The Cold War television documentary archive consists of transcripts of 531 interviews concerning events of the Cold War - the political, ideological tension between the United States and the United Soviet Socialist Republic (USSR), 1946-1989, following the end of World War Two, which while falling short of actual war between these two nations, was evident in their foreign and defence policies, and those of their allies.

Interviews were conducted with eyewitnesses from the US, USSR, Germany, Poland, Britain, Czechoslovakia, Italy, France, Greece, Latvia, Lithuania, Hungary, Spain, Vietnam, Korea, China, Israel Egypt, South Africa, Angola, Cuba, Chile, Guatemala, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Afghanistan and Pakistan, and including politicians, policy makers and advisors, diplomats, journalists, academics, members of armed forces, dissidents, peasants, factory workers and civilians.

Events described include the Berlin blockade, 1948-1949, the Berlin Crisis, 1961, the Cuban Missile Crisis, Oct 1962, the Vietnam War, 1965-1975, the Korean War, 1950-1953, the Hungarian uprising, 1956, the Prague Spring, 1968, the nuclear arms race, 1945-1991, and Chinese communism, 1949-1972.

The collections also contains transcripts of a series of seminars on the Cold War, Oct 1995, as well as an incomplete series of files relating to individual episodes of the documentary series including annotated extracts of interview transcripts and other production information. (Transcripts in this section of the collection are mainly duplicates, however there are a small number which are not found in the main transcript series).

Papers relating to his service in the RN, [1914-1920], [1939-1945], principally comprising carbon copies of letters to his family describing his service at Gallipoli, 1915-1916, and in Salonika, Greece, 1916-1918; typescript texts, written in [1918-1975], principally comprising descriptive sketches of life in Salonika, 1916-1918, in Belgrade after the retreat of German and Austrian forces, 1918-1919, and in Budapest following Communist uprising led by Bela Hung Kun, 1919, written in [1918-1975]; typescript text by Harry W Frantz on Troubridge's work in Serbia and Hungary, 1915-1918, and as President of the Interallied Commission of the Danube, 1919-1920, written in 1920. Photographs relating to his service in Gallipoli, 1915, Salonika, 1915-1918, Belgrade, 1918-1919, and press photographs of the Communist revolution in Budapest, 1919-1920. Glass slides relating to his service in Salonika, 1915-1918. Papers relating to Burrows' work in the Shipping Casualties Section, Trade Division, Admiralty, 1939-1945, principally comprising descriptions of the work of the section, official reports concerning sunk or damaged ships and texts of interview with survivors.

Documents on British Policy Overseas, Series 1, Volume 4, and, Series 2 Volume 2, are microfilmed copies of documents relating to British foreign policy, 1945-1950. Part of a larger collection encompassing British foreign policy, 1945-1955, the microfiche in this collection relate specifically to Anglo-American relations, Dec 1945- Jun 1950. This collection is in two sections. The first includes documents relating to the establishment of an Anglo- American Cold War strategy; the exchange of atomic information and technology between the US and Britain; the use of British mainland and colonial bases by US armed forces; and the allocation of American funds to Britain as part of the European Recovery Program. The second section relates specifically to Anglo-American strategic and defence conferences which took place in London, Jan-Jun 1950. Documents concern the exchange of nuclear technology between the two powers; British and American political and military support to nations wishing to prevent communist insurrection; US involvement in the Middle East; the security of British and American sectors in the Federal Republic of Germany; British and American relations with Western European nations; and the strengthening of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).

Copies of papers, 1916-1958, including account of the Battle of Jutland, witnessed by Brind from HMS MALAYA, 5 Battle Sqn, 1916; text of lecture 1919, relating to anti-submarine warfare, 1914-1918, and possible future development; notes, dated 1931, on the conduct of the Dardenelles campaign; report on night fighting by single ships, 1924; night order book, HMS BIRMINGHAM, South East Asia, 1929-1940; report written in 1946 on the sinking of HMS ROYAL OAK, Scapa Flow 1939, by German submarine U47, quoting from U-boat's log; texts of speeches, 1947-1958; letter of condolence from Adm Hon Sir Reginald Aylmer Ranfurly Plunkett-Ernle-Erle-Drax to Edith Blagrove, widow of R Adm Henry Evelyn Charles Blagrove, killed in the sinking of HMS ROYAL OAK 1939, with details of the circumstances of his death; letters home from the Far East, 1949; official report on the blockade of Shanghai and British inability to defend Hong Kong from possible future attack by Chinese Communist forces, 1949; newspaper cuttings relating to the HMS AMETHYST Incident, Yangtze-Kiang river, China, 1949, and Brind's order, as Commander-in-Chief Eastern Fleet, for the successful breakout 1949; notes and lecture texts relating to the role of NATO, 1953-1955; typescript notes on the post war role of the Royal Navy, 1955.

