Speaker 1: The sad reality about travel is that all trips must
Speaker 1: eventually come to an end. That is the very nature
Speaker 1: of a vacation. When the music stops and the tour
Speaker 1: is over, we all must go home. And you may
Speaker 1: find that returning from travel or ending a vacation often
Speaker 1: comes with grief and sadness, a feeling of loss compounded
Speaker 1: by the return of the pressures of normal life, work, home, family, stress, responsibility.
Speaker 1: But when you return to these necessary realities, do not
Speaker 1: forget that for a moment you were someone else, somewhere else.
Speaker 1: Hold on to the memories and apply what you've learned
Speaker 1: in your travels to enrich your daily life. Yes, all
Speaker 1: vacations must come to an end, but their impact and
Speaker 1: memory can last a lifetime.
Speaker 2: Gein, I just got off the phone with my brother.
Speaker 2: He took care of your father's funeral arrangements and cremated
Speaker 2: him according to his wishes. Okay, he promised to keep
Speaker 2: the remain safe until we return.
Speaker 1: Please thank him for me.
Speaker 2: I did, and Martin is working on smoothing over our
Speaker 2: abrupt departure from Prague. So it shouldn't be an issue
Speaker 2: when we choose to.
Speaker 1: Go back, right. I just can't let it go. Of LOSTA.
Speaker 1: I need to know who killed him.
Speaker 3: It must be the cag B.
Speaker 1: I'm sure you're right. It's just something my father said
Speaker 1: before he was killed.
Speaker 2: We know they were following him, and they certainly would
Speaker 2: rather have him dead than in American hands.
Speaker 3: Maybe try to be patient.
Speaker 1: I am tired of waiting, sitting here, playing it over
Speaker 1: and over in my head. We brought the maps my
Speaker 1: father died for all the way to Washington, d C.
Speaker 1: And we have been sitting in this hotel room for
Speaker 1: hours waiting for Martin.
Speaker 2: You'll get your answers soon. Rebecca is on her way
Speaker 2: over with him.
Speaker 3: Oh here there now.
Speaker 4: Hello of lost Jean. Again, my deepest condolences and apologies.
Speaker 4: We should have never let this happen.
Speaker 1: Martin. Nice to see you in person again.
Speaker 5: I blame myself. I should have been prepared. Now that
Speaker 5: you're all here, I am. I want to tender my resignation.
Speaker 3: Rebecca. Please, it's not your fault.
Speaker 5: I was the agent present. It was my mission, and
Speaker 5: it failed.
Speaker 4: Very honorable, but unnecessary. Rebecca, there were inherent risks in
Speaker 4: that mission. We played the odds and lost. I'm sorry
Speaker 4: to say.
Speaker 1: Martin's right without you, we would have never found my
Speaker 1: father in the first place. You want to redeem yourself,
Speaker 1: help me clear my father's name and stop the attack.
Speaker 1: He sacrificed his life for. Did you take a look
Speaker 1: at the maps he gave me?
Speaker 4: Yes? And for all the stories surrounding your father. He
Speaker 4: proved to be a true hero. Those maps confirm a
Speaker 4: report roots Seed from one of our moles in the
Speaker 4: KGB weeks ago. It seems the Soviets are moving weapons
Speaker 4: and battalions right under our noses. If they succeed in
Speaker 4: reaching their destination, it will be the greatest threat to
Speaker 4: the USA and its history, a potential precursor to war.
Speaker 3: What where are they moving them?
Speaker 6: To?
Speaker 1: Cuba? How did you know that I recognized it on
Speaker 1: the maps?
Speaker 4: Impossible? The maps only showed trails and tunnels through unmarked
Speaker 4: mountain ranges and coastlines. It took our team days to
Speaker 4: match them correctly using high altitude imagery. You could have
Speaker 4: just asked, well, we have the location now and the
Speaker 4: detail is astounding. If we had had maps, this specific
Speaker 4: bay of pigs might have ended differently.
Speaker 1: Something else I noticed on those maps is that many
Speaker 1: of the sites are not coordinates specific You're going to
Speaker 1: need someone to go in there and verify the positions.
Speaker 4: We have a military team ready to enter Cuba.
Speaker 1: Stop them and send us instead. Excuse me, there is
Speaker 1: nothing under the radar about a military team, and nothing
Speaker 1: enters Cuba without Castro knowing. He said it yourself. If
Speaker 1: the maps are right, we can't afford another bay of
Speaker 1: pigs failure. You need someone else who can go in
Speaker 1: and conduct the surveillance undetected first.
