Journey Through Time

A look at McCarthyism’s long shadow across Hollywood, government and universities. They trace Roy Cohn’s mentorship of a young Donald Trump and the tactics he passed on. The conversation connects blacklist-era loyalty tests to modern political purges and shows how legal and media strategies were weaponized.

What happened when Joseph McCarthy turned his communist-catching energy on the army? What film, directed by Elia Kazan and starring Marlon Brando, is viewed as an allegory for the McCarthy hearings? In what ways did the ‘Lavender scare’ subtext influence the investigations into Roy Cohn? What famous line brought down the reputation of this ‘red-scare’ fuelling demagogue?  Sarah Churchwell and David Olusoga look at the Army-McCarthy hearings and the spectacularly public downfall of Joseph McCarthy.  Email: journeythroughtime@goalhanger.com  X: @ThroughTimePod Blue Sky: @ThroughTimePod Instagram: @JourneyThroughTimePod Social Producer: Emma Jackson Assistant Producers: Alfie Rowe, Alfie Norris  Producer: Alice Horrell Head of History: Dom Johnson Exec Producer: Tony Pastor Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

How did the most celebrated writers and directors in America take aim at McCarthyism in works such as High Noon and The Crucible? Why did Roy Cohn, the man who went on to be Donald Trump’s mentor, get involved in the trials? Despite both men using homophobic language, why are there rumours about McCarthy and Cohn’s sexuality? What is the relevance of this for the trials?  Email: journeythroughtime@goalhanger.com  X: @ThroughTimePod Blue Sky: @ThroughTimePod Instagram: @JourneyThroughTimePod Social Producer: Emma Jackson Assistant Producers: Alfie Rowe, Alfie Norris  Producer: Alice Horrell Head of History: Dom Johnson Exec Producer: Tony Pastor Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A brisk tour of postwar America’s anti-communist panic and the loyalty purges that reshaped universities and government. They trace the rise of a sensational senator who weaponized accusations and media tactics. The Rosenberg spy case, blacklists in entertainment, and legal crackdowns on unions and academics get spotlighted. Political theater and press failures are examined.

A look at HUAC's move into Hollywood and why the film industry became a political target. Personal stories show careers wrecked by loyalty purges and blacklists. The trial of Alger Hiss and the pumpkin papers saga that helped launch Richard Nixon are explored. The rise of naming names and the clash over constitutional defenses are highlighted.

A deep dive into the rise of anti‑communist purges and how accusation became a political ritual. Traces the roots of 'America First' back to 19th century nativism and its long political life. Explores early Red Scare raids, the creation of congressional investigations, and how loyalty tests, legal tools and geopolitical shocks widened the net.

A deep look at how Chernobyl reshaped political life and fuelled independence movements across the Soviet republics. They trace the disaster’s environmental and human legacies, the engineering of the new sarcophagus, and the haunting return of conflict to the exclusion zone during the 2022 invasion. The conversation also explores investigative reporting, symbolic attacks, and the ongoing costs borne by victims and nations.

They unpack the human cost of clearing reactor debris, including the 3,000 reservists forced into lethal cleanup. They describe why machines failed under extreme radiation and why a huge, rushed containment was built. They explore structural flaws of the sarcophagus and how secrecy and mismanagement eroded trust and helped destabilize the Soviet system.

A tense retelling of two nightmare scenarios that could have made much of Europe uninhabitable. The story of three men wading into radioactive water to prevent a catastrophic steam explosion. How miners tunneled beneath the reactor and reservists were mobilized in what was called the Battle of Chernobyl. The scale of decontamination, evacuations, and the heartbreaking animal cull are described.

A tense retelling of the immediate chaos after the reactor blast. Brave firefighters faced invisible radiation and tragic consequences. Leaders grappled with disbelief while risky helicopter drops tried to contain the core. Delayed evacuations and secret cloud-seeding over Belarus raise questions about tradeoffs and coverups. The world learned of the disaster only after fallout showed up abroad.