In the month of October 1962, the world edged nearer toward annihilation than at any other point in the contemporary era. This occurred when a US reconnaissance aircraft identified the fact that Russian atomic missile sites were being built on the island of Cuba, a mere 160 kilometers off the coast of the United States. In response, President JFK directed the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to establish a naval quarantine around the island. What followed constituted almost 14 days filled with impossible stress.
The danger was clear. Should Kennedy, or his Russian opposite, Nikita Khrushchev, were to fire against the other side, a chain reaction involving worldwide nuclear attacks followed by retaliatory strikes could have followed, casting humanity toward total destruction.
This pivotal 1962 event has been examined endlessly, in books, films, as well as TV documentaries. But, for its third season, the audio documentary series titled "The Bomb" has brought an unprecedented dimension to the story. It is co-presented by Kennedy's relative alongside Nina Khrushcheva, relatives belonging to the figures who, over two tense weeks, held the fate of the world within their grasp.
"What was the Soviet side thinking? What were the American side considering?" ponders Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s great-granddaughter who is also a professor of international affairs.
In her view, the beauty of the podcast is its endeavor to objectively ask: "How can individuals detest one another to the point they go against one another?"
"It was not lost on me how profound the fact that humans have the potential to be allies or can become complete adversaries," remarks Max Kennedy, son of Robert Kennedy, nephew of the late president and now an author as well as lawyer. "History shows this over and over when countries have gone to war, demonstrating the profound irrationality it is to engage in warfare."
What is notable about the Cuban missile crisis was that, since it transpired so publicly, citizens worldwide could watch almost as it happened as it crept closer to disaster. Nonetheless, the risk of annihilation came closer than most people understood at the time.
"Almost all officials in the White House wanted an airstrike followed by a ground invasion," says Kennedy. "Had the U.S. attacked the Cubans using the Sixth Fleet, undoubtedly the Russians on the ground would've deployed a tactical nuclear weapon at the US Sixth Fleet, and that would have destroyed our aircraft carriers and destroyed America's primary fleet. In turn, the U.S. would have responded through massive retaliation that would have eradicated all life on Earth."
The fact it didn’t highlights the composure of both leaders, who managed to remain calm and calmly negotiate when many advisors in their governments demanded action. Consequently, The Soviet premier agreed to withdraw the nuclear weapons in Cuba while Kennedy (although not reported then) withdrew his missiles based in NATO ally Turkey. The sense of relief was palpable, matched by the sense of optimism.
Yet, for those two weeks of October 1962, the anxiety was palpable by everyone. The Bomb’s presenters came into the world shortly after these events, and Nina learned about it via the Soviet school curriculum, which painted a slightly different version of events.
"You said your parent remembers it, and it was a scary day," Khrushcheva notes. "But for Soviet citizens, the public really didn’t know that much regarding the crisis, since it was a crisis, and under the Soviet system we were told that things are constantly fine and positive."
Within the Khrushchev household, though, it was different. "I was informed that it was a triumphant moment for the USSR, because it was eyeball to eyeball. They were able to find a solution, and avoided a global war, seen as a positive outcome," she continues. Later on, however, that interpretation was not shared by all Russians. "For decades within Russian historical analysis, the crisis was viewed as a setback for the Soviet leader, simply he refrained from destroying the United States."
The Bomb is so balanced and expertly crafted so much so that Nina jokes she nearly forgot the known the ending. This is, partly, thanks to the participation of historians. Yet, truly, the most significant thing remains the involvement of the descendants. Even within living memory, it would be unthinkable that descendants of the leaders of the United States and USSR would appear together publicly. The fact that Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva can do that, and exhibit such warmth with each other, must be seen as a symbol of optimism.
"Max and I aren't the first," notes Khrushcheva. "After 1991, my uncle Sergey Khrushchev’s son and became great friends with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."
"But we were strangers prior to this project," adds Kennedy. "That is unfortunate because we connected immediately and now we’re friends, which is really great. Finally, following almost six decades of nearly annihilating the planet, our lineages are now friends, so I think the world is safer, somewhat."
Or is it? One reason the reason this series seems so urgent is that we now find ourselves in a perilous era. The symbolic clock of doom is closer to midnight in its history, partly since world leaders don’t seem to have the capacity to grasp
Astrophysicist and space technology consultant with 15 years of experience in lunar mission planning and research.
