Following almost destroying our world, our families have become allies’: the gripping audio series featuring John F. Kennedy and Nikita Khrushchev’s relatives.
In October 1962, humanity came nearer toward destruction than at any other point in modern times. This happened when a US surveillance aircraft discovered that Russian atomic weapon installations were being built in Cuba, less than 160 kilometers from American soil. Reacting to this, U.S. President JFK ordered the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to impose a naval blockade around Cuba. The ensuing period constituted almost 14 days of unbearable stress.
An Unthinkable Danger
The peril was clear. If President Kennedy, or the Russian opposite, Nikita Khrushchev, initiated an attack on the other side, a chain reaction of worldwide nuclear strikes and counterstrikes could have ensued, casting civilization toward total ruination.
This pivotal 1962 event has been examined extensively, in volumes, movies, and TV documentaries. However, in its latest installment, the audio documentary series The Bomb presents a completely new dimension to this historical narrative. The series is jointly hosted by Max Kennedy and Khrushchev's descendant, relatives belonging to the leaders who, for 13 days, held the fate of humanity in their hands.
"What were the Kremlin considering? What was the American side thinking?" questions Nina Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's descendant and a professor specializing in global relations.
For her, the strength of the show lies in its attempt to question: "How can nations hate each other and oppose one another?"
"It was not lost on me how remarkable the fact that people can be allies or can become total enemies," states Max Kennedy, son of RFK, related to the late president and currently a writer as well as attorney. "History shows this over and over in instances where countries have gone to war, highlighting the profound irrationality it is to fight."
The Brink of Disaster
What’s striking regarding the Cuban missile crisis was that, because it unfolded in the global spotlight, individuals worldwide could watch almost as it happened while it crept towards armageddon. Nonetheless, the risk of annihilation was more imminent than most people realised.
"Almost all officials in the White House wanted an airstrike and a ground invasion," notes Max Kennedy. "If we had attacked the Cubans using the naval blockade, undoubtedly Soviet forces stationed there would've deployed a tactical nuclear weapon at the US Sixth Fleet, and that would've sunk our naval vessels as well as sunk America's primary naval force. In turn, the U.S. would have responded with massive retaliation that would have ended most life on Earth."
The fact it didn’t is a testament to Kennedy and Khrushchev, they succeeded in exercise restraint while calmly negotiate when everyone in their governments were advocating military action. As a result, The Soviet premier agreed to withdraw the missiles in the Caribbean island and Kennedy (although not reported at the time) removed his similar weapons based in Turkey. The sense of relief was immense, as was a feeling of hope.
A Different Perspective
Still, for those 13 days in October, the tension was felt by everyone. The podcast's presenters were born in the years following the crisis, and Khrushcheva being taught about the crisis via the Soviet education system, which portrayed a slightly different version of what happened.
"As you mentioned your father recalls it, and it was a scary day," she says. "But in the Soviet Union, people really didn’t know a great deal regarding the crisis, because it was a crisis, and under the Soviet system we were told that things are always fine or sunny."
Within the Khrushchev household, however, the perspective was distinct. "They told me that it was a triumphant moment for the USSR, because it represented eyeball to eyeball. The leaders managed to find a solution, and avoided the war, which was a positive outcome," she adds. In the years to come, however, that interpretation would not be shared by everybody. "For decades in Russian politics, the crisis was viewed as a failure for the Soviet leader, simply he refrained from destroying the United States."
A Unprecedented Partnership
This podcast is so balanced , expertly crafted that Khrushcheva quips she nearly forgot the known the ending. This effect is, in part, thanks to the participation of renowned scholars. Yet, truly, the most groundbreaking thing is the involvement of the hosts themselves. Even within living memory, it would be inconceivable that relatives of the leaders of the United States and Soviet Union to appear together publicly. That Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva can do that, and be so warm with each other, must be seen as a sign of progress.
"Max and I are not the first," notes Nina. "Following 1991, a relative moved to America where he formed a close bond with the former president's family."
"However we had never met prior to this project," adds Max. "That is a shame since we connected really well and now we’re friends, something that is wonderful. Finally, after almost 60 years of nearly annihilating the planet, our families are now friends, suggesting the world is safer, somewhat."
Modern Echoes and Current Dangers
Is that truly the case? Part of the reason this series seems so urgent is because we now find ourselves living through a perilous era. The symbolic clock of doom is closer to catastrophe in its history, in part because today's statesmen appear not to be able to grasp
