🔗 Share this article ‘After almost destroying our planet, our families are friends’: a thrilling audio series featuring John F. Kennedy & Khrushchev’s relatives. In the month of October 1962, the world veered closer toward annihilation than at any other point in modern times. This transpired following the discovery that a US surveillance plane found that Soviet nuclear weapon sites were being assembled in the island of Cuba, a mere 100 miles off the coast of the United States. Reacting to this, President John F Kennedy commanded a naval task force to enact a naval quarantine encircling Cuba. The ensuing period was almost two weeks filled with impossible tension. The Unthinkable Threat The peril was clear. If President Kennedy, or his Russian opposite, Premier Khrushchev, initiated an attack on the other side, a cascade of global nuclear attacks and retaliatory strikes might have followed, plunging civilization into all-out destruction. The Cuban missile crisis has been documented extensively, through books, movies, and television programmes. However, for its third season, the audio documentary series The Bomb has brought a completely new perspective into the story. The series is jointly hosted by Kennedy's relative and Khrushchev's descendant, family members belonging to the men that, for 13 days, grasped the fate of humanity within their grasp. "What was the Kremlin considering? What were the American side thinking?" questions Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s descendant who is also a professor of global relations. For her, the strength of the show lies in its attempt to explore: "How can nations detest each other and confront each other?" "It struck me how spectacular it is that people have the potential to be allies or can become total enemies," remarks Max Kennedy, son of RFK, nephew of JFK and now a writer as well as lawyer. "We see this over and over in instances where nations have gone to war, demonstrating how unbelievably stupid it is to fight." A Brink of Disaster What is notable regarding this event is that, since it unfolded so publicly, individuals worldwide were able to observe nearly as it happened while it moved closer to catastrophe. Nonetheless, the risk of destruction came closer than most people understood at the time. "The overwhelming majority in the White House were advocating for a military strike followed by an invasion," says Max Kennedy. "If we had attacked Cuba using the Sixth Fleet, it is certain the Russians stationed there would've deployed a tactical nuclear weapon at the American ships, and that would've destroyed the naval vessels as well as destroyed America's largest and most important naval force. And, we would have retaliated with massive retaliation which would have eradicated all life on Earth." The reality this did not occur highlights the composure of both leaders, they succeeded in exercise restraint and calmly negotiate when many advisors around them demanded action. Consequently, Khrushchev removed the nuclear weapons in the Caribbean island while Kennedy (although not reported at the time) removed his missiles based in Turkey. The sense of relief was worldwide, as was a feeling of optimism. A Different Perspective Still, for those 13 days in October, the tension was palpable globally. The Bomb’s presenters were born shortly after these events, with Khrushcheva learned about it via the Soviet school curriculum, which presented an alternative picture of what happened. "You said your parent remembers it, and it was a frightening time," Khrushcheva notes. "However for Soviet citizens, the public really didn’t know that much regarding the crisis, since it was a tense situation, and under the Soviet system the official line was that everything was constantly wonderful and positive." Within Khrushchev’s family, though, it was different. "I was informed what a great moment it was, as it represented a direct confrontation. The leaders managed to resolve it, and avoided a global war, which was a wonderful thing," she adds. Subsequently, though, that interpretation was not shared by all Russians. "For decades within Russian historical analysis, it was considered a failure for Khrushchev, because he didn’t blow up America." A Unprecedented Partnership The Bomb is remarkably even-handed and expertly crafted so much so that Nina jokes it almost made her forget the known the ending. This effect is, in part, due to the participation of renowned scholars. Yet, truly, the most groundbreaking aspect is the involvement of the hosts themselves. Not so long ago, it was inconceivable that descendants of the leaders of the United States and the USSR to appear side by side. The fact that Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva can do that, and exhibit such warmth with each other, has to be a sign of hope. "We are not the pioneers," notes Nina. "Following the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, my uncle Sergey Khrushchev’s son where he formed a close bond with Dwight Eisenhower’s children." "However we were strangers before the podcast," adds Kennedy. "Which is unfortunate because we connected immediately and now we are friends, something that is wonderful. Finally, after nearly six decades of nearly annihilating the planet, our lineages have become allies, suggesting the world is safer, a little bit." Modern Echoes with Current Dangers Or is it? One reason why this series seems so urgent is that we now find ourselves in dark times. The Doomsday Clock stands nearer to midnight than ever before, partly since world leaders don’t seem to have the capacity to comprehend
