🔗 Share this article ‘After almost annihilating the world, the families have become friends’: a gripping podcast from JFK & Khrushchev’s descendants. During October 1962, the world veered nearer to annihilation than at any other point during the contemporary era. This happened following the discovery that a US surveillance aircraft discovered that Soviet atomic weapon installations were being assembled in the island of Cuba, a mere 160 kilometers off the coast of American soil. In response, U.S. President JFK commanded a naval task force to enact a maritime quarantine around the island. The next phase was nearly 14 days of impossible anxiety. An Catastrophic Threat The threat remained clear. If President Kennedy, or else his Soviet counterpart, Premier Khrushchev, had fired on the other side, a cascade of global atomic strikes and retaliatory strikes would have ensued, thrusting mankind toward total oblivion. This pivotal 1962 event has been covered repeatedly, in volumes, films, and TV documentaries. However, for its third season, the BBC World Service podcast titled "The Bomb" introduces a novel element to this historical narrative. It is jointly hosted featuring Max Kennedy alongside Khrushchev's descendant, family members of the men that, for 13 days, controlled the destiny of the world in their hands. "What were the Kremlin considering? What was the United States thinking?" questions Nina Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s descendant and a professor specializing in international affairs. In her view, the strength of the podcast is its endeavor to question: "How can individuals hate one another and oppose each other?" "It was not lost on me how profound it is that people can be allies or else have the potential to be total enemies," remarks Max Kennedy, the son of Robert Kennedy, nephew of JFK and now a writer and lawyer. "We see this dynamic over and over in instances where countries enter into conflict, highlighting the profound irrationality involved to engage in warfare." The Brink Towards Catastrophe What’s striking regarding the Cuban missile crisis was that, because it unfolded so publicly, citizens worldwide could watch almost in real time while it edged towards armageddon. Even so, the danger of destruction was more imminent than anybody realised. "Almost all officials in the White House were advocating for an airstrike and an invasion," notes Kennedy. "Had the U.S. struck the Cubans with the Sixth Fleet, it is certain the Russians stationed there would have launched a nuclear warhead at the American ships, and that would've sunk the aircraft carriers as well as destroyed America's largest and most important fleet. And, we would have responded with massive retaliation which would have eradicated all life on the planet." The fact this did not occur stands as credit to both leaders, they managed to exercise restraint while calmly negotiate at a time when hawkish elements around them demanded action. As a result, The Soviet premier agreed to withdraw the missiles in the Caribbean island and Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed at the time) removed American similar weapons based in NATO ally Turkey. The relief was immense, matched by a feeling of optimism. The Divergent Viewpoint Still, for those two weeks of October 1962, the tension was palpable by everyone. The Bomb’s presenters came into the world shortly after the crisis, and Khrushcheva being taught about it through the USSR's school curriculum, which painted an alternative version of events. "As you mentioned your father recalls it, describing it as a scary time," she says. "But for Soviet citizens, the public were largely unaware a great deal about it, since it was a tense situation, and in the Soviet Union the official line was that things are always wonderful or positive." Within Khrushchev’s family, though, the perspective was different. "I was informed what a great moment for the USSR, because it was a direct confrontation. They were able to resolve it, thus didn’t start a global war, which was a positive thing," she continues. In the years to come, though, that interpretation 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 refrained from destroying America." An Unlikely Collaboration This podcast is so balanced , expertly crafted so much so that Khrushcheva quips she nearly forgot the known outcome. This effect is, in part, due to contributions from renowned scholars. Yet, truly, the most significant aspect is the involvement of the hosts themselves. Even within living memory, it was unthinkable that relatives of the leaders of the United States and USSR would appear together publicly. The fact that Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva are able to do so, and be so warm toward one another, has to be a sign of optimism. "Max and I are not the first," smiles Khrushcheva. "Following 1991, my uncle moved to America and became great friends with Dwight Eisenhower’s children." "But we had never met prior to this project," clarifies Kennedy. "Which is unfortunate since we got along immediately and we are friends, which is wonderful. Ultimately, after nearly 60 years since nearly annihilating the planet, our families have become allies, suggesting global relations is safer, a little bit." Modern Echoes and Present Perils Is that truly the case? Part of why The Bomb feels so necessary is because we once again are living in dark times. The symbolic clock of doom is closer to midnight than ever before, partly since today's statesmen appear not to be able to comprehend
