‘After almost annihilating our planet, our families have become friends’: the thrilling podcast featuring John F. Kennedy and Nikita Khrushchev’s descendants.
During the month of October 1962, the planet edged closer toward ruin more so than ever during recent history. This transpired following the discovery that an American surveillance plane identified that Soviet atomic weapon sites were being assembled in the island of Cuba, less than 160 kilometers off the coast of American soil. In response, U.S. President JFK commanded the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to impose a naval quarantine encircling Cuba. The ensuing period was nearly 14 days filled with unbearable anxiety.
An Unthinkable Threat
The danger was palpable. If Kennedy, or else his Russian opposite, Premier Khrushchev, were to fire against their enemy, a cascade of worldwide atomic attacks followed by retaliatory strikes might have followed, plunging mankind into total oblivion.
The October crisis has been covered endlessly, in books, films, as well as television programmes. However, in its latest installment, a prominent BBC World Service podcast titled "The Bomb" introduces a completely new dimension to the story. The series is co-presented featuring Max Kennedy and Khrushchev's descendant, family members belonging to the leaders who, for 13 days, controlled the fate of the world within their grasp.
"What were the Soviet side planning? What was the American side planning?" asks Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's descendant and a professor of international affairs.
In her view, the beauty of the podcast is its endeavor to explore: "How can people detest one another and confront one another?"
"It was not lost on me how profound it is that individuals can be allies or else can become complete enemies," remarks Max Kennedy, the son of RFK, nephew of the late president and now an author and lawyer. "History shows this over and over in instances where nations enter into conflict, highlighting how unbelievably stupid involved to engage in warfare."
A Precipice Towards Disaster
What’s remarkable about this event is that, because it unfolded in the global spotlight, people worldwide could watch almost in real time while it edged towards catastrophe. Nonetheless, the risk of annihilation came closer than most people realised.
"The overwhelming majority in the White House were advocating for a military strike followed by an invasion," explains Max Kennedy. "Had the U.S. struck the Cubans with the Sixth Fleet, there is no question Soviet forces on the ground would've launched a tactical nuclear weapon at the US Sixth Fleet, and that would've destroyed the aircraft carriers as well as sunk our largest and most important naval force. In turn, the U.S. would have retaliated with massive retaliation that would have eradicated most life on the planet."
The reality it didn’t highlights the composure of both leaders, they succeeded in keep their heads while calmly negotiate when many advisors in their governments demanded action. As a result, Khrushchev removed the missiles in the Caribbean island and President Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed at the time) removed his missiles from Turkey. The sense of relief was immense, as was a feeling of optimism.
A Different Perspective
Yet, during those two weeks in October, the anxiety was felt globally. The podcast's presenters came into the world in the years following these events, and Khrushcheva learned about it through the Soviet education system, which presented a slightly different version of events.
"As you mentioned your father recalls it, describing it as a frightening day," Khrushcheva notes. "However for Soviet citizens, people were largely unaware that much about it, since it was a tense situation, and under the Soviet system the official line was that everything was always fine or sunny."
Within the Khrushchev household, though, it was different. "They told me what a great moment it was, because it was eyeball to eyeball. They were able to resolve it, and avoided the war, seen as a wonderful thing," she continues. Subsequently, however, that interpretation was not shared by everybody. "For a long time within Russian historical analysis, the crisis was viewed as a defeat for Khrushchev, simply he refrained from destroying America."
A Unlikely Partnership
The Bomb is so balanced , well produced so much so that Nina jokes it almost made her forget she already knew the ending. This effect is, in part, due to the participation of renowned scholars. Yet, truly, the most significant aspect is the involvement of the hosts themselves. Even within living memory, it was inconceivable for descendants of the leaders of America and the USSR to appear together publicly. That Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva are able to do so, and be so warm toward one another, has to be a sign of progress.
"Max and I aren't the pioneers," smiles Nina. "After 1991, a relative moved to America and formed a close bond with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."
"But we had never met before the podcast," clarifies Kennedy. "Which is a shame because we connected really well and now we’re friends, which is wonderful. Ultimately, following nearly 60 years of nearly annihilating the world, our lineages have become allies, so I think global relations is more secure, a little bit."
Contemporary Echoes and Current Perils
Is that truly the case? One reason why this series seems so urgent is because we now find ourselves in a perilous era. The Doomsday Clock is closer to midnight than ever before, in part because today's statesmen don’t seem to have the capacity to learn