In the month of October 1962, the world veered closer toward annihilation than at any other point in modern times. This transpired following the discovery that a US surveillance plane found that Soviet nuclear weapon sites were being assembled in the island of Cuba, a mere 100 miles off the coast of the United States. Reacting to this, President John F Kennedy commanded a naval task force to enact a naval quarantine encircling Cuba. The ensuing period was almost two weeks filled with impossible tension. The Unthinkable Threat The peril was clear. If President Kennedy, or his Russian opposite, Premier Khrushchev, initiated an attack on the other side, a cascade of global nuclear attacks and retaliatory strikes might have followed, plunging civilization into all-out destruction. The Cuban missile crisis has been documented extensively, through books, movies, and television programmes. However, for its third season, the audio documentary series The Bomb has brought a completely new perspective into the story. The series is jointly hosted by Kennedy's relative and Khrushchev's descendant, family members belonging to the men that, for 13 days, grasped the fate of humanity within their grasp. "What was the Kremlin considering? What were the American side thinking?" questions Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s descendant who is also a professor of global relations. For her, the strength of the show lies in its attempt to explore: "How can nations detest each other and confront each other?" "It struck me how spectacular it is that people have the potential to be allies or can become total enemies," remarks Max Kennedy, son of RFK, nephew of JFK and now a writer as well as lawyer. "We see this over and over in instances where nations have gone to war, demonstrating how unbelievably stupid it is to fight." A Brink of Disaster What is notable regarding this event is that, since it unfolded so publicly, individuals worldwide were able to observe nearly as it happened while it moved closer to catastrophe. Nonetheless, the risk of destruction came closer than most people understood at the time. "The overwhelming majority in the White House were advocating for a military strike followed by an invasion," says Max Kennedy. "If we had attacked Cuba using the Sixth Fleet, it is certain the Russians stationed there would've deployed a tactical nuclear weapon at the American ships, and that would've destroyed the naval vessels as well as destroyed America's largest and most important naval force. And, we would have retaliated with massive retaliation which would have eradicated all life on Earth." The reality this did not occur highlights the composure of both leaders, they succeeded in exercise restraint and calmly negotiate when many advisors around them demanded action. Consequently, Khrushchev removed the nuclear weapons in the Caribbean island while Kennedy (although not reported at the time) removed his missiles based in Turkey. The sense of relief was worldwide, as was a feeling of optimism. A Different Perspective Still, for those 13 days in October, the tension was palpable globally. The Bomb’s presenters were born shortly after these events, with Khrushcheva learned about it via the Soviet school curriculum, which presented an alternative picture of what happened. "You said your parent remembers it, and it was a frightening time," Khrushcheva notes. "However for Soviet citizens, the public really didn’t know that much regarding the crisis, since it was a tense situation, and under the Soviet system the official line was that everything was constantly wonderful and positive." Within Khrushchev’s family, though, it was different. "I was informed what a great moment it was, as it represented a direct confrontation. The leaders managed to resolve it, and avoided a global war, which was a wonderful thing," she adds. Subsequently, though, that interpretation was not shared by all Russians. "For decades within Russian historical analysis, it was considered a failure for Khrushchev, because he didn’t blow up America." A Unprecedented Partnership The Bomb is remarkably even-handed and expertly crafted so much so that Nina jokes it almost made her forget the known the ending. This effect is, in part, due to the participation of renowned scholars. Yet, truly, the most groundbreaking aspect is the involvement of the hosts themselves. Not so long ago, it was inconceivable that descendants of the leaders of the United States and the USSR to appear side by side. The fact that Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva can do that, and exhibit such warmth with each other, has to be a sign of hope. "We are not the pioneers," notes Nina. "Following the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, my uncle Sergey Khrushchev’s son where he formed a close bond with Dwight Eisenhower’s children." "However we were strangers before the podcast," adds Kennedy. "Which is unfortunate because we connected immediately and now we are friends, something that is wonderful. Finally, after nearly six decades of nearly annihilating the planet, our lineages have become allies, suggesting the world is safer, a little bit." Modern Echoes with Current Dangers Or is it? One reason why this series seems so urgent is that we now find ourselves in dark times. The Doomsday Clock stands nearer to midnight than ever before, partly since world leaders don’t seem to have the capacity to comprehend