Following almost destroying the planet, the families are friends’: the gripping podcast from John F. Kennedy and Khrushchev’s descendants.
During October 1962, the planet edged closer toward destruction more so than ever in recent history. This transpired when a US surveillance aircraft discovered that Russian nuclear weapon sites were being built on the island of Cuba, less than 160 kilometers from the US mainland. In response, U.S. President John F Kennedy ordered a naval task force to impose a naval quarantine around the island. The next phase constituted nearly two weeks filled with unbearable anxiety.
An Unthinkable Danger
The danger remained palpable. If President Kennedy, or his Soviet counterpart, Premier Khrushchev, were to fire on their enemy, a cascade involving global atomic strikes and counterstrikes could have ensued, thrusting mankind into total oblivion.
This pivotal 1962 event has been covered extensively, in volumes, movies, as well as TV documentaries. But, for its third season, a prominent audio documentary series titled "The Bomb" has brought an unprecedented perspective into the story. The series is jointly hosted featuring Kennedy's relative and Khrushchev's descendant, family members of the men that, for 13 days, grasped the destiny of humanity within their grasp.
"What were the Kremlin thinking? What was the United States planning?" questions Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s great-granddaughter who is also an academic of global relations.
In her view, the strength of the show lies in its attempt to objectively ask: "Why do nations hate one another to the point they oppose one another?"
"I am acutely aware how profound the fact that individuals have the potential to be friends or else have the potential to be total enemies," states Max Kennedy, the son of RFK, nephew of the late president and now an author as well as lawyer. "We see this repeatedly in instances where nations have gone to war, and it just illustrates how unbelievably stupid involved to engage in warfare."
A Precipice of Catastrophe
What’s notable regarding the Cuban missile crisis was that, because it transpired in the global spotlight, citizens around the world were able to observe almost in real time while it crept closer to armageddon. Nonetheless, the danger of annihilation came closer than what anybody understood at the time.
"Almost all officials in the White House were advocating for an airstrike and an invasion," notes Max Kennedy. "Had the U.S. attacked Cuba using the naval blockade, there is no question Soviet forces stationed there would've launched a tactical nuclear weapon against the American ships, and that would've obliterated our aircraft carriers and sunk our primary fleet. In turn, the U.S. would have responded through an overwhelming counterattack which would have ended all life on Earth."
The reality it didn’t stands as credit to Kennedy and Khrushchev, they succeeded in remain calm and calmly negotiate at a time when hawkish elements in their governments was pushing for action. Consequently, Khrushchev removed the missiles in Cuba and Kennedy (although not reported at the time) removed his missiles based in Turkey. The relief was immense, matched by the sense of optimism.
The Different Perspective
Yet, during those 13 days of October 1962, the tension was palpable globally. The Bomb’s presenters were born in the years following the crisis, and Khrushcheva learned about the crisis through the USSR's education system, which portrayed a slightly different narrative of events.
"You said your father remembers it, and it was a scary day," she says. "However for Soviet citizens, people really didn’t know that much about it, because it was a crisis, and in the Soviet Union the official line was that everything was constantly wonderful and positive."
Inside Khrushchev’s family, though, it was different. "They told me what a great moment for the USSR, as it was eyeball to eyeball. The leaders managed to resolve it, and avoided a global war, which was a wonderful thing," she continues. Subsequently, though, that interpretation was not shared by everybody. "For decades within Russian historical analysis, it was considered a failure for Khrushchev, simply he didn’t blow up America."
A Unprecedented Partnership
This podcast is so balanced , expertly crafted so much so that Khrushcheva quips it almost made her forget the known outcome. This is, partly, due to the participation of historians. Yet, truly, the most groundbreaking aspect remains the participation of the descendants. Even within living memory, it would be unthinkable for descendants of the heads of state of the United States and the Soviet Union would appear side by side. The fact that these two individuals can do that, and be so warm with each other, has to be a sign of optimism.
"Max and I are not the first," smiles Nina. "Following 1991, my uncle Sergey Khrushchev’s son and formed a close bond with the former president's family."
"However we were strangers prior to this project," clarifies Kennedy. "That is unfortunate since we got along immediately and we are friends, something that is wonderful. Finally, following almost 60 years since nearly annihilating the planet, our lineages are now allies, so I think the world is safer, a little bit."
Modern Echoes with Present Dangers
Or is it? Part of the reason The Bomb feels so necessary is because we once again find ourselves in a perilous era. The Doomsday Clock stands nearer to midnight than ever before, in part because world leaders don’t seem to have the capacity to comprehend