‘After nearly annihilating the planet, our relatives are friends’: the thrilling podcast from JFK and Khrushchev’s descendants.
During the month of October 1962, the world came closer toward annihilation more so than ever in modern times. This transpired following the discovery that an American surveillance plane identified the fact that Russian atomic weapon installations were under construction in the island of Cuba, a mere 100 miles from the US mainland. Reacting to this, U.S. President John F Kennedy directed a naval task force to impose a naval quarantine encircling the island. The ensuing period was nearly 14 days of impossible stress.
The Catastrophic Threat
The danger remained obvious. If Kennedy, or else the Soviet counterpart, Premier Khrushchev, initiated an attack against the other side, a cascade involving global atomic attacks and counterstrikes might have ensued, thrusting humanity into total oblivion.
The October crisis has been examined endlessly, through books, films, as well as television programmes. However, in its latest installment, a prominent BBC World Service podcast The Bomb has brought a novel perspective into the story. It is jointly hosted by Kennedy's relative alongside Nina Khrushcheva, relatives of the figures that, for two tense weeks, held the fate of humanity within their grasp.
"What were the Kremlin planning? What were the American side considering?" questions Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s great-granddaughter and a professor of global relations.
In her view, the unique appeal of the podcast lies in its attempt to objectively ask: "How can nations hate each other and go against one another?"
"I am acutely aware how remarkable it is that individuals have the potential to be friends or have the potential to be total enemies," states Kennedy, son of RFK, nephew of JFK and now an author and lawyer. "History shows this repeatedly in instances where countries enter into conflict, and it just illustrates the sheer folly involved to engage in warfare."
A Precipice Towards Disaster
What is striking about the Cuban missile crisis is that, since it unfolded so publicly, people globally were able to observe almost in real time as it crept closer to disaster. However, the risk of destruction was more imminent than anybody understood at the time.
"Virtually everyone among Kennedy's advisors wanted a military strike followed by an invasion," says Max Kennedy. "If we had struck the Cubans using the Sixth Fleet, there is no question the Russians stationed there would've deployed a nuclear warhead against the US Sixth Fleet, and that would have sunk our naval vessels as well as sunk America's largest and most important naval force. In turn, we would have retaliated through an overwhelming counterattack that would have eradicated all life on Earth."
The fact this did not occur highlights the composure of both leaders, who managed to exercise restraint and engaging in diplomacy at a time when many advisors in their governments were advocating military action. As a result, Khrushchev removed the nuclear weapons from the Caribbean island while President Kennedy (although not reported at the time) removed his missiles based in Turkey. The relief was worldwide, as was a feeling of hope.
A Divergent Perspective
Still, during those 13 days in October, the fear was palpable by everyone. The podcast's presenters were born shortly after the crisis, and Khrushcheva being taught about it through the USSR's school curriculum, which portrayed an alternative narrative of events.
"You said your father recalls it, and it was a scary time," she says. "But for Soviet citizens, people really didn’t know a great deal regarding the crisis, because it was a tense situation, and in the Soviet Union we were told that everything was always wonderful or sunny."
Within the Khrushchev household, though, it was different. "I was informed that it was a triumphant occasion it was, because it represented eyeball to eyeball. The leaders managed to resolve it, and avoided the war, seen as a wonderful outcome," she adds. Subsequently, however, that perspective was not shared by everybody. "For a long time in Russian politics, the crisis was viewed as a failure for the Soviet leader, simply he didn’t blow up the United States."
A Unlikely Partnership
This podcast is so even-handed and expertly crafted that Nina quips she nearly forgot she already knew outcome. This is, partly, thanks to contributions from historians. But, truly, the most groundbreaking thing remains the involvement of the descendants. Not so long ago, it was inconceivable for descendants of the leaders of the United States and the Soviet Union would appear together publicly. That Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva can do that, and be so warm toward one another, must be seen as a sign of hope.
"We aren't the first," smiles Nina. "Following the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, my uncle Sergey Khrushchev’s son and formed a close bond with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."
"But we were strangers prior to this project," adds Kennedy. "Which is a shame since we got along really well and now we’re friends, something that is really great. Finally, after nearly 60 years of almost destroying the planet, our lineages have become allies, suggesting the world is safer, somewhat."
Modern Echoes with Current Perils
Or is it? One reason why this series feels so necessary is because we now find ourselves living through dark times. The Doomsday Clock stands nearer to midnight in its history, partly since world leaders don’t seem to have the capacity to learn