‘After nearly annihilating the planet, the relatives are friends’: a gripping audio series from JFK and Khrushchev’s descendants.
In the month of October 1962, the world edged nearer to annihilation more so than ever in recent history. This transpired after a US reconnaissance plane identified that Soviet nuclear weapon installations were under construction on the island of Cuba, less than 100 miles from American soil. In response, U.S. President John F Kennedy commanded a naval task force to enact a maritime quarantine around the island. What followed constituted nearly two weeks of impossible tension.
The Catastrophic Danger
The peril remained palpable. If Kennedy, or else the Soviet counterpart, Premier Khrushchev, were to fire on the other side, a chain reaction involving global nuclear strikes followed by counterstrikes would have ensued, thrusting civilization toward all-out ruination.
This pivotal 1962 event has been covered repeatedly, in books, films, as well as TV documentaries. However, for its third season, a prominent BBC World Service podcast titled "The Bomb" presents a novel perspective into this historical narrative. The series is jointly hosted featuring Kennedy's relative and Khrushchev's descendant, family members of the men that, for two tense weeks, grasped the fate of the world in their hands.
"What was the Kremlin thinking? What was the United States considering?" ponders Nina Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's great-granddaughter and an academic specializing in international affairs.
In her view, the unique appeal of the show is its attempt to objectively ask: "Why do people detest each other and go against one another?"
"It struck me how spectacular it is that individuals have the potential to be friends or else can become complete adversaries," states Max Kennedy, the son of RFK, related to the late president and currently an author as well as attorney. "We see this dynamic over and over when nations enter into conflict, highlighting how unbelievably stupid it is to fight."
The Brink of Disaster
What’s notable about this event is that, since it transpired so publicly, citizens globally were able to observe nearly as it happened as it edged closer to catastrophe. However, the danger of annihilation was more imminent than what most people understood at the time.
"The overwhelming majority among Kennedy's advisors were advocating for a military strike followed by an invasion," says Kennedy. "Had the U.S. struck Cuba using the Sixth Fleet, it is certain the Russians stationed there would've deployed a nuclear warhead at the American ships, which would've destroyed the naval vessels and sunk America's largest and most important naval force. In turn, we would have responded through an overwhelming counterattack that would have ended all life on Earth."
The fact this did not occur stands as credit to Kennedy and Khrushchev, they succeeded in remain calm and calmly negotiate when everyone around them demanded action. As a result, Khrushchev agreed to withdraw the nuclear weapons from Cuba and Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed at the time) withdrew his missiles from NATO ally Turkey. The sense of relief was immense, matched by a feeling of hope.
The Different Viewpoint
Still, during those two weeks in October, the anxiety was felt by everyone. The podcast's co-hosts were born in the years following these events, with Khrushcheva being taught about the crisis via the USSR's education system, which painted an alternative narrative of events.
"As you mentioned your parent recalls it, describing it as a scary time," she says. "However in the Soviet Union, the public really didn’t know that much regarding the crisis, since it was a tense situation, whereas under the Soviet system we were told that everything was always fine or positive."
Within Khrushchev’s family, however, it was distinct. "They told me that it was a triumphant moment it was, because it represented eyeball to eyeball. They were able to resolve it, thus didn’t start a global war, which was a wonderful thing," she continues. In the years to come, though, that view was not shared by all Russians. "For decades in Russian politics, it was considered a setback for the Soviet leader, because he refrained from destroying America."
A Unlikely Partnership
The Bomb is remarkably balanced and well produced that Nina jokes she nearly forgot the known the ending. This is, partly, thanks to contributions from renowned scholars. But, truly, the most groundbreaking thing remains the participation of the hosts themselves. Not so long ago, it would be inconceivable for relatives of the leaders of the United States and Soviet Union to appear side by side. The fact that Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva can do that, and exhibit such warmth with each other, has to be a symbol of progress.
"Max and I aren't the first," smiles Nina. "After the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, a relative moved to America where he became great friends with the former president's family."
"However we had never met before the podcast," clarifies Max. "That is a shame because we connected immediately and now we’re friends, something that is wonderful. Ultimately, following almost six decades since nearly annihilating the world, our lineages have become friends, suggesting the world is safer, a little bit."
Modern Echoes and Present Perils
Or is it? One reason the reason this series feels so necessary is that we once again are living in a perilous era. The symbolic clock of doom is closer to catastrophe than ever before, in part because today's statesmen don’t seem to be able to learn