🔗 Share this article ‘After almost annihilating our world, our relatives are allies’: the thrilling audio series from John F. Kennedy & Khrushchev’s relatives. During the month of October 1962, the planet edged nearer to annihilation than at any other point in the contemporary era. This happened following the discovery that an American reconnaissance plane identified that Soviet atomic weapon bases were being built in the island of Cuba, a mere 160 kilometers off the coast of American soil. Reacting to this, President JFK commanded a naval task force to impose a maritime quarantine encircling the island. The ensuing period was almost a fortnight of extreme tension. An Unthinkable Threat The danger was clear. If Kennedy, or else the Soviet counterpart, Premier Khrushchev, had fired on their enemy, a cascade of worldwide nuclear strikes followed by retaliatory strikes could have ensued, plunging mankind into all-out destruction. This pivotal 1962 event has been covered repeatedly, through books, movies, and TV documentaries. However, in its latest installment, the audio documentary series The Bomb introduces a novel dimension into the story. The series is jointly hosted featuring Max Kennedy and Khrushchev's descendant, relatives belonging to the figures who, over two tense weeks, held the fate of humanity in their hands. "What was the Kremlin thinking? What were Washington thinking?" questions Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s descendant who is also a professor of global relations. For her, the beauty of the podcast is its attempt to explore: "Why do individuals hate one another and oppose one another?" "It was not lost on me how remarkable the fact that people have the potential to be allies or else have the potential to be complete enemies," remarks Kennedy, son of RFK, related to the late president and currently an author as well as lawyer. "We see this repeatedly in instances where countries have gone to war, highlighting how unbelievably stupid involved to fight." A Precipice of Disaster What’s striking about the Cuban missile crisis was that, since it unfolded so publicly, individuals around the world were able to observe nearly in real time while it moved closer to catastrophe. However, the threat of annihilation was more imminent than what most people realised. "The overwhelming majority in the White House wanted an airstrike and a ground invasion," explains Max Kennedy. "If we had attacked Cuba using the naval blockade, there is no question Soviet forces on the ground would've fired a tactical nuclear weapon against the American ships, which would've destroyed our naval vessels as well as sunk America's primary naval force. And, the U.S. would have retaliated through an overwhelming counterattack that would have eradicated most life on Earth." The fact this did not occur stands as credit to both leaders, who succeeded in remain calm while calmly negotiate when hawkish elements around them were advocating military action. Consequently, Khrushchev agreed to withdraw the nuclear weapons from Cuba and President Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed then) withdrew American similar weapons based in Turkey. The sense of relief was worldwide, as was a feeling of optimism. The Divergent Perspective Yet, during those two weeks in October, the fear was felt by everyone. The Bomb’s co-hosts were born shortly after the crisis, and Nina being taught about it through the USSR's education system, which portrayed a slightly different picture of events. "You said your parent recalls it, describing it as a scary time," she says. "However in the Soviet Union, people really didn’t know a great deal regarding the crisis, because it was a tense situation, and in the Soviet Union the official line was that things are constantly fine and sunny." Inside the Khrushchev household, however, it was different. "I was informed what a great occasion it was, as it was eyeball to eyeball. They were able to resolve it, thus didn’t start a global war, seen as a positive outcome," she adds. Subsequently, however, that perspective was not held by everybody. "For decades in Russian politics, it was considered a setback for Khrushchev, because he refrained from destroying the United States." An Unprecedented Collaboration The Bomb is remarkably even-handed , well produced that Nina jokes she nearly forgot the known outcome. This is, partly, due to contributions from historians. But, really, the most significant aspect is the participation of the hosts themselves. 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 can do that, and exhibit such warmth with each other, has to be a symbol of optimism. "Max and I are not the pioneers," notes Nina. "After the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, a relative Sergey Khrushchev’s son and formed a close bond with Dwight Eisenhower’s children." "However we were strangers prior to this project," adds Max. "That is unfortunate since we connected really well and we’re friends, something that is wonderful. Finally, following almost six decades since almost destroying the planet, our families are now allies, so I think the world is more secure, a little bit." Modern Parallels with Present Perils Is that truly the case? Part of why The Bomb seems so urgent is because we now are living living through dark times. The symbolic clock of doom stands nearer to catastrophe in its history, partly since today's statesmen don’t seem to have the capacity to grasp
