The Gouzenko Affair - the start of the Cold War (194)

Cold War Conversations

Igor Gouzenko exposed Soviet intelligence's efforts to steal nuclear secrets as well as the technique of planting sleeper agents. The "Gouzenko Affair" is often credited as a triggering event of the Cold War, with historian Jack Granatstein stating it was "the beginning of the Cold War for public opinion" and journalist Robert Fulford writing he was "absolutely certain the Cold War began in Ottawa".

I talk with Andrew Kavchak the author of Remembering Gouzenko: The Struggle to Honour a Cold War Hero and Evy Wilson, the daughter of Igor and Svetlana Gouzenko.

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I am delighted to welcome Andrew and Evy to our Cold War conversation…

There’s further information on this episode can be found here. https://coldwarconversations.com/episode194/

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0:00 Introduction and Background of Igor Gouzenko

2:41 Interview with Andrew Kavchak and Evie Wilson begins

13:55 Aftermath of Gouzenko's Defection and the Following Trials

23:30 Introduction of Evie Wilson, Daughter of Igor Guzenko

33:55 Wilson Family's Relocation and Life in the Greater Toronto Area

43:33 Evie's Discovery of Her Family's Unique Situation and Origin

52:36 The Incident of the Wilsons' Mailbox Getting Blown Up

1:00:22 Evy Wilson's Life and Relatives in the Soviet Union

1:04:26 Andrew Kavchak's Journey to Commemorate the Gouzenko Story

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