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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).

Interview transcripts, research notes, press cuttings and draft broadcast scripts relating to Landmines: Hidden Assassins , 1997. The documentary examined the threat of land mines; efforts to ban them including the campaign of the late Diana, Princess of Wales; the lives of land mine victims; the process of removing anti-personnel land mines; educating children on avoiding land mines; the debate over the United States of America's refusal to sign the Ottawa Treaty (Mine Ban Treaty), 1997; and the use of high-tech land mines. The report focused on Cambodia, one of the countries most affected by the use of land mines. The collection includes drafts of the script; transcripts of interviews with land mine experts including ordinary Cambodians affected by landmines; Ian Doucet, UK Working Group on Landmines (now Landmine Action UK); Steve Goose, Director of Human Rights Watch Arms Division; Jody Williams, Nobel Peace Prize winner 1997 and Campaign Ambassador, International Campaign to Ban Landmines; Bobby Muller, founder, Vietnam Veterans of America and co-founder International Campaign to Ban Landmines; Robert Cowles, Demining Office, Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Special Operations and Low Intensity Conflict, Pentagon; Robert Bell, Special Assistant to President Clinton for National Security Affairs, 1993-1997; Colin King, international landmine and explosive ordnance disposal consultant; Ieng Moly, former Minister of Information, Cambodia; Dr Hans Winkler, Austrian State Secretary for Foreign Affairs; Ian Brown, aid worker, formerly of the Mines Advisory Group; and Paul Jefferson, former British mine disposal officer and freelance mine clearer severely wounded by a mine in Kuwait, 1991. Also research notes including background information on interviewees, anti-landmine campaign material, press cuttings, statistics, interviews and articles; schedules, lists of filming undertaken and lists of footage drawn from film archives.