🔗 Share this article Following nearly destroying the world, the families are allies’: a gripping audio series featuring John F. Kennedy and Khrushchev’s descendants. During the month of October 1962, the planet edged nearer to destruction than at any other point in recent history. This occurred when a US surveillance aircraft identified that Soviet atomic weapon sites were under construction on Cuba, a mere 100 miles from the United States. Reacting to this, President John F Kennedy directed the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to establish a maritime quarantine around the island. What followed constituted nearly 14 days of impossible stress. An Catastrophic Danger The peril was clear. Should Kennedy, or his Soviet counterpart, Premier Khrushchev, initiated an attack on their enemy, a cascade of global atomic strikes and retaliatory strikes would have followed, thrusting mankind toward total oblivion. The October crisis has been covered repeatedly, in books, films, as well as television programmes. However, in its latest installment, the BBC World Service podcast titled "The Bomb" presents a novel element to the story. It is co-presented by Kennedy's relative and Khrushchev's descendant, family members of the leaders who, over two tense weeks, grasped the destiny of the planet in their hands. "What was the Kremlin planning? What was the United States considering?" ponders Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s great-granddaughter and a professor of global relations. In her view, the beauty of the show lies in its endeavor to objectively ask: "How can people detest one another to the point they confront one another?" "It was not lost on me how spectacular the fact that humans have the potential to be allies or else have the potential to be complete adversaries," states Max Kennedy, the son of Robert Kennedy, related to JFK and currently a writer and attorney. "History shows this dynamic over and over in instances where countries have gone to war, and it just illustrates the profound irrationality it is to fight." A Brink Towards Disaster What is remarkable about this event is that, since it unfolded in the global spotlight, individuals globally could watch almost as it happened as it crept towards catastrophe. However, the danger of annihilation was more imminent than what anybody understood at the time. "Almost all officials among Kennedy's advisors wanted an airstrike followed by an invasion," notes Kennedy. "If we had struck the Cubans with the Sixth Fleet, there is no question the Russians stationed there would've deployed a nuclear warhead at the US Sixth Fleet, and that would have sunk the aircraft carriers and destroyed our primary naval force. In turn, we would have responded with an overwhelming counterattack which would have ended all life on the planet." The fact this did not occur is a testament to Kennedy and Khrushchev, who succeeded in exercise restraint while calmly negotiate when everyone around them demanded military action. As a result, Khrushchev agreed to withdraw the missiles in Cuba and Kennedy (although not reported then) withdrew American missiles based in Turkey. The relief was worldwide, matched by the sense of optimism. The Divergent Perspective Yet, during those 13 days of October 1962, the tension was palpable by everyone. The Bomb’s co-hosts were born in the years following the crisis, with Nina learned about it through the USSR's school curriculum, which presented a slightly different picture of what happened. "You said your parent recalls it, describing it as a scary day," Khrushcheva notes. "But for Soviet citizens, people were largely unaware that much regarding the crisis, since it was a crisis, and in the Soviet Union the official line was that everything was constantly wonderful or sunny." Within the Khrushchev household, however, the perspective was distinct. "I was informed what a great moment for the USSR, as it was a direct confrontation. The leaders managed to find a solution, thus didn’t start the war, seen as a positive outcome," she continues. In the years to come, though, that perspective was not shared by all Russians. "For decades in Russian politics, the crisis was viewed as a setback for Khrushchev, simply he refrained from destroying the United States." A Unprecedented Collaboration This podcast is remarkably balanced , well produced so much so that Khrushcheva jokes she nearly forgot the known outcome. This effect is, partly, thanks to the participation of historians. Yet, truly, the most groundbreaking thing remains the involvement of the descendants. Even within living memory, it would be unthinkable that relatives of the leaders of America and USSR to appear together publicly. The fact that these two individuals are able to do so, and be so warm with each other, has to be a sign of progress. "We are not the pioneers," notes Nina. "After the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, a relative moved to America and formed a close bond with the former president's family." "However we had never met prior to this project," clarifies Kennedy. "That is unfortunate since we got along immediately and now we are friends, something that is wonderful. Ultimately, after almost six decades of almost destroying the planet, our families are now friends, suggesting global relations is more secure, a little bit." Contemporary Parallels with Present Perils Is that truly the case? Part of the reason The Bomb seems so urgent is because we now find ourselves in dark times. The Doomsday Clock stands nearer to catastrophe than ever before, in part because today's statesmen don’t seem to have the capacity to learn
