🔗 Share this article ‘After nearly annihilating our planet, our families are allies’: a gripping audio series featuring John F. Kennedy & Khrushchev’s descendants. In October 1962, the world came nearer toward destruction than at any other point in recent history. This happened when a US reconnaissance plane identified the fact that Russian nuclear missile installations were being assembled in Cuba, less than 100 miles off the coast of the US mainland. In response, U.S. President JFK commanded the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to enact a naval quarantine encircling Cuba. The next phase was nearly a fortnight of impossible stress. The Unthinkable Danger The peril remained clear. Should Kennedy, or else his Soviet counterpart, Premier Khrushchev, had fired against the other side, a chain reaction involving worldwide nuclear attacks and retaliatory strikes could have followed, thrusting humanity into total ruination. This pivotal 1962 event has been examined repeatedly, in books, films, and television programmes. But, for its third season, a prominent audio documentary series The Bomb has brought a completely new dimension into the story. The series is co-presented by Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva, relatives of the figures who, for two tense weeks, controlled the destiny of humanity in their hands. "What were the Russians considering? What was the United States considering?" asks Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s great-granddaughter and a professor of global relations. For her, the unique appeal of the podcast is its endeavor to objectively ask: "Why do individuals detest each other to the point they go against each other?" "It was not lost on me how profound it is that individuals have the potential to be allies or have the potential to be complete enemies," adds Max Kennedy, son of RFK, nephew of the late president and currently an author as well as attorney. "We see this repeatedly when nations have gone to war, and it just illustrates how unbelievably stupid involved to engage in warfare." A Brink Towards Disaster What’s remarkable regarding this event was that, since it transpired so publicly, individuals around the world could watch nearly as it happened while it edged closer to armageddon. However, the threat of annihilation came closer than most people realised. "Almost all officials in the White House wanted a military strike and an invasion," explains Kennedy. "If we had attacked the Cubans with the naval blockade, there is no question the Russians on the ground would've launched a tactical nuclear weapon at the US Sixth Fleet, and that would have destroyed our aircraft carriers as well as sunk America's largest and most important fleet. And, we would have retaliated through an overwhelming counterattack which would have eradicated all life on Earth." The fact this did not occur stands as credit to both leaders, who succeeded in exercise restraint and calmly negotiate at a time when everyone around them was pushing for military action. Consequently, The Soviet premier removed the missiles from Cuba while Kennedy (although not reported then) withdrew American missiles from Turkey. The relief was palpable, matched by a feeling of optimism. The Divergent Perspective Still, for those two weeks of October 1962, the fear was felt globally. The podcast's co-hosts came into the world shortly after these events, with Nina being taught about it through the Soviet school curriculum, which portrayed a slightly different picture of what happened. "You said your parent remembers it, and it was a frightening day," she says. "But in the Soviet Union, the public really didn’t know that much regarding the crisis, since it was a tense situation, whereas under the Soviet system the official line was that things are always fine and sunny." Inside the Khrushchev household, however, it was distinct. "I was informed that it was a triumphant moment it was, because it represented eyeball to eyeball. They were able to find a solution, thus didn’t start a global war, which was a positive outcome," she continues. In the years to come, though, that view would not be held by all Russians. "For decades within Russian historical analysis, it was considered a setback for the Soviet leader, simply he didn’t blow up the United States." An Unlikely Collaboration This podcast is remarkably balanced and well produced so much so that Nina quips she nearly forgot the known outcome. This is, in part, due to contributions from renowned scholars. But, really, the most groundbreaking aspect remains the involvement of the hosts themselves. Not so long ago, it would be unthinkable for descendants of the heads of state of America and the Soviet Union would appear side by side. That these two individuals are able to do so, and exhibit such warmth toward one another, must be seen as a symbol of optimism. "We are not the pioneers," notes Khrushcheva. "Following the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, my uncle moved to America and formed a close bond with Dwight Eisenhower’s children." "But we were strangers before the podcast," adds Max. "Which is a shame because we got along immediately and now we’re friends, something that is really great. Ultimately, following almost 60 years since nearly annihilating the planet, our lineages are now friends, suggesting the world is more secure, a little bit." Modern Echoes with Current Perils Is that truly the case? Part of why this series seems so urgent is that we once again find ourselves in a perilous era. The Doomsday Clock is closer to catastrophe in its history, in part because today's statesmen appear not to be able to learn
