🔗 Share this article Following nearly annihilating our world, our families have become allies’: a gripping podcast from John F. Kennedy & Khrushchev’s relatives. In October 1962, the world edged closer toward annihilation more so than ever in recent history. This transpired after a US reconnaissance aircraft discovered the fact that Russian nuclear missile sites were being assembled in Cuba, less than 160 kilometers off the coast of the US mainland. In response, U.S. President JFK commanded the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to establish a maritime quarantine encircling the island. The next phase was nearly 14 days filled with impossible stress. The Unthinkable Threat The danger remained clear. Should Kennedy, or the Soviet counterpart, Nikita Khrushchev, initiated an attack against their enemy, a cascade of global nuclear strikes followed by counterstrikes would have followed, thrusting civilization toward all-out ruination. This pivotal 1962 event has been examined endlessly, in books, movies, as well as TV documentaries. But, for its third season, the BBC World Service podcast The Bomb has brought a novel element to this historical narrative. The series is co-presented featuring Max Kennedy and Khrushchev's descendant, family members of the men that, over 13 days, grasped the destiny of the world within their grasp. "What was the Soviet side thinking? What was Washington thinking?" questions Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's great-granddaughter who is also an academic specializing in global relations. In her view, the unique appeal of the podcast is its attempt to question: "How can people detest one another to the point they go against one another?" "It struck me how profound the fact that humans can be friends or have the potential to be total adversaries," states Kennedy, son of Robert Kennedy, nephew of JFK and now a writer and attorney. "History shows this dynamic repeatedly in instances where nations enter into conflict, demonstrating the profound irrationality involved to fight." The Precipice Towards Disaster What’s striking regarding the Cuban missile crisis was that, because it unfolded so publicly, citizens worldwide could watch nearly as it happened while it edged towards disaster. Nonetheless, the risk of annihilation was more imminent than most people understood at the time. "Almost all officials among Kennedy's advisors were advocating for a military strike followed by an invasion," explains Max Kennedy. "Had the U.S. struck Cuba with the naval blockade, there is no question the Russians on the ground would've launched a tactical nuclear weapon at the American ships, which would've sunk our naval vessels as well as destroyed America's primary fleet. And, we would have retaliated through an overwhelming counterattack that would have eradicated all life on Earth." The reality it didn’t is a testament to both leaders, who managed to keep their heads while calmly negotiate when everyone around them demanded action. As a result, The Soviet premier removed the missiles in Cuba and President Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed at the time) removed his similar weapons based in Turkey. The relief was immense, as was a feeling of optimism. A Divergent Perspective Yet, for those 13 days of October 1962, the fear was felt globally. The podcast's presenters were born in the years following these events, and Khrushcheva learned about it via the USSR's education system, which painted an alternative narrative of what happened. "You said your father remembers it, describing it as a frightening day," she says. "However in the Soviet Union, the public really didn’t know that much about it, since it was a crisis, and under the Soviet system the official line was that everything was always fine and positive." Inside the Khrushchev household, however, it was distinct. "They told me that it was a triumphant occasion it was, because it represented eyeball to eyeball. They were able to resolve it, and didn’t start a global war, which was a positive thing," she continues. Later on, however, that perspective would not be shared by everybody. "For decades in Russian politics, the crisis was viewed as a failure for the Soviet leader, simply he didn’t blow up the United States." A Unlikely Partnership This podcast is so balanced , well produced so much so that Khrushcheva quips it almost made her forget the known the ending. This effect is, partly, due to contributions from renowned scholars. Yet, really, the most momentous aspect remains the participation of the descendants. Not so long ago, it would be unthinkable that relatives of the leaders of the United States and the USSR would appear together publicly. The fact that Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva are able to do so, and exhibit such warmth with each other, has to be a sign of hope. "We are not the first," smiles Nina. "After the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, my uncle moved to America where he formed a close bond with Dwight Eisenhower’s children." "But we were strangers before the podcast," adds Kennedy. "That is unfortunate since we got along immediately and now we are friends, something that is really great. Finally, after nearly six decades of almost destroying the planet, our lineages have become allies, so I think the world is safer, somewhat." Contemporary Parallels and Current Perils Or is it? One reason why this series feels so necessary is that we once again are living in dark times. The symbolic clock of doom stands nearer to catastrophe in its history, in part because today's statesmen don’t seem to have the capacity to learn
