🔗 Share this article ‘After almost annihilating the world, our relatives are allies’: the gripping podcast from JFK and Nikita Khrushchev’s relatives. During the month of October 1962, the world edged closer to destruction than at any other point during recent history. This transpired following the discovery that a US reconnaissance plane identified the fact that Russian atomic missile installations were under construction in Cuba, less than 100 miles from American soil. In response, President JFK commanded a naval task force to enact a naval blockade around Cuba. The next phase constituted almost two weeks of impossible anxiety. The Catastrophic Danger The peril remained clear. Should Kennedy, or else the Soviet counterpart, Nikita Khrushchev, initiated an attack against their enemy, a cascade of worldwide nuclear attacks and retaliatory strikes could have ensued, plunging mankind toward all-out ruination. The Cuban missile crisis has been covered repeatedly, in volumes, movies, as well as TV documentaries. But, in its latest installment, a prominent audio documentary series The Bomb introduces an unprecedented element into this historical narrative. It is jointly hosted by Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva, family members belonging to the figures that, for two tense weeks, held the fate of the world within their grasp. "What were the Soviet side considering? What was the American side thinking?" questions Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's descendant and an academic specializing in international affairs. For her, the unique appeal of the show is its endeavor to objectively ask: "How can people detest each other and confront one another?" "It struck me how profound it is that individuals have the potential to be friends or else can become complete adversaries," states Kennedy, son of RFK, related to JFK and now a writer as well as lawyer. "History shows this repeatedly in instances where countries enter into conflict, and it just illustrates the profound irrationality it is to engage in warfare." The Brink of Disaster What is remarkable about this event was that, since it unfolded in the global spotlight, people around the world could watch almost as it happened as it crept closer to catastrophe. Nonetheless, the risk of destruction came closer than anybody realised. "The overwhelming majority in the White House wanted a military strike followed by a ground invasion," notes Max Kennedy. "Had the U.S. struck Cuba using the naval blockade, it is certain the Russians stationed there would have launched a nuclear warhead against the US Sixth Fleet, which would've destroyed the naval vessels and sunk our primary naval force. And, we would have responded through an overwhelming counterattack that would have ended all life on Earth." The reality it didn’t is a testament to both leaders, who succeeded in exercise restraint and engaging in diplomacy when hawkish elements around them was pushing for military action. As a result, Khrushchev agreed to withdraw the missiles in Cuba and 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 Viewpoint Yet, for those 13 days of October 1962, the tension was palpable by everyone. The Bomb’s presenters came into the world in the years following the crisis, and Khrushcheva learned about it via the USSR's school curriculum, which presented a slightly different version of what happened. "You said your father remembers it, describing it as a frightening day," she says. "However for Soviet citizens, people really didn’t know a great deal about it, because it was a tense situation, whereas under the Soviet system the official line was that everything was constantly fine and positive." Within Khrushchev’s family, though, the perspective was different. "They told me that it was a triumphant moment it was, as it represented eyeball to eyeball. They were able to find a solution, thus avoided a global war, which was a wonderful thing," she continues. In the years to come, however, that view would not be held by everybody. "For decades in Russian politics, the crisis was viewed as a setback for Khrushchev, because he didn’t blow up the United States." A Unprecedented Collaboration The Bomb is so balanced and expertly crafted that Khrushcheva jokes it almost made her forget she already knew outcome. This is, in part, due to contributions from renowned scholars. Yet, truly, the most momentous aspect is the involvement of the hosts themselves. Even within living memory, it was inconceivable that descendants of the leaders of America and the Soviet Union to appear side by side. That these two individuals can do that, and be so warm with each other, must be seen as a symbol of optimism. "Max and I are not the pioneers," smiles Khrushcheva. "Following 1991, my uncle Sergey Khrushchev’s son and became great friends with Dwight Eisenhower’s children." "But we were strangers prior to this project," adds Kennedy. "Which is unfortunate because we connected really well and now we are friends, something that is wonderful. Ultimately, after nearly six decades since nearly annihilating the world, our lineages have become allies, so I think the world is more secure, a little bit." Contemporary Echoes with Present Dangers Is that truly the case? Part of why The Bomb seems so urgent is that we once again find ourselves in a perilous era. The Doomsday Clock stands nearer to midnight in its history, in part because today's statesmen appear not to have the capacity to comprehend