During the month of October 1962, the planet edged nearer to annihilation than at any other point in the contemporary era. This happened following the discovery that an American reconnaissance plane identified that Soviet atomic weapon bases were being built in the island of Cuba, a mere 160 kilometers off the coast of American soil. Reacting to this, President JFK commanded a naval task force to impose a maritime quarantine encircling the island. The ensuing period was almost a fortnight of extreme tension. An Unthinkable Threat The danger was clear. If Kennedy, or else the Soviet counterpart, Premier Khrushchev, had fired on their enemy, a cascade of worldwide nuclear strikes followed by retaliatory strikes could have ensued, plunging mankind into all-out destruction. This pivotal 1962 event has been covered repeatedly, through books, movies, and TV documentaries. However, in its latest installment, the audio documentary series The Bomb introduces a novel dimension into the story. The series is jointly hosted featuring Max Kennedy and Khrushchev's descendant, relatives belonging to the figures who, over two tense weeks, held the fate of humanity in their hands. "What was the Kremlin thinking? What were Washington thinking?" questions Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s descendant who is also a professor of global relations. For her, the beauty of the podcast is its attempt to explore: "Why do individuals hate one another and oppose one another?" "It was not lost on me how remarkable the fact that people have the potential to be allies or else have the potential to be complete enemies," remarks Kennedy, son of RFK, related to the late president and currently an author as well as lawyer. "We see this repeatedly in instances where countries have gone to war, highlighting how unbelievably stupid involved to fight." A Precipice of Disaster What’s striking about the Cuban missile crisis was that, since it unfolded so publicly, individuals around the world were able to observe nearly in real time while it moved closer to catastrophe. However, the threat of annihilation was more imminent than what most people realised. "The overwhelming majority in the White House wanted an airstrike and a ground invasion," explains Max Kennedy. "If we had attacked Cuba using the naval blockade, there is no question Soviet forces on the ground would've fired a tactical nuclear weapon against the American ships, which would've destroyed our naval vessels as well as sunk America's primary naval force. And, the U.S. would have retaliated through an overwhelming counterattack that would have eradicated most life on Earth." The fact this did not occur stands as credit to both leaders, who succeeded in remain calm while calmly negotiate when hawkish elements around them were advocating military action. Consequently, Khrushchev agreed to withdraw the nuclear weapons from Cuba and President Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed then) withdrew American similar weapons based in Turkey. The sense of relief was worldwide, as was a feeling of optimism. The Divergent Perspective Yet, during those two weeks in October, the fear was felt by everyone. The Bomb’s co-hosts were born shortly after the crisis, and Nina being taught about it through the USSR's education system, which portrayed a slightly different picture of events. "You said your parent recalls it, describing it as a scary time," she says. "However in the Soviet Union, people really didn’t know a great deal regarding the crisis, because it was a tense situation, and in the Soviet Union the official line was that things are constantly fine and sunny." Inside the Khrushchev household, however, it was different. "I was informed what a great occasion it was, as it was eyeball to eyeball. They were able to resolve it, thus didn’t start a global war, seen as a positive outcome," she adds. Subsequently, however, that perspective was not held by everybody. "For decades in Russian politics, it was considered a setback for Khrushchev, because he refrained from destroying the United States." An Unprecedented Collaboration The Bomb is remarkably even-handed , well produced that Nina jokes she nearly forgot the known outcome. This is, partly, due to contributions from historians. But, really, the most significant aspect is the participation of the hosts themselves. 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 can do that, and exhibit such warmth with each other, has to be a symbol of optimism. "Max and I are not the pioneers," notes Nina. "After the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, a relative Sergey Khrushchev’s son and formed a close bond with Dwight Eisenhower’s children." "However we were strangers prior to this project," adds Max. "That is unfortunate since we connected really well and we’re friends, something that is wonderful. Finally, following almost six decades since almost destroying the planet, our families are now allies, so I think the world is more secure, a little bit." Modern Parallels with Present Perils Is that truly the case? Part of why The Bomb seems so urgent is because we now are living living through dark times. The symbolic clock of doom stands nearer to catastrophe in its history, partly since today's statesmen don’t seem to have the capacity to grasp