koreanwarpodcast

The Final Years of Che Guevara

Che Guevara has not entirely comfortable with the regime led by Fidel Castro in Cuba, he decided to start revolutions in other parts of the world. First he try to do so in the Congo where in the East, left wing groups had started a civil war against the Government, it was not a success. Then Che would try to start a revolution in Bolivia, this too would fail, it picked up little support from the local population. The Bolivian Army would hunt down, his small force of guerrillas, capture Che and then kill in cold blood.

To be published on Saturday 6th January

Cuban Missile Crisis part three

Tensions mount even higher when an American U2 spy planes was shot down over Cuba by a Soviet Surface to Air Missile unit. However President Kennedy decides not to increase the military pressure, by launching bombing attacks on Soviet Surface to Air missile bases in Cuba. Instead Kennedy seize on a more comprising message from the Soviet leader, to suggest a deal to end the Cuban Missile Crisis.

To be published on Saturday 30th December

Cuban Missile Crisis part two

An American U2 spy plane takes pictures of a Soviet missile base in Cuba. President Kennedy, his advisors, his military chiefs meet to decided what to do, some press for an American invasion of Cuba. However Presidents Kennedy decides on a naval blockade of Cuba, any military cargo will be turned back. President Kennedy goes on American television to tell the America people of the threat posed Soviet missiles in Cuba.

To be published on Saturday 23rd December

Cuban Missile Crisis part one

The background to the Cuban Missile of 1962. Why the Soviet Union decided to place nuclear missiles in Cuba and why Fidel Castro agreed to this. Those missiles would place the United States under threat of nuclear attack. However at first the Soviets kept the secret of transfer of the missile to Cuba from the United States yet could only be a matter of time before it became known.

To be published on Saturday 16th December

Bay of Pigs

The American CIA fund the training of 1,500 anti Communist Cuban rebels to invade Cuba and began a counter revolution against the Government of Fidel Castro in 1961. The invasion is a fiasco, as the Cuban exiles are pinned down by the Cuban Army, President Kennedy refuses to allow American warships and planes use their powerful in support of the Cuban exiles, who are captured.

To be published on Saturday 9th December

Fidel Castro in Power

In January 1959, Fidel Castro took power in Cuba. In the podcast there is an interview in English with Fidel Castro which was broadcast on American television. Fidel Castro would not hold elections, Communists would play an important role in Cuban politics. Many of the Liberals who supported and fought with Fidel Castro to overthrow the old regime, became disillusioned, the fate of many of them would be exile, imprisonment or execution.

To be published on Saturday 2nd December.

The fall of Batista

During 1958, attempts by the Cuban Army to crush Fidel Castro’s guerrilla army in Operation Summer failed. The scale of the revolt grew during the year but the final fall of the Batista regime in January 1959, happened due to a collapse in resistance of the Cuban army and pressure from the American Government. A biography of an American William Morgan (pictured below) who served as a guerrilla commander during the Cuban revolution.

To be published on Saturday 25th November

1957, the Guerrilla War

A biography of Raul Castro, the brother of Fidel, who was in his own right a key figure within the Cuban Revolution. In 1958, Fidel Castro would his establish his small guerrilla army in the wild hill country of Cuba, he prove a master of public relations. Yet his small number of guerrilla would be vastly outnumbered by the Cuban military but that force would for several reason perform badly. A young Raul Castro is pictured below.

To be published on Saturday 18th November

Granma

While in exile in Mexico, he meet with a doctor form Argentina, Che Guevara, they would form a revolutionary power couple, Che Guevara biography is given. Cuban rebels were trained in Mexico, to return and fight in Cuba. Just over eighty would in a not very seaworthy small boat called ‘Granma. Yet within a few days, most would be dead following an attack by the Cuban Army.

The Movement

A biography of Fidel Castro, he set up an group to oppose the Cuban dictator, known as the Movement. He organised an armed attack against an army barracks but it was a failure. Fidel Castro was put on trial and sentenced to fifteen years in prison but instead he served less than two years in prison before he was freed, a bad decision by the Cuban Government because Fidel Castro would go back to the business of overthrowing that Government. Fidel Castro and brother Raul went into exile in Mexico.