win (formerly Lance Conrad)

    Final Speech - Humans Win (formerly Lance Conrad)

    TV Audio:

    History Bites Season 4 Episode 8

  • ***TRAILER!*** Welcome to a new podcast called Secret Police. This show is dedicated to the lap dogs of dictators. Special operatives that employ surveillance and terror upon their own people. We will explore their histories, their brutal methods, and their eventual downfalls. Listen to Secret Police ad free wherever you get podcasts.

    *** Episodes drop soon! ***