🔗 Share this article Following nearly annihilating the planet, our relatives have become allies’: a thrilling audio series featuring John F. Kennedy and Nikita Khrushchev’s relatives. During the month of October 1962, humanity veered nearer toward annihilation than at any other point during the contemporary era. This happened following the discovery that an American surveillance aircraft discovered the fact that Russian atomic missile sites were under construction on Cuba, a mere 160 kilometers from American soil. In response, U.S. President JFK directed the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to impose a naval quarantine encircling Cuba. What followed constituted nearly two weeks filled with impossible stress. The Unthinkable Threat The danger remained palpable. Should Kennedy, or his Soviet counterpart, Premier Khrushchev, initiated an attack on the other side, a series involving global nuclear strikes and counterstrikes might have followed, plunging humanity toward all-out ruination. The Cuban missile crisis has been covered extensively, in books, movies, and television programmes. But, for its third season, the BBC World Service podcast The Bomb introduces a completely new perspective into the story. The series is jointly hosted featuring Kennedy's relative alongside Nina Khrushcheva, relatives of the men that, over 13 days, controlled the destiny of humanity within their grasp. "What were the Soviet side planning? What were the United States thinking?" ponders Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's great-granddaughter and a professor of international affairs. In her view, the beauty of the show is its endeavor to explore: "Why do individuals hate one another to the point they oppose each other?" "It struck me how profound the fact that individuals can be friends or else have the potential to be total enemies," remarks Kennedy, son of Robert Kennedy, related to JFK and now an author and attorney. "We see this dynamic repeatedly when countries have gone to war, highlighting how unbelievably stupid it is to engage in warfare." The Precipice Towards Disaster What is striking about the Cuban missile crisis is that, because it transpired in the global spotlight, individuals globally could watch almost as it happened while it moved towards catastrophe. Nonetheless, the danger of destruction was more imminent than anybody understood at the time. "The overwhelming majority among Kennedy's advisors wanted a military strike and an invasion," notes Kennedy. "Had the U.S. struck Cuba with the Sixth Fleet, there is no question Soviet forces on the ground would've fired a nuclear warhead against the American ships, and that would have obliterated our aircraft carriers and destroyed our largest and most important fleet. And, the U.S. would have retaliated with an overwhelming counterattack which would have eradicated all life on Earth." The reality it didn’t stands as credit to both leaders, who succeeded in remain calm and calmly negotiate when hawkish elements around them was pushing for action. Consequently, The Soviet premier removed the missiles from the Caribbean island 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 the sense of hope. A Divergent Viewpoint Yet, during those 13 days in October, the anxiety was felt by everyone. The podcast's co-hosts were born shortly after the crisis, with Nina learned about it through the Soviet education system, which painted a slightly different version of events. "You said your father remembers it, and it was a frightening time," she says. "However in the Soviet Union, people were largely unaware a great deal about it, because it was a crisis, and in the Soviet Union we were told that everything was always fine or positive." Within the Khrushchev household, however, it was distinct. "They told me that it was a triumphant occasion it was, as it represented a direct confrontation. They were able to resolve it, thus avoided the war, which was a positive thing," she adds. In the years to come, however, that view would not be held by all Russians. "For a long time within Russian historical analysis, it was considered a setback for the Soviet leader, simply he refrained from destroying America." An Unlikely Partnership This podcast is remarkably even-handed , expertly crafted so much so that Khrushcheva jokes she nearly forgot the known the ending. This effect is, partly, due to the participation of renowned scholars. Yet, truly, the most groundbreaking thing remains the participation of the hosts themselves. Even within living memory, it would be inconceivable that relatives of the heads of state of the United States and Soviet Union would appear side by side. That these two individuals can do that, and be so warm toward one another, has to be a symbol of optimism. "We aren't the first," notes Nina. "After the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, my uncle moved to America where he became great friends with the former president's family." "However we were strangers before the podcast," clarifies Kennedy. "Which is unfortunate since we connected really well and we are friends, something that is wonderful. Finally, following nearly 60 years of almost destroying the world, our lineages have become allies, suggesting the world is safer, somewhat." Contemporary Echoes and Current Dangers Is that truly the case? One reason why this series seems so urgent is because we once again find ourselves living through dark times. The symbolic clock of doom is closer to catastrophe than ever before, in part because world leaders don’t seem to have the capacity to learn
