Cold War Frequencies: CIA Clandestine Radio Broadcasting to the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe by Richard H. Cummings

There is a long tradition in the West among veterans of Cold War–era shortwave radio stations to spend their retirement documenting the history of their agencies. Perhaps it is both a symptom of the dedication of personnel to their work and a reaction to the relative lack of scholarly interest in propaganda and public diplomacy compared to the mainstreams of military or intelligence issues. Examples include Alan Heil of Voice of America (VOA), Ted Lipien and Mark Pomar of both VOA and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL), and, from RFE/RL alone, Arch Puddington, A. Ross Johnson, and the author of this new book, Richard H. Cummings. Cummings directed security at RFE's Munich headquarters during the climactic years of the 1980s. In retirement he has written many articles on the agency's origins and activities, run a website discussing Cold War broadcasting (currently known as Cold War Vignettes, https://coldwarvignettes.blogspot.com/), and completed...