‘After nearly destroying our planet, our relatives are friends’: a thrilling podcast featuring JFK and Khrushchev’s descendants.
In the month of October 1962, humanity veered nearer toward destruction than at any other point during the contemporary era. This transpired after an American surveillance aircraft identified the fact that Soviet atomic missile sites were being built in the island of Cuba, less than 160 kilometers off the coast of the US mainland. In response, U.S. President John F Kennedy commanded the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to impose a naval blockade encircling the island. The next phase was almost 14 days filled with impossible tension.
An Unthinkable Danger
The danger remained clear. Should President Kennedy, or his Soviet counterpart, Nikita Khrushchev, had fired against the other side, a chain reaction involving worldwide atomic strikes and retaliatory strikes might have followed, thrusting civilization toward all-out destruction.
The October crisis has been documented repeatedly, through books, movies, and TV documentaries. But, for its third season, the audio documentary series titled "The Bomb" presents a novel perspective into the story. It is jointly hosted by Max Kennedy and Khrushchev's descendant, family members of the leaders who, for 13 days, controlled the fate of humanity within their grasp.
"What were the Soviet side planning? What were Washington considering?" questions Nina Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's descendant who is also a professor specializing in global relations.
For her, the strength of the podcast lies in its endeavor to objectively ask: "Why do individuals hate one another and oppose each other?"
"It struck me how spectacular the fact that individuals can be friends or else can become complete adversaries," remarks Kennedy, the son of RFK, nephew of the late president and now an author and attorney. "History shows this dynamic over and over in instances where nations enter into conflict, and it just illustrates the profound irrationality it is to fight."
The Precipice of Catastrophe
What’s striking regarding the Cuban missile crisis was that, because it unfolded so publicly, citizens around the world were able to observe almost as it happened while it moved closer to armageddon. Nonetheless, the danger of destruction came closer than most people realised.
"Almost all officials among Kennedy's advisors were advocating for an airstrike followed by an invasion," says Kennedy. "If we had struck Cuba using the naval blockade, it is certain the Russians on the ground would have deployed a tactical nuclear weapon at the US Sixth Fleet, and that would've sunk the naval vessels as well as sunk America's largest and most important naval force. In turn, the U.S. would have retaliated through an overwhelming counterattack which would have ended most life on the planet."
The fact this did not occur stands as credit to Kennedy and Khrushchev, who managed to keep their heads and engaging in diplomacy when hawkish elements in their governments was pushing for action. Consequently, The Soviet premier removed the nuclear weapons from the Caribbean island while Kennedy (although not reported at the time) removed his similar weapons based in NATO ally Turkey. The relief was immense, matched by a feeling of optimism.
The Different Viewpoint
Still, for those 13 days of October 1962, the anxiety was palpable globally. The podcast's presenters were born shortly after the crisis, with Nina learned about the crisis through the USSR's education system, which painted a slightly different narrative of events.
"You said your parent recalls it, and it was a scary day," Khrushcheva notes. "But for Soviet citizens, the public really didn’t know a great deal regarding the crisis, because it was a tense situation, and in the Soviet Union we were told that things are constantly fine or sunny."
Inside the Khrushchev household, though, it was different. "They told me what a great moment for the USSR, as it represented eyeball to eyeball. The leaders managed to resolve it, thus avoided a global war, seen as a wonderful thing," she adds. In the years to come, however, that perspective was not held by all Russians. "For a long time within Russian historical analysis, the crisis was viewed as a defeat for Khrushchev, simply he didn’t blow up America."
A Unlikely Collaboration
The Bomb is remarkably balanced , expertly crafted so much so that Khrushcheva quips it almost made her forget she already knew the ending. This effect is, partly, thanks to the participation of historians. Yet, truly, the most groundbreaking aspect is the participation of the descendants. Not so long ago, it was inconceivable for relatives of the heads of state of the United States and the Soviet Union to appear together publicly. The fact that these two individuals can do that, and exhibit such warmth toward one another, has to be a symbol of optimism.
"We are not the pioneers," smiles Khrushcheva. "After the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, my uncle moved to America where he formed a close bond with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."
"However we were strangers prior to this project," clarifies Max. "Which is a shame since we connected really well and we are friends, something that is wonderful. Finally, following nearly 60 years since nearly annihilating the world, our families have become friends, suggesting the world is more secure, a little bit."
Contemporary Echoes with Current Dangers
Or is it? Part of the reason The Bomb feels so necessary is that we once again find ourselves in a perilous era. The symbolic clock of doom stands nearer to midnight in its history, in part because world leaders don’t seem to have the capacity to comprehend
