‘After almost annihilating the planet, the relatives have become friends’: the gripping audio series featuring John F. Kennedy & Khrushchev’s relatives.
In October 1962, humanity edged nearer to annihilation more so than ever in the contemporary era. This happened when an American surveillance aircraft found the fact that Russian atomic missile bases were under construction on the island of Cuba, a mere 160 kilometers from the United States. Reacting to this, U.S. President JFK directed the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to establish a maritime blockade encircling the island. What followed constituted nearly 14 days filled with unbearable tension.
An Unthinkable Threat
The danger was palpable. Should President Kennedy, or else the Soviet counterpart, Premier Khrushchev, were to fire on their enemy, a chain reaction of global nuclear attacks followed by retaliatory strikes might have followed, casting mankind into all-out ruination.
This pivotal 1962 event has been examined endlessly, in volumes, films, and TV documentaries. But, in its latest installment, a prominent BBC World Service podcast titled "The Bomb" introduces an unprecedented dimension into this historical narrative. It is jointly hosted featuring Max Kennedy and Khrushchev's descendant, family members of the figures who, over two tense weeks, held the destiny of the world within their grasp.
"What was the Soviet side planning? What was Washington thinking?" ponders Nina Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s descendant and a professor of international affairs.
For her, the strength of the show is its endeavor to explore: "Why do nations hate one another and oppose each other?"
"It was not lost on me how profound the fact that individuals have the potential to be friends or else have the potential to be total adversaries," adds Max Kennedy, the son of RFK, nephew of the late president and currently a writer and lawyer. "We see this over and over when countries enter into conflict, highlighting the sheer folly involved to fight."
A Precipice of Catastrophe
What is striking about this event was that, because it transpired so publicly, individuals globally were able to observe almost in real time while it crept towards armageddon. Nonetheless, the threat of destruction came closer than what anybody realised.
"The overwhelming majority in the White House were advocating for a military strike and an invasion," explains Kennedy. "If we had attacked the Cubans with the naval blockade, undoubtedly Soviet forces stationed there would have deployed a nuclear warhead against the US Sixth Fleet, which would've obliterated our naval vessels and destroyed our primary naval force. And, we would have retaliated through massive retaliation that would have ended all life on Earth."
The reality this did not occur is a testament to Kennedy and Khrushchev, who managed to exercise restraint while engaging in diplomacy when hawkish elements around them were advocating military action. Consequently, The Soviet premier removed the nuclear weapons from the Caribbean island while Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed then) removed his missiles from NATO ally Turkey. The sense of relief was palpable, as was a feeling of optimism.
The Different Perspective
Yet, during those 13 days in October, the fear was felt globally. The Bomb’s co-hosts were born shortly after these events, with Khrushcheva being taught about the crisis through the Soviet education system, which painted an alternative version 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, because it was a crisis, whereas in the Soviet Union the official line was that things are always wonderful and positive."
Within Khrushchev’s family, however, it was different. "I was informed what a great occasion for the USSR, because it represented eyeball to eyeball. They were able to resolve it, thus avoided the war, which was a wonderful thing," she adds. In the years to come, however, that interpretation would not be shared by everybody. "For a long time within Russian historical analysis, it was considered a failure for the Soviet leader, simply he didn’t blow up the United States."
An Unprecedented Partnership
The Bomb is remarkably even-handed , well produced that Nina quips she nearly forgot she already knew the ending. This effect is, in part, due to contributions from historians. Yet, really, the most groundbreaking thing remains the participation of the descendants. Even within living memory, it would be inconceivable for relatives of the heads of state of America and the Soviet Union to appear side by side. That these two individuals are able to do so, and be so warm with each other, has to be a symbol of hope.
"Max and I are not the first," notes Khrushcheva. "Following the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, a relative moved to America where he formed a close bond with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."
"However we were strangers prior to this project," adds Kennedy. "Which is unfortunate since we got along immediately and we’re friends, something that is really great. Finally, following nearly six decades since almost destroying the planet, our families are now allies, suggesting global relations is safer, somewhat."
Contemporary Parallels with Present Perils
Or is it? Part of why The Bomb feels so necessary is because we now find ourselves in a perilous era. The Doomsday Clock stands nearer to midnight than ever before, partly since world leaders appear not to have the capacity to learn