Fusilier, memoir of life and service, 1930-1960', typescript memoir by Lieutenant Colonel Neville Bosanquet, including detailed description of living and working in the army in the interwar period, stationed in the United Kingdom, Gibraltar and Hong Kong, with analysis of the attitudes of soldiers in peace time; detailed descriptions of travelling in Communist Russia, 1935; living in Riga, Latvia, to learn Russian, 1938; travelling through Europe, Turkey and Egypt, 1938; life and work in England at the beginning of World War Two; training at Staff College, Quetta, India, 1942-1943; account of service under General Sir Hugh Charles Stockwell in the Arakan region, Burma, 1943-1945; including comparison of British and Japanese tactics, description of attack on Brigade headquarters, conditions experienced by soldiers and psychological effects of jungle warfare; account of service as General Staff Officer Grade Two under General Sir Francis Wogan "Frankie" Festing, 36 Division, including description of securing Shan region for Allies and liaising with American forces; account of service as instructor, British Military Mission in Greece, 1948, working with Greek National Army in Florina, Grammos, Vitsi and Salonika, including descriptions of the tactics of both the Greek National Army and the Democratic Army of Greece, and the difficulty of guerrilla warfare.

The collection presents an integrated record of US decision making during the 1958-1962 confrontation between the Soviet Union and the United States over the situation of Berlin specifically, and Germany generally. The collection includes primarily records of Eisenhower's telephone conversations with Secretary of State John Foster Dulles and Under Secretary of State Christian Archibald Herter and minutes of Eisenhower's discussions with Gen Andrew Jackson Goodpaster, Defense Liaison Officer and Staff Secretary to the President and, for the Kennedy administration, records mainly prepared by McGeorge Bundy, Special Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs, and Laurence J Legere, Assistant to the Military Representative of the President, 1961-1962 and Senior National Security Council Staff Member, 1962-1963. The collection also includes records of East-West negotiations over Berlin and Germany, including US-Soviet 'exploratory discussions', 1958-1962; material relating to Allied efforts to develop a co-ordinated negotiating position during the first months of 1959 and the subsequent protracted talks in Geneva, Switzerland, May-Aug 1959; material relating to LIVE OAK, the tripartite American-British-French Berlin military contingency planning group under the direction of Gen Lauris Norstad, Commander- in-Chief US European Command and Supreme Allied Commander Europe, Apr 1959; papers relating to US and Soviet nuclear capabilities, 1959-1962; Berlin checkpoint crises, 1959-1961; a complete record of the summit meeting in Sep 1959 between Eisenhower and Soviet Prime Minister Nikita Sergeyevich Khrushchev at Camp David, Maryland, USA; papers relating to Western preparations for discussions on Berlin at the aborted summit of May 1960; papers relating to the 'Wall Crisis', including material relating to the refugee problem in the German Democratic Republic and US and Allied reactions to the construction of the Berlin Wall, Aug 1961; US and Soviet confrontations at US zone checkpoint, 'Checkpoint Charlie', Oct 1961; minutes of conversations between Soviet and US policy makers during the Kennedy administration, including a compete record of the talks between (David) Dean Rusk, US Secretary of State, and Andrei Andreevich Gromyko, Soviet Foreign Minister, Gromyko and Llewellyn E Thompson, US Ambassador to the Soviet Union, and Rusk and Anatoly Federovich Dobrynin, Soviet Ambassador to the US, 1962. It should be noted that papers of major Kennedy administration officials remain closed due to security processing delays at the John F Kennedy Library. Thus, files after Sep 1961 in the National Security Files remain largely sealed. Moreover, documents from files that have been reviewed continue to be withheld or heavily excised. Also, many of the Central Intelligence Agency and US Department of Defense files from 1961-1962 continue to be withheld or heavily excised.