In October 1962, the world came nearer toward destruction than at any other point in recent history. This happened when a US reconnaissance plane identified the fact that Russian nuclear missile installations were being assembled in Cuba, less than 100 miles off the coast of the US mainland. In response, U.S. President JFK commanded the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to enact a naval quarantine encircling Cuba. The next phase was nearly a fortnight of impossible stress. The Unthinkable Danger The peril remained clear. Should Kennedy, or else his Soviet counterpart, Premier Khrushchev, had fired against the other side, a chain reaction involving worldwide nuclear attacks and retaliatory strikes could have followed, thrusting humanity into total ruination. This pivotal 1962 event has been examined repeatedly, in books, films, and television programmes. But, for its third season, a prominent audio documentary series The Bomb has brought a completely new dimension into the story. The series is co-presented by Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva, relatives of the figures who, for two tense weeks, controlled the destiny of humanity in their hands. "What were the Russians considering? What was the United States considering?" asks Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s great-granddaughter and a professor of global relations. For her, the unique appeal of the podcast is its endeavor to objectively ask: "Why do individuals detest each other to the point they go against each other?" "It was not lost on me how profound it is that individuals have the potential to be allies or have the potential to be complete enemies," adds Max Kennedy, son of RFK, nephew of the late president and currently an author as well as attorney. "We see this repeatedly when nations have gone to war, and it just illustrates how unbelievably stupid involved to engage in warfare." A Brink Towards Disaster What’s remarkable regarding this event was that, since it transpired so publicly, individuals around the world could watch nearly as it happened while it edged closer to armageddon. However, the threat of annihilation came closer than most people realised. "Almost all officials in the White House wanted a military strike and an invasion," explains Kennedy. "If we had attacked the Cubans with the naval blockade, there is no question the Russians on the ground would've launched a tactical nuclear weapon at the US Sixth Fleet, and that would have destroyed our aircraft carriers as well as sunk America's largest and most important fleet. And, we would have retaliated through an overwhelming counterattack which would have eradicated all life on Earth." The fact this did not occur stands as credit to both leaders, who succeeded in exercise restraint and calmly negotiate at a time when everyone around them was pushing for military action. Consequently, The Soviet premier removed the missiles from Cuba while Kennedy (although not reported then) withdrew American missiles from Turkey. The relief was palpable, matched by a feeling of optimism. The Divergent Perspective Still, for those two weeks of October 1962, the fear was felt globally. The podcast's co-hosts came into the world shortly after these events, with Nina being taught about it through the Soviet school curriculum, which portrayed a slightly different picture of what happened. "You said your parent remembers it, and it was a frightening day," she says. "But in the Soviet Union, the public really didn’t know that much regarding the crisis, since it was a tense situation, whereas under the Soviet system the official line was that things are always fine and sunny." Inside the Khrushchev household, however, it was distinct. "I was informed that it was a triumphant moment it was, because it represented eyeball to eyeball. They were able to find a solution, thus didn’t start a global war, which was a positive outcome," she continues. In the years to come, though, that view would not be held by all Russians. "For decades within Russian historical analysis, it was considered a setback for the Soviet leader, simply he didn’t blow up the United States." An Unlikely Collaboration This podcast is remarkably balanced and well produced so much so that Nina quips she nearly forgot the known outcome. This is, in part, due to contributions from renowned scholars. But, really, the most groundbreaking aspect remains the involvement of the hosts themselves. Not so long ago, it would be unthinkable for descendants of the heads of state of America and the Soviet Union would appear side by side. That these two individuals are able to do so, and exhibit such warmth toward one another, must be seen as a symbol of optimism. "We are not the pioneers," notes Khrushcheva. "Following the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, my uncle moved to America and formed a close bond with Dwight Eisenhower’s children." "But we were strangers before the podcast," adds Max. "Which is a shame because we got along immediately and now we’re friends, something that is really great. Ultimately, following almost 60 years since nearly annihilating the planet, our lineages are now friends, suggesting the world is more secure, a little bit." Modern Echoes with Current Perils Is that truly the case? Part of why this series seems so urgent is that we once again find ourselves in a perilous era. The Doomsday Clock is closer to catastrophe in its history, in part because today's statesmen appear not to be able to learn