logo
episode-header-image
Nov 2023
56m 2s

393. JFK: Cuba, Camelot and the Cold War...

Goalhanger
About this episode

By the late 1950s, John F. Kennedy was a rich and handsome Democratic senator with a beautiful wife and young family, heading for the White House despite his Catholicism, his affairs and his secret illnesses. In January 1961 he became the youngest ever President of the United States, during a period of heightened political and social tensions at home and abroad, with the Cold War raging, communism on the rise and the Civil Rights Movement dominating the headlines. What role, then, did Kennedy’s domestic and foreign policies play in these monumental moments of world history? And does the backlash against him offer us the crucial clues to the motives behind his assassination, and the identity of his killer? 


Join Tom and Dominic as they discuss Kennedy’s early political career, the successes and failings of his presidency, and world-shaking events such as the Bay of Pigs disaster, the Cuban missile crisis, the Space Race and the Vietnam War. All the while, Kennedy’s days are numbered as that fateful day in Dallas comes ever closer…



*Dominic’s book The Fall of the Aztecs is available now from bookshops across the UK - the perfect Christmas present!*


Twitter: 

@TheRestHistory

@holland_tom

@dcsandbrook

Producer: Theo Young-Smith

Executive Producers: Jack Davenport + Tony Pastor

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Up next
Yesterday
594. The First World War: The Invasion of Belgium (Part 1)
Following the declaration of war in 1914, how did the outbreak of the First World War unfold? What were the earliest military engagements of this terrible, totemic event? Who were its key political players and how did they respond? What was the attitude to the war in Germany? Wer ... Show More
1 h
Aug 20
593. The Fight of the Century
Why did two men - John Heenan and and Tom Sayers - illegally meet in a field in Hampshire, in 1860, to brutally fight one another, captivating Britain in the process? What can the fight tell us about the nature of Britishness in the 19th century? Was this the birth of boxing? Who ... Show More
57m 19s
Aug 17
592. Mad Victorian Sport
How and when was football invented, and what are the origins of football clubs? What is the connection between public hangings, highwaymen, and early sporting events? Which is the most historically important sporting ground in the world? When was the first cricket test match play ... Show More
56m 35s
Recommended Episodes
Nov 2023
JFK Special 2. | The Kennedy Sister They Tried To Hide
This November marks 60 years since President John F Kennedy was assassinated.  His name is associated with history defining events, but it’s also connected with a dynasty, known for their celebrity and notoriously for being ‘cursed.’ The Kennedy family, thought of as American roy ... Show More
44m 19s
Nov 2022
Inside the JFK White House
November 22nd marks 59 years since the assassination of US President John F. Kennedy. One of the most famous assassinations in history, JFK's death sent shockwaves not only through the United States, but across the world. However, before that fateful day in history, JFK was a jou ... Show More
35m 12s
Nov 2018
JFK Pt. 3: Kennedy's Legacy
President John F. Kennedy was pronounced dead at 1 p.m. on November 22nd, 1963. The fallout of his death would change the course of history for America and for the world. What would America be like if John F. Kennedy had survived? New Shows! Parcast Network - Don’t forget to rate ... Show More
46m 44s
Aug 2022
Kennedy
FINALLY! IT'S KENNEDY! It’s 1960 and JFK has been elected president, having beaten Nixon in one of the closest presidential elections of the 20th century. He becomes the youngest and first Catholic president in US history, and would come to face many critics and juicy rumours ove ... Show More
49m 24s
Apr 2024
Is He The Last Real Democrat? | Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
RFK Jr. is making waves as a candidate in the current presidential race, first as a Democrat and now as an Independent. Born into the Kennedy dynasty, his early life was marked by personal and family tragedies, including the assassinations of his uncle, President John F. Kennedy, ... Show More
1h 36m
Nov 2018
JFK Pt. 2: Death in Dealey Plaza
November 22nd, 1963, was supposed to be a special day. President John Kennedy had traveled to Dallas, Texas, to attend to some political matters in preparation for his upcoming re-election campaign. But, by the time the sun set, the President would be dead, and police would have ... Show More
51m 51s
Jul 2022
What Made JFK So Compelling?
Despite assuming the presidency from the 20th century’s narrowest election victory, John F. Kennedy captivated the American public’s imagination, even before his untimely death. What was it that made JFK so compelling in his own time, and continues to contribute to his enduring a ... Show More
43m 2s