🔗 Share this article ‘After almost annihilating the planet, our families have become allies’: the gripping podcast featuring John F. Kennedy and Khrushchev’s relatives. During the month of October 1962, the world edged closer to ruin than at any other point in recent history. This occurred after a US surveillance aircraft discovered that Soviet atomic missile sites were being built on Cuba, a mere 100 miles off the coast of the United States. Reacting to this, U.S. President John F Kennedy commanded a naval task force to impose a maritime quarantine encircling Cuba. The next phase was almost a fortnight filled with unbearable tension. The Unthinkable Threat The threat was palpable. If Kennedy, or the Russian opposite, Nikita Khrushchev, initiated an attack against the other side, a series of worldwide atomic attacks followed by counterstrikes could have followed, plunging civilization toward all-out ruination. This pivotal 1962 event has been examined endlessly, in volumes, movies, and television programmes. But, for its third season, the BBC World Service podcast titled "The Bomb" introduces an unprecedented dimension to the story. The series is co-presented featuring Kennedy's relative alongside Khrushchev's descendant, family members of the men that, for 13 days, grasped the destiny of the planet in their hands. "What were the Soviet side planning? What was the United States considering?" questions Nina Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s descendant and an academic of global relations. In her view, the strength of the show is its attempt to explore: "How can individuals hate one another to the point they oppose one another?" "It struck me how profound the fact that humans can be allies or have the potential to be total enemies," adds Kennedy, the son of RFK, nephew of JFK and currently a writer as well as attorney. "History shows this dynamic repeatedly when countries enter into conflict, demonstrating the sheer folly it is to fight." The Brink Towards Disaster What’s remarkable about the Cuban missile crisis was that, because it unfolded so publicly, people worldwide could watch nearly in real time while it moved closer to catastrophe. Nonetheless, the danger of destruction came closer than what most people understood at the time. "The overwhelming majority among Kennedy's advisors were advocating for an airstrike followed by an invasion," explains Kennedy. "If we had attacked Cuba using the naval blockade, it is certain the Russians on the ground would've fired a tactical nuclear weapon against the American ships, and that would've destroyed our aircraft carriers and sunk our largest and most important naval force. And, we would have responded with an overwhelming counterattack which would have ended most life on the planet." The reality this did not occur is a testament to both leaders, they managed to exercise restraint and calmly negotiate when hawkish elements around them demanded military action. As a result, Khrushchev agreed to withdraw the missiles from Cuba and Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed at the time) removed American missiles based in Turkey. The relief was immense, matched by the sense of hope. The Divergent Viewpoint Still, during those 13 days of October 1962, the anxiety was palpable globally. The Bomb’s co-hosts were born shortly after the crisis, and Nina learned about the crisis via the USSR's school curriculum, which painted an alternative picture of what happened. "As you mentioned your parent recalls it, and it was a scary day," Khrushcheva notes. "However in the Soviet Union, people were largely unaware a great deal regarding the crisis, since it was a crisis, and in the Soviet Union the official line was that everything was constantly fine or positive." Inside Khrushchev’s family, though, the perspective was distinct. "I was informed that it was a triumphant occasion for the USSR, because it represented a direct confrontation. They were able to resolve it, thus didn’t start a global war, which was a wonderful outcome," she adds. In the years to come, though, that view would not be held by all Russians. "For a long time in Russian politics, it was considered a setback for the Soviet leader, simply he didn’t blow up America." An Unprecedented Partnership This podcast is so balanced and well produced so much so that Nina jokes it almost made her forget the known the ending. This effect is, partly, due to the participation of historians. Yet, really, the most significant thing remains the involvement of the descendants. Not so long ago, it was unthinkable that relatives of the leaders of America and the Soviet Union to appear together publicly. The fact that these two individuals can do that, and exhibit such warmth toward one another, has to be a symbol of progress. "Max and I are not the first," notes Nina. "Following 1991, my uncle moved to America and became great friends with the former president's family." "However we had never met before the podcast," adds Kennedy. "Which is unfortunate because we connected really well and now we are friends, something that is wonderful. Ultimately, after almost six decades of nearly annihilating the world, our lineages have become friends, suggesting global relations is more secure, somewhat." Modern Parallels and Present Dangers Or is it? One reason why this series feels so necessary is because we once again are living in a perilous era. The symbolic clock of doom is closer to midnight in its history, partly since today's statesmen don’t seem to be able to comprehend
