‘After almost destroying our planet, the families have become allies’: the gripping podcast from JFK & Nikita Khrushchev’s relatives.
In the month of October 1962, the world veered nearer to ruin more so than ever in recent history. This transpired following the discovery that a US surveillance aircraft identified that Russian nuclear weapon bases were being assembled on the island of Cuba, less than 100 miles from American soil. Reacting to this, President John F Kennedy directed the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to enact a maritime quarantine around Cuba. What followed constituted almost a fortnight of unbearable tension.
The Catastrophic Danger
The threat remained clear. If Kennedy, or else his Soviet counterpart, Nikita Khrushchev, had fired on the other side, a series of global atomic strikes and counterstrikes could have ensued, plunging mankind toward all-out ruination.
The Cuban missile crisis has been documented repeatedly, in volumes, films, and TV documentaries. But, for its third season, a prominent audio documentary series The Bomb introduces a completely new element into the story. It is jointly hosted by Kennedy's relative alongside Khrushchev's descendant, family members belonging to the figures that, for 13 days, grasped the fate of the planet in their hands.
"What were the Kremlin thinking? What was the American side thinking?" asks Nina Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s descendant and an academic of international affairs.
In her view, the strength of the show is its endeavor to question: "How can individuals detest each other and go against one another?"
"It was not lost on me how remarkable the fact that people have the potential to be allies or else can become total adversaries," remarks Max Kennedy, son of Robert Kennedy, related to JFK and currently an author and lawyer. "History shows this dynamic over and over in instances where countries enter into conflict, highlighting the profound irrationality it is to engage in warfare."
A Brink of Catastrophe
What is notable regarding this event is that, since it unfolded so publicly, citizens globally could watch nearly as it happened as it edged towards armageddon. Even so, the danger of destruction came closer than what most people realised.
"Almost all officials in the White House were advocating for a military strike followed by a ground invasion," says Max Kennedy. "Had the U.S. attacked Cuba using the naval blockade, it is certain Soviet forces on the ground would've launched a tactical nuclear weapon at the US Sixth Fleet, which would have destroyed our naval vessels as well as destroyed America's primary fleet. In turn, the U.S. would have retaliated with an overwhelming counterattack that would have eradicated all life on Earth."
The fact it didn’t is a testament to Kennedy and Khrushchev, who succeeded in remain calm while engaging in diplomacy when everyone in their governments demanded action. Consequently, Khrushchev agreed to withdraw the nuclear weapons from the Caribbean island and Kennedy (although not reported then) withdrew American similar weapons based in NATO ally Turkey. The relief was worldwide, matched by a feeling of optimism.
The Different Perspective
Still, for those 13 days of October 1962, the fear was palpable by everyone. The Bomb’s co-hosts were born in the years following these events, with Nina learned about the crisis via the Soviet education system, which portrayed an alternative version of events.
"You said your father remembers it, describing it as a frightening day," Khrushcheva notes. "But for Soviet citizens, people were largely unaware that much regarding the crisis, since it was a tense situation, and in the Soviet Union the official line was that everything was always fine or sunny."
Within Khrushchev’s family, however, it was distinct. "I was informed what a great moment for the USSR, because it was a direct confrontation. The leaders managed to find a solution, thus didn’t start the war, seen as a positive thing," she adds. In the years to come, however, that perspective was not shared by everybody. "For decades in Russian politics, it was considered a failure for Khrushchev, because he refrained from destroying the United States."
A Unprecedented Collaboration
This podcast is so even-handed , well produced that Nina quips she nearly forgot she already knew outcome. This is, partly, thanks to the participation of historians. But, really, the most momentous aspect remains the participation of the descendants. Even within living memory, it was unthinkable for relatives of the heads of state of America and USSR would appear together publicly. The fact that Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva are able to do so, and be so warm with each other, must be seen as a sign of optimism.
"We aren't the first," notes Khrushcheva. "After the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, a relative Sergey Khrushchev’s son and became great friends with the former president's family."
"But we were strangers prior to this project," clarifies Kennedy. "That is unfortunate because we connected immediately and now we are friends, something that is really great. Ultimately, after almost six decades since nearly annihilating the world, our families have become allies, so I think the world is more secure, a little bit."
Contemporary Echoes and Present Perils
Or is it? Part of why this series feels so necessary is because we once again are living in dark times. The symbolic clock of doom is closer to catastrophe in its history, partly since world leaders appear not to have the capacity to grasp