‘After nearly destroying our world, the families are allies’: the thrilling podcast featuring John F. Kennedy & Nikita Khrushchev’s relatives.
During the month of October 1962, the world edged nearer toward destruction than at any other point in modern times. This transpired after a US surveillance plane discovered that Russian atomic weapon sites were being built in the island of Cuba, less than 160 kilometers from the US mainland. In response, President JFK ordered a naval task force to establish a naval blockade encircling the island. The next phase was nearly 14 days of unbearable tension.
The Catastrophic Threat
The danger remained clear. Should Kennedy, or his Russian opposite, Premier Khrushchev, initiated an attack on their enemy, a cascade involving worldwide nuclear attacks and counterstrikes might have ensued, casting civilization toward total oblivion.
This pivotal 1962 event has been documented endlessly, in volumes, movies, and TV documentaries. But, for its third season, a prominent audio documentary series The Bomb introduces an unprecedented perspective into the story. It is jointly hosted by Max Kennedy and Khrushchev's descendant, family members belonging to the figures that, over two tense weeks, held the destiny of the planet in their hands.
"What were the Soviet side planning? What was the United States thinking?" asks Nina Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's great-granddaughter and an academic specializing in global relations.
For her, the unique appeal of the show lies in its attempt to explore: "How can people hate each other to the point they confront each other?"
"It struck me how spectacular the fact that humans can be friends or else can become complete adversaries," states Max Kennedy, son of Robert Kennedy, nephew of JFK and now an author and lawyer. "History shows this repeatedly in instances where nations have gone to war, and it just illustrates how unbelievably stupid it is to fight."
A Brink Towards Disaster
What’s striking about the Cuban missile crisis was that, since it unfolded so publicly, individuals worldwide could watch nearly as it happened while it edged closer to armageddon. Nonetheless, the risk of annihilation was more imminent than most people realised.
"Virtually everyone in the White House were advocating for an airstrike and a ground invasion," explains Kennedy. "If we had attacked the Cubans using the Sixth Fleet, it is certain Soviet forces on the ground would've launched a tactical nuclear weapon against the US Sixth Fleet, which would've destroyed our aircraft carriers and destroyed America's largest and most important naval force. In turn, the U.S. would have retaliated with massive retaliation which would have ended most life on the planet."
The fact this did not occur is a testament to Kennedy and Khrushchev, who managed to exercise restraint and calmly negotiate when many advisors around them was pushing for action. As a result, The Soviet premier removed the nuclear weapons in the Caribbean island while Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed at the time) removed American missiles from Turkey. The sense of relief was palpable, matched by a feeling of optimism.
A Divergent Viewpoint
Still, during those two weeks in October, the anxiety was palpable by everyone. The podcast's co-hosts were born shortly after these events, with Nina being taught about it through the Soviet school curriculum, which portrayed a slightly different version of events.
"You said your father recalls it, and it was a frightening time," she says. "But in the Soviet Union, the public really didn’t know a great deal about it, since it was a crisis, whereas in the Soviet Union we were told that everything was always wonderful or sunny."
Inside the Khrushchev household, though, the perspective was different. "They told me what a great occasion for the USSR, as it was a direct confrontation. They were able to find a solution, and didn’t start a global war, which was a wonderful thing," she continues. Later on, however, that perspective was not shared by everybody. "For decades in Russian politics, the crisis was viewed as a failure for Khrushchev, simply he didn’t blow up the United States."
An Unlikely Collaboration
The Bomb is remarkably balanced , well produced so much so that Khrushcheva quips it almost made her forget the known outcome. This is, partly, due to the participation of historians. Yet, really, the most significant aspect is the involvement of the hosts themselves. Even within living memory, it would be unthinkable that descendants of the heads of state of the United States and Soviet Union would appear side by side. The fact that Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva are able to do so, and exhibit such warmth toward one another, must be seen as a symbol of hope.
"Max and I are not the first," notes Nina. "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 had never met prior to this project," clarifies Kennedy. "That is a shame since we got along really well and we are friends, which is really great. Ultimately, after almost six decades of nearly annihilating the world, our families are now allies, so I think global relations is more secure, a little bit."
Modern Parallels and Present Dangers
Or is it? One reason the reason this series feels so necessary is that we once again are living living through a perilous era. The symbolic clock of doom stands nearer to midnight than ever before, partly since world leaders don’t seem to be able to grasp