During the month of October 1962, the world edged closer to ruin than at any other point in recent history. This occurred after a US surveillance aircraft discovered that Soviet atomic missile sites were being built on Cuba, a mere 100 miles off the coast of the United States. Reacting to this, U.S. President John F Kennedy commanded a naval task force to impose a maritime quarantine encircling Cuba. The next phase was almost a fortnight filled with unbearable tension. The Unthinkable Threat The threat was palpable. If Kennedy, or the Russian opposite, Nikita Khrushchev, initiated an attack against the other side, a series of worldwide atomic attacks followed by counterstrikes could have followed, plunging civilization toward all-out ruination. This pivotal 1962 event has been examined endlessly, in volumes, movies, and television programmes. But, for its third season, the BBC World Service podcast titled "The Bomb" introduces an unprecedented dimension to the story. The series is co-presented featuring Kennedy's relative alongside Khrushchev's descendant, family members of the men that, for 13 days, grasped the destiny of the planet in their hands. "What were the Soviet side planning? What was the United States considering?" questions Nina Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s descendant and an academic of global relations. In her view, the strength of the show is its attempt to explore: "How can individuals hate one another to the point they oppose one another?" "It struck me how profound the fact that humans can be allies or have the potential to be total enemies," adds Kennedy, the son of RFK, nephew of JFK and currently a writer as well as attorney. "History shows this dynamic repeatedly when countries enter into conflict, demonstrating the sheer folly it is to fight." The Brink Towards Disaster What’s remarkable about the Cuban missile crisis was that, because it unfolded so publicly, people worldwide could watch nearly in real time while it moved closer to catastrophe. Nonetheless, the danger of destruction came closer than what most people understood at the time. "The overwhelming majority among Kennedy's advisors were advocating for an airstrike followed by an invasion," explains Kennedy. "If we had attacked Cuba using the naval blockade, it is certain the Russians on the ground would've fired a tactical nuclear weapon against the American ships, and that would've destroyed our aircraft carriers and sunk our largest and most important naval force. And, we would have responded with an overwhelming counterattack which would have ended most life on the planet." The reality this did not occur is a testament to both leaders, they managed to exercise restraint and calmly negotiate when hawkish elements around them demanded military action. As a result, Khrushchev agreed to withdraw the missiles from Cuba and Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed at the time) removed American missiles based in Turkey. The relief was immense, matched by the sense of hope. The Divergent Viewpoint Still, during those 13 days of October 1962, the anxiety was palpable globally. The Bomb’s co-hosts were born shortly after the crisis, and Nina learned about the crisis via the USSR's school curriculum, which painted an alternative picture of what happened. "As you mentioned your parent recalls it, and it was a scary day," Khrushcheva notes. "However in the Soviet Union, people were largely unaware a great deal regarding the crisis, since it was a crisis, and in the Soviet Union the official line was that everything was constantly fine or positive." Inside Khrushchev’s family, though, the perspective was distinct. "I was informed that it was a triumphant occasion for the USSR, because it represented a direct confrontation. They were able to resolve it, thus didn’t start a global war, which was a wonderful outcome," she adds. In the years to come, though, that view would not be held by all Russians. "For a long time in Russian politics, it was considered a setback for the Soviet leader, simply he didn’t blow up America." An Unprecedented Partnership This podcast is so balanced and well produced so much so that Nina jokes it almost made her forget the known the ending. This effect is, partly, due to the participation of historians. Yet, really, the most significant thing remains the involvement of the descendants. Not so long ago, it was unthinkable that relatives of the leaders of America and the Soviet Union to appear together publicly. The fact that these two individuals can do that, and exhibit such warmth toward one another, has to be a symbol of progress. "Max and I are not the first," notes Nina. "Following 1991, my uncle moved to America and became great friends with the former president's family." "However we had never met before the podcast," adds Kennedy. "Which is unfortunate because we connected really well and now we are friends, something that is wonderful. Ultimately, after almost six decades of nearly annihilating the world, our lineages have become friends, suggesting global relations is more secure, somewhat." Modern Parallels and Present Dangers Or is it? One reason why this series feels so necessary is because we once again are living in a perilous era. The symbolic clock of doom is closer to midnight in its history, partly since today's statesmen don’t seem to be able to comprehend