Following almost annihilating the world, our families are allies’: the gripping podcast from John F. Kennedy and Khrushchev’s relatives.
In October 1962, humanity came nearer toward ruin more so than ever in the contemporary era. This occurred following the discovery that an American reconnaissance plane discovered that Soviet atomic missile installations were under construction in Cuba, less than 100 miles from American soil. Reacting to this, President JFK commanded a naval task force to establish a naval blockade encircling Cuba. What followed constituted nearly a fortnight filled with impossible anxiety.
An Catastrophic Threat
The peril remained obvious. Should President Kennedy, or else his Soviet counterpart, Premier Khrushchev, initiated an attack on their enemy, a cascade of worldwide nuclear attacks followed by counterstrikes might have ensued, thrusting mankind into all-out oblivion.
The Cuban missile crisis has been covered endlessly, through books, films, as well as TV documentaries. However, in its latest installment, a prominent audio documentary series titled "The Bomb" presents a novel element to the story. The series is jointly hosted by Kennedy's relative alongside Nina Khrushcheva, relatives of the men that, over 13 days, grasped the destiny of the planet within their grasp.
"What was the Russians thinking? What was the American side planning?" asks Nina Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s great-granddaughter who is also an academic of global relations.
In her view, the strength of the podcast lies in its endeavor to question: "Why do nations hate each other and confront one another?"
"I am acutely aware how spectacular the fact that humans can be friends or else can become total enemies," remarks Kennedy, the son of Robert Kennedy, related to the late president and now an author and lawyer. "We see this over and over in instances where countries have gone to war, and it just illustrates the profound irrationality involved to fight."
The Precipice Towards Catastrophe
What is remarkable regarding this event is that, because it unfolded so publicly, individuals globally could watch almost in real time while it moved towards catastrophe. However, the danger of destruction was more imminent than what anybody realised.
"The overwhelming majority in the White House were advocating for an airstrike and a ground invasion," notes Max Kennedy. "If we had struck the Cubans with the Sixth Fleet, it is certain Soviet forces on the ground would have deployed a nuclear warhead against the US Sixth Fleet, which would have obliterated the aircraft carriers and destroyed our primary fleet. And, the U.S. would have retaliated through an overwhelming counterattack which would have ended all life on the planet."
The fact it didn’t highlights the composure of Kennedy and Khrushchev, they succeeded in keep their heads and calmly negotiate when everyone in their governments was pushing for action. As a result, The Soviet premier removed the missiles from the Caribbean island and President Kennedy (although not reported then) withdrew his similar weapons based in NATO ally Turkey. The sense of relief was immense, as was a feeling of hope.
The Divergent Perspective
Yet, during those 13 days in October, the fear was palpable by everyone. The Bomb’s presenters came into the world in the years following the crisis, with Nina learned about the crisis via the Soviet school curriculum, which painted a slightly different version of what happened.
"As you mentioned your father recalls it, and it was a scary time," Khrushcheva notes. "But in the Soviet Union, the public were largely unaware a great deal regarding the crisis, since it was a tense situation, and under the Soviet system we were told that things are always fine or sunny."
Within the Khrushchev household, however, the perspective was distinct. "I was informed that it was a triumphant moment it was, as it was eyeball to eyeball. The leaders managed to resolve it, and didn’t start a global war, which was a wonderful outcome," she continues. Later on, however, that perspective was not shared by everybody. "For decades within Russian historical analysis, the crisis was viewed as a setback for Khrushchev, because he refrained from destroying America."
An Unprecedented Collaboration
This podcast is so balanced , well produced that Khrushcheva quips it almost made her forget the known outcome. This is, partly, due to contributions from historians. Yet, truly, the most groundbreaking thing is the involvement of the hosts themselves. Not so long ago, it would be unthinkable that relatives of the heads of state of America and the USSR to appear side by side. The fact that these two individuals can do that, and be so warm with each other, has to be a sign of optimism.
"We are not the pioneers," smiles Khrushcheva. "After the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, a relative moved to America where he formed a close bond with the former president's family."
"But we had never met prior to this project," clarifies Kennedy. "Which is unfortunate since we got along really well and we are friends, something that is wonderful. Finally, after almost 60 years since almost destroying the planet, our families have become allies, so I think global relations is more secure, a little bit."
Modern Echoes with Present Dangers
Is that truly the case? One reason why The Bomb feels so necessary is because we once again find ourselves living through dark times. The symbolic clock of doom stands nearer to midnight than ever before, partly since world leaders don’t seem to have the capacity to comprehend