Kennedy and Khrushchev: 7. Eyeball to eyeball

The Bomb by BBC

Jan 12, 202637:50Society & Culture

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...

Related Episodes

Continue listening to more episodes from The Bomb.

Kennedy and Khrushchev: 10. Fallout

Feb 2, 2026 - 42:57

Can Khrushchev and Kennedy stop a spiral into nuclear devastation? Khrushchev realises he has lost contro...

Kennedy and Khrushchev: 9. Black Saturday

Jan 26, 2026 - 40:13

Soviet anti-aircraft fire takes down an American spy plane over Cuba, as the crisis spirals. The pilot is...

Kennedy and Khrushchev: 8. The logic of war

Jan 19, 2026 - 37:58

Troops in Cuba fear an attack is imminent, as alarm grows around the world. Fidel Castro urges Khrushchev...

Kennedy and Khrushchev: 6. Kennedy’s move

Jan 5, 2026 - 37:00

Pressure is building on President Kennedy to order a military strike on the newly discovered nuclear miss...

Kennedy and Khrushchev: 5. The crisis: Day one

Dec 29, 2025 - 37:17

Spy plane pictures reveal the Soviet missile build up to the Americans. Now they know what Khrushchev has...

Kennedy and Khrushchev: 4. Almost caught

Dec 22, 2025 - 35:47

A covert convoy of ships carries Soviet missiles across the Atlantic, while American U-2 planes spy over...

Kennedy and Khrushchev: 3. Gamble

Dec 15, 2025 - 36:29

The Soviets secretly plan to move an arsenal of nuclear weapons to Cuba. It is an audacious move by Nikit...

Kennedy and Khrushchev: 2. King of bombs

Dec 8, 2025 - 38:23

The Berlin Wall rises, splitting the city from east to west. Then a stand-off between American and Soviet...