Welcome to Cold War Conversations, the home of real stories of the Cold War.

He was a tyrant and his wife was even worse.

They've been on this state visit and she was allegedly a scientist

of significant abilities and qualifications and publications to her name and all the rest of it.

So a program was arranged for her at Cambridge University to meet scientists in her field.

And the whole thing was a fake.

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In this episode, we speak with Colin Monroe, who has had an extensive career with the British

diplomatic service. Today we speak about his time as head of chancery in Bucharest, Romania, between

1981 and 1982. He provides a vivid view of a country initiating a policy

of total repayment of its foreign debt by imposing austerity that impoverished its population

and exhausted the economy. If you like what you're hearing on Cold War Conversations, then for the price of a cup

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Now, back to today's episode, where we start with Colin describing his role within the embassy.

Colin, thank you very much for coming on on Cold War conversations.

I wanted to talk to you first about your time in Bucharest.

First of all, could you describe what the role of head of chancery is in the British diplomatic service?

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