Speaker 4: And you're offering your services, Jean, don't.
Speaker 3: It's too dangerous.
Speaker 1: We've come this far. I can't let it all end
Speaker 1: in war. If my father gave his life for this,
Speaker 1: I have to see it through.
Speaker 4: Your country owes you a huge debt, Gene.
Speaker 1: Once we confirm the locations and contents of the missile sites,
Speaker 1: you can send in the cavalry.
Speaker 5: We have a ton of contacts inside the country who
Speaker 5: can help us once we land.
Speaker 1: I have people of my own I trust as well,
Speaker 1: who well. I've known Javier, the manager of Hotel Nacion
Speaker 1: now de Kuba for years.
Speaker 3: We spent part of our honeymoon there.
Speaker 4: The hotel has been closed since Castro took power.
Speaker 1: Yes, but many writers, diplomats and foreign officials still stay there.
Speaker 2: Jean Parsacreje just stayed at the hotel after the revolution
Speaker 2: with his wife Simond de Beauvois when they interviewed Jacob
Speaker 2: Vera and publish Visits Cuba. The hotel even named the
Speaker 2: room he stayed in after him.
Speaker 1: So I suggest a similar cover. I'm still a dual
Speaker 1: citizen of Hungary, where I was born, and Vlosta is
Speaker 1: of Czechoslovakia. Hell, we even run our office out of
Speaker 1: Paris like Satra, so so we fly in through Central
Speaker 1: America on our foreign passports under the guys that we
Speaker 1: are writing a book on Cuba. Then we conduct the
Speaker 1: surveillance and counterintelligence to find these target sites before departing
Speaker 1: the way we came. That could work, and I.
Speaker 5: Can enter separately on a Canadian student visa. Many activists
Speaker 5: arrived daily to support the Cuban government. I could join
Speaker 5: a group.
Speaker 1: How would we find you?
Speaker 5: I'll make contact once inside.
Speaker 4: It should be a forty eight hour operation. Get in,
Speaker 4: confirm the maps, and get out.
Speaker 5: Music to my years Martin, I want you to ensure
Speaker 5: there is an extraction team if necessary.
Speaker 4: Let's hope it doesn't come to that.
Speaker 1: Cuba is one of the largest single islands of its
Speaker 1: archipelago and one of the more influential states of the
Speaker 1: Caribbean region. Cuba was claimed by Christopher Columbus for Spain
Speaker 1: in fourteen ninety two, and it became the Spanish Empire's
Speaker 1: most important source of raw sugar in the eighteenth century.
Speaker 1: Though Spain had to fight several difficult and costly campaigns
Speaker 1: against independence movements, it retained rule of Cuba until eighteen
Speaker 1: ninety eight, when it was defeated by the United States
Speaker 1: and Cuban forces in the Spanish American War. Cuba soon
Speaker 1: gained formal independence, though it remained overshadowed by the nearby
Speaker 1: United States. On New Year's Day nineteen fifty nine, revolutionary
Speaker 1: forces led by Fidel Castro overthrew the government and its
Speaker 1: dictator Batista. Adopting a Marxist Leninist model, Castro converted Cuba
Speaker 1: into a one party socialist state under Communist Party rule,
Speaker 1: the first in the Western hemisphere. Cuba quickly became economically
Speaker 1: isolated from the United Slime States, while developing close links
Speaker 1: to the Soviet Union. But with democracy and capitalism gone,
Speaker 1: the ones booming tourist industry quickly disappeared, along with them.
Speaker 2: Darling, we're back in Cuba. H not exactly a second honeymoon.
Speaker 1: I wonder how different the hotel will look.
Speaker 4: Hmmm.
Speaker 2: It's sad to think if it boarded up and empty.
Speaker 2: We'll have you a meet us at the airport.
Speaker 1: He should if he received my message, and if he didn't,
Speaker 1: then this will be a very short trip.
Speaker 3: Well let's go find out.
Speaker 6: Hmm.
Speaker 3: I did miss that tropical air We.
Speaker 1: Haven't stayed in one place long enough to acclimate.
Speaker 3: Do you see him?
Speaker 1: Hope, there he is on the tarmac, blaster, Jean. Ah,
Speaker 1: it's great to see you, Javier.
