🔗 Share this article Following nearly annihilating the planet, the families are allies’: a gripping audio series from JFK and Nikita Khrushchev’s relatives. During the month of October 1962, the planet veered closer toward destruction than at any other point in recent history. This occurred after an American reconnaissance aircraft identified the fact that Soviet nuclear weapon installations were being built in Cuba, a mere 100 miles from American soil. Reacting to this, President JFK ordered the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to establish a naval quarantine encircling the island. The next phase was nearly a fortnight of extreme stress. An Unthinkable Threat The peril was clear. If President Kennedy, or the Soviet counterpart, Premier Khrushchev, initiated an attack against the other side, a series involving global nuclear attacks followed by counterstrikes would have ensued, thrusting humanity toward all-out oblivion. The October crisis has been examined repeatedly, in books, films, and television programmes. However, in its latest installment, the BBC World Service podcast The Bomb introduces a completely new dimension into this historical narrative. The series is jointly hosted featuring Max Kennedy alongside Nina Khrushcheva, relatives of the men that, over 13 days, controlled the fate of the world within their grasp. "What were the Kremlin thinking? What was Washington considering?" ponders Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's descendant who is also an academic specializing in international affairs. For her, the unique appeal of the podcast is its attempt to question: "How can nations hate one another and go against one another?" "It struck me how remarkable it is that individuals can be friends or have the potential to be total enemies," adds Kennedy, the son of Robert Kennedy, related to the late president and now a writer as well as attorney. "We see this dynamic over and over when countries have gone to war, demonstrating the profound irrationality involved to fight." The Precipice Towards Catastrophe What is remarkable regarding the Cuban missile crisis is that, since it unfolded in the global spotlight, individuals worldwide were able to observe nearly as it happened as it crept towards catastrophe. Even so, the danger of annihilation came closer than what most people understood at the time. "Almost all officials in the White House wanted a military strike followed by a ground invasion," notes Max Kennedy. "Had the U.S. attacked Cuba with the Sixth Fleet, there is no question the Russians stationed there would have fired a tactical nuclear weapon against the US Sixth Fleet, which would've destroyed our naval vessels and destroyed our largest and most important naval force. And, the U.S. would have retaliated through massive retaliation that would have ended all life on Earth." The reality this did not occur is a testament to Kennedy and Khrushchev, who succeeded in exercise restraint while engaging in diplomacy when hawkish elements in their governments were advocating action. As a result, The Soviet premier removed the missiles in the Caribbean island and President Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed at the time) removed American missiles from NATO ally Turkey. The sense of relief was palpable, as was the sense of optimism. A Divergent Viewpoint Still, for those 13 days of October 1962, the tension was felt by everyone. The podcast's co-hosts came into the world in the years following the crisis, and Khrushcheva being taught about it via the USSR's education system, which painted a slightly different narrative of events. "You said your father remembers it, describing it as a scary time," she says. "But in the Soviet Union, people really didn’t know a great deal regarding the crisis, because it was a tense situation, and under the Soviet system we were told that everything was constantly wonderful or positive." Inside Khrushchev’s family, though, it was different. "They told me what a great occasion for the USSR, because it was a direct confrontation. They were able to find a solution, and avoided the war, seen as a wonderful outcome," she adds. Later on, though, that view was not shared by all Russians. "For decades in Russian politics, it was considered a defeat for the Soviet leader, simply he didn’t blow up the United States." An Unlikely Partnership The Bomb is remarkably even-handed , well produced that Nina jokes it almost made her forget she already knew the ending. This is, in part, thanks to the participation of historians. Yet, really, the most momentous aspect is the involvement of the hosts themselves. Not so long ago, it was unthinkable for relatives of the leaders of the United States and Soviet Union to appear side by side. The fact that Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva are able to do so, and exhibit such warmth toward one another, must be seen as a sign of progress. "Max and I aren't the first," notes Nina. "After 1991, a relative moved to America where he formed a close bond with the former president's family." "But we had never met before the podcast," adds Kennedy. "That is a shame because we connected really well and now we’re friends, which is really great. Finally, following almost six decades since nearly annihilating the planet, our families have become allies, suggesting the world is more secure, a little bit." Modern Echoes and Current Perils Is that truly the case? Part of the reason this series feels so necessary is because we now are living in dark times. The Doomsday Clock stands nearer to catastrophe than ever before, in part because world leaders don’t seem to be able to learn
