🔗 Share this article ‘After nearly annihilating the world, our relatives have become allies’: the thrilling podcast from JFK and Khrushchev’s relatives. During October 1962, the world edged closer toward ruin than at any other point during modern times. This happened when an American reconnaissance aircraft discovered that Russian nuclear missile sites were being built on the island of Cuba, a mere 100 miles off the coast of the US mainland. In response, U.S. President John F Kennedy ordered a naval task force to establish a naval blockade encircling Cuba. What followed was almost two weeks of extreme tension. An Catastrophic Threat The threat remained obvious. If Kennedy, or else the Soviet counterpart, Nikita Khrushchev, initiated an attack on their enemy, a cascade of global atomic strikes followed by counterstrikes could have followed, casting mankind into total destruction. The Cuban missile crisis has been documented extensively, in volumes, films, and TV documentaries. However, in its latest installment, a prominent audio documentary series The Bomb has brought a completely new dimension to the story. It is co-presented featuring Max Kennedy and Khrushchev's descendant, relatives of the figures who, for 13 days, grasped the fate of the planet within their grasp. "What were the Soviet side planning? What were the American side considering?" asks Nina Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's great-granddaughter and an academic of international affairs. In her view, the strength of the show lies in its attempt to question: "Why do nations hate each other and go against each other?" "I am acutely aware how spectacular it is that individuals can be friends or can become total enemies," adds Max Kennedy, the son of Robert Kennedy, nephew of JFK and currently a writer as well as attorney. "We see this dynamic repeatedly when nations have gone to war, and it just illustrates how unbelievably stupid involved to fight." The Precipice Towards Disaster What is remarkable regarding this event is that, since it transpired so publicly, citizens globally could watch almost in real time while it crept closer to catastrophe. However, the threat of destruction came closer than what anybody realised. "Almost all officials among Kennedy's advisors wanted a military strike followed by an invasion," says Kennedy. "If we had attacked the Cubans using the naval blockade, there is no question Soviet forces stationed there would've deployed a tactical nuclear weapon against the US Sixth Fleet, and that would've destroyed the aircraft carriers and sunk our largest and most important naval force. In turn, the U.S. would have responded with an overwhelming counterattack which would have eradicated all life on Earth." The reality this did not occur highlights the composure of Kennedy and Khrushchev, who succeeded in remain calm and engaging in diplomacy when hawkish elements in their governments was pushing for action. Consequently, Khrushchev agreed to withdraw the nuclear weapons in the Caribbean island and President Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed then) removed American similar weapons from Turkey. The sense of relief was immense, matched by the sense of hope. A Different Viewpoint Yet, during those 13 days in October, the anxiety was palpable globally. The podcast's presenters came into the world shortly after the crisis, with Nina being taught about the crisis through the Soviet school curriculum, which painted a slightly different picture of events. "You said your father remembers it, and it was a frightening day," Khrushcheva notes. "But in the Soviet Union, people were largely unaware that much regarding the crisis, since it was a tense situation, whereas in the Soviet Union the official line was that everything was always fine or positive." Within the Khrushchev household, however, the perspective was distinct. "I was informed what a great occasion for the USSR, as it represented eyeball to eyeball. The leaders managed to resolve it, and avoided the war, seen as a wonderful thing," she continues. In the years to come, however, that interpretation was not held by all Russians. "For a long time within Russian historical analysis, the crisis was viewed as a failure for Khrushchev, because he refrained from destroying the United States." A Unprecedented Partnership This podcast is so even-handed and expertly crafted that Khrushcheva quips she nearly forgot she already knew the ending. This is, partly, thanks to the participation of historians. Yet, really, the most momentous aspect is the participation of the descendants. Even within living memory, it was unthinkable for descendants of the heads of state of the United States and USSR would appear side by side. The fact that these two individuals are able to do so, and be so warm toward one another, must be seen as a symbol of hope. "Max and I aren't the first," notes Khrushcheva. "After 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," clarifies Max. "Which is unfortunate because we got along really well and we’re friends, something that is wonderful. Ultimately, after nearly 60 years of almost destroying the world, our families are now allies, suggesting the world is more secure, somewhat." Modern Echoes and Present Dangers Or is it? One reason the reason The Bomb feels so necessary is because we now are living living through a perilous era. The Doomsday Clock is closer to midnight in its history, partly since today's statesmen appear not to be able to learn
