Ashland University’s Ashbrook program is presenting a colloquium on Jan. 24 beginning at 3 p.m. where speakers Dr. David Hadley and Dr. Peter Mansoor will be discussing, “Public Checks on the Intelligence Community”, which discusses the relationship between the press and the intelligence community during the Cold War Era.

Hadley is a visiting Assistant Professor of History at AU, with a specific focus on the intelligence and espionage of the Cold War Era. His book, “The Rising Clamor,” released by the Kentucky Press in 2019, explores the topic of the colloquium.

Hadley describes the topic as “having two caveats: first, the relationship between the press and the intelligence community during the Cold War was complicated by the fact that neither of them were monolithic.” He continues on to say, “Secondly, my focus has been on the CIA rather than the intelligence community, so that is where I have the greatest certainty.”

“The press tended to be motivated both by a sense of patriotism and a desire to retain access to government officials. The CIA wanted to protect their activities,” Hadley said.

Joining him to speak for the Ashbrook colloquium is Mansoor, a retired veteran of the U.S. army and CNN Military Analyst.

“He brings such an extraordinary depth of knowledge to national security related subjects, both as an academic and a veteran of the U.S. army,” Hadley said. “I’m deeply honored to be able to participate in this colloquium with him.”

Ashbrook Scholar, Sophie Mowry, said that scholars of the program are “opened up to new ideas and topics that not many of us had an interest in before.”

The colloquiums that scholars attend are opportunities for experts such as Hadley and Mansoor to speak in their expertise, which provides scholars with knowledge.

“The knowledge they bring with them, helps us answer questions we never knew we wanted answered. The new knowledge can help us in our academic or even personal lives,” said Mowry. “Students make decisions for themselves and decide how they want to feel on certain issues, and how that can eventually be translated into their future careers.”