During the month of October 1962, the world edged closer to destruction than at any other point during recent history. This transpired following the discovery that a US reconnaissance plane identified the fact that Russian atomic missile installations were under construction in Cuba, less than 100 miles from American soil. In response, President JFK commanded a naval task force to enact a naval blockade around Cuba. The next phase constituted almost two weeks of impossible anxiety. The Catastrophic Danger The peril remained clear. Should Kennedy, or else the Soviet counterpart, Nikita Khrushchev, initiated an attack against their enemy, a cascade of worldwide nuclear attacks and retaliatory strikes could have ensued, plunging mankind toward all-out ruination. The Cuban missile crisis has been covered repeatedly, in volumes, movies, as well as TV documentaries. But, in its latest installment, a prominent audio documentary series The Bomb introduces an unprecedented element into this historical narrative. It is jointly hosted by Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva, family members belonging to the figures that, for two tense weeks, held the fate of the world within their grasp. "What were the Soviet side considering? What was the American side thinking?" questions Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's descendant and an academic specializing in international affairs. For her, the unique appeal of the show is its endeavor to objectively ask: "How can people detest each other and confront one another?" "It struck me how profound it is that individuals have the potential to be friends or else can become complete adversaries," states Kennedy, son of RFK, related to JFK and now a writer as well as lawyer. "History shows this repeatedly in instances where countries enter into conflict, and it just illustrates the profound irrationality it is to engage in warfare." The Brink of Disaster What is remarkable about this event was that, since it unfolded in the global spotlight, people around the world could watch almost as it happened as it crept closer to catastrophe. Nonetheless, the risk of destruction came closer than anybody realised. "The overwhelming majority in the White House wanted a military strike followed by a ground invasion," notes Max Kennedy. "Had the U.S. struck Cuba using the naval blockade, it is certain the Russians stationed there would have launched a nuclear warhead against the US Sixth Fleet, which would've destroyed the naval vessels and sunk our primary naval force. And, we would have responded through an overwhelming counterattack that would have ended all life on Earth." The reality it didn’t is a testament to both leaders, who succeeded in exercise restraint and engaging in diplomacy when hawkish elements around them was pushing for military action. As a result, Khrushchev agreed to withdraw the missiles in Cuba and 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 Viewpoint Yet, for those 13 days of October 1962, the tension was palpable by everyone. The Bomb’s presenters came into the world in the years following the crisis, and Khrushcheva learned about it via the USSR's school curriculum, which presented a slightly different version of what happened. "You said your father remembers it, describing it as a frightening day," she says. "However for Soviet citizens, people really didn’t know a great deal about it, because it was a tense situation, whereas under the Soviet system the official line was that everything was constantly fine and positive." Within Khrushchev’s family, though, the perspective was different. "They told me that it was a triumphant moment it was, as it represented eyeball to eyeball. They were able to find a solution, thus avoided a global war, which was a wonderful thing," she continues. In the years to come, however, that view would not be held by everybody. "For decades in Russian politics, the crisis was viewed as a setback for Khrushchev, because he didn’t blow up the United States." A Unprecedented Collaboration The Bomb is so balanced and expertly crafted that Khrushcheva jokes it almost made her forget she already knew outcome. This is, in part, due to contributions from renowned scholars. Yet, truly, the most momentous aspect is the involvement of the hosts themselves. Even within living memory, it was inconceivable that descendants of the leaders of America and the Soviet Union to appear side by side. That these two individuals can do that, and be so warm with each other, must be seen as a symbol of optimism. "Max and I are not the pioneers," smiles Khrushcheva. "Following 1991, my uncle Sergey Khrushchev’s son and became great friends with Dwight Eisenhower’s children." "But we were strangers prior to this project," adds Kennedy. "Which is unfortunate because we connected really well and now we are friends, something that is wonderful. Ultimately, after nearly six decades since nearly annihilating the world, our lineages have become allies, so I think the world is more secure, a little bit." Contemporary Echoes with Present Dangers Is that truly the case? Part of why The Bomb seems so urgent is that we once again find ourselves in a perilous era. The Doomsday Clock stands nearer to midnight in its history, in part because today's statesmen appear not to have the capacity to comprehend