‘After almost annihilating the world, the relatives are friends’: the gripping podcast from John F. Kennedy & Nikita Khrushchev’s relatives.
During the month of October 1962, the world edged nearer toward annihilation more so than ever during modern times. This occurred after a US reconnaissance plane discovered that Russian atomic weapon installations were being assembled on Cuba, a mere 160 kilometers off the coast of American soil. In response, U.S. President JFK directed a naval task force to enact a naval blockade around Cuba. What followed constituted almost a fortnight filled with extreme stress.
The Catastrophic Danger
The danger remained obvious. If President Kennedy, or else the Russian opposite, Premier Khrushchev, were to fire on their enemy, a cascade involving worldwide nuclear strikes and counterstrikes would have ensued, plunging mankind toward all-out oblivion.
The October crisis has been covered repeatedly, through books, films, and TV documentaries. However, in its latest installment, a prominent BBC World Service podcast titled "The Bomb" presents a completely new element into the story. The series is jointly hosted featuring Max Kennedy alongside Nina Khrushcheva, family members belonging to the leaders that, over 13 days, grasped the fate of humanity within their grasp.
"What was the Russians planning? What was the United States thinking?" ponders Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s descendant and a professor specializing in international affairs.
In her view, the beauty of the show lies in its endeavor to objectively ask: "How can people hate one another to the point they oppose each other?"
"I am acutely aware how spectacular it is that humans can be allies or have the potential to be total adversaries," adds Kennedy, son of RFK, nephew of the late president and now an author and attorney. "History shows this over and over in instances where nations enter into conflict, demonstrating the sheer folly involved to fight."
A Precipice of Disaster
What is remarkable about the Cuban missile crisis was that, because it unfolded in the global spotlight, citizens globally could watch nearly as it happened while it moved towards armageddon. Nonetheless, the risk of destruction came closer than what anybody realised.
"Almost all officials among Kennedy's advisors were advocating for a military strike and an invasion," notes Max Kennedy. "Had the U.S. attacked Cuba using the Sixth Fleet, undoubtedly Soviet forces on the ground would've fired a nuclear warhead against the American ships, which would've obliterated our naval vessels as well as destroyed America's primary naval force. And, the U.S. would have retaliated with massive retaliation that would have ended all life on Earth."
The reality it didn’t is a testament to both leaders, who succeeded in keep their heads and engaging in diplomacy at a time when everyone in their governments were advocating action. Consequently, The Soviet premier agreed to withdraw the nuclear weapons from Cuba while Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed at the time) removed his missiles from Turkey. The sense of relief was immense, matched by a feeling of optimism.
The Different Viewpoint
Still, during those 13 days of October 1962, the fear was felt by everyone. The podcast's presenters were born in the years following these events, and Khrushcheva learned about it through the USSR's school curriculum, which presented an alternative version of events.
"As you mentioned your father remembers it, describing it as a frightening day," she says. "But in the Soviet Union, people really didn’t know a great deal regarding the crisis, because it was a crisis, whereas under the Soviet system we were told that things are constantly fine or sunny."
Within Khrushchev’s family, though, it was different. "I was informed that it was a triumphant occasion it was, because it represented eyeball to eyeball. The leaders managed to find a solution, and avoided the war, seen as a positive outcome," she adds. Subsequently, though, that view would not be held by everybody. "For a long time within Russian historical analysis, it was considered a setback for Khrushchev, simply he refrained from destroying the United States."
A Unprecedented Collaboration
The Bomb is so balanced , expertly crafted so much so that Khrushcheva jokes she nearly forgot the known the ending. This is, partly, due to the participation of historians. Yet, really, the most groundbreaking thing remains the participation of the hosts themselves. Not so long ago, it was unthinkable that relatives of the leaders of America and the Soviet Union would appear together publicly. That these two individuals are able to do so, and exhibit such warmth with each other, must be seen as a sign of progress.
"Max and I aren't the pioneers," smiles Khrushcheva. "Following the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, a relative Sergey Khrushchev’s son where he became great friends with the former president's family."
"However we were strangers before the podcast," clarifies Max. "That is unfortunate since we connected really well and now we are friends, which is really great. Finally, following nearly 60 years since almost destroying the planet, our families are now allies, so I think the world is more secure, somewhat."
Modern Parallels and Present Perils
Is that truly the case? One reason why The Bomb seems so urgent is that we now find ourselves in a perilous era. The Doomsday Clock is closer to midnight than ever before, partly since today's statesmen don’t seem to have the capacity to grasp