Kennedy and Khrushchev: 6. Kennedy’s move
From The Bomb by BBC World Service
January 5, 2026 · 37 min · Season 3 · Episode 6
About this episode
The episode explores President Kennedy's dilemma over a military strike on Cuba during the Cuban Missile Crisis and the political dynamics at play.
Pressure is building on President Kennedy to order a military strike on the newly discovered nuclear missile site on Cuba. But JFK wonders whether it’s better to keep the discovery a secret from Premier Khrushchev – for now. Meanwhile, the Washington press grows suspicious of all the late-night activity at the White House. This is the personal and political story of the Cuban Missile Crisis, told by NIna Khrushcheva and Max Kennedy.
People in this episode
Guests: NIna Khrushcheva, Max Kennedy
Topics covered
- Cuban Missile Crisis
- Cold War
- political tension
- military strategy
- diplomacy
Keywords
- Kennedy
- Khrushchev
- Cuba
- nuclear missiles
- Cuban Missile Crisis
- politics
- military strike
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- Kennedy and Khrushchev: 10. Fallout · February 2, 2026 · 43 min
- Kennedy and Khrushchev: 9. Black Saturday · January 26, 2026 · 40 min
- Kennedy and Khrushchev: 8. The logic of war · January 19, 2026 · 38 min
- Kennedy and Khrushchev: 7. Eyeball to eyeball · January 12, 2026 · 38 min
- Kennedy and Khrushchev: 5. The crisis: Day one · December 29, 2025 · 37 min
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