🔗 Share this article Following nearly annihilating our planet, the relatives have become friends’: a gripping audio series from JFK & Nikita Khrushchev’s descendants. During the month of October 1962, the planet edged nearer to annihilation more so than ever during recent history. This happened following the discovery that an American surveillance aircraft identified that Soviet nuclear missile bases were being built in the island of Cuba, less than 100 miles off the coast of the United States. Reacting to this, U.S. President JFK ordered a naval task force to establish a naval blockade around Cuba. The next phase was almost a fortnight filled with unbearable stress. The Catastrophic Danger The threat was clear. If President Kennedy, or his Russian opposite, Nikita Khrushchev, were to fire against the other side, a cascade of worldwide nuclear strikes followed by counterstrikes might have followed, casting humanity toward all-out oblivion. The Cuban missile crisis has been documented extensively, through books, movies, as well as TV documentaries. However, in its latest installment, the BBC World Service podcast titled "The Bomb" introduces an unprecedented element to this historical narrative. It is co-presented by Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva, family members belonging to the leaders who, over two tense weeks, grasped the fate of the planet within their grasp. "What were the Russians planning? What were the American side thinking?" ponders Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s descendant and a professor of global relations. For her, the beauty of the show is its attempt to explore: "How can people hate one another to the point they go against one another?" "I am acutely aware how profound the fact that people can be friends or else can become total adversaries," remarks Max Kennedy, the son of RFK, related to JFK and now a writer as well as lawyer. "We see this over and over in instances where nations enter into conflict, highlighting how unbelievably stupid it is to fight." A Brink of Catastrophe What is remarkable regarding the Cuban missile crisis was that, because it transpired in the global spotlight, citizens around the world were able to observe almost in real time as it crept towards armageddon. Nonetheless, the risk of destruction came closer than most people realised. "Virtually everyone in the White House wanted an airstrike followed by a ground invasion," explains Max Kennedy. "If we had struck the Cubans using the naval blockade, it is certain Soviet forces on the ground would've fired a tactical nuclear weapon against the American ships, and that would have obliterated the aircraft carriers and destroyed America's primary naval force. In turn, we would have responded through massive retaliation which would have ended all life on Earth." The fact this did not occur highlights the composure of both leaders, they succeeded in keep their heads and engaging in diplomacy at a time when hawkish elements in their governments were advocating military action. As a result, The Soviet premier removed the missiles in Cuba while Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed at the time) withdrew American missiles from Turkey. The sense of relief was palpable, as was the sense of optimism. A Divergent Viewpoint Still, during those two weeks of October 1962, the tension was palpable globally. The podcast's presenters were born in the years following the crisis, and Nina learned about it via the Soviet school curriculum, which presented an alternative version of what happened. "As you mentioned your father remembers it, and it was a scary day," Khrushcheva notes. "But in the Soviet Union, the public were largely unaware that much regarding the crisis, because it was a tense situation, and under the Soviet system the official line was that things are always fine or positive." Within the Khrushchev household, though, it was distinct. "They told me that it was a triumphant moment it was, because it was a direct confrontation. They were able to find a solution, thus didn’t start the war, which was a wonderful thing," she continues. In the years to come, though, that interpretation was not held by everybody. "For a long time in Russian politics, it was considered a defeat for the Soviet leader, because he didn’t blow up America." A Unlikely Collaboration This podcast is remarkably even-handed and well produced that Nina quips it almost made her forget the known outcome. 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. Not so long ago, it would be inconceivable that relatives of the leaders of the United States and the USSR would appear together publicly. That Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva can do that, and exhibit such warmth toward one another, must be seen as a symbol of hope. "We aren't the pioneers," smiles Nina. "Following the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, a relative moved to America where he formed a close bond with the former president's family." "But we had never met prior to this project," adds Max. "Which is unfortunate because we got along immediately and now we are friends, which is really great. Ultimately, after nearly 60 years of almost destroying the planet, our families are now allies, suggesting global relations is safer, a little bit." Contemporary Echoes and Current Dangers Or is it? One reason why this series seems so urgent is that we now are living in dark times. The symbolic clock of doom is closer to catastrophe in its history, partly since today's statesmen don’t seem to have the capacity to learn
