We look at war between the two communist giants, the People’s Republic of China and the Soviet Union – a conflict which began in March 1969. And we’re going to be joined by a special guest who, as a US air force pilot, found himself too close for comfort to the Soviet fleet off China’s coast just as they prepared to strike China in 1969…

In 1969, Bruce Gordon was a US fighter pilot based in Osan, South Korea. One day Bruce was scrambled (in an F-106) against a Russian warplane. When the Soviet plane turned back toward Vladivostok, Bruce looked down and saw a Russian fleet of seven ships lying off the coast of North Korea. He buzzed the ships to see what was going on.  He watched what appeared to be a fishing boat pull away from the Russian ships at HIGH SPEED – he knew fishing boats didn’t travel at high speed…

Also, on a greener note, for St Patrick’s Day we pay due homage to the great Irish saint…who wasn’t Irish…and wasn’t called ‘Patrick’.

Paul Letters is a historian, journalist, educator and novelist. See paulletters.com for more history, including a daily ‘On-This-Day-75-Years-Ago’ feed, with photographs. Plus the novel that combines: the real history of the Allies’ first strike against Nazi Germany; Paul’s granny’s escape (as a teenager) from 1939 Poland to 1940 Paris to wartime London; the ‘Double-Cross System’, the Special Operations Executive and assassination in Prague.

Each month on Noreen Mir’s 1-2-3 Show (RTHK Radio 3), Paul Letters examines events from this month in history. Recorded at Radio Television Hong Kong Studios, Broadcast Drive, Kowloon, Hong Kong. Cover work by Gill Bertram.