The face of the Cold War says he’s never been so scared

At 84, Vladimir Pozner has seen a lot of history unfolding in Moscow. Yet in all the time he spent working as one of the chief propagandists of the Soviet Union he never felt as anxious about the prospect of conflict as he does today

‘‘I’m very concerned,’’ he told The Sunday Times last week. ‘‘I’m worried about my grandchildren. I was never this worried throughout the whole of the Soviet period.’’

For foreigners, the urbane Pozner was the instantly recognisable face and voice of the Soviet Union, going on television with his fluent English – he was raised in New York by a French mother and Russian father – to justify Kremlin misdeeds from crushing the Prague Spring in 1968 to invading Afghanistan in 1979.

‘‘I did a hell of a job,’’ he said. ‘‘The idea was to create positive information about the Soviet Union. I never lied. Just gave the positive side.’’

By contrast, today’s chief Kremlin propagandists, he said, were ‘‘well-paid television commentators with no ideology’’ and ‘‘no conscience. They lie. Look at the stuff they spew out on Russia Today (Sunday) [the Russian television channel]. It’s fake news.’’

Soviet propaganda, he said, ‘‘was anti-capitalist, anti-wall Street and anti-white House’’. Today, Russia has turned against the American people. ‘‘Antiamerican sentiment is much higher now than in Soviet days. People were weeping when [President John] Kennedy died. There’s no way you’d get that now.’’

Kennedy and Nikita Khrushchev, the Soviet leader, had averted disaster in the Cuban missile crisis. ‘‘They had the wisdom to pull back.’’ But today ‘‘there’s a total lack of statesmanship, there’s no-one with the balls to stand up and say ‘this has gone too far’. The level of trust is lower than in the Cold War and a false alarm now is more likely to trigger a nuclear launch than it was. Once the missiles are gone, you can’t shoot them down. That’s it. World War III. The end of all of us.’’

He was scathing about Donald Trump. ‘‘The White House is illequipped to deal with any conflict,’’ he said. ‘‘It’s occupant wants only to prove that his dick – excuse my English – is bigger than anyone else’s.’’

Pozner is also hard on himself for his record as a Soviet propagandist. At first he had believed in the Soviet dream but he gradually lost faith. Prague ‘‘was the first crack. It was hard to swallow’’. But he kept on. Now he feels ashamed. ‘‘I’m not religious. But I think I committed a serious sin.’’

Pozner, who is married to a showbusiness impresario, broke with communism in the 1980s. He is a popular media figure with his own television show.

He finds it hard to believe that Putin could have ordered the Salisbury nerve agent attack. ‘‘What would be the logic of it just as Russia was having an election and about to host the World Cup?’’ he said.

Director dies

Czech film-maker Milos Forman, whose movies One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest and Amadeus won a deluge of Academy Awards, including best director Oscars, has died. Forman, 86, died yesterday in hospital near his home in Warren, Connecticut, according to his agent Dennis Aspland. Aspland said Forman’s wife, Martina, notified him of the death.

Fire warning

A new emergency warning has been issued for a fire burning out of control at Holsworthy, in Sydney’s southwest. The Rural Fire Service issued the warning for residents, saying there has been increased fire activity with strong winds and embers sparking new fires. ‘‘Voyager Point, Pleasure Point and Sandy Point are experiencing ember attack. Residents in these areas should shelter in place. It is too late to leave,’’ the warning, released just after noon, said. Earlier, NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian said it was ‘‘miracle’’ that no lives or properties were lost when a bushfire raged through southwest Sydney overnight. The Holsworthy fire – which has burned 1000 hectares – resulted in hundreds of people leaving their homes on Saturday. Fire investigators and police are working to establish how the fire was started.

Rio rally wants answers

Thousands of Brazilians took to the streets of Rio de Janeiro yesterday to demand answers in the death of city councilwoman and human rights activist Marielle Franco, whose slaying one month ago is seen by her backers as a political assassination. Franco had been critical of a security force takeover of policing in Rio. She and her driver Anderson Pedro Gomes were shot dead on March 14, while they were returning from an event on empowering young black women. Days before her assassination, Franco, an expert on police violence, accused officers of being overly aggressive in searching residents of favela slums. Her last post on Twitter called attention to the murder of a young favela resident.

Peacekeeper killed

Officials say a UN peacekeeper is dead and 10 French soldiers have been wounded after a jihadist attack in northern Mali. Residents in the town of Timbuktu reported hearing two large detonations yesterday near a camp for the UN mission. Ten soldiers from the French military operation were among those hurt, according to the Malian security ministry. There was no immediate claim of responsibility.

Overboard not accidental

The death of a woman who fell overboard from the Pacific Dawn was not accidental but the tragic end to what should have been a memorable family holiday. The 47-year-old Brisbane mother had been at dinner with her husband before she was lost overboard around 150 nautical miles west of New Caledonia on Thursday. As passengers disembarked at Brisbane yesterday morning, police Inspector Rob Graham confirmed the nature of the tragedy. ‘‘This wasn’t an accident,’’ he said. ‘‘Let’s be open and honest about mental health.’’ She had been aboard with her two daughters and son aged 12-to-16 as well as her husband. ‘‘It’s a tragic end to what should’ve been a lifetime holiday experience for a loving family.’’

‘‘People were weeping when [President John] Kennedy died. There’s no way you’d get that now.’’ Vladimir Pozner