🔗 Share this article ‘After nearly annihilating the world, our relatives have become friends’: the gripping podcast from JFK and Khrushchev’s descendants. In the month of October 1962, the world edged closer to annihilation more so than ever during modern times. This occurred after an American surveillance aircraft found the fact that Russian atomic missile sites were being assembled on the island of Cuba, a mere 100 miles from the US mainland. In response, President JFK ordered the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to enact a maritime blockade around the island. The ensuing period constituted almost two weeks filled with impossible tension. The Unthinkable Threat The threat was clear. Should President Kennedy, or else the Soviet counterpart, Premier Khrushchev, had fired on the other side, a chain reaction involving global nuclear strikes followed by counterstrikes would have followed, casting civilization into all-out oblivion. The October crisis has been documented endlessly, through books, movies, as well as TV documentaries. However, for its third season, the audio documentary series The Bomb presents an unprecedented element into the story. It is co-presented by Kennedy's relative and Nina Khrushcheva, family members belonging to the men who, for 13 days, controlled the destiny of the planet within their grasp. "What was the Russians planning? What was Washington planning?" questions Nina Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s descendant and an academic specializing in international affairs. In her view, the beauty of the show is its attempt to objectively ask: "How can people detest one another and confront each other?" "I am acutely aware how remarkable it is that individuals can be friends or can become complete adversaries," states Kennedy, the son of RFK, related to the late president and now an author and attorney. "We see this over and over when countries enter into conflict, demonstrating the sheer folly involved to engage in warfare." A Brink Towards Disaster What is remarkable regarding the Cuban missile crisis is that, because it unfolded so publicly, individuals around the world could watch almost in real time while it edged closer to armageddon. However, the threat of annihilation was more imminent than what most people understood at the time. "Almost all officials among Kennedy's advisors were advocating for an airstrike and an invasion," notes Kennedy. "If we had attacked Cuba with the Sixth Fleet, undoubtedly the Russians stationed there would have deployed a nuclear warhead at the US Sixth Fleet, which would've obliterated the naval vessels as well as sunk our primary fleet. And, we would have retaliated with an overwhelming counterattack that would have eradicated all life on Earth." The fact this did not occur is a testament to Kennedy and Khrushchev, they succeeded in remain calm while engaging in diplomacy when everyone around them demanded action. Consequently, Khrushchev removed the missiles from Cuba and Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed at the time) withdrew his similar weapons based in NATO ally Turkey. The sense of relief was palpable, matched by a feeling of optimism. The Divergent Viewpoint Yet, during those 13 days of October 1962, the fear was felt by everyone. The podcast's co-hosts were born shortly after the crisis, and Khrushcheva being taught about the crisis through the Soviet education system, which painted a slightly different narrative of what happened. "You said your father remembers it, describing it as a scary day," Khrushcheva notes. "However in the Soviet Union, the public really didn’t know that much about it, since it was a crisis, whereas in the Soviet Union the official line was that things are always wonderful and positive." Inside the Khrushchev household, however, it was distinct. "I was informed that it was a triumphant occasion for the USSR, as it was eyeball to eyeball. They were able to find a solution, and avoided a global war, seen as a positive thing," she adds. In the years to come, though, that interpretation would not be held by everybody. "For decades in Russian politics, the crisis was viewed as a defeat for the Soviet leader, because he refrained from destroying America." A Unprecedented Partnership The Bomb is remarkably even-handed , expertly crafted that Khrushcheva quips she nearly forgot the known the ending. This is, in part, thanks to contributions from historians. Yet, truly, the most significant thing remains the participation of the descendants. Even within living memory, it would be unthinkable for relatives of the heads of state of the United States and Soviet Union would appear side by side. That these two individuals are able to do so, and be so warm toward one another, has to be a symbol of optimism. "Max and I are not the first," smiles Khrushcheva. "Following the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, my uncle Sergey Khrushchev’s son and formed a close bond with Dwight Eisenhower’s children." "However we had never met before the podcast," adds Kennedy. "That is a shame because we connected really well and now we are friends, which is wonderful. Ultimately, following almost six decades of almost destroying the world, our families have become friends, so I think global relations is safer, a little bit." Modern Echoes and Present Perils Is that truly the case? One reason why this series feels so necessary is because we once again find ourselves living through a perilous era. The symbolic clock of doom is closer to midnight than ever before, in part because world leaders don’t seem to be able to comprehend
