Ep 91: Soviet Union (Part 2)
From Solving JFK by Matt Crumpton
March 25, 2026 · 28 min · Season 91 · Episode 3
About this episode
This episode explores the Cuban Missile Crisis and the internal tensions within the U.S. government during this critical moment in the Cold War.
The Cuban Missile Crisis was the closest the United States and the Soviet Union ever came to nuclear war—a thirteen-day period where decisions made in real time carried unimaginable consequences. In this episode, we break down how the crisis developed, why Khrushchev chose to place nuclear missiles in Cuba, and how American intelligence and leadership responded as the situation escalated. Inside the Kennedy administration, there was no consensus. Military leaders urged immediate force, while Kennedy weighed options that might avoid triggering a nuclear exchange. As the pressure intensified, miscommunications, near-misses, and rogue actions on both sides pushed the world closer to disaster than most people realized at the time. This episode examines the internal tensions within the U.S. government, the role of backchannel diplomacy, and the narrow margin by which catastrophe was avoided. It’s a look at leadership under extreme stress—and what this moment reveals about power, perception, and the risks that defined the Cold War. Patreon - Patreon.com/solvingJFK Twitter - https://twitter.com/solvingjfk Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/solvingjfk Instagram…
People in this episode
Host: Matt Crumpton
Topics covered
- Cuban Missile Crisis
- Cold War
- nuclear war
- leadership
- diplomacy
- U.S. government
Keywords
- Cuban Missile Crisis
- Khrushchev
- Kennedy
- nuclear missiles
- Cold War
- diplomacy
- U.S. government
- leadership
- crisis management
Sponsors
Mood, Rosetta Stone
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Soviet Union, Cuban Missile Crisis, U.S. government
Products: JFK
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- Recap & Rebuttals Part 20 (Ep 90-94) Soviet Union with Larry Hancock · May 6, 2026 · 1h 40m
- Ep 94: Soviet Union (Part 5) · April 29, 2026 · 20 min
- Ep 93: Soviet Union (Part 4) · April 15, 2026 · 28 min
- Ep 92: Soviet Union (Part 3) · April 8, 2026 · 29 min
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