Following nearly destroying the planet, our families have become allies’: a gripping podcast featuring John F. Kennedy and Nikita Khrushchev’s relatives.
In October 1962, the planet came nearer to ruin more so than ever during recent history. This transpired following the discovery that a US reconnaissance plane identified that Soviet nuclear weapon installations were being assembled on Cuba, a mere 160 kilometers off the coast of the United States. In response, U.S. President John F Kennedy directed the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to establish a naval blockade around the island. What followed constituted nearly 14 days of extreme stress.
An Catastrophic Threat
The threat was palpable. If Kennedy, or his Soviet counterpart, Premier Khrushchev, initiated an attack against their enemy, a series involving worldwide nuclear strikes followed by counterstrikes could have followed, casting humanity into all-out oblivion.
The Cuban missile crisis has been covered repeatedly, in volumes, films, and TV documentaries. But, in its latest installment, the BBC World Service podcast titled "The Bomb" has brought a novel element into this historical narrative. It is jointly hosted by Kennedy's relative alongside Nina Khrushcheva, family members of the men who, for 13 days, controlled the destiny of the planet in their hands.
"What were the Kremlin planning? What was the United States planning?" ponders Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s descendant and an academic specializing in international affairs.
For her, the beauty of the podcast lies in its attempt to objectively ask: "Why do nations detest each other to the point they oppose each other?"
"It struck me how spectacular it is that humans can be allies or else have the potential to be total enemies," remarks Max Kennedy, the son of RFK, related to JFK and currently a writer and attorney. "We see this repeatedly in instances where countries have gone to war, highlighting the sheer folly involved to engage in warfare."
The Brink of Disaster
What’s striking about the Cuban missile crisis is that, since it transpired in the global spotlight, people globally were able to observe almost as it happened while it edged towards armageddon. Even so, the threat of annihilation came closer than what anybody understood at the time.
"Almost all officials among Kennedy's advisors wanted a military strike and a ground invasion," says Kennedy. "If we had struck Cuba with the Sixth Fleet, there is no question the Russians stationed there would have launched a tactical nuclear weapon against the US Sixth Fleet, and that would've destroyed the naval vessels as well as sunk America's largest and most important fleet. In turn, the U.S. would have retaliated with an overwhelming counterattack which would have eradicated all life on Earth."
The fact it didn’t is a testament to both leaders, who succeeded in keep their heads while calmly negotiate when many advisors around them was pushing for military action. Consequently, Khrushchev agreed to withdraw the missiles in the Caribbean island while Kennedy (although not reported at the time) withdrew his similar weapons from NATO ally Turkey. The relief was immense, as was the sense of hope.
A Different Perspective
Still, during those 13 days in October, the fear was palpable globally. The podcast's co-hosts were born in the years following these events, with Nina being taught about it via the USSR's education system, which presented an alternative picture of events.
"You said your parent remembers it, and it was a frightening time," she says. "But in the Soviet Union, people really didn’t know that much regarding the crisis, since it was a crisis, and under the Soviet system the official line was that things are constantly fine and sunny."
Within Khrushchev’s family, though, the perspective was distinct. "They told me what a great moment for the USSR, because it was a direct confrontation. The leaders managed to find a solution, and avoided a global war, seen as a positive thing," she continues. Subsequently, however, that interpretation was not shared by all Russians. "For decades within Russian historical analysis, it was considered a setback for the Soviet leader, simply he refrained from destroying America."
A Unprecedented Partnership
This podcast is remarkably balanced and well produced that Khrushcheva quips it almost made her forget the known the ending. This effect is, in part, due to the participation of renowned scholars. But, really, the most groundbreaking aspect remains the participation of the hosts themselves. Not so long ago, it was unthinkable that descendants of the leaders of America and Soviet Union to appear together publicly. The fact that Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva can do that, and exhibit such warmth toward one another, has to be a symbol of optimism.
"We are not the pioneers," smiles Nina. "Following the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, my uncle Sergey Khrushchev’s son where he became great friends with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."
"However we were strangers before the podcast," adds Kennedy. "Which is unfortunate since we got along really well and now we’re friends, which is wonderful. Finally, after almost six decades since almost destroying the world, our families are now allies, suggesting the world is more secure, somewhat."
Contemporary Echoes with Current Dangers
Is that truly the case? One reason the reason The Bomb feels so necessary is because we once again are living in dark times. The Doomsday Clock stands nearer to midnight in its history, in part because today's statesmen don’t seem to be able to learn
