🔗 Share this article Following almost destroying our world, our families are allies’: the thrilling audio series from JFK & Khrushchev’s descendants. In the month of October 1962, the world edged nearer toward annihilation than at any other point during recent history. This transpired following the discovery that a US reconnaissance plane found that Russian atomic weapon installations were under construction in the island of Cuba, a mere 100 miles off the coast of the US mainland. In response, President JFK commanded the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to establish a maritime blockade encircling the island. The ensuing period constituted nearly 14 days of unbearable anxiety. The Catastrophic Danger The peril was clear. If President Kennedy, or the Soviet counterpart, Nikita Khrushchev, initiated an attack on the other side, a chain reaction of global atomic strikes followed by counterstrikes would have followed, plunging humanity into all-out destruction. The Cuban missile crisis has been examined repeatedly, through volumes, films, and TV documentaries. However, in its latest installment, the BBC World Service podcast titled "The Bomb" has brought an unprecedented dimension into the story. It is co-presented featuring Max Kennedy alongside Nina Khrushcheva, relatives of the figures who, over two tense weeks, held the destiny of humanity in their hands. "What was the Russians planning? What were the American side planning?" questions Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's descendant who is also a professor of international affairs. For her, the beauty of the podcast lies in its endeavor to objectively ask: "Why do people detest one another and oppose one another?" "It was not lost on me how spectacular it is that individuals can be friends or can become total adversaries," states Kennedy, the son of Robert Kennedy, nephew of JFK and currently a writer and lawyer. "We see this over and over in instances where nations enter into conflict, highlighting the profound irrationality involved to fight." The Brink of Disaster What is notable about this event is that, because it unfolded so publicly, citizens worldwide were able to observe almost as it happened while it moved towards armageddon. However, the threat of destruction came closer than what anybody understood at the time. "The overwhelming majority among Kennedy's advisors were advocating for a military strike followed by a ground invasion," notes Kennedy. "If we had attacked the Cubans using the Sixth Fleet, it is certain Soviet forces on the ground would have fired a tactical nuclear weapon against the US Sixth Fleet, which would've sunk our aircraft carriers and sunk America's primary naval force. And, the U.S. would have responded with massive retaliation that would have eradicated all life on the planet." The reality this did not occur is a testament to Kennedy and Khrushchev, who succeeded in keep their heads while calmly negotiate at a time when hawkish elements around them was pushing for military action. As a result, Khrushchev removed the nuclear weapons from the Caribbean island while President Kennedy (although not reported at the time) removed American similar weapons from NATO ally Turkey. The relief was palpable, as was a feeling of hope. A Divergent Viewpoint Still, during those two weeks in October, the fear was felt globally. The podcast's co-hosts were born in the years following the crisis, with Khrushcheva being taught about the crisis via the Soviet education system, which portrayed a slightly different narrative of events. "As you mentioned your father remembers it, and it was a frightening time," Khrushcheva notes. "But for Soviet citizens, people were largely unaware a great deal about it, because it was a crisis, whereas under the Soviet system we were told that things are always fine or sunny." Inside the Khrushchev household, however, the perspective was different. "They told me what a great moment for the USSR, because it was eyeball to eyeball. They were able to resolve it, thus avoided the war, which was a wonderful outcome," she adds. Subsequently, however, that view would not be shared by everybody. "For decades in Russian politics, it was considered a setback for Khrushchev, simply he didn’t blow up the United States." An Unlikely Partnership This podcast is so balanced , well produced that Khrushcheva quips she nearly forgot the known outcome. This effect is, in part, thanks to contributions from renowned scholars. But, truly, the most groundbreaking thing remains the participation of the hosts themselves. Not so long ago, it was unthinkable for descendants of the leaders of the United States and the Soviet Union would appear side by side. The fact that these two individuals are able to do so, and be so warm toward one another, has to be a symbol of optimism. "Max and I are not the pioneers," smiles Khrushcheva. "Following the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, a relative Sergey Khrushchev’s son and became great friends with the former president's family." "But we were strangers prior to this project," clarifies Kennedy. "That is a shame since we connected really well and now we’re friends, something that is wonderful. Ultimately, following almost 60 years of nearly annihilating the planet, our lineages have become friends, suggesting the world is more secure, a little bit." Modern Parallels and Present Dangers Or is it? Part of the reason The Bomb seems so urgent is because we now find ourselves living through a perilous era. The symbolic clock of doom is closer to midnight than ever before, in part because today's statesmen appear not to have the capacity to comprehend