During the month of October 1962, humanity veered nearer toward annihilation than at any other point during the contemporary era. This happened following the discovery that an American surveillance aircraft discovered the fact that Russian atomic missile sites were under construction on Cuba, a mere 160 kilometers from American soil. In response, U.S. President JFK directed the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to impose a naval quarantine encircling Cuba. What followed constituted nearly two weeks filled with impossible stress. The Unthinkable Threat The danger remained palpable. Should Kennedy, or his Soviet counterpart, Premier Khrushchev, initiated an attack on the other side, a series involving global nuclear strikes and counterstrikes might have followed, plunging humanity toward all-out ruination. The Cuban missile crisis has been covered extensively, in books, movies, and television programmes. But, for its third season, the BBC World Service podcast The Bomb introduces a completely new perspective into the story. The series is jointly hosted featuring Kennedy's relative alongside Nina Khrushcheva, relatives of the men that, over 13 days, controlled the destiny of humanity within their grasp. "What were the Soviet side planning? What were the United States thinking?" ponders Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's great-granddaughter and a professor of international affairs. In her view, the beauty of the show is its endeavor to explore: "Why do individuals hate one another to the point they oppose each other?" "It struck me how profound the fact that individuals can be friends or else have the potential to be total enemies," remarks Kennedy, son of Robert Kennedy, related to JFK and now an author and attorney. "We see this dynamic repeatedly when countries have gone to war, highlighting how unbelievably stupid it is to engage in warfare." The Precipice Towards Disaster What is striking about the Cuban missile crisis is that, because it transpired in the global spotlight, individuals globally could watch almost as it happened while it moved towards catastrophe. Nonetheless, the danger of destruction was more imminent than anybody understood at the time. "The overwhelming majority among Kennedy's advisors wanted a military strike and an invasion," notes Kennedy. "Had the U.S. struck Cuba with the Sixth Fleet, there is no question Soviet forces on the ground would've fired a nuclear warhead against the American ships, and that would have obliterated our aircraft carriers and destroyed our largest and most important fleet. And, the U.S. would have retaliated with an overwhelming counterattack which would have eradicated all life on Earth." The reality it didn’t stands as credit to both leaders, who succeeded in remain calm and calmly negotiate when hawkish elements around them was pushing for action. Consequently, The Soviet premier removed the missiles from the Caribbean island 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 the sense of hope. A Divergent Viewpoint Yet, during those 13 days in October, the anxiety was felt by everyone. The podcast's co-hosts were born shortly after the crisis, with Nina learned about it through the Soviet education system, which painted a slightly different version of events. "You said your father remembers it, and it was a frightening time," she says. "However in the Soviet Union, people were largely unaware a great deal about it, because it was a crisis, and in the Soviet Union we were told that everything was always fine or positive." Within the Khrushchev household, however, it was distinct. "They told me that it was a triumphant occasion it was, as it represented a direct confrontation. They were able to resolve it, thus avoided the war, which was a positive thing," she adds. In the years to come, however, that view would not be held by all Russians. "For a long time within Russian historical analysis, it was considered a setback for the Soviet leader, simply he refrained from destroying America." An Unlikely Partnership This podcast is remarkably even-handed , expertly crafted so much so that Khrushcheva jokes she nearly forgot the known the ending. This effect is, partly, due to the participation of renowned scholars. Yet, truly, the most groundbreaking thing remains the participation of the hosts themselves. Even within living memory, it would be inconceivable that relatives of the heads of state of the United States and Soviet Union would appear side by side. That these two individuals can do that, and be so warm toward one another, has to be a symbol of optimism. "We aren't the first," notes Nina. "After the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, my uncle moved to America where he became great friends with the former president's family." "However we were strangers before the podcast," clarifies Kennedy. "Which is unfortunate since we connected really well and we are friends, something that is wonderful. Finally, following nearly 60 years of almost destroying the world, our lineages have become allies, suggesting the world is safer, somewhat." Contemporary Echoes and Current Dangers Is that truly the case? One reason why this series seems so urgent is because we once again find ourselves living through dark times. The symbolic clock of doom is closer to catastrophe than ever before, in part because world leaders don’t seem to have the capacity to learn