The Unheard Conversations that Won the Cold War

(0:00) Open

(1:12) A Complex, Underwater Game of Cat and Mouse

(3:07) The Thing

(11:54) Introducing: The Sea of Okhotsk

(16:55) The SS-N-12 Cover Story

(17:44)  How Did This Even Work?

(20:40)  Ronald Pelton Blows The Lid

(23:38) cj’s recommendation: Mark "The Bird" Fidrych

(25:51) Jeff’s Recommendation: The Spy Who Came in from the Cold

There’s no easy answer to how the Cold War was really won.  Somewhere along the way we had unpowered microphones hidden in wooden eagles and Navy divers tapping phone lines 400ft under the sea.

In this episode of Nonsense, we dig into the bizarre world of secret listening—like the Soviets gifting the U.S. a “harmless” carved Great Seal that turned out to be a Soviet bug, and America’s own Operation Ivy Bells, where US divers cosplayed as underwater phone operators for the USSR.

It’s espionage at its weirdest, and it’ll make you think twice about every gift you’ve ever received.

The Thing (listening device) - Wikiwand

Man spends 50 years recreating The Thing spy bug

The Mission Behind Operation Ivy Bells and How It Was Discovered | Military.com

Operation Ivy Bells: How the US Stole Russian Secrets | SOFREP - https://archive.is/FCpAU

Operation Ivy Bells - Wikiwand

Ronald Pelton - Wikiwand 

MLB: The Bird (Mark Fidrych)

Mark Fidrych - Wikiwand

The Spy Who Came in From the Cold (1965) Trailer #1 | Movieclips Classic Trailers

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