🔗 Share this article ‘After almost destroying the planet, the families have become friends’: a gripping podcast from JFK and Khrushchev’s descendants. In the month of October 1962, humanity came nearer toward destruction than at any other point in the contemporary era. This transpired after a US surveillance plane discovered the fact that Soviet nuclear weapon bases were under construction in Cuba, a mere 100 miles off the coast of the United States. Reacting to this, President JFK ordered a naval task force to establish a maritime quarantine around the island. What followed constituted almost a fortnight filled with impossible tension. An Unthinkable Danger The danger remained palpable. Should President Kennedy, or his Russian opposite, Premier Khrushchev, had fired on the other side, a cascade of worldwide atomic strikes followed by counterstrikes might have followed, casting humanity toward total ruination. This pivotal 1962 event has been documented endlessly, in volumes, films, and television programmes. However, for its third season, a prominent audio documentary series titled "The Bomb" presents a completely new dimension into this historical narrative. It is co-presented featuring Max Kennedy alongside Nina Khrushcheva, family members of the leaders who, over two tense weeks, grasped the destiny of the planet in their hands. "What were the Russians thinking? What was Washington thinking?" questions Nina Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's descendant and a professor of global relations. In her view, the beauty of the podcast lies in its attempt to objectively ask: "How can people detest each other and oppose each other?" "It struck me how spectacular the fact that humans have the potential to be allies or have the potential to be complete enemies," states Max Kennedy, the son of Robert Kennedy, nephew of JFK and now a writer and lawyer. "We see this dynamic repeatedly when countries enter into conflict, demonstrating the sheer folly involved to fight." The Precipice of Catastrophe What’s notable regarding the Cuban missile crisis was that, since it transpired so publicly, citizens worldwide were able to observe almost as it happened as it edged closer to armageddon. However, the danger of destruction came closer than anybody understood at the time. "Virtually everyone among Kennedy's advisors wanted an airstrike followed by an invasion," says Max Kennedy. "If we had struck Cuba with the Sixth Fleet, undoubtedly the Russians on the ground would have launched a tactical nuclear weapon at the American ships, and that would've destroyed the aircraft carriers as well as sunk our largest and most important naval force. In turn, we would have responded with massive retaliation that would have eradicated most life on Earth." The reality this did not occur stands as credit to both leaders, who managed to remain calm while calmly negotiate at a time when everyone in their governments was pushing for military action. As a result, The Soviet premier removed the nuclear weapons from the Caribbean island and Kennedy (although not reported at the time) removed American similar weapons based in NATO ally Turkey. The relief was palpable, as was a feeling of optimism. The Divergent Perspective Yet, during those two weeks in October, the anxiety was felt by everyone. The Bomb’s presenters came into the world in the years following these events, and Khrushcheva being taught about the crisis via the USSR's education system, which portrayed a slightly different version of events. "You said your parent recalls it, describing it as a scary time," she says. "But for Soviet citizens, the public really didn’t know that much about it, because it was a tense situation, and under the Soviet system we were told that everything was constantly wonderful and sunny." Inside the Khrushchev household, though, it was different. "They told me what a great moment it was, because it was eyeball to eyeball. The leaders managed to find a solution, thus avoided a global war, which was a positive thing," she continues. Subsequently, however, that interpretation would not be held by all Russians. "For decades in Russian politics, it was considered a defeat for Khrushchev, because he refrained from destroying the United States." An Unprecedented Collaboration This podcast is so even-handed , expertly crafted that Khrushcheva jokes she nearly forgot the known the ending. This effect is, partly, due to the participation of renowned scholars. But, truly, the most significant thing remains the participation of the hosts themselves. Not so long ago, it was unthinkable that relatives of the leaders of the United States and USSR to appear together publicly. That Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva are able to do so, and exhibit such warmth with each other, must be seen as a symbol of progress. "Max and I are not the first," notes Khrushcheva. "Following 1991, a relative Sergey Khrushchev’s son where he formed a close bond with the former president's family." "However we were strangers before the podcast," adds Max. "Which is unfortunate since we connected really well and we are friends, which is really great. Ultimately, following almost 60 years of nearly annihilating the planet, our families are now friends, so I think the world is safer, a little bit." Modern Parallels and Current Perils Or is it? One reason the reason this series 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 learn
