‘After almost annihilating our world, our families are friends’: a gripping podcast featuring John F. Kennedy and Khrushchev’s descendants.
In the month of October 1962, the world veered nearer to annihilation more so than ever in modern times. This happened following the discovery that a US reconnaissance plane discovered the fact that Soviet nuclear missile installations were under construction on Cuba, a mere 160 kilometers off the coast of the US mainland. Reacting to this, President JFK ordered the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to establish a naval blockade encircling the island. The next phase constituted almost 14 days of impossible anxiety.
An Unthinkable Danger
The threat was obvious. Should Kennedy, or else his Soviet counterpart, Premier Khrushchev, had fired against their enemy, a series involving global atomic attacks followed by counterstrikes would have ensued, casting civilization toward all-out destruction.
The Cuban missile crisis has been covered endlessly, through books, films, as well as TV documentaries. However, for its third season, a prominent BBC World Service podcast titled "The Bomb" has brought a novel element into this historical narrative. The series is co-presented featuring Kennedy's relative and Khrushchev's descendant, relatives of the figures that, over 13 days, grasped the destiny of the planet in their hands.
"What was the Russians thinking? What was the United States planning?" questions Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's descendant and an academic of international affairs.
For her, the strength of the show lies in its endeavor to explore: "How can people hate each other to the point they go against one another?"
"It struck me how remarkable it is that people have the potential to be allies or else can become total adversaries," remarks Kennedy, son of RFK, related to the late president and now an author and lawyer. "History shows this dynamic repeatedly when nations have gone to war, demonstrating the profound irrationality it is to engage in warfare."
A Precipice of Disaster
What’s striking regarding this event was that, since it unfolded so publicly, people globally were able to observe nearly in real time while it moved closer to disaster. Even so, the danger of annihilation was more imminent than most people realised.
"Virtually everyone among Kennedy's advisors were advocating for an airstrike and an invasion," explains Kennedy. "Had the U.S. attacked Cuba using the Sixth Fleet, it is certain the Russians on the ground would have deployed a tactical nuclear weapon against the US Sixth Fleet, which would have obliterated the aircraft carriers and destroyed our primary fleet. In turn, we would have responded through an overwhelming counterattack that would have ended all life on Earth."
The fact it didn’t highlights the composure of Kennedy and Khrushchev, who managed to remain calm and engaging in diplomacy at a time when everyone around them demanded action. Consequently, The Soviet premier agreed to withdraw the missiles from the Caribbean island while President Kennedy (although not reported at the time) removed his missiles based in NATO ally Turkey. The relief was immense, matched by the sense of optimism.
The Different Viewpoint
Yet, during those two weeks of October 1962, the fear was felt globally. The podcast's co-hosts were born shortly after these events, and Khrushcheva learned about the crisis via the USSR's education system, which portrayed an alternative version of what happened.
"You said your parent recalls it, and it was a scary day," she says. "However in the Soviet Union, people really didn’t know that much about it, because it was a tense situation, and under the Soviet system we were told that things are constantly fine or sunny."
Within Khrushchev’s family, however, it was distinct. "They told me what a great moment for the USSR, as it was eyeball to eyeball. The leaders managed to resolve it, and didn’t start the war, which was a wonderful thing," she adds. Later on, however, that interpretation was not shared by everybody. "For a long time in Russian politics, it was considered a setback for Khrushchev, because he didn’t blow up America."
A Unlikely Partnership
The Bomb is so even-handed , expertly crafted so much so that Khrushcheva quips it almost made her forget she already knew outcome. This is, partly, thanks to contributions from renowned scholars. But, really, the most momentous thing is the participation of the descendants. Not so long ago, it would be inconceivable that descendants of the heads of state of America and USSR would appear together publicly. That Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva are able to do so, and be so warm with each other, has to be a symbol of optimism.
"Max and I aren't the first," notes Nina. "After the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, my uncle moved to America and formed a close bond with the former president's family."
"However we were strangers prior to this project," adds Kennedy. "That is a shame because we connected really well and we’re friends, which is really great. Ultimately, after almost 60 years of nearly annihilating the planet, our lineages are now friends, suggesting the world is more secure, somewhat."
Contemporary Echoes with Current Dangers
Or is it? Part of why The Bomb seems so urgent is because we once again are living living through a perilous era. The symbolic clock of doom is closer to midnight in its history, in part because today's statesmen don’t seem to be able to learn