‘After almost annihilating the planet, the families are allies’: a gripping podcast from JFK and Khrushchev’s relatives.
In October 1962, the world veered closer toward annihilation more so than ever during recent history. This happened when a US surveillance plane identified the fact that Soviet atomic weapon bases were being built on the island of Cuba, a mere 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. What followed constituted almost 14 days filled with unbearable tension.
An Unthinkable Danger
The threat remained clear. If Kennedy, or the Russian opposite, Premier Khrushchev, had fired on the other side, a series involving worldwide atomic strikes and counterstrikes might have ensued, casting humanity toward total ruination.
This pivotal 1962 event has been examined extensively, in volumes, films, and television programmes. However, in its latest installment, the audio documentary series titled "The Bomb" has brought a completely new perspective into this historical narrative. The series is jointly hosted featuring Max Kennedy alongside Nina Khrushcheva, family members belonging to the figures that, over 13 days, controlled the destiny of the world in their hands.
"What were the Kremlin thinking? What were the United States planning?" questions Nina Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s descendant who is also a professor of global relations.
For her, the beauty of the show is its attempt to objectively ask: "How can individuals hate one another to the point they go against each other?"
"It was not lost on me how profound it is that individuals have the potential to be allies or have the potential to be total adversaries," remarks Max Kennedy, son of RFK, related to the late president and currently an author and lawyer. "History shows this repeatedly when countries enter into conflict, highlighting how unbelievably stupid involved to fight."
A Precipice of Catastrophe
What’s striking about the Cuban missile crisis was that, since it transpired so publicly, people around the world were able to observe nearly as it happened as it crept closer to disaster. However, the threat of annihilation came closer than what anybody understood at the time.
"The overwhelming majority in the White House wanted an airstrike followed by an invasion," explains Kennedy. "Had the U.S. attacked Cuba with the naval blockade, it is certain the Russians on the ground would have deployed a tactical nuclear weapon against the US Sixth Fleet, and that would've obliterated the aircraft carriers and destroyed America's primary fleet. And, we would have retaliated through massive retaliation which would have eradicated most life on Earth."
The reality this did not occur is a testament to both leaders, they managed to keep their heads and calmly negotiate at a time when many advisors around them was pushing for military action. As a result, The Soviet premier removed the missiles from the Caribbean island while President Kennedy (although not reported then) removed his missiles from Turkey. The sense of relief was immense, matched by a feeling of hope.
The Different Perspective
Still, for those two weeks of October 1962, the tension was palpable by everyone. The podcast's co-hosts were born shortly after these events, with Khrushcheva learned about the crisis via the USSR's school curriculum, which painted a slightly different version of what happened.
"As you mentioned your father remembers it, and it was a scary time," she says. "However in the Soviet Union, people really didn’t know that much regarding the crisis, since it was a tense situation, and in the Soviet Union we were told that things are always fine and sunny."
Within the Khrushchev household, however, the perspective was different. "I was informed what a great occasion it was, as it represented eyeball to eyeball. They were able to find a solution, thus didn’t start a global war, seen as a wonderful outcome," she adds. In the years to come, though, that interpretation was not held by all Russians. "For a long time within Russian historical analysis, it was considered a defeat for Khrushchev, because he didn’t blow up America."
An Unlikely Partnership
The Bomb is so even-handed and well produced that Khrushcheva quips she nearly forgot she already knew outcome. This is, partly, thanks to contributions from renowned scholars. Yet, really, the most significant thing remains the involvement of the descendants. Not so long ago, it would be inconceivable for descendants of the leaders of the United States and the USSR would appear side by side. That Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva can do that, and exhibit such warmth toward one another, has to be a sign of optimism.
"Max and I aren't the first," notes Nina. "After 1991, a relative moved to America where he formed a close bond with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."
"However we were strangers before the podcast," clarifies Kennedy. "That is a shame since we got along really well and we’re friends, something that is wonderful. Ultimately, following nearly 60 years since nearly annihilating the planet, our lineages have become friends, suggesting the world is more secure, somewhat."
Modern Echoes with Present Perils
Is that truly the case? Part of why The Bomb feels so necessary is because we once again find ourselves living through dark times. The symbolic clock of doom is closer to midnight than ever before, partly since today's statesmen don’t seem to be able to grasp