‘After almost annihilating our world, our families have become allies’: a thrilling podcast from JFK and Khrushchev’s descendants.
In the month of October 1962, the world veered nearer toward destruction more so than ever in the contemporary era. This occurred after an American surveillance aircraft discovered that Soviet atomic missile installations were being assembled in the island of Cuba, a mere 100 miles from American soil. Reacting to this, President John F Kennedy ordered a naval task force to establish a naval quarantine encircling Cuba. The ensuing period was almost 14 days of unbearable anxiety.
An Unthinkable Danger
The danger was clear. If Kennedy, or else his Soviet counterpart, Nikita Khrushchev, initiated an attack against the other side, a series involving worldwide atomic attacks followed by counterstrikes would have ensued, thrusting civilization toward all-out ruination.
This pivotal 1962 event has been documented endlessly, through books, movies, as well as TV documentaries. However, in its latest installment, a prominent BBC World Service podcast The Bomb has brought a completely new element to this historical narrative. It is jointly hosted featuring Kennedy's relative alongside Khrushchev's descendant, family members of the men who, for 13 days, held the destiny of the planet within their grasp.
"What was the Kremlin planning? What was the United States planning?" questions Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's descendant who is also a professor of international affairs.
For her, the beauty of the podcast is its endeavor to objectively ask: "How can people hate each other and confront each other?"
"It was not lost on me how spectacular it is that individuals can be friends or else have the potential to be total adversaries," states Kennedy, the son of Robert Kennedy, nephew of the late president and now a writer as well as lawyer. "History shows this over and over in instances where nations have gone to war, demonstrating the profound irrationality involved to engage in warfare."
A Brink of Catastrophe
What’s remarkable about the Cuban missile crisis is that, since it unfolded so publicly, citizens around the world could watch nearly as it happened as it moved towards disaster. Nonetheless, the threat of annihilation came closer than what most people realised.
"Virtually everyone in the White House wanted an airstrike followed by a ground invasion," explains Max Kennedy. "If we had attacked Cuba with the Sixth Fleet, there is no question Soviet forces on the ground would have fired a nuclear warhead at the US Sixth Fleet, which would've destroyed our aircraft carriers as well as destroyed America's largest and most important fleet. And, we would have responded through an overwhelming counterattack that would have eradicated most life on Earth."
The fact this did not occur highlights the composure of both leaders, who succeeded in remain calm and calmly negotiate at a time when many advisors in their governments were advocating action. As a result, The Soviet premier removed the missiles in Cuba and Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed then) withdrew American missiles from Turkey. The sense of relief was palpable, matched by the sense of optimism.
The Divergent Perspective
Still, during those 13 days in October, the anxiety was palpable by everyone. The podcast's presenters came into the world in the years following these events, with Khrushcheva being taught about the crisis via the Soviet school curriculum, which portrayed an alternative narrative of events.
"As you mentioned your father remembers it, and it was a scary time," she says. "However for Soviet citizens, people really didn’t know that much about it, since it was a tense situation, whereas under the Soviet system the official line was that everything was always fine and sunny."
Inside Khrushchev’s family, though, the perspective was distinct. "I was informed what a great occasion it was, as it was a direct confrontation. The leaders managed to find a solution, and avoided the war, which was a wonderful outcome," she continues. Subsequently, however, that view would not be held by all Russians. "For a long time in Russian politics, it was considered a setback for Khrushchev, because he refrained from destroying the United States."
A Unprecedented Partnership
The Bomb is remarkably balanced , expertly crafted so much so that Nina jokes it almost made her forget the known outcome. This effect is, in part, thanks to contributions from renowned scholars. But, truly, the most significant thing remains the involvement of the hosts themselves. Not so long ago, it would be unthinkable that descendants of the leaders of the United States and the Soviet Union to appear side by side. That these two individuals can do that, and exhibit such warmth toward one another, has to be a sign of optimism.
"We aren't the pioneers," smiles Khrushcheva. "After 1991, a relative moved to America where he became great friends with the former president's family."
"However we had never met before the podcast," adds Kennedy. "That is a shame because we got along immediately and we are friends, something that is really great. Ultimately, following nearly 60 years since nearly annihilating the planet, our families have become allies, suggesting the world is safer, somewhat."
Contemporary Echoes and Present Perils
Is that truly the case? One reason why this series seems so urgent is that we once again find ourselves living through dark times. The Doomsday Clock is closer to midnight in its history, partly since today's statesmen appear not to be able to learn