Listen Live
Donate
 on air
    Schedule

    KCRW

    Read & Explore

    • News
    • Entertainment
    • Food
    • Culture
    • Events

    Listen

    • Live Radio
    • Music
    • Podcasts
    • Full Schedule

    Information

    • About
    • Careers
    • Help / FAQ
    • Newsletters
    • Contact

    Support

    • Become a Member
    • Become a VIP
    • Ways to Give
    • Shop
    • Member Perks

    Become a Member

    Donate to KCRW to support this cultural hub for music discovery, in-depth journalism, community storytelling, and free events. You'll become a KCRW Member and get a year of exclusive benefits.

    DonateGive Monthly

    Copyright 2026 KCRW. All rights reserved.

    Report a Bug|Privacy Policy|Terms of Service|
    Cookie Policy
    |FCC Public Files|

    Back to To the Point

    To the Point

    "My Dearest Fidel:" Lisa Howard's efforts at Cuban diplomacy

    Lisa Howard was a well known TV news anchor well before Barbara Walters. What’s not so well known was her “relationship” with Cuban dictator Fidel Castro.

    • rss
    • Share
    By Warren Olney • Apr 27, 2018 • 1 min read

    Lisa Howard was a well known TV news anchor well before Barbara Walters. What’s not so well known was her “relationship” with Cuban dictator Fidel Castro. In the early 1960s she single-handedly established a backchannel communications between Havana and the White House and in doing so changed the course of the Cold War. We’ll hear the untold story of honorable diplomacy between Cuba and the United States.

    Lisa Howard and Fidel Castro at dinner. Photo courtesy of National Security Archive, Lisa Howard Collection.

    • https://images.ctfassets.net/2658fe8gbo8o/AvYox6VuEgcxpd20Xo9d3/769bca4fbf97bf022190f4813812c1e2/new-default.jpg?h=250

      Warren Olney

      former KCRW broadcaster

    • KCRW placeholder

      Andrea Brody

      Senior Producer, KCRW's Life Examined and To the Point podcast

    • KCRW placeholder

      Peter Kornbluh

      National Security Archive

      NewsNationalPolitics
    Back to To the Point