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Cuba and the Cold War | From Castro's rise to power to the missile crisis
About this collection
At the height of the Cold War, on 1 January 1959, a guerrilla army led by Fidel Castro defeated the US-backed Batista government. Attempts by the US government to undermine Castro's new administration, coupled with similarities of ideology, pushed Cuba into the arms of the Soviet Union. So began years of dangerous political manoeuvring that culminated in the 1962 missile crisis and the day the world came close to nuclear war.
Remember the days when a tropical island caused a political whirlwind with this collection of broadcasts featuring Fidel Castro, Che Guevara and JFK.
Features
Cuba and the Cold War Collection
News
Castro Interview
Castro speaks to reporters a week after the revolution.
Panorama
Cuba - Anti-Castro Rebels
Robin Day reports from Florida on the Cuban exiles.
John F Kennedy: The President of the United States
President Kennedy speech following the Bay of Pigs incident.
Panorama
Cuba
'Panorama' visits Fidel Castro after the Bay of Pigs invasion.
Famous Speeches
Kennedy: Cuban Missile Crisis
Kennedy's speech on the Cuban missile crisis.
News
Cuba and the Labour Party
The Labour Party leader speaks to BBC News about the missile crisis.
News
UN Security Council Meeting
An emergency meeting of the UN Security Council discusses the Cuban missile crisis.
Panorama
Cuba Day: Senator Mansfield in Washington
Robin Day interviews US Senator Mike Mansfield for 'Panorama'.
News
Cuba: Evacuee Ship
A brief report on the arrival of an evacuee ship from Guantanamo.
Panorama
Cuba
After 'one of the most dangerous weeks in history', what now for the world?
News
Cuba Crisis
President Kennedy announces the end of the Cuban blockade.
Panorama
Cuba
Castro celebrates 10 years since the first uprising against the former regime.
From Our Own Correspondent
Kate Adie introduces a report on the Cuban missile crisis.
The Cuban Missile Crisis: 40 Years On
While the USA prepared for war, what was happening inside the USSR and Cuba?
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