Following almost destroying the world, our families are friends’: the gripping audio series from John F. Kennedy & Khrushchev’s relatives.
During October 1962, the world veered nearer toward ruin more so than ever during modern times. This happened after a US reconnaissance plane found that Soviet atomic weapon bases were being built in Cuba, less than 100 miles from American soil. Reacting to this, President JFK ordered the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to impose a naval blockade encircling Cuba. What followed was almost 14 days filled with impossible anxiety.
The Unthinkable Danger
The danger remained clear. If President Kennedy, or else the Soviet counterpart, Nikita Khrushchev, had fired on their enemy, a chain reaction involving worldwide atomic attacks and counterstrikes would have followed, plunging humanity toward total ruination.
The Cuban missile crisis has been documented repeatedly, in volumes, movies, and TV documentaries. But, for its third season, a prominent audio documentary series The Bomb has brought a novel element into the story. It is co-presented featuring Kennedy's relative alongside Nina Khrushcheva, relatives belonging to the men who, for 13 days, controlled the destiny of humanity in their hands.
"What was the Soviet side planning? What was the United States planning?" asks Nina Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's great-granddaughter and an academic of global relations.
In her view, the strength of the show is its endeavor to question: "How can nations hate each other and oppose each other?"
"It struck me how spectacular the fact that individuals can be friends or else can become complete enemies," remarks Kennedy, the son of Robert Kennedy, related to the late president and now a writer and lawyer. "We see this dynamic repeatedly in instances where countries have gone to war, highlighting the profound irrationality it is to engage in warfare."
The Precipice of Catastrophe
What’s notable regarding this event was that, because it transpired in the global spotlight, people worldwide could watch almost in real time while it moved closer to disaster. Even so, the risk of annihilation came closer than what most people understood at the time.
"Virtually everyone among Kennedy's advisors wanted a military strike followed by an invasion," says Max Kennedy. "Had the U.S. struck Cuba using the naval blockade, there is no question the Russians stationed there would've deployed a nuclear warhead at the US Sixth Fleet, which would have obliterated the naval vessels and destroyed America's largest and most important naval force. In turn, we would have responded through an overwhelming counterattack that would have ended all life on the planet."
The fact this did not occur highlights the composure of both leaders, they managed to remain calm and engaging in diplomacy when hawkish elements in their governments was pushing for military action. Consequently, Khrushchev removed the nuclear weapons in the Caribbean island and President Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed then) withdrew American similar weapons from Turkey. The sense of relief was palpable, as was the sense of hope.
The Divergent Perspective
Yet, for those 13 days in October, the anxiety was felt globally. The Bomb’s co-hosts came into the world in the years following these events, and Khrushcheva learned about it through the Soviet education system, which portrayed a slightly different version of what happened.
"You said your father remembers it, describing it as a scary day," she says. "However for Soviet citizens, people were largely unaware a great deal about it, since it was a crisis, whereas in the Soviet Union we were told that things are always fine or sunny."
Within the Khrushchev household, though, the perspective was different. "I was informed what a great occasion for the USSR, because it was a direct confrontation. The leaders managed to resolve it, and didn’t start a global war, seen as a wonderful outcome," she continues. Later on, though, that view would not be shared by all Russians. "For decades in Russian politics, the crisis was viewed as a setback for the Soviet leader, simply he didn’t blow up the United States."
A Unlikely Partnership
The Bomb is remarkably balanced and expertly crafted so much so that Khrushcheva quips it almost made her forget the known the ending. This effect is, partly, due to contributions from historians. But, truly, the most groundbreaking aspect remains the involvement of the descendants. Even within living memory, it would be inconceivable that descendants of the leaders of America and the Soviet Union to appear side by side. That these two individuals are able to do so, and exhibit such warmth with each other, must be seen as a symbol of progress.
"We are not the first," notes Khrushcheva. "After the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, a relative Sergey Khrushchev’s son where he formed a close bond with the former president's family."
"However we had never met prior to this project," adds Max. "Which is unfortunate because we connected immediately and we are friends, which is really great. Ultimately, following nearly 60 years of nearly annihilating the world, our families are now friends, so I think global relations is safer, somewhat."
Contemporary Echoes and Current Dangers
Is that truly the case? Part of why The Bomb feels so necessary is because we once again are living living through a perilous era. The symbolic clock of doom stands nearer to midnight than ever before, in part because today's statesmen don’t seem to have the capacity to learn
