Part 3/7:
The backdrop for Penkovsky's intelligence became increasingly dire. The early 1960s were steeped in Cold War tensions, characterized by public posturing between the leaders of the U.S. and the Soviet Union, namely John F. Kennedy and Nikita Khrushchev.
The Cuban Missile Crisis in October 1962 was a flashpoint that brought the world to the brink of nuclear war. With U.S. forces on high alert and the stakes escalating, a reliable source of intelligence became imperative.