During October 1962, the world edged closer toward ruin than at any other point during modern times. This happened when an American reconnaissance aircraft discovered that Russian nuclear missile sites were being built on the island of Cuba, a mere 100 miles off the coast of the US mainland. In response, U.S. President John F Kennedy ordered a naval task force to establish a naval blockade encircling Cuba. What followed was almost two weeks of extreme tension. An Catastrophic Threat The threat remained obvious. If Kennedy, or else the Soviet counterpart, Nikita Khrushchev, initiated an attack on their enemy, a cascade of global atomic strikes followed by counterstrikes could have followed, casting mankind into total destruction. The Cuban missile crisis has been documented extensively, in volumes, films, and TV documentaries. However, in its latest installment, a prominent audio documentary series The Bomb has brought a completely new dimension to the story. It is co-presented featuring Max Kennedy and Khrushchev's descendant, relatives of the figures who, for 13 days, grasped the fate of the planet within their grasp. "What were the Soviet side planning? What were the American side considering?" asks Nina Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's great-granddaughter and an academic of international affairs. In her view, the strength of the show lies in its attempt to question: "Why do nations hate each other and go against each other?" "I am acutely aware how spectacular it is that individuals can be friends or can become total enemies," adds Max Kennedy, the son of Robert Kennedy, nephew of JFK and currently a writer as well as attorney. "We see this dynamic repeatedly when nations have gone to war, and it just illustrates how unbelievably stupid involved to fight." The Precipice Towards Disaster What is remarkable regarding this event is that, since it transpired so publicly, citizens globally could watch almost in real time while it crept closer to catastrophe. However, the threat of destruction came closer than what anybody realised. "Almost all officials among Kennedy's advisors wanted a military strike followed by an invasion," says Kennedy. "If we had attacked the Cubans using the naval blockade, there is no question Soviet forces stationed there would've deployed a tactical nuclear weapon against the US Sixth Fleet, and that would've destroyed the aircraft carriers and sunk our largest and most important naval force. In turn, the U.S. would have responded with an overwhelming counterattack which would have eradicated all life on Earth." The reality this did not occur highlights the composure of Kennedy and Khrushchev, who succeeded in remain calm and engaging in diplomacy when hawkish elements in their governments was pushing for action. Consequently, Khrushchev agreed to withdraw the nuclear weapons in the Caribbean island and President Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed then) removed American similar weapons from Turkey. The sense of relief was immense, matched by the sense of hope. A Different Viewpoint Yet, during those 13 days in October, the anxiety was palpable globally. The podcast's presenters came into the world shortly after the crisis, with Nina being taught about the crisis through the Soviet school curriculum, which painted a slightly different picture of events. "You said your father remembers it, and it was a frightening day," Khrushcheva notes. "But in the Soviet Union, people were largely unaware that much regarding the crisis, since it was a tense situation, whereas in the Soviet Union the official line was that everything was always fine or positive." Within the Khrushchev household, however, the perspective was distinct. "I was informed what a great occasion for the USSR, as it represented eyeball to eyeball. The leaders managed to resolve it, and avoided the war, seen as a wonderful thing," she continues. In the years to come, however, that interpretation was not held by all Russians. "For a long time within Russian historical analysis, the crisis was viewed as a failure for Khrushchev, because he refrained from destroying the United States." A Unprecedented Partnership This podcast is so even-handed and expertly crafted that Khrushcheva quips she nearly forgot she already knew the ending. This is, partly, thanks to the participation of historians. Yet, really, the most momentous aspect is the participation of the descendants. Even within living memory, it was unthinkable for descendants of the heads of state of the United States and USSR would appear side by side. The fact that these two individuals are able to do so, and be so warm toward one another, must be seen as a symbol of hope. "Max and I aren't the first," notes Khrushcheva. "After 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," clarifies Max. "Which is unfortunate because we got along really well and we’re friends, something that is wonderful. Ultimately, after nearly 60 years of almost destroying the world, our families are now allies, suggesting the world is more secure, somewhat." Modern Echoes and Present Dangers Or is it? One reason the reason The Bomb feels so necessary is because we now are living living through a perilous era. The Doomsday Clock is closer to midnight in its history, partly since today's statesmen appear not to be able to learn