‘After almost destroying the planet, our relatives are allies’: a thrilling podcast featuring JFK & Khrushchev’s descendants.
During October 1962, the world edged nearer to annihilation more so than ever in recent history. This transpired after a US reconnaissance aircraft found that Russian atomic missile installations were under construction on the island of Cuba, a mere 160 kilometers off the coast of the US mainland. Reacting to this, President John F Kennedy commanded the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to impose a naval blockade encircling the island. The next phase constituted nearly 14 days filled with impossible tension.
An Unthinkable Danger
The peril was palpable. Should President Kennedy, or the Russian opposite, Premier Khrushchev, initiated an attack against their enemy, a chain reaction involving worldwide nuclear attacks followed by counterstrikes might have followed, thrusting humanity into total ruination.
The Cuban missile crisis has been documented endlessly, through volumes, movies, and television programmes. However, for its third season, a prominent audio documentary series titled "The Bomb" introduces a completely new perspective to this historical narrative. The series is co-presented by Kennedy's relative alongside Nina Khrushcheva, family members of the men that, for two tense weeks, grasped the fate of the planet in their hands.
"What was the Russians thinking? What was the United States considering?" questions Nina Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s descendant who is also an academic of international affairs.
For her, the beauty of the show lies in its endeavor to objectively ask: "How can nations hate each other to the point they confront one another?"
"It was not lost on me how remarkable it is that humans have the potential to be allies or else can become total enemies," states Max Kennedy, the son of RFK, nephew of JFK and currently a writer as well as lawyer. "History shows this repeatedly in instances where countries have gone to war, demonstrating how unbelievably stupid it is to fight."
A Brink Towards Catastrophe
What’s striking regarding this event was that, since it transpired so publicly, individuals globally could watch almost in real time as it moved towards disaster. Even so, the threat of annihilation was more imminent than most people realised.
"Virtually everyone among Kennedy's advisors wanted a military strike and an invasion," explains Kennedy. "Had the U.S. attacked the Cubans using the Sixth Fleet, undoubtedly Soviet forces on the ground would have fired a nuclear warhead at the American ships, and that would've destroyed the aircraft carriers and destroyed our primary fleet. And, the U.S. would have retaliated with an overwhelming counterattack which would have eradicated all life on the planet."
The fact it didn’t highlights the composure of both leaders, they managed to exercise restraint while calmly negotiate when many advisors around them was pushing for action. Consequently, Khrushchev removed the nuclear weapons from the Caribbean island while President Kennedy (although not reported then) withdrew American similar weapons based in Turkey. The sense of relief was palpable, as was the sense of optimism.
A Different Viewpoint
Still, for those 13 days of October 1962, the anxiety was felt by everyone. The Bomb’s presenters came into the world shortly after the crisis, and Nina being taught about the crisis through the Soviet education system, which portrayed an alternative narrative of what happened.
"You said your parent remembers it, and it was a scary day," she says. "However for Soviet citizens, the public really didn’t know a great deal about it, since it was a crisis, and in the Soviet Union we were told that everything was always wonderful and sunny."
Inside the Khrushchev household, however, the perspective was different. "I was informed what a great occasion it was, because it was a direct confrontation. They were able to find a solution, thus avoided a global war, seen as a positive outcome," she continues. In the years to come, though, that interpretation would not be shared by everybody. "For a long time within Russian historical analysis, the crisis was viewed as a failure for the Soviet leader, simply he didn’t blow up the United States."
A Unlikely Partnership
The Bomb is so even-handed and expertly crafted that Nina quips she nearly forgot she already knew the ending. This effect is, in part, due to contributions from renowned scholars. But, truly, the most significant aspect remains the participation of the hosts themselves. Even within living memory, it was unthinkable that descendants of the leaders of America and the Soviet Union to appear side by side. The fact that Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva can do that, and exhibit such warmth toward one another, must be seen as a symbol of hope.
"We are not the first," smiles Nina. "After 1991, a relative Sergey Khrushchev’s son and became great friends with the former president's family."
"However we had never met before the podcast," clarifies Kennedy. "Which is unfortunate because we connected really well and now we’re friends, which is really great. Ultimately, following almost 60 years since nearly annihilating the world, our lineages have become friends, suggesting global relations is more secure, a little bit."
Contemporary Parallels with Present Dangers
Is that truly the case? Part of the reason this series seems so urgent is because we once again find ourselves in a perilous era. The Doomsday Clock is closer to midnight than ever before, partly since world leaders appear not to be able to learn