US Marine Jim Tracy returns to Havana to raise the American flag he once lowered in 1961. It marks a hopeful new chapter of US-Cuban relations, created through quiet diplomacy and unlikely backchannels involving senators, spies, and even Pope Francis. But just as the mood shifts toward reconciliation, a young CIA officer lands in Havana and soon begins experiencing something strange and deeply troubling. His illness—and the mysterious sound that seems to trigger it—threatens not just his mission, but the entire political thaw.
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Credits
Havana Helmet Club is written and presented by Jennifer Forde and Sam Bungey
Editor: Guy Crossman
Story editing: Mike Ollove Producer: Larry Ryan
Sound designer: Merijn Royaards
Additional mixing: Peregrine Andrews
Theme music: Tom Pintens, with additional music composed by Merijn Royaards
Fact checking: Stanley Masters. Additional reporting: Isobel Sutton, Pascale Hardey Stewart and Stanley Masters
Archive producers: Miriam Walsh and Helen Carr
Production executive: Kirstin Drybrugh
Editorial advisor: Jesse Baker
Commissioner: Dylan Haskins
Assistant commissioners: Sarah Green and Natasha Johansson
Havana Helmet Club is a Yarn production for Radio 4 and BBC Sounds

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