‘After almost annihilating the planet, the relatives are allies’: the gripping podcast featuring JFK and Nikita Khrushchev’s descendants.
During the month of October 1962, the world came closer to destruction than at any other point in modern times. This happened after a US reconnaissance plane identified the fact that Soviet nuclear missile installations were being assembled in Cuba, less than 160 kilometers off the coast of the US mainland. Reacting to this, U.S. President JFK commanded a naval task force to impose a maritime quarantine encircling the island. The ensuing period constituted almost a fortnight of impossible anxiety.
An Catastrophic Threat
The threat was clear. Should Kennedy, or his Soviet counterpart, Premier Khrushchev, initiated an attack on their enemy, a series of global atomic attacks and counterstrikes might have followed, casting civilization into total oblivion.
The Cuban missile crisis has been examined extensively, in volumes, movies, and TV documentaries. But, for its third season, a prominent audio documentary series titled "The Bomb" introduces a completely new element into this historical narrative. It is co-presented featuring Max Kennedy alongside Nina Khrushcheva, relatives of the leaders who, over two tense weeks, grasped the fate of the planet in their hands.
"What was the Russians considering? What were Washington considering?" questions Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's descendant who is also an academic of global relations.
For her, the unique appeal of the show is its attempt to objectively ask: "How can individuals hate one another and go against each other?"
"It was not lost on me how spectacular it is that individuals can be friends or have the potential to be complete adversaries," remarks Max Kennedy, son of RFK, related to the late president and currently a writer as well as attorney. "History shows this dynamic over and over when countries have gone to war, demonstrating the profound irrationality involved to fight."
The Precipice of Catastrophe
What’s striking about this event is that, because it unfolded so publicly, people globally could watch nearly as it happened while it edged towards catastrophe. Even so, the threat of destruction came closer than what most people realised.
"Virtually everyone in the White House were advocating for an airstrike followed by a ground invasion," notes Kennedy. "If we had attacked the Cubans with the Sixth Fleet, there is no question Soviet forces stationed there would've fired a nuclear warhead at the American ships, which would have obliterated the naval vessels and sunk America's largest and most important fleet. And, the U.S. would have responded through massive retaliation that would have eradicated all life on the planet."
The fact it didn’t stands as credit to both leaders, who managed to keep their heads while engaging in diplomacy at a time when many advisors in their governments demanded action. Consequently, The Soviet premier agreed to withdraw the nuclear weapons in the Caribbean island while Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed then) withdrew his similar weapons based in NATO ally Turkey. The sense of relief was palpable, matched by a feeling of hope.
The Divergent Viewpoint
Still, during those 13 days in October, the tension was palpable globally. The podcast's presenters were born shortly after the crisis, with Khrushcheva being taught about it via the Soviet education system, which painted a slightly different version of events.
"As you mentioned your parent remembers it, describing it as a frightening day," Khrushcheva notes. "However in the Soviet Union, the public were largely unaware that much regarding the crisis, since it was a tense situation, whereas in the Soviet Union the official line was that things are always wonderful or sunny."
Within the Khrushchev household, however, it was different. "They told me that it was a triumphant moment it was, because it was a direct confrontation. They were able to find a solution, thus didn’t start a global war, which was a positive outcome," she adds. Later on, however, that view was not held by all Russians. "For decades in Russian politics, it was considered a defeat for the Soviet leader, because he didn’t blow up the United States."
A Unlikely Collaboration
This podcast is remarkably even-handed and expertly crafted that Nina quips she nearly forgot she already knew the ending. This is, partly, due to contributions from historians. Yet, really, the most groundbreaking thing is the participation of the hosts themselves. Not so long ago, it would be unthinkable that relatives of the leaders of America and USSR would appear side by side. The fact that these two individuals can do that, and be so warm toward one another, has to be a symbol of hope.
"Max and I aren't the pioneers," smiles Nina. "After 1991, my uncle Sergey Khrushchev’s son and became great friends with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."
"However we had never met prior to this project," adds Kennedy. "That is unfortunate because we connected really well and now we are friends, which is wonderful. Finally, after almost 60 years since almost destroying the world, our lineages are now friends, suggesting the world is safer, a little bit."
Modern Echoes with Present Dangers
Is that truly the case? One reason why this series seems so urgent is that we now are living in a perilous era. The Doomsday Clock stands nearer to midnight than ever before, partly since today's statesmen don’t seem to have the capacity to grasp