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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).

Papers of Professor Lawrence Freedman, 1959-1992, including files of press cuttings, printed material and other papers relating to defence issues, 1959-1991, collected by Professor Lawrence Freedman, notably on the Gulf War, 1990-1991, the Falklands War, 1982, and Strategic Arms Limitation Talks (SALT), 1959-1987, START (Strategic Arms Reduction Talks), 'STAR WARS' (the US Strategic Defense Initiative), and defence issues in the Soviet Union, UK, Germany, France, Israel and China; Freedman's correspondence and research papers on topics including UK Nuclear History, START, 1990-1992, House of Commons Defence Committee, MOD Defence Estimates, SDI, Eastern Europe, Soviet arms control, strategy and foreign relations, 1990-1992; and USA Department of Defense Current News: special editions and selected statements, 1977-1988, topics of special editions are principally arms control, espionage and strategic defence initiative.

A small number of files were recalled from the 1st accession by Professor Freedman in 1998. These are indicated on the box list.