In the month of October 1962, the world edged nearer toward annihilation than at any other point during recent history. This transpired following the discovery that a US reconnaissance plane found that Russian atomic weapon installations were under construction in the island of Cuba, a mere 100 miles off the coast of the US mainland. In response, President JFK commanded the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to establish a maritime blockade encircling the island. The ensuing period constituted nearly 14 days of unbearable anxiety. The Catastrophic Danger The peril was clear. If President Kennedy, or the Soviet counterpart, Nikita Khrushchev, initiated an attack on the other side, a chain reaction of global atomic strikes followed by counterstrikes would have followed, plunging humanity into all-out destruction. The Cuban missile crisis has been examined repeatedly, through volumes, films, and TV documentaries. However, in its latest installment, the BBC World Service podcast titled "The Bomb" has brought an unprecedented dimension into the story. It is co-presented featuring Max Kennedy alongside Nina Khrushcheva, relatives of the figures who, over two tense weeks, held the destiny of humanity in their hands. "What was the Russians planning? What were the American side planning?" questions Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's descendant who is also a professor of international affairs. For her, the beauty of the podcast lies in its endeavor to objectively ask: "Why do people detest one another and oppose one another?" "It was not lost on me how spectacular it is that individuals can be friends or can become total adversaries," states Kennedy, the son of Robert Kennedy, nephew of JFK and currently a writer and lawyer. "We see this over and over in instances where nations enter into conflict, highlighting the profound irrationality involved to fight." The Brink of Disaster What is notable about this event is that, because it unfolded so publicly, citizens worldwide were able to observe almost as it happened while it moved towards armageddon. However, the threat of destruction came closer than what anybody understood at the time. "The overwhelming majority among Kennedy's advisors were advocating for a military strike followed by a ground invasion," notes Kennedy. "If we had attacked the Cubans using the Sixth Fleet, it is certain Soviet forces on the ground would have fired a tactical nuclear weapon against the US Sixth Fleet, which would've sunk our aircraft carriers and sunk America's primary naval force. And, the U.S. would have responded with massive retaliation that would have eradicated all life on the planet." The reality this did not occur is a testament to Kennedy and Khrushchev, who succeeded in keep their heads while calmly negotiate at a time when hawkish elements around them was pushing for military action. As a result, Khrushchev removed the nuclear weapons from the Caribbean island while President Kennedy (although not reported at the time) removed American similar weapons from NATO ally Turkey. The relief was palpable, as was a feeling of hope. A Divergent Viewpoint Still, during those two weeks in October, the fear was felt globally. The podcast's co-hosts were born in the years following the crisis, with Khrushcheva being taught about the crisis via the Soviet education system, which portrayed a slightly different narrative of events. "As you mentioned your father remembers it, and it was a frightening time," Khrushcheva notes. "But for Soviet citizens, people were largely unaware a great deal about it, because it was a crisis, whereas under the Soviet system we were told that things are always fine or sunny." Inside the Khrushchev household, however, the perspective was different. "They told me what a great moment for the USSR, because it was eyeball to eyeball. They were able to resolve it, thus avoided the war, which was a wonderful outcome," she adds. Subsequently, however, that view would not be shared by everybody. "For decades in Russian politics, it was considered a setback for Khrushchev, simply he didn’t blow up the United States." An Unlikely Partnership This podcast is so balanced , well produced that Khrushcheva quips she nearly forgot the known outcome. This effect is, in part, thanks to contributions from renowned scholars. But, truly, the most groundbreaking thing remains the participation of the hosts themselves. Not so long ago, it was unthinkable for descendants of the leaders of the United States and the Soviet Union would appear side by side. The fact that these two individuals are able to do so, and be so warm toward one another, has to be a symbol of optimism. "Max and I are not the pioneers," smiles Khrushcheva. "Following the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, a relative Sergey Khrushchev’s son and became great friends with the former president's family." "But we were strangers prior to this project," clarifies Kennedy. "That is a shame since we connected really well and now we’re friends, something that is wonderful. Ultimately, following almost 60 years of nearly annihilating the planet, our lineages have become friends, suggesting the world is more secure, a little bit." Modern Parallels and Present Dangers Or is it? Part of the reason The Bomb seems so urgent is because we now find ourselves living through a perilous era. The symbolic clock of doom is closer to midnight than ever before, in part because today's statesmen appear not to have the capacity to comprehend