During the month of October 1962, the planet edged nearer to annihilation more so than ever during recent history. This happened following the discovery that an American surveillance aircraft identified that Soviet nuclear missile bases were being built in the island of Cuba, less than 100 miles off the coast of the United States. Reacting to this, U.S. President JFK ordered a naval task force to establish a naval blockade around Cuba. The next phase was almost a fortnight filled with unbearable stress. The Catastrophic Danger The threat was clear. If President Kennedy, or his Russian opposite, Nikita Khrushchev, were to fire against the other side, a cascade of worldwide nuclear strikes followed by counterstrikes might have followed, casting humanity toward all-out oblivion. The Cuban missile crisis has been documented extensively, through books, movies, as well as TV documentaries. However, in its latest installment, the BBC World Service podcast titled "The Bomb" introduces an unprecedented element to this historical narrative. It is co-presented by Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva, family members belonging to the leaders who, over two tense weeks, grasped the fate of the planet within their grasp. "What were the Russians planning? What were the American side thinking?" ponders Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s descendant and a professor of global relations. For her, the beauty of the show is its attempt to explore: "How can people hate one another to the point they go against one another?" "I am acutely aware how profound the fact that people can be friends or else can become total adversaries," remarks Max Kennedy, the son of RFK, related to JFK and now a writer as well as lawyer. "We see this over and over in instances where nations enter into conflict, highlighting how unbelievably stupid it is to fight." A Brink of Catastrophe What is remarkable regarding the Cuban missile crisis was that, because it transpired in the global spotlight, citizens around the world were able to observe almost in real time as it crept towards armageddon. Nonetheless, the risk of destruction came closer than most people realised. "Virtually everyone in the White House wanted an airstrike followed by a ground invasion," explains Max Kennedy. "If we had struck the Cubans using the naval blockade, it is certain Soviet forces on the ground would've fired a tactical nuclear weapon against the American ships, and that would have obliterated the aircraft carriers and destroyed America's primary naval force. In turn, we would have responded through massive retaliation which would have ended all life on Earth." The fact this did not occur highlights the composure of both leaders, they succeeded in keep their heads and engaging in diplomacy at a time when hawkish elements in their governments were advocating military action. As a result, The Soviet premier removed the missiles in Cuba while Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed at the time) withdrew American missiles from Turkey. The sense of relief was palpable, as was the sense of optimism. A Divergent Viewpoint Still, during those two weeks of October 1962, the tension was palpable globally. The podcast's presenters were born in the years following the crisis, and Nina learned about it via the Soviet school curriculum, which presented an alternative version of what happened. "As you mentioned your father remembers it, and it was a scary day," Khrushcheva notes. "But in the Soviet Union, the public were largely unaware that much regarding the crisis, because it was a tense situation, and under the Soviet system the official line was that things are always fine or positive." Within the Khrushchev household, though, it was distinct. "They told me that it was a triumphant moment it was, because it was a direct confrontation. They were able to find a solution, thus didn’t start the war, which was a wonderful thing," she continues. In the years to come, though, that interpretation was not held by everybody. "For a long time in Russian politics, it was considered a defeat for the Soviet leader, because he didn’t blow up America." A Unlikely Collaboration This podcast is remarkably even-handed and well produced that Nina quips it almost made her forget the known outcome. 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. Not so long ago, it would be inconceivable that relatives of the leaders of the United States and the USSR would appear together publicly. That Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva can do that, and exhibit such warmth toward one another, must be seen as a symbol of hope. "We aren't the pioneers," smiles Nina. "Following the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, a relative moved to America where he formed a close bond with the former president's family." "But we had never met prior to this project," adds Max. "Which is unfortunate because we got along immediately and now we are friends, which is really great. Ultimately, after nearly 60 years of almost destroying the planet, our families are now allies, suggesting global relations is safer, a little bit." Contemporary Echoes and Current Dangers Or is it? One reason why this series seems so urgent is that we now are living in dark times. The symbolic clock of doom is closer to catastrophe in its history, partly since today's statesmen don’t seem to have the capacity to learn