‘After nearly destroying the world, the relatives are allies’: a gripping podcast from JFK and Khrushchev’s relatives.
During the month of October 1962, humanity veered closer toward ruin than at any other point during the contemporary era. This happened following the discovery that an American surveillance aircraft discovered the fact that Russian nuclear weapon installations were being assembled on the island of Cuba, a mere 160 kilometers from the US mainland. In response, President JFK commanded a naval task force to establish a maritime blockade around the island. The next phase constituted nearly 14 days of unbearable stress.
The Catastrophic Threat
The peril remained clear. If Kennedy, or the Russian opposite, Nikita Khrushchev, had fired against their enemy, a series involving worldwide atomic attacks followed by retaliatory strikes could have ensued, plunging mankind toward all-out destruction.
This pivotal 1962 event has been documented endlessly, in volumes, movies, and TV documentaries. However, for its third season, a prominent audio documentary series The Bomb has brought an unprecedented dimension into the story. The series is co-presented by Max Kennedy and Khrushchev's descendant, relatives of the leaders that, for 13 days, grasped the destiny of the planet in their hands.
"What was the Kremlin thinking? What were the American side thinking?" questions Nina Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's great-granddaughter and a professor specializing in global relations.
For her, the strength of the podcast is its attempt to objectively ask: "Why do people detest one another and go against one another?"
"It struck me how remarkable it is that individuals can be allies or have the potential to be complete enemies," states Kennedy, the son of Robert Kennedy, related to JFK and currently an author and lawyer. "We see this dynamic repeatedly in instances where nations have gone to war, highlighting the sheer folly it is to fight."
A Precipice of Disaster
What is striking regarding this event is that, because it unfolded in the global spotlight, citizens globally could watch almost as it happened as it moved closer to catastrophe. Even so, the danger of annihilation was more imminent than most people realised.
"Almost all officials among Kennedy's advisors were advocating for a military strike followed by an invasion," notes Kennedy. "If we had attacked Cuba using the Sixth Fleet, there is no question Soviet forces on the ground would have launched a nuclear warhead against the US Sixth Fleet, which would've destroyed the aircraft carriers as well as destroyed America's largest and most important fleet. In turn, we would have responded through massive retaliation that would have ended most life on Earth."
The fact this did not occur is a testament to both leaders, who managed to remain calm and calmly negotiate at a time when many advisors in their governments demanded military action. Consequently, Khrushchev agreed to withdraw the nuclear weapons from the Caribbean island and Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed at the time) withdrew American similar weapons from Turkey. The sense of relief was worldwide, as was a feeling of optimism.
The Divergent Perspective
Still, for those 13 days in October, the fear was felt globally. The Bomb’s co-hosts were born in the years following these events, and Khrushcheva being taught about it through the USSR's school curriculum, which presented a slightly different narrative of events.
"As you mentioned your parent recalls it, and it was a scary day," she says. "However for Soviet citizens, people really didn’t know a great deal regarding the crisis, because it was a tense situation, and under the Soviet system we were told that things are always fine or positive."
Inside the Khrushchev household, though, it was distinct. "I was informed that it was a triumphant occasion it was, as it represented eyeball to eyeball. They were able to resolve it, thus didn’t start a global war, which was a wonderful outcome," she continues. Later on, however, that perspective was not held by everybody. "For decades in Russian politics, it was considered a failure for the Soviet leader, because he didn’t blow up America."
An Unprecedented Collaboration
The Bomb is remarkably even-handed , expertly crafted that Khrushcheva quips it almost made her forget she already knew outcome. This is, partly, due to contributions from renowned scholars. But, really, the most significant thing is the participation of the descendants. Even within living memory, it would be inconceivable that descendants of the leaders of America and Soviet Union would appear together publicly. That these two individuals can do that, and exhibit such warmth toward one another, must be seen as a symbol of optimism.
"Max and I 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 Dwight Eisenhower’s children."
"But we were strangers before the podcast," clarifies Max. "That is a shame because we connected really well and now we are friends, something that is wonderful. Finally, after almost 60 years of almost destroying the world, our lineages are now allies, so I think global relations is more secure, somewhat."
Contemporary Parallels with Present Dangers
Is that truly the case? One reason the reason The Bomb feels so necessary is because we once again are living in dark times. The symbolic clock of doom stands nearer to midnight in its history, partly since world leaders appear not to have the capacity to comprehend