During October 1962, the world veered nearer to annihilation than at any other point during the contemporary era. This happened following the discovery that a US surveillance aircraft discovered that Soviet atomic weapon installations were being assembled in the island of Cuba, a mere 160 kilometers off the coast of American soil. In response, U.S. President JFK commanded a naval task force to enact a maritime quarantine around the island. The next phase was nearly 14 days of impossible anxiety. An Catastrophic Threat The threat remained clear. If President Kennedy, or else his Soviet counterpart, Premier Khrushchev, had fired on the other side, a cascade of global atomic strikes and retaliatory strikes would have ensued, thrusting mankind toward total oblivion. This pivotal 1962 event has been covered repeatedly, in volumes, films, and TV documentaries. However, for its third season, the BBC World Service podcast titled "The Bomb" introduces a novel element to this historical narrative. It is jointly hosted featuring Max Kennedy alongside Khrushchev's descendant, family members of the men that, for 13 days, controlled the destiny of the world in their hands. "What were the Kremlin considering? What was the United States thinking?" questions Nina Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s descendant and a professor specializing in international affairs. In her view, the strength of the podcast is its endeavor to question: "How can individuals hate one another and oppose each other?" "It was not lost on me how profound it is that people can be allies or else have the potential to be total enemies," remarks Max Kennedy, the son of Robert Kennedy, nephew of JFK and now a writer and lawyer. "We see this dynamic over and over in instances where countries enter into conflict, highlighting the profound irrationality involved to engage in warfare." The Brink Towards Catastrophe What’s striking regarding the Cuban missile crisis was that, because it unfolded so publicly, citizens worldwide could watch almost in real time while it edged towards armageddon. Even so, the danger of destruction was more imminent than anybody realised. "Almost all officials in the White House were advocating for an airstrike and an invasion," notes Kennedy. "Had the U.S. struck the Cubans with the Sixth Fleet, it is certain the Russians stationed there would have launched a nuclear warhead at the American ships, and that would've sunk the aircraft carriers as well as destroyed America's largest and most important fleet. And, we would have responded with massive retaliation which would have eradicated all life on the planet." The fact this did not occur stands as credit to both leaders, they managed to exercise restraint while calmly negotiate at a time when hawkish elements around them demanded action. As a result, The Soviet premier agreed to withdraw the missiles in the Caribbean island and Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed at the time) removed American similar weapons based in NATO ally Turkey. The relief was immense, matched by a feeling of optimism. The Divergent Viewpoint Still, for those two weeks of October 1962, the tension was palpable by everyone. The Bomb’s presenters came into the world shortly after the crisis, and Khrushcheva being taught about it through the USSR's school curriculum, which painted an alternative version of events. "As you mentioned your father recalls it, describing it as a scary time," she says. "But for Soviet citizens, the public were largely unaware a great deal about it, since it was a tense situation, and in the Soviet Union the official line was that things are always wonderful or positive." Within Khrushchev’s family, though, the perspective was different. "I was informed what a great moment for the USSR, because it was a direct confrontation. They were able to resolve it, thus didn’t start a global war, which was a positive thing," she continues. In the years to come, though, that interpretation 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 refrained from destroying America." An Unlikely Collaboration This podcast is so balanced , expertly crafted so much so that Khrushcheva quips she nearly forgot the known outcome. This effect is, in part, due to contributions from renowned scholars. Yet, truly, the most significant aspect is the involvement of the hosts themselves. Even within living memory, it was unthinkable that relatives of the leaders of the United States and USSR would appear together publicly. The fact that Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva are able to do so, and be so warm toward one another, has to be a sign of optimism. "Max and I are not the first," smiles Khrushcheva. "Following 1991, my uncle moved to America and became great friends with Dwight Eisenhower’s children." "But we had never met prior to this project," clarifies Kennedy. "Which is unfortunate since we got along immediately and we are friends, which is wonderful. Ultimately, after nearly 60 years since nearly annihilating the planet, our families have become allies, suggesting global relations is safer, a little bit." Modern Echoes and Present Perils Is that truly the case? Part of why The Bomb feels so necessary is because we once again are living in dark times. The symbolic clock of doom is closer to midnight than ever before, partly since today's statesmen appear not to be able to comprehend