‘After nearly destroying the world, the families have become allies’: the gripping audio series from John F. Kennedy and Nikita Khrushchev’s descendants.
During October 1962, humanity veered nearer to destruction than at any other point during modern times. This transpired following the discovery that an American reconnaissance aircraft discovered the fact that Russian nuclear weapon sites were under construction in Cuba, a mere 160 kilometers off the coast of American soil. Reacting to this, U.S. President JFK ordered a naval task force to enact a naval quarantine around Cuba. What followed was nearly two weeks filled with extreme tension.
An Catastrophic Danger
The peril remained palpable. If Kennedy, or his Soviet counterpart, Nikita Khrushchev, were to fire against the other side, a series involving global atomic attacks and retaliatory strikes might have ensued, casting mankind into total destruction.
The Cuban missile crisis has been examined repeatedly, in volumes, films, as well as television programmes. But, for its third season, a prominent BBC World Service podcast The Bomb has brought an unprecedented perspective to this historical narrative. It is co-presented featuring Max Kennedy and Khrushchev's descendant, relatives belonging to the leaders who, for two tense weeks, held the fate of the planet within their grasp.
"What were the Soviet side planning? What were Washington planning?" asks Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s descendant and a professor of international affairs.
In her view, the unique appeal of the podcast is its endeavor to explore: "How can people hate each other to the point they oppose one another?"
"It was not lost on me how profound it is that humans can be friends or can become complete adversaries," remarks Kennedy, the son of RFK, related to the late president and now a writer and attorney. "We see this dynamic over and over when countries have gone to war, and it just illustrates the profound irrationality involved to engage in warfare."
The Brink Towards Disaster
What’s notable regarding this event is that, because it unfolded so publicly, citizens worldwide could watch nearly in real time while it edged closer to catastrophe. However, the danger of annihilation came closer than what most people realised.
"Virtually everyone in the White House were advocating for an airstrike followed by a ground invasion," says Max Kennedy. "If we had attacked Cuba with the naval blockade, undoubtedly Soviet forces on the ground would've fired a tactical nuclear weapon against the US Sixth Fleet, and that would have destroyed the naval vessels as well as destroyed our primary fleet. In turn, the U.S. would have retaliated through an overwhelming counterattack which would have eradicated all life on the planet."
The reality this did not occur stands as credit to Kennedy and Khrushchev, who succeeded in exercise restraint while engaging in diplomacy when many advisors in their governments were advocating action. As a result, The Soviet premier agreed to withdraw the nuclear weapons from the Caribbean island and President Kennedy (although not reported at the time) withdrew his similar weapons from NATO ally Turkey. The sense of relief was worldwide, as was a feeling of hope.
A Different Perspective
Still, for those two weeks of October 1962, the anxiety was felt globally. The Bomb’s presenters came into the world in the years following the crisis, and Khrushcheva being taught about the crisis via the Soviet school curriculum, which presented a slightly different version of what happened.
"As you mentioned your parent remembers it, and it was a frightening time," she says. "But in the Soviet Union, the public really didn’t know a great deal about it, because it was a crisis, whereas in the Soviet Union the official line was that everything was always wonderful and positive."
Within Khrushchev’s family, though, the perspective was distinct. "I was informed that it was a triumphant moment for the USSR, because it was a direct confrontation. They were able to resolve it, thus avoided the war, seen as a wonderful outcome," she continues. Subsequently, however, that interpretation was not held by all Russians. "For decades within Russian historical analysis, it was considered a defeat for Khrushchev, because he didn’t blow up America."
A Unlikely Partnership
The Bomb is so even-handed , well produced so much so that Nina jokes she nearly forgot the known outcome. This is, in part, thanks to the participation of historians. But, really, the most significant aspect is the involvement of the hosts themselves. Not so long ago, it would be unthinkable that descendants of the leaders of America and the USSR to appear side by side. The fact that these two individuals are able to do so, and exhibit such warmth toward one another, must be seen as a symbol of progress.
"Max and I aren't the pioneers," notes Nina. "After 1991, my uncle Sergey Khrushchev’s son and formed a close bond with the former president's family."
"But we had never met before the podcast," clarifies Kennedy. "That is a shame since we connected really well and now we’re friends, something that is really great. Finally, after nearly six decades of almost destroying the planet, our lineages have become friends, suggesting global relations is more secure, somewhat."
Modern Echoes with Current Dangers
Is that truly the case? Part of why The Bomb seems so urgent is because we now find ourselves living through dark times. The Doomsday Clock is closer to midnight in its history, partly since today's statesmen appear not to be able to grasp
