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The John Batchelor Show

HEADLINE: Mikoyan Negotiates the "Crisis of November" with Fidel Castro GUEST NAME: Professor Serhii Plokhy BOOK TITLE: Nuclear Folly TOPIC: Accidental War Warning SUMMARY: After the crisis resolution, Nikita Khrushchev rationalized his actions but faced

The John Batchelor Show

John Batchelor

Books, Arts, News, Society & Culture

4.52.8K Ratings

🗓️ 22 September 2025

⏱️ 11 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

HEADLINE: Mikoyan Negotiates the "Crisis of November" with Fidel Castro GUEST NAME: Professor Serhii Plokhy BOOK TITLE: Nuclear Folly TOPIC: Accidental War Warning SUMMARY: After the crisis resolution, Nikita Khrushchev rationalized his actions but faced internal criticism. Fidel Castro, who had advocated nuclear attack, felt insulted by the lack of consultation. Khrushchev sent Mikoyan to negotiate with Castro, who refused to allow inspections and sought to retain tactical nuclear weapons, leading to the "crisis of November." The eventual, humiliating Soviet withdrawal verified by US ships was cited in Khrushchev's later removal.
1899 HAVANA

Transcript

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0:00.0

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0:30.6

This is CBSI and the world. I'm John Batchel with Professor Serhi Ploki. His exciting,

0:36.3

thrilling, challenging, amazing new book is nuclear folly, a history of the Cuban missile crisis.

0:43.7

The world started again on October 27th. By October 28th, the perception in Washington is that Jack Kennedy has won. The perception in Moscow is Nikita Khrushchev to rationalize. Well,

0:50.9

I've made them promise they won't invade the island, so we've saved Cuba.

0:56.4

Well, I've got the missiles out of Turkey.

1:01.7

But Malinovsky, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, their equivalent, general and chief, and other voices at the Presidium, that would be Mr. Kosigin and Mr. Brezhnev,

1:07.7

do not believe that it's a success.

1:09.8

But that will wait two more years

1:11.8

before Khrushchev is removed in a coup in the Presidium. Right now, we have to deal with Khrushchev

1:18.2

rationalizing what's happening. He can. He does. He calls it a success to guarantee Cuba,

1:25.3

but at no point, as a professor indicated, has he consulted with

1:29.2

Fidel Castro, the passionate young man who is now in charge of an island where there are still

1:36.3

nuclear-tip missiles, tactical missiles, IL-28 bombers capable of carrying nuclear warheads. Nuclear warheads parked in one

...

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