Following almost annihilating our world, the relatives have become allies’: a thrilling audio series featuring JFK and Khrushchev’s relatives.
In the month of October 1962, humanity veered closer toward annihilation than at any other point in recent history. This transpired after an American surveillance plane found the fact that Russian atomic weapon installations were being built on Cuba, a mere 160 kilometers from American soil. Reacting to this, U.S. President John F Kennedy ordered the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to establish a maritime quarantine around the island. The next phase was nearly 14 days of impossible anxiety.
An Unthinkable Threat
The threat was clear. If Kennedy, or else his Soviet counterpart, Nikita Khrushchev, initiated an attack on the other side, a chain reaction of worldwide nuclear strikes and counterstrikes might have ensued, thrusting humanity toward all-out ruination.
The Cuban missile crisis has been covered endlessly, in books, films, as well as television programmes. However, in its latest installment, the BBC World Service podcast titled "The Bomb" introduces a completely new dimension to this historical narrative. It is co-presented featuring Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva, family members of the men that, for two tense weeks, controlled the fate of the planet within their grasp.
"What were the Russians planning? What was the United States considering?" ponders Nina Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s great-granddaughter who is also a professor specializing in international affairs.
For her, the beauty of the show is its attempt to explore: "How can people hate each other and go against one another?"
"It was not lost on me how spectacular the fact that individuals have the potential to be allies or else can become complete adversaries," adds Max Kennedy, the son of RFK, nephew of JFK and now an author as well as lawyer. "We see this repeatedly in instances where nations have gone to war, highlighting how unbelievably stupid it is to engage in warfare."
The Brink of Catastrophe
What’s striking regarding this event was that, because it transpired in the global spotlight, citizens globally were able to observe almost in real time as it crept towards armageddon. Nonetheless, the threat of annihilation was more imminent than what anybody realised.
"Almost all officials among Kennedy's advisors wanted an airstrike followed by an invasion," notes Max Kennedy. "If we had attacked the Cubans with the naval blockade, it is certain Soviet forces stationed there would have deployed a tactical nuclear weapon against the US Sixth Fleet, which would have destroyed our aircraft carriers and destroyed America's primary naval force. In turn, the U.S. would have retaliated with an overwhelming counterattack which would have eradicated most life on Earth."
The fact it didn’t highlights the composure of Kennedy and Khrushchev, they succeeded in keep their heads while calmly negotiate when everyone around them were advocating action. Consequently, The Soviet premier removed the missiles from Cuba and President Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed at the time) withdrew American missiles based in Turkey. The relief was worldwide, as was the sense of hope.
The Divergent Viewpoint
Still, for those 13 days in October, the tension was palpable globally. The podcast's presenters came into the world shortly after these events, with Nina being taught about the crisis via the Soviet education system, which portrayed a slightly different narrative of events.
"As you mentioned your parent recalls it, describing it as a scary day," Khrushcheva notes. "But for Soviet citizens, people really didn’t know that much about it, since it was a tense situation, and under the Soviet system we were told that everything was always wonderful or positive."
Within the Khrushchev household, though, the perspective was different. "I was informed that it was a triumphant occasion for the USSR, as it was eyeball to eyeball. They were able to resolve it, thus avoided a global war, seen as a positive outcome," she adds. Subsequently, though, that interpretation was not held by all Russians. "For decades in Russian politics, it was considered a setback for Khrushchev, because he didn’t blow up America."
An Unprecedented Partnership
The Bomb is so even-handed , expertly crafted so much so that Khrushcheva jokes she nearly forgot the known outcome. This effect is, partly, due to contributions from historians. Yet, truly, the most significant aspect remains the participation of the descendants. Even within living memory, it was unthinkable that descendants of the leaders of the United States and Soviet Union to appear together publicly. That Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva can do that, and be so warm toward one another, must be seen as a symbol of progress.
"Max and I are not the pioneers," smiles Nina. "After 1991, my uncle moved to America and became great friends with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."
"But we were strangers prior to this project," adds Max. "That is unfortunate since we connected immediately and we’re friends, something that is really great. Finally, following nearly 60 years since nearly annihilating the world, our lineages have become friends, suggesting the world is safer, a little bit."
Modern Parallels and Current Dangers
Or is it? One reason the reason The Bomb seems so urgent is that we once again find ourselves in a perilous era. The symbolic clock of doom stands nearer to catastrophe in its history, in part because world leaders don’t seem to have the capacity to learn