In the month of October 1962, the world edged closer to annihilation more so than ever during modern times. This occurred after an American surveillance aircraft found the fact that Russian atomic missile sites were being assembled on the island of Cuba, a mere 100 miles from the US mainland. In response, President JFK ordered the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to enact a maritime blockade around the island. The ensuing period constituted almost two weeks filled with impossible tension. The Unthinkable Threat The threat was clear. Should President Kennedy, or else the Soviet counterpart, Premier Khrushchev, had fired on the other side, a chain reaction involving global nuclear strikes followed by counterstrikes would have followed, casting civilization into all-out oblivion. The October crisis has been documented endlessly, through books, movies, as well as TV documentaries. However, for its third season, the audio documentary series The Bomb presents an unprecedented element into the story. It is co-presented by Kennedy's relative and Nina Khrushcheva, family members belonging to the men who, for 13 days, controlled the destiny of the planet within their grasp. "What was the Russians planning? What was Washington planning?" questions Nina Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s descendant and an academic specializing in international affairs. In her view, the beauty of the show is its attempt to objectively ask: "How can people detest one another and confront each other?" "I am acutely aware how remarkable it is that individuals can be friends or can become complete adversaries," states Kennedy, the son of RFK, related to the late president and now an author and attorney. "We see this over and over when countries enter into conflict, demonstrating the sheer folly involved to engage in warfare." A Brink Towards Disaster What is remarkable regarding the Cuban missile crisis is that, because it unfolded so publicly, individuals around the world could watch almost in real time while it edged closer to armageddon. However, the threat of annihilation was more imminent than what most people understood at the time. "Almost all officials among Kennedy's advisors were advocating for an airstrike and an invasion," notes Kennedy. "If we had attacked Cuba with the Sixth Fleet, undoubtedly the Russians stationed there would have deployed a nuclear warhead at the US Sixth Fleet, which would've obliterated the naval vessels as well as sunk our primary fleet. And, we would have retaliated with an overwhelming counterattack that would have eradicated all life on Earth." The fact this did not occur is a testament to Kennedy and Khrushchev, they succeeded in remain calm while engaging in diplomacy when everyone around them demanded action. Consequently, Khrushchev removed the missiles from Cuba and Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed at the time) withdrew his similar weapons based in NATO ally Turkey. The sense of relief was palpable, matched by a feeling of optimism. The Divergent Viewpoint Yet, during those 13 days of October 1962, the fear was felt by everyone. The podcast's co-hosts were born shortly after the crisis, and Khrushcheva being taught about the crisis through the Soviet education system, which painted a slightly different narrative of what happened. "You said your father remembers it, describing it as a scary day," Khrushcheva notes. "However in the Soviet Union, the public really didn’t know that much about it, since it was a crisis, whereas in the Soviet Union the official line was that things are always wonderful and positive." Inside the Khrushchev household, however, it was distinct. "I was informed that it was a triumphant occasion for the USSR, as it was eyeball to eyeball. They were able to find a solution, and avoided a global war, seen as a positive thing," she adds. In the years to come, though, that interpretation would not be held by everybody. "For decades in Russian politics, the crisis was viewed as a defeat for the Soviet leader, because he refrained from destroying America." A Unprecedented Partnership The Bomb is remarkably even-handed , expertly crafted that Khrushcheva quips she nearly forgot the known the ending. This is, in part, thanks to contributions from historians. Yet, truly, the most significant thing remains the participation of the descendants. Even within living memory, it would be unthinkable for relatives of the heads of state of the United States and Soviet Union would appear side by side. That these two individuals are able to do so, and be so warm toward one another, has to be a symbol of optimism. "Max and I are not the first," smiles Khrushcheva. "Following the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, my uncle Sergey Khrushchev’s son and formed a close bond with Dwight Eisenhower’s children." "However we had never met before the podcast," adds Kennedy. "That is a shame because we connected really well and now we are friends, which is wonderful. Ultimately, following almost six decades of almost destroying the world, our families have become friends, so I think global relations is safer, a little bit." Modern Echoes and Present Perils Is that truly the case? One reason why this series feels so necessary is because we once again find ourselves living through a perilous era. The symbolic clock of doom is closer to midnight than ever before, in part because world leaders don’t seem to be able to comprehend