Speaker 3: Welcome, Thank you for meeting us. How have things been
Speaker 3: since the hotel closed?
Speaker 7: You cannot imagine what they've done to the place. It's
Speaker 7: falling apart.
Speaker 3: Oh, I'm so sad to hear that.
Speaker 7: Occasionally diplomatister come to stay. But Castro has turned the
Speaker 7: country into a fortress in stalling more guns to the
Speaker 7: Santa Clara battery to protect the coast. Now we have
Speaker 7: more guns than guests.
Speaker 1: Hmmm. It's said he lives in constant fear of invasion,
Speaker 1: as you Americans.
Speaker 7: After the Bay of Pigs, everyone is paranoid. But I
Speaker 7: am happy to have you back at the hotel, even
Speaker 7: if it is under different circumstances.
Speaker 3: We aren't putting you out, I hope.
Speaker 7: Oh no, not at all.
Speaker 1: Come.
Speaker 7: My car is waiting up front.
Speaker 1: The Hotel Nacional de Cuba is a historic Spanish eclectic
Speaker 1: style hotel in Havana which opened in nineteen thirty It
Speaker 1: offers commanding views of the sea and the city and
Speaker 1: contains a mix of styles, including Civilian, Roman, Moorish and
Speaker 1: Art Deco. In nineteen thirty three, after Fugencio Battista's September
Speaker 1: fourth coup against the transitional government, the National Hotel was
Speaker 1: the residence of Sumner Wells, a special envoy sent by
Speaker 1: US President Franklin D. Roosevelt to mediate the crisis. Soon after,
Speaker 1: it became the site of a bloody siege that would
Speaker 1: become known as the Battle of the Hotel Nacional of Cuba.
Speaker 1: Years later, in nineteen forty six, the hotel hosted the
Speaker 1: Havana Conference, an infamous mob summit run by Lucky Luciano
Speaker 1: and Mayer Lanski and attended by Santo Traficante Junior, Frank Costello,
Speaker 1: albert Anastasia Vitro, Genevese, and many others. It remained a
Speaker 1: mafia hangout for many years to come, growing and expanding
Speaker 1: while hosting many infamous guests.
Speaker 7: Gene Plasta, welcome back to the nazional.
Speaker 5: Gen.
Speaker 3: Do you see those soldiers with the guns.
Speaker 7: They are Castro's guard I didn't report you. I promise
Speaker 7: this is fairly routine nowadays. I hate to say.
Speaker 1: That's fine. Let's just go inside.
Speaker 3: They're coming towards us.
Speaker 1: Don't act concerned. I'll handle it. Adiva, stop.
Speaker 4: You must come with us.
Speaker 7: Gentlemen, these are guests of my hotel.
Speaker 4: They come now. Those are orders.
Speaker 3: They must be a misunderstanding.
Speaker 1: We are just travel writers and we've come a long way.
Speaker 1: We'd love to get settled into our room. Perhaps you
Speaker 1: can tell us what this is about. Either you come
Speaker 1: peacefully or we will be forced to arrest you. Oh okay, okay,
Speaker 1: we'll go, no problem. Geane, all right, we're going take
Speaker 1: it easy. Don't worry. I'll get to the bottom of this.
Speaker 1: Can I at least ask where you're taking us?
Speaker 4: Welcome on, Dante?
Speaker 1: Who is that? Dodel Castro.
Speaker 8: With the entire island south of the Tropic of Cancer,
Speaker 8: the local climate is tropical, moderated by northeasterly trade winds
Speaker 8: that blow year around. The temperature is also shaped by
Speaker 8: the Caribbean Current, which brings in warm water from the equator.
Speaker 8: Kuban culture is influenced by its melting part of cultures,
Speaker 8: primarily those of Spain, Africa and the indigenous Tinos of Cuba.
Speaker 8: These melting bodies apparent and everything from the literature to
Speaker 8: the cuisine, but it is Cuban music that is the
Speaker 8: most commonly known expression about nik Kuban culture. This helped
Speaker 8: to create a vibrant nightlife, which brought in the Daners
Speaker 8: from around the world who like to spend time in
Speaker 8: a many casinos around the island.
Speaker 1: You wrote all this every word. I've been to Cuba
Speaker 1: many times over the years.
Speaker 3: We honeymoon at the Nacional.