In October 1962, the world edged closer toward annihilation more so than ever in recent history. This transpired after a US reconnaissance aircraft discovered the fact that Russian nuclear missile sites were being assembled in Cuba, less than 160 kilometers off the coast of the US mainland. In response, U.S. President JFK commanded the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to establish a maritime quarantine encircling the island. The next phase was nearly 14 days filled with impossible stress. The Unthinkable Threat The danger remained clear. Should Kennedy, or the Soviet counterpart, Nikita Khrushchev, initiated an attack against their enemy, a cascade of global nuclear strikes followed by counterstrikes would have followed, thrusting civilization toward all-out ruination. This pivotal 1962 event has been examined endlessly, in books, movies, as well as TV documentaries. But, for its third season, the BBC World Service podcast The Bomb has brought a novel element to this historical narrative. The series is co-presented featuring Max Kennedy and Khrushchev's descendant, family members of the men that, over 13 days, grasped the destiny of the world within their grasp. "What was the Soviet side thinking? What was Washington thinking?" questions Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's great-granddaughter who is also an academic specializing in global relations. In her view, the unique appeal of the podcast is its attempt to question: "How can people detest one another to the point they go against one another?" "It struck me how profound the fact that humans can be friends or have the potential to be total adversaries," states Kennedy, son of Robert Kennedy, nephew of JFK and now a writer and attorney. "History shows this dynamic repeatedly in instances where nations enter into conflict, demonstrating the profound irrationality involved to fight." The Precipice Towards Disaster What’s striking regarding the Cuban missile crisis was that, because it unfolded so publicly, citizens worldwide could watch nearly as it happened while it edged towards disaster. Nonetheless, the risk of annihilation was more imminent than most people understood at the time. "Almost all officials among Kennedy's advisors were advocating for a military strike followed by an invasion," explains Max Kennedy. "Had the U.S. struck Cuba with the naval blockade, there is no question the Russians on the ground would've launched a tactical nuclear weapon at the American ships, which would've sunk our naval vessels as well as destroyed America's primary fleet. And, we would have retaliated through an overwhelming counterattack that would have eradicated all life on Earth." The reality it didn’t is a testament to both leaders, who managed to keep their heads while calmly negotiate when everyone around them demanded action. As a result, The Soviet premier removed the missiles in Cuba and President Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed at the time) removed his similar weapons based in Turkey. The relief was immense, as was a feeling of optimism. A Divergent Perspective Yet, for those 13 days of October 1962, the fear was felt globally. The podcast's presenters were born in the years following these events, and Khrushcheva learned about it via the USSR's education system, which painted an alternative narrative of what happened. "You said your father remembers it, describing it as a frightening day," she says. "However in the Soviet Union, the public really didn’t know that much about it, since it was a crisis, and under the Soviet system the official line was that everything was always fine and positive." Inside the Khrushchev household, however, it was distinct. "They told me that it was a triumphant occasion it was, because it represented eyeball to eyeball. They were able to resolve it, and didn’t start a global war, which was a positive thing," she continues. Later on, however, that perspective would not be shared by everybody. "For decades in Russian politics, the crisis was viewed as a failure for the Soviet leader, simply he didn’t blow up the United States." A Unlikely Partnership This podcast is so balanced , well produced so much so that Khrushcheva quips it almost made her forget the known the ending. This effect is, partly, due to contributions from renowned scholars. Yet, really, the most momentous aspect remains the participation of the descendants. Not so long ago, it would be unthinkable that relatives of the leaders of the United States and the USSR would appear together publicly. The fact that Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva are able to do so, and exhibit such warmth with each other, has to be a sign of hope. "We are not the first," smiles Nina. "After the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, my uncle moved to America where he formed a close bond with Dwight Eisenhower’s children." "But we were strangers before the podcast," adds Kennedy. "That is unfortunate since we got along immediately and now we are friends, something that is really great. Finally, after nearly six decades of almost destroying the planet, our lineages have become allies, so I think the world is safer, somewhat." Contemporary Parallels and Current Perils Or is it? One reason why this series feels so necessary is that we once again are living in dark times. The symbolic clock of doom stands nearer to catastrophe in its history, in part because today's statesmen don’t seem to have the capacity to learn