In the month of October 1962, humanity came nearer toward destruction than at any other point in the contemporary era. This transpired after a US surveillance plane discovered the fact that Soviet nuclear weapon bases were under construction in Cuba, a mere 100 miles off the coast of the United States. Reacting to this, President JFK ordered a naval task force to establish a maritime quarantine around the island. What followed constituted almost a fortnight filled with impossible tension. An Unthinkable Danger The danger remained palpable. Should President Kennedy, or his Russian opposite, Premier Khrushchev, had fired on the other side, a cascade of worldwide atomic strikes followed by counterstrikes might have followed, casting humanity toward total ruination. This pivotal 1962 event has been documented endlessly, in volumes, films, and television programmes. However, for its third season, a prominent audio documentary series titled "The Bomb" presents a completely new dimension into this historical narrative. It is co-presented featuring Max Kennedy alongside Nina Khrushcheva, family members of the leaders who, over two tense weeks, grasped the destiny of the planet in their hands. "What were the Russians thinking? What was Washington thinking?" questions Nina Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's descendant and a professor of global relations. In her view, the beauty of the podcast lies in its attempt to objectively ask: "How can people detest each other and oppose each other?" "It struck me how spectacular the fact that humans have the potential to be allies or have the potential to be complete enemies," states Max Kennedy, the son of Robert Kennedy, nephew of JFK and now a writer and lawyer. "We see this dynamic repeatedly when countries enter into conflict, demonstrating the sheer folly involved to fight." The Precipice of Catastrophe What’s notable regarding the Cuban missile crisis was that, since it transpired so publicly, citizens worldwide were able to observe almost as it happened as it edged closer to armageddon. However, the danger of destruction came closer than anybody understood at the time. "Virtually everyone among Kennedy's advisors wanted an airstrike followed by an invasion," says Max Kennedy. "If we had struck Cuba with the Sixth Fleet, undoubtedly the Russians on the ground would have launched a tactical nuclear weapon at the American ships, and that would've destroyed the aircraft carriers as well as sunk our largest and most important naval force. In turn, we would have responded with massive retaliation that would have eradicated most life on Earth." The reality this did not occur stands as credit to both leaders, who managed to remain calm while calmly negotiate at a time when everyone in their governments was pushing for military action. As a result, The Soviet premier removed the nuclear weapons from the Caribbean island and Kennedy (although not reported at the time) removed American similar weapons based in NATO ally Turkey. The relief was palpable, as was a feeling of optimism. The Divergent Perspective Yet, during those two weeks in October, the anxiety was felt by everyone. The Bomb’s presenters came into the world in the years following these events, and Khrushcheva being taught about the crisis via the USSR's education system, which portrayed a slightly different version of events. "You said your parent recalls it, describing it as a scary time," she says. "But for Soviet citizens, the public really didn’t know that much about it, because it was a tense situation, and under the Soviet system we were told that everything was constantly wonderful and sunny." Inside the Khrushchev household, though, it was different. "They told me what a great moment it was, because it was eyeball to eyeball. The leaders managed to find a solution, thus avoided a global war, which was a positive thing," she continues. Subsequently, however, that interpretation would not be held by all Russians. "For decades in Russian politics, it was considered a defeat for Khrushchev, because he refrained from destroying the United States." An Unprecedented Collaboration This podcast is so even-handed , expertly crafted that Khrushcheva jokes she nearly forgot the known the ending. This effect is, partly, due to the participation of renowned scholars. But, truly, the most significant thing remains the participation of the hosts themselves. Not so long ago, it was unthinkable that relatives of the leaders of the United States and USSR to appear together publicly. That Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva are able to do so, and exhibit such warmth with each other, must be seen as a symbol of progress. "Max and I are not the first," notes Khrushcheva. "Following 1991, a relative Sergey Khrushchev’s son where he formed a close bond with the former president's family." "However we were strangers before the podcast," adds Max. "Which is unfortunate since we connected really well and we are friends, which is really great. Ultimately, following almost 60 years of nearly annihilating the planet, our families are now friends, so I think the world is safer, a little bit." Modern Parallels and Current Perils Or is it? One reason the reason this series 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 learn