Kennedy and Khrushchev: 7. Eyeball to eyeball
From The Bomb by BBC World Service
January 12, 2026 · 38 min · Season 3 · Episode 7
About this episode
The episode discusses President Kennedy's blockade on Cuba and the tensions with Premier Khrushchev during the Cuban Missile Crisis.
President Kennedy sends shockwaves around the world with a televised speech to the nation. He imposes a blockade on all ships bound for Cuba - Premier Khrushchev brands it “an act of piracy”. But he knows that hidden in a tiny Cuban port, there’s a Soviet ship laden with unimaginable destructive power. Hosts Nina Khrushcheva and Max Kennedy, relatives of the superpower leaders, tell the personal and political history of the Cuban Missile Crisis.
People in this episode
Hosts: Nina Khrushcheva, Max Kennedy
Topics covered
- Cuban Missile Crisis
- Cold War
- US-Soviet relations
- political history
- televised speeches
Keywords
- Kennedy
- Khrushchev
- Cuba
- Cuban Missile Crisis
- blockade
- televised speech
- Cold War
Mentioned in this episode
Places: Cuba, Cuban port
More episodes of The Bomb
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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: 6. Kennedy’s move · January 5, 2026 · 37 min
- Kennedy and Khrushchev: 5. The crisis: Day one · December 29, 2025 · 37 min
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