During the month of October 1962, the planet edged nearer to destruction than at any other point in recent history. This occurred when a US surveillance aircraft identified that Soviet atomic weapon sites were under construction on Cuba, a mere 100 miles from the United States. Reacting to this, President John F Kennedy directed the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to establish a maritime quarantine around the island. What followed constituted nearly 14 days of impossible stress. An Catastrophic Danger The peril was clear. Should Kennedy, or his Soviet counterpart, Premier Khrushchev, initiated an attack on their enemy, a cascade of global atomic strikes and retaliatory strikes would have followed, thrusting mankind toward total oblivion. The October crisis has been covered repeatedly, in books, films, as well as television programmes. However, in its latest installment, the BBC World Service podcast titled "The Bomb" presents a novel element to the story. It is co-presented by Kennedy's relative and Khrushchev's descendant, family members of the leaders who, over two tense weeks, grasped the destiny of the planet in their hands. "What was the Kremlin planning? What was the United States considering?" ponders Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s great-granddaughter and a professor of global relations. In her view, the beauty of the show lies in its endeavor to objectively ask: "How can people detest one another to the point they confront one another?" "It was not lost on me how spectacular the fact that humans have the potential to be allies or else have the potential to be complete adversaries," states Max Kennedy, the son of Robert Kennedy, related to JFK and currently a writer and attorney. "History shows this dynamic over and over in instances where countries have gone to war, and it just illustrates the profound irrationality it is to fight." A Brink Towards Disaster What is remarkable about this event is that, since it unfolded in the global spotlight, individuals globally could watch almost as it happened as it crept towards catastrophe. However, the danger of annihilation was more imminent than what anybody understood at the time. "Almost all officials among Kennedy's advisors wanted an airstrike followed by an invasion," notes Kennedy. "If we had struck the Cubans with the Sixth Fleet, there is no question the Russians stationed there would've deployed a nuclear warhead at the US Sixth Fleet, and that would have sunk the aircraft carriers and destroyed our primary naval force. In turn, we would have responded with an overwhelming counterattack which would have ended all life on the planet." The fact this did not occur is a testament to Kennedy and Khrushchev, who succeeded in exercise restraint while calmly negotiate when everyone around them demanded military action. As a result, Khrushchev agreed to withdraw the missiles in Cuba and Kennedy (although not reported then) withdrew American missiles based in Turkey. The relief was worldwide, matched by the sense of optimism. The Divergent Perspective Yet, during those 13 days of October 1962, the tension was palpable by everyone. The Bomb’s co-hosts were born in the years following the crisis, with Nina learned about it through the USSR's school curriculum, which presented a slightly different picture of what happened. "You said your parent recalls it, describing it as a scary day," Khrushcheva notes. "But for Soviet citizens, people were largely unaware that much regarding the crisis, since it was a crisis, and in the Soviet Union the official line was that everything was constantly wonderful or sunny." Within the Khrushchev household, however, the perspective was distinct. "I was informed what a great moment for the USSR, as it was a direct confrontation. The leaders managed to find a solution, thus didn’t start the war, seen as a positive outcome," she continues. In the years to come, though, that perspective was not shared by all Russians. "For decades in Russian politics, the crisis was viewed as a setback for Khrushchev, simply he refrained from destroying the United States." A Unprecedented Collaboration This podcast is remarkably balanced , well produced so much so that Khrushcheva jokes she nearly forgot the known outcome. This effect is, partly, thanks to the participation of historians. Yet, truly, the most groundbreaking thing remains the involvement of the descendants. Even within living memory, it would be unthinkable that relatives of the leaders of America and USSR to appear together publicly. The fact that these two individuals are able to do so, and be so warm with each other, has to be a sign of progress. "We are not the pioneers," notes Nina. "After the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, a relative moved to America and formed a close bond with the former president's family." "However we had never met prior to this project," clarifies Kennedy. "That is unfortunate since we got along immediately and now we are friends, something that is wonderful. Ultimately, after almost six decades of almost destroying the planet, our families are now friends, suggesting global relations is more secure, a little bit." Contemporary Parallels with Present Perils Is that truly the case? Part of the reason The Bomb seems so urgent is because we now find ourselves in dark times. The Doomsday Clock stands nearer to catastrophe than ever before, in part because today's statesmen don’t seem to have the capacity to learn