Introduction

In 1962, US President John F. Kennedy was made aware of the presence of Soviet nuclear missiles in Cuba. The 13 October days that followed are some of the most dangerous in modern history. How close did the world come to the precipice? And how much of its resolution was down to diplomatic luck or skill? Over four episodes, you'll be hearing from three historians, each tracking the crisis from the perspectives of Cuba, the Soviet Union and the United States.