Speaker 8: But this guide book was written when Cuba was still
Speaker 8: run by the capitalist swine that have exploited our people
Speaker 8: for centuries.
Speaker 1: Yes, we haven't had the opportunity to make it back
Speaker 1: until now.
Speaker 8: Now. I've taken over tourism on the island, including hotels
Speaker 8: and casinos, and I am committed to making Cuba the
Speaker 8: most luxurious travel is the nation in the.
Speaker 1: Americas ambitious and certainly possible.
Speaker 8: After the revolution, I even wrote a letter to the Americans,
Speaker 8: graciously inviting them here to Cuba. It was even printed
Speaker 8: in the New York Times.
Speaker 3: Yes, we read it. It was very welcoming.
Speaker 8: But now the US government has made Kuba their enemy,
Speaker 8: and I've had to execute many spies and traders who
Speaker 8: wish to stop my progress flast.
Speaker 1: And I are here to help.
Speaker 3: That's right, we can help the message.
Speaker 6: Oh.
Speaker 1: We intend to provide an updated guidebook to show the
Speaker 1: world exactly what the new Cuba has to offer, just
Speaker 1: as Jean Paul Sats's book Did you like e Cyta? Oh,
Speaker 1: I feel a deep kinship. Not only are we both writers,
Speaker 1: but like Saltra, our offices are in Paris and I
Speaker 1: work with my wife as a married team.
Speaker 2: Well, it's true, we are both American citizens. I was
Speaker 2: born in Czechoslovakia and Jean in Hungary, so we both
Speaker 2: have strong Communist roots.
Speaker 1: But you are not a famous writer like cut No,
Speaker 1: but our business is tourism, which I know used to
Speaker 1: be one of the strongest pillars in the Cuban economy.
Speaker 2: This is true, then we also know that eight out
Speaker 2: of ten tourists used to be Americans, so it's no
Speaker 2: surprise tourism is down ninety percent since the revolution.
Speaker 1: So if you want to make back the millions the
Speaker 1: tourists used to bring.
Speaker 2: I'm sure that Cuba is still a beautiful island worth
Speaker 2: spending in your.
Speaker 1: Honeymoon, then you should welcome our book even more than
Speaker 1: you welcome saltless.
Speaker 2: We want to help you bring the Americans back to Cuba,
Speaker 2: and we know how to sell it to them.
Speaker 1: Cigar much appreciated.
Speaker 8: We make the best, you know.
Speaker 1: I do. We'll be sure to include an entire chapter
Speaker 1: on it. Very good.
Speaker 8: I'll tell Javier to put you both in the Satra suite.
Speaker 8: We named the room after him. You know it's the best.
Speaker 4: To nottel.
Speaker 3: That's very generous, have you.
Speaker 8: Javier will make sure you get around Habana safely. I
Speaker 8: look forward to your book.
Speaker 1: We look forward to writing it.
Speaker 8: You can go, Gods, guitarists.
Speaker 3: Can I breathe now? I thought we were finished in there.
Speaker 1: Never underestimate the power of a good guide book. My dear.
Speaker 2: Real suave Hemingway, you can enjoy that Cuban cigar. To Malison,
Speaker 2: we'll late to meet Rebecca and she's probably worried.
Speaker 1: The Maleson, officially known as Avenida de Masseo, is a
Speaker 1: broad esplanade roadway and sea wall that stretches for eight
Speaker 1: kilometers along the coasts of Havana. Construction of the Malason
Speaker 1: began in nineteen oh one during temporary US military rule
Speaker 1: to protect Havana from the sea, but soon became a
Speaker 1: popular public destination. It begins at the mouth of Havana
Speaker 1: Harbor in Old Havana and continues along the north side
Speaker 1: of the Centro Havana neighborhood and the Vedado neighborhood, ending
Speaker 1: at the mouth of the Almendares River. There are a
Speaker 1: number of important monuments along the Malesson, including those to
Speaker 1: General Maximo Gomez, Antonio Maso, General Calixto Garcia, and the
Speaker 1: Monument to the Victims of the USS Maine, as well
Speaker 1: as prominent buildings, including the Hotel Nacional and a bustling
Speaker 1: market place in nineteen fifty seven. In nineteen fifty eight,
Speaker 1: the roadway even served as the venue for the Cuban
Speaker 1: Grand Prix.
