‘After almost annihilating the planet, the relatives are allies’: the thrilling audio series from JFK & Nikita Khrushchev’s descendants.
In the month of October 1962, the world came nearer toward ruin than at any other point in modern times. This happened when an American surveillance aircraft found the fact that Russian atomic weapon installations were being assembled in Cuba, less than 100 miles from the United States. Reacting to this, President John F Kennedy ordered a naval task force to establish a maritime blockade encircling Cuba. What followed was nearly a fortnight filled with extreme stress.
The Catastrophic Danger
The threat was clear. If Kennedy, or his Russian opposite, Premier Khrushchev, were to fire against their enemy, a chain reaction involving worldwide atomic strikes and counterstrikes might have followed, casting mankind toward total ruination.
The Cuban missile crisis has been examined repeatedly, in volumes, movies, and television programmes. But, for its third season, a prominent BBC World Service podcast titled "The Bomb" presents a completely new dimension into this historical narrative. The series is co-presented featuring Max Kennedy alongside Nina Khrushcheva, relatives of the figures who, for two tense weeks, held the fate of the world within their grasp.
"What were the Russians planning? What was the American side planning?" questions Nina Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's great-granddaughter and an academic specializing in international affairs.
For her, the strength of the show lies in its attempt to objectively ask: "Why do people detest each other to the point they oppose each other?"
"It was not lost on me how profound the fact that humans have the potential to be allies or else can become total adversaries," remarks Kennedy, the son of RFK, nephew of the late president and currently an author as well as attorney. "We see this repeatedly in instances where nations have gone to war, and it just illustrates the profound irrationality it is to fight."
A Brink Towards Disaster
What is striking regarding this event is that, because it unfolded in the global spotlight, citizens around the world could watch almost in real time while it moved towards armageddon. However, the danger of annihilation came closer than what most people realised.
"Almost all officials in the White House wanted a military strike followed by an invasion," notes Max Kennedy. "Had the U.S. attacked the Cubans with the naval blockade, there is no question the Russians stationed there would have fired a tactical nuclear weapon against the US Sixth Fleet, and that would've obliterated our aircraft carriers and sunk America's primary fleet. In turn, we would have responded with massive retaliation which would have eradicated most life on Earth."
The reality it didn’t is a testament to Kennedy and Khrushchev, who managed to remain calm while engaging in diplomacy when many advisors in their governments was pushing for military action. Consequently, The Soviet premier removed the nuclear weapons in Cuba while Kennedy (although not reported at the time) withdrew his similar weapons from NATO ally Turkey. The sense of relief was palpable, matched by a feeling of optimism.
A Divergent Viewpoint
Yet, during those 13 days of October 1962, the fear was palpable globally. The podcast's presenters were born in the years following these events, with Nina learned about the crisis through the USSR's education system, which portrayed an alternative picture of what happened.
"As you mentioned your father recalls it, and it was a frightening time," she says. "However in the Soviet Union, the public really didn’t know that much about it, since it was a crisis, whereas in the Soviet Union we were told that things are always fine or sunny."
Within the Khrushchev household, however, the perspective was different. "I was informed what a great moment for the USSR, because it represented eyeball to eyeball. They were able to find a solution, thus avoided a global war, seen as a positive outcome," she continues. Subsequently, though, that perspective was not held by all Russians. "For decades within Russian historical analysis, the crisis was viewed as a failure for the Soviet leader, because he didn’t blow up the United States."
A Unlikely Partnership
The Bomb is so even-handed , well produced so much so that Khrushcheva quips it almost made her forget she already knew the ending. This effect is, partly, due to contributions from renowned scholars. But, truly, the most significant aspect is the involvement of the hosts themselves. Even within living memory, it would be unthinkable for descendants of the heads of state of the United States and USSR to appear together publicly. The fact that these two individuals can do that, and be so warm with each other, has to be a symbol of hope.
"We are not the pioneers," smiles Khrushcheva. "Following 1991, a relative Sergey Khrushchev’s son and became great friends with the former president's family."
"But we were strangers before the podcast," clarifies Max. "That is unfortunate since we connected immediately and we’re friends, something that is wonderful. Finally, following almost six decades since almost destroying the world, our lineages are now allies, so I think global relations is more secure, somewhat."
Contemporary Echoes with Present Perils
Or is it? One reason why The Bomb seems so urgent is because we once again are living living through a perilous era. The symbolic clock of doom stands nearer to catastrophe in its history, in part because world leaders don’t seem to be able to grasp