Hello listeners I'm Scott Bland and welcome to a special edition of Politico's

nerd cast.

Every so often there's a story at Politico that is just totally completely bonkers and we have one of those today and that's why we are bringing it alive to you as a bonus episode.

I'm here with my colleague Elizabeth Ralph, who's deputy editor at Politicalo magazine.

Elizabeth, welcome.

Scott, good to be here.

Thanks. So tell us what you've got for us today.

Let me describe a scene for you.

So it's Cuba.

It's 1964.

It's the height of the Cold War.

And the world has basically been glued to what's going on with the US and Cuba since the

Cuban missile crisis, which almost set off a nuclear war.

You with me so far?

I am with you.

I am on the edge of my seat.

The stakes are high.

Right, so against this backdrop, there's this journalist for ABC News.

Her name is Lisa Howard, and she's in Havana.

She's just come back from the night out in Havana to the Hotel Riviera where she's staying,

but when she enters the lobby, there's a soldier waiting for her.

And he tells her to go up to her suite.

...