‘After nearly annihilating the planet, our relatives are friends’: a gripping podcast featuring John F. Kennedy and Khrushchev’s descendants.
In the month of October 1962, the world edged nearer to annihilation more so than ever during recent history. This happened after a US reconnaissance plane discovered the fact that Soviet atomic missile installations were being built in Cuba, a mere 160 kilometers off the coast of American soil. Reacting to this, President JFK ordered the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to establish a maritime blockade encircling the island. What followed constituted nearly a fortnight filled with extreme stress.
The Catastrophic Danger
The danger was palpable. If Kennedy, or his Soviet counterpart, Premier Khrushchev, were to fire against their enemy, a series of global nuclear strikes and counterstrikes could have followed, thrusting humanity toward all-out oblivion.
The Cuban missile crisis has been covered endlessly, through volumes, films, as well as TV documentaries. But, for its third season, a prominent audio documentary series The Bomb introduces an unprecedented dimension into this historical narrative. The series is co-presented by Max Kennedy alongside Nina Khrushcheva, family members belonging to the figures who, for two tense weeks, controlled the destiny of humanity within their grasp.
"What were the Russians thinking? What were Washington thinking?" questions Nina Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s great-granddaughter who is also an academic specializing in global relations.
For her, the beauty of the show is its endeavor to question: "Why do nations detest one another to the point they confront one another?"
"It was not lost on me how remarkable the fact that humans have the potential to be friends or have the potential to be complete enemies," adds Kennedy, the son of Robert Kennedy, nephew of JFK and now an author as well as lawyer. "History shows this dynamic over and over in instances where nations have gone to war, demonstrating the profound irrationality involved to fight."
The Brink of Disaster
What’s notable regarding this event was that, because it unfolded so publicly, people around the world could watch almost as it happened as it edged towards disaster. Even so, the danger of destruction came closer than what anybody realised.
"The overwhelming majority among Kennedy's advisors were advocating for an airstrike followed by an invasion," explains Max Kennedy. "Had the U.S. attacked Cuba with the naval blockade, it is certain Soviet forces stationed there would have deployed a nuclear warhead against the US Sixth Fleet, and that would have obliterated our aircraft carriers as well as destroyed America's primary fleet. And, we would have retaliated with massive retaliation which would have eradicated all life on Earth."
The fact it didn’t stands as credit to Kennedy and Khrushchev, who succeeded in keep their heads and engaging in diplomacy when many advisors in their governments demanded action. Consequently, The Soviet premier removed the missiles from Cuba while Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed then) removed American missiles from NATO ally Turkey. The relief was palpable, matched by a feeling of hope.
The Different Viewpoint
Still, during those two weeks of October 1962, the anxiety was felt by everyone. The podcast's presenters were born shortly after the crisis, with Khrushcheva learned about it via the Soviet education system, which presented an alternative picture of events.
"You said your father remembers it, describing it as a scary time," she says. "But in the Soviet Union, the public really didn’t know that much about it, because it was a crisis, and under the Soviet system the official line was that everything was always wonderful or positive."
Inside Khrushchev’s family, however, the perspective was different. "I was informed that it was a triumphant moment it was, as it represented a direct confrontation. The leaders managed to find a solution, thus didn’t start a global war, which was a wonderful thing," she continues. Later on, though, that view would not be shared by all Russians. "For a long time in Russian politics, it was considered a failure for Khrushchev, simply he didn’t blow up the United States."
An Unprecedented Partnership
The Bomb is remarkably even-handed , well produced that Nina quips she nearly forgot the known outcome. This is, in part, thanks to the participation of historians. Yet, truly, the most momentous thing remains the participation of the hosts themselves. Not so long ago, it was unthinkable that descendants of the heads of state of America and the Soviet Union would appear side by side. That Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva can do that, and be so warm with each other, must be seen as a symbol of progress.
"Max and I are not the pioneers," notes Khrushcheva. "After 1991, my uncle Sergey Khrushchev’s son where he formed a close bond with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."
"But we were strangers before the podcast," clarifies Kennedy. "That is a shame since we got along really well and we’re friends, something that is really great. Ultimately, following almost 60 years since almost destroying the planet, our families are now allies, so I think the world is safer, a little bit."
Contemporary Parallels and Present Perils
Is that truly the case? Part of the reason this series seems so urgent is because we once again are living living through dark times. The symbolic clock of doom is closer to midnight in its history, partly since world leaders don’t seem to have the capacity to grasp