Speaker 3: Ough Jin, don't wonder off, how are we supposed to
Speaker 3: spot Rebecca with all these people. She's a needle in
Speaker 3: a haystack. Did she tell you specifically where she'd be?
Speaker 1: She said she'd meet us on the main Isn't this
Speaker 1: the main street? Maine? Isn't a street. It's a monument.
Speaker 1: What they built? A monument in honor of the USS
Speaker 1: main that exploded in Havana Harbor in eighteen ninety eight, the.
Speaker 3: Attack that led to the Spanish American War.
Speaker 1: That's the one, but many now think it actually exploded
Speaker 1: from the inside. Ugh, which way is it down here?
Speaker 6: No?
Speaker 3: I still don't see her.
Speaker 5: There she is, Rebecca, There you are.
Speaker 3: I was just about to head to the.
Speaker 5: Hotel to look for you.
Speaker 1: We were brought in for a meeting with Castro himself.
Speaker 5: Seriously, are you all right?
Speaker 3: Jean shared us to go with him.
Speaker 2: I thought we were dead until we convinced him we
Speaker 2: were there to write a new glowing travel book on Cuba.
Speaker 1: Powerful man. Sure are suckers for vanity.
Speaker 3: I think we convinced him. But do you think it's
Speaker 3: safe to proceed?
Speaker 5: He wouldn't have let you go otherwise.
Speaker 1: How about you? What did you learn?
Speaker 5: My KGB contact left a dead drop confirming the location
Speaker 5: of the weapons and asking to meet me tonight.
Speaker 3: What if it's a trap.
Speaker 5: I don't think so. He could have just picked me
Speaker 5: up at the drop if he wanted to. And it
Speaker 5: must be important because he didn't even leave the meeting location.
Speaker 5: In case the documents were discovered. All he wrote was
Speaker 5: I'll meet you where I'll have immunity whatever that means.
Speaker 3: Immunity like in a hospital law or from the law.
Speaker 1: No, it's neither. I think he means a church. A church,
Speaker 1: the Iglesia de la Spiritu Santo, to be exact. In
Speaker 1: seventeen seventy two it was declared the only immune church
Speaker 1: in the city.
Speaker 5: Sounds right to me lead the way.
Speaker 1: The Iglesia de la Spirito Santo is considered one of
Speaker 1: the oldest temples in Havana. It was built in sixteen
Speaker 1: thirty five and then expanded in sixteen forty eight, with
Speaker 1: simple stone construction and a lack of lavish decorations. Despite
Speaker 1: its modest appeal, many illustrious people of Havana have been
Speaker 1: baptized in this church, among them the educator Jose de
Speaker 1: la Luci Caballero, Bishop Geronimo Valdez, a founder of La
Speaker 1: Casa de Beneficiencia Imaternidad de la Habana, was buried in
Speaker 1: this church, and his master, Sepulcher, was discovered within the
Speaker 1: categor combs in nineteen thirty six. During the colonial era,
Speaker 1: the church had exceptional importance since by a papal bill
Speaker 1: in seventeen seventy two and a royal certificate in seventeen
Speaker 1: seventy three. Charles the third of Spain declared it the
Speaker 1: only immune church in Havana, meaning that any persecuted individual
Speaker 1: could find amparo or sanctuary in its walls, protected against
Speaker 1: the action of the authorities or justice.
Speaker 3: Rebecca, do you know what your contact looks like?
Speaker 5: No, and I'm not sure where we're supposed to meet him.
Speaker 3: This courtyard is huge.
Speaker 1: There should be a metal plaque at the foot of
Speaker 1: the bell tower that attests to the papal immunity.
Speaker 5: Great idea, let's go there.
Speaker 3: Hmm, nice timing.
Speaker 1: But where is he?
Speaker 7: Do verier no proverie?
Speaker 3: What are they saying?
Speaker 1: It's an old Russian proverb it means trust, but it
Speaker 1: must be their code words.
Speaker 9: Thank you for meeting me.
Speaker 5: I received your message in the documents, but I need
Speaker 5: identity verification.
Speaker 9: My name is Oleg Penkovski, Colonel Soviet military Intelligence.
Speaker 5: How did you first make contact with the CIA.
Speaker 9: In July, I saw American students on the Bolshoy Maskvretsky
Speaker 9: Bridge in Moscow and gave them a package with my
Speaker 9: offer to spy for the United States. They delivered it
Speaker 9: to an officer to the US embassy, who eventually contacted
Speaker 9: me with MI six. You need to trust me. The
Speaker 9: Soviets are increasing their missiles here in Cuba.
