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Above & Beyond: JFK and the U-2 Cold War Spy Mission

During an infamous 13-day stretch in October 1962, Americans faced the prospect of imminent nuclear war with the Soviet Union. We talk with "Above & Beyond" co-author Michael Tougias about the pilots of the U.S. U-2 spy program and how President John F. Kennedy used the intelligence gained from the U-2 spy program to negotiate with the Soviet Union.

This program  was originally broadcast on July 25, 2018.

GUEST:  Michael Tougias, co-author of  "Above & Beyond: John F. Kennedy and America's Most Dangerous Cold War Spy Mission."

He is the author and co-author of 29 books. 

Credit U.S. Department of Defense and John F. Kennedy Presidential Library.
U.S. aerial reconnaissance photograph of a medium range ballistic missile launch site at San Cristobal in Cuba, on Nov. 1, 1962 during the Cuban missile crisis.

Watch this CNN video for historical context to the Cuban Missile Crisis. And watch this video to learn more about U-2 pilot Rudy Anderson.

How the aurora borealis almost started World War III - an article by author Michael Tougias.

U-2 pilot Major Rudolph Anderson, shot down during a flight over Cuba on the 12th day of the conflict, October 27, 1962.

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