This week on History Happy Hour: Jackie Robinson and Paul Robeson were two African-American giants whose lives would forever be altered by the Cold War, and would explosively intersect before its most notorious weapon, the House Un-American Activities Committee. It is a complex story that tallies the sometime fearsome cost of standing against racism.

Our guest is Howard Bryant, author of the dual biography Kings and Pawns: Jackie Robinson and Paul Robeson in America.

Howard Bryant is the author of 11 books, including Rickey, and The Last Hero, a biography of Hank Aaron. He has been the sports correspondent for NPR’s Weekend Edition since 2006. He is a four-time finalist for the National Magazine Award, an Emmy Award winner, and is twice the winner of the Casey Award for Best Baseball Book of the Year. He lives in Western Massachusetts.

This week on History Happy Hour: It sits on display at the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago: The U-505. The June day in 1944 that this German submarine was captured was the first time the U.S. Navy boarded and captured an enemy vessel since the War of 1812. It was carried out in swashbuckling style by a top-secret Navy task force.

In this encore episode, Chris and Rick discuss its dramatic high sea heist with Alexander Rose, author of Phantom Fleet.

Alexander Rose is a journalist and author of numerous history books including Empires of the Sky, The Lion and the Fox, and Washington Spies: The Story of America’s First Spy Ring. The latter was adapted into the AMC drama series, Turn: Washington Spies, for which he served as writer/producer. He has a doctorate from Cambridge, was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship and is a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society. Born in the United States, raised in Australia and educated in Britain, Alexander currently resides in New York.

This week on History Happy Hour: During WWI, The White Lady network helped Britain by acting as couriers, radio operators and spies to facilitate the end of German control. And, when war broke out again two decades later, the leaders of the network regrouped and established a successor: The Clarence Service.

We will talk with HHH Alum Helen Fry to chart the history of these pivotal intelligence networks from her latest book, The White Lady.

Dr Helen Fry has written over 20 books on the Second World War with particular reference to British intelligence and espionage. She has also written about the 10,000 Germans who fought for Britain in WWII. Her acclaimed book The Walls Have Ears became a bestseller and was the Daily Mail’s Top Books of the Year on War. She has appeared in numerous TV documentaries. She is a passionate advocate and official ambassador for the National Centre for Military Intelligence (NCMI). This is her fourth appearance on History Happy Hour.