Speaker 5: I saw that in the maps you provided. But why
Speaker 5: did you need to meet?
Speaker 9: Because this information is so urgent and important, it couldn't wait,
Speaker 9: and I couldn't risk it being discovered at a drop.
Speaker 9: Only a select few of the truth of this operation.
Speaker 9: What operation Operation Anadhir? It's a top secret operation to
Speaker 9: deploy ballistic missiles, medium range bombers, and a division of
Speaker 9: mechanized infantry from Russia to Cuba. They are creating an
Speaker 9: army and arsenal that would prevent an invasion of the
Speaker 9: island by United States forces. The plan is to deploy
Speaker 9: approximately sixty thousand personnel in support of the main missile force,
Speaker 9: which consists of three or twelve missile regiments and two
Speaker 9: are fourteen missile regiments.
Speaker 5: Those are close and intermediate range missile regiments. If that's true,
Speaker 5: it would demand a US military response. It is true,
Speaker 5: then we're going to need reconnaissance photos and locations of
Speaker 5: the missile regiments to confirm the operation. I have a
Speaker 5: Cuban contact. You can help. If they've imported missiles of
Speaker 5: this size, someone would have seen it.
Speaker 2: Okay, Then while the two of you get the proof
Speaker 2: we need, I'll go back with Javier and let him
Speaker 2: show me the tourist sites in case anyone is.
Speaker 3: Still watching us.
Speaker 1: Perfect. So all we have to do is get this
Speaker 1: top secret information off this enemy island before the Soviets
Speaker 1: catch or kill us.
Speaker 3: Are the Cubans execute us?
Speaker 5: But if we don't, this cold war is about to
Speaker 5: heat up really fast.
Speaker 1: The music of Cuba, including its instruments, performance and dance,
Speaker 1: comprises a large set of unique traditions influenced by the
Speaker 1: variety of people who came to live on the island.
Speaker 1: European dances and folk musics include zappateo, fandango, pasodoble, and retambico.
Speaker 1: The enslaved Africans and their descendants made many percussion instruments
Speaker 1: and preserved rhythms they had known in their homeland. The
Speaker 1: most important instruments were the drums, of which there were
Speaker 1: originally about fifty different types. Today, only the bongos, congas
Speaker 1: and batah drums are regularly played. Due to the synchronetic
Speaker 1: nature of most of its genres, Cuban music is often
Speaker 1: considered one of the richest and most influential in the world.
Speaker 1: Cuban music has contributed to the development of a wide
Speaker 1: variety of genres and musical styles, including rumba, Afro Cuban jazz, sokos, flamenco,
Speaker 1: and more. In fact, all of this brought about the
Speaker 1: invention of salsa dancing as well as the mambo.
Speaker 5: Makes you want to shake your hips, doesn't it? Jane,
Speaker 5: Thanks for waiting while I talk to my contact.
Speaker 1: He spooks easy, no problem. I was enjoying the show.
Speaker 1: So what did he say? Have any information?
Speaker 5: Yes, he described large trucks passing through his town at
Speaker 5: night carrying very long, canvas covered cylindrical objects. But he
Speaker 5: noted that the trucks were so large they couldn't make
Speaker 5: turns through the towns without backing up and maneuvering.
Speaker 1: What does that mean?
Speaker 5: Defensive missile transporters could make such turns without difficulty. What
Speaker 5: he saw must have been the ballistic missiles were looking for.
Speaker 1: Did he track where they went?
Speaker 5: He drew this map on the cocktail napkin.
Speaker 1: It looks like it correlates to one of my father's maps.
Speaker 1: I know where this should lead. It's a town north
Speaker 1: of here.
Speaker 5: I think we need to head there and see for ourselves.
Speaker 1: I was thinking the same thing.
Speaker 5: I hope you're wearing good walking shoes.
Speaker 1: A good travel writer comes prepared for all occasions.
Speaker 5: Then let's mumbo out of here.
Speaker 1: Look here, this road looks freshly cut into the jungle, and.
Speaker 5: It's wide enough for the trucks to maneuver.
Speaker 1: From this map, the first location is a quarter mile
Speaker 1: past this ridge.
