The great-granddaughter of Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev and nephew of US President John F. