Cold War Radio: The Dangerous History of American Broadcasting in Europe, 1950-1989 »

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

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.

Abbreviations and Acronyms

Preface

1 Intelligence Underpinnings of Radio Free Europe and Radio Liberty 5

2 The 1950s: When the Cold War Was Hot 34

3 Piccadilly versus the Tramp: The Murder of Georgi Markov 58

4 Carlos the Jackal and the Bombing of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty 92

5 Revenge of the Chief Architect: Ceausescu's War Against Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty 122

6 Code Name Iago: The Murder Attempts on Emil Georgeseu 146

7 Aggression in the Ether: Oleg Tumanov and Other KGB Agents 171

8 Alpha, Waves, and Hornets 198

App. A East German Intelligence Report on Carlos 219

App. B Action Plan in Noel Bernard's Case, Code Name the Jackal 229

App. C Detailed Plan Used to Bomb RFE/RL 234

App. D Letter from Carlos to Johannes Weinrich 237

App. E Stasi Report on "Separat" 239

App. F Letter from Johannes Weinrich to Carlos 243

App. G West German Annual Report Excerpts 254

App. H 1992 SRI Report to RFE/RL 256

App. I 1985 Romanian Ether Report 259

App. J 1976 Joint Action Plan Against RFE/RL 264

App. K Selected Summary of Threats, Intimidations, Contacts, Intelligence Cases and Notes 269

Chapter Notes 287

Bibliography 297

Index 301