Following almost annihilating the planet, our families are friends’: the gripping podcast from JFK & Nikita Khrushchev’s descendants.
During October 1962, the planet edged closer toward annihilation than at any other point during the contemporary era. This occurred when a US reconnaissance aircraft found that Soviet nuclear missile bases were being assembled in the island of Cuba, less than 160 kilometers from American soil. Reacting to this, President John F Kennedy ordered a naval task force to enact a maritime blockade around the island. The ensuing period was almost two weeks filled with unbearable tension.
An Catastrophic Threat
The threat was palpable. Should President Kennedy, or else the Soviet counterpart, Nikita Khrushchev, initiated an attack against their enemy, a chain reaction involving global nuclear attacks followed by retaliatory strikes could have ensued, casting humanity toward all-out oblivion.
The Cuban missile crisis has been covered endlessly, in volumes, movies, as well as television programmes. But, in its latest installment, a prominent BBC World Service podcast The Bomb introduces a novel dimension to the story. The series is co-presented featuring Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva, family members of the figures who, over 13 days, held the fate of humanity within their grasp.
"What were the Kremlin thinking? What were the United States thinking?" questions Nina Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's descendant and a professor of international affairs.
For her, the beauty of the show lies in its endeavor to explore: "How can individuals hate each other to the point they confront each other?"
"I am acutely aware how spectacular the fact that individuals can be friends or can become complete enemies," remarks Max Kennedy, the son of Robert Kennedy, nephew of the late president and currently a writer and attorney. "History shows this repeatedly when nations have gone to war, highlighting the sheer folly it is to fight."
The Precipice Towards Disaster
What is striking regarding this event was that, because it unfolded in the global spotlight, citizens worldwide could watch almost in real time as it crept towards disaster. However, the threat of annihilation was more imminent than most people realised.
"The overwhelming majority in the White House wanted a military strike followed by a ground invasion," notes Kennedy. "If we had struck the Cubans with the Sixth Fleet, undoubtedly Soviet forces stationed there would have fired a nuclear warhead at the American ships, which would've sunk the aircraft carriers and destroyed our primary naval force. In turn, we would have retaliated with an overwhelming counterattack which would have ended most life on Earth."
The reality this did not occur is a testament to both leaders, they succeeded in exercise restraint and calmly negotiate at a time when hawkish elements around them demanded military action. Consequently, The Soviet premier removed the nuclear weapons from the Caribbean island while Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed at the time) removed American missiles from NATO ally Turkey. The relief was immense, as was the sense of optimism.
The Different Viewpoint
Yet, for those two weeks in October, the fear was palpable globally. The podcast's presenters came into the world in the years following the crisis, with Khrushcheva learned about it through the Soviet education system, which painted a slightly different picture of what happened.
"You said your parent recalls it, describing it as a scary time," she says. "But in the Soviet Union, people really didn’t know a great deal regarding the crisis, since it was a crisis, whereas in the Soviet Union we were told that everything was always fine and positive."
Within the Khrushchev household, though, the perspective was distinct. "I was informed that it was a triumphant moment it was, because it was a direct confrontation. They were able to resolve it, and avoided the war, seen as a wonderful outcome," she continues. In the years to come, though, that view would not be held by everybody. "For a long time within Russian historical analysis, it was considered a failure for Khrushchev, because he didn’t blow up America."
A Unlikely Partnership
This podcast is so even-handed , well produced that Nina jokes she nearly forgot she already knew the ending. This is, in part, due to contributions from historians. Yet, truly, the most groundbreaking aspect remains the participation of the descendants. Not so long ago, it would be inconceivable that relatives of the leaders of the United States and USSR would appear side by side. 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 progress.
"Max and I are not the first," notes Khrushcheva. "After the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, a relative moved to America and formed a close bond with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."
"But we had never met before the podcast," adds Max. "Which is a shame since we connected really well and now we are friends, which is wonderful. Ultimately, after almost six decades since nearly annihilating the planet, our lineages are now allies, suggesting the world is safer, somewhat."
Contemporary Parallels and Present Perils
Or is it? One reason the reason this series seems so urgent is because we now find ourselves in dark times. The symbolic clock of doom stands nearer to catastrophe in its history, in part because world leaders appear not to be able to comprehend