Speaker 5: We're getting close. Ah, God, damn, mosquitoes are eating me alive.
Speaker 5: All the surveillance should be done in the comfort of
Speaker 5: a U two spy plane at seventy thousand feet, not
Speaker 5: I'm deep in the Cuban rainforest. I'll tell them what
Speaker 5: they can shove in.
Speaker 1: Their photo gap, photo gap.
Speaker 5: That's the nice way. The suits in DC are explaining
Speaker 5: why we have no surveillance photos of Cuba the last
Speaker 5: five weeks.
Speaker 1: I assumed they would be sending constant YouTube surveillance over
Speaker 1: Cuba after the Bay of Pigs disaster.
Speaker 5: Well they were, But then a U two operated by
Speaker 5: the US Air Forces Strategic Air Command flew over suck
Speaker 5: Khalin Island in the Soviet Far East by mistake. Then
Speaker 5: nine days later, a Taiwanese operated U two was lost
Speaker 5: over western China to an SA two surface to air missile.
Speaker 5: So now US officials are worried that one of the
Speaker 5: Soviet SAMs in Cuba might shoot down a CIA YouTube
Speaker 5: initiating another international incident.
Speaker 1: It seems we are on the precipice of an international
Speaker 1: incident either way.
Speaker 5: And clearly the Soviets and Cubans knew about the photo
Speaker 5: gap and took full advantage. Another intelligence failure. If you
Speaker 5: asked me, wait, get low. There are lights up ahead.
Speaker 5: Sh nice and slow, careful not to break any twigs. Stop.
Speaker 5: That's close enough. Stay here.
Speaker 1: We're still pretty far. I can't make out much from
Speaker 1: this distance.
Speaker 5: That's why I brought my telephoto lens.
Speaker 4: What do you see?
Speaker 5: There are missiles camouflaged in the palm trees, lots of them.
Speaker 8: Good eye.
Speaker 1: I can barely make them out.
Speaker 5: That one closest is the R twelve, a medium ranged
Speaker 5: ballistic missile with an effective range of two thousand kilometers.
Speaker 1: Oh, I guess Oh it turned out to be right.
Speaker 5: Oh, and there's the R fourteen, big son of a bitch.
Speaker 5: It's an intermediate range ballistic.
Speaker 1: Missile, well kind of range.
Speaker 5: Forty five hundred kilometers from here, basically anywhere in the
Speaker 5: continental US.
Speaker 1: My god, oh shit, what what is it?
Speaker 5: The warhead that R fourteen is carrying is thermo nuclear.
Speaker 1: Nuclear as a mushroom cloud nuclear.
Speaker 5: Jesus, not just one. They're all armed with thermonuclear warheads.
Speaker 7: My god.
Speaker 1: Forty five hundred kilometers. That's twenty eight hundred miles. Cuba
Speaker 1: is only ninety miles from mainland US.
Speaker 5: The missiles alone would be bad enough, but with the nukes,
Speaker 5: DC would be a wasteland before we could even fire a.
Speaker 6: Missile, and at this distance, the entire continental United States,
Speaker 6: who would be completely annihilated.
Speaker 10: Photo's Guide to Espionage is created by Lars Jacobson, written
Speaker 10: by Lars Jacobson and Sabrina Jaglam and directed by Sabrina Jaglain,
Speaker 10: Produced by Lars Jacobson and Sabrina Jagulain, and executive produced
Speaker 10: by Noel Brown for iHeart Radio Fodor's Guide to Espionage
Speaker 10: stars Ethan Korn as Eugene Fodor, Lelia Symington as Vlasta Fodor,
Speaker 10: and Jackie Emerson as Rebecca Ralston, with additional performances by
Speaker 10: Chase Mullens, George Rivera, Matt Linton, Dylan McCollum, Gabe Greenspan,
Speaker 10: Chris Cappel, Duncan Kaladine Dana Melanie, Alex Gombadi, Noam Thomaschoff,
Speaker 10: Katrina Aaron, and Simon Jagulain. Sound design and editing by
Speaker 10: Chris Childs. Original theme song by Jack Blavelt and Chris Childs,
Speaker 10: with additional scoring by Chris Childs. Sound engineering by Chris Sek.
Speaker 10: Todoro's Guide to Espionage is an iHeart Radio production. For
Speaker 10: more podcasts from iHeartRadio, visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts,
Speaker 10: or wherever you get your podcasts