During the month of October 1962, the planet veered closer toward destruction than at any other point in recent history. This occurred after an American reconnaissance aircraft identified the fact that Soviet nuclear weapon installations were being built in Cuba, a mere 100 miles from American soil. Reacting to this, President JFK ordered the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to establish a naval quarantine encircling the island. The next phase was nearly a fortnight of extreme stress. An Unthinkable Threat The peril was clear. If President Kennedy, or the Soviet counterpart, Premier Khrushchev, initiated an attack against the other side, a series involving global nuclear attacks followed by counterstrikes would have ensued, thrusting humanity toward all-out oblivion. The October crisis has been examined repeatedly, in books, films, and television programmes. However, in its latest installment, the BBC World Service podcast The Bomb introduces a completely new dimension into this historical narrative. The series is jointly hosted featuring Max Kennedy alongside Nina Khrushcheva, relatives of the men that, over 13 days, controlled the fate of the world within their grasp. "What were the Kremlin thinking? What was Washington considering?" ponders Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's descendant who is also an academic specializing in international affairs. For her, the unique appeal of the podcast is its attempt to question: "How can nations hate one another and go against one another?" "It struck me how remarkable it is that individuals can be friends or have the potential to be total enemies," adds Kennedy, the son of Robert Kennedy, related to the late president and now a writer as well as attorney. "We see this dynamic over and over when countries have gone to war, demonstrating the profound irrationality involved to fight." The Precipice Towards Catastrophe What is remarkable regarding the Cuban missile crisis is that, since it unfolded in the global spotlight, individuals worldwide were able to observe nearly as it happened as it crept towards catastrophe. Even so, the danger of annihilation came closer than what most people understood at the time. "Almost all officials in the White House wanted a military strike followed by a ground invasion," notes Max Kennedy. "Had the U.S. attacked Cuba with the Sixth Fleet, there is no question the Russians stationed there would have fired a tactical nuclear weapon against the US Sixth Fleet, which would've destroyed our naval vessels and destroyed our largest and most important naval force. And, the U.S. would have retaliated through massive retaliation that would have ended all life on Earth." The reality this did not occur is a testament to Kennedy and Khrushchev, who succeeded in exercise restraint while engaging in diplomacy when hawkish elements in their governments were advocating action. As a result, The Soviet premier removed the missiles in the Caribbean island and President Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed at the time) removed American missiles from NATO ally Turkey. The sense of relief was palpable, as was the sense of optimism. A Divergent Viewpoint Still, for those 13 days of October 1962, the tension was felt by everyone. The podcast's co-hosts came into the world in the years following the crisis, and Khrushcheva being taught about it via the USSR's education system, which painted a slightly different narrative of events. "You said your father remembers it, describing it as a scary time," she says. "But in the Soviet Union, people really didn’t know a great deal regarding the crisis, because it was a tense situation, and under the Soviet system we were told that everything was constantly wonderful or positive." Inside Khrushchev’s family, though, it was different. "They told me what a great occasion for the USSR, because it was a direct confrontation. They were able to find a solution, and avoided the war, seen as a wonderful outcome," she adds. Later on, though, that view was not shared by all Russians. "For decades in Russian politics, it was considered a defeat for the Soviet leader, simply he didn’t blow up the United States." An Unlikely Partnership The Bomb is remarkably even-handed , well produced that Nina jokes it almost made her forget she already knew the ending. This is, in part, thanks to the participation of historians. Yet, really, the most momentous aspect is the involvement of the hosts themselves. Not so long ago, it was unthinkable for relatives of the leaders of the United States and Soviet Union to appear side by side. The fact that Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva are able to do so, and exhibit such warmth toward one another, must be seen as a sign of progress. "Max and I aren't the first," notes Nina. "After 1991, a relative moved to America where he formed a close bond with the former president's family." "But we had never met before the podcast," adds Kennedy. "That is a shame because we connected really well and now we’re friends, which is really great. Finally, following almost six decades since nearly annihilating the planet, our families have become allies, suggesting the world is more secure, a little bit." Modern Echoes and Current Perils Is that truly the case? Part of the reason this series feels so necessary is because we now are living in dark times. The Doomsday Clock stands nearer to catastrophe than ever before, in part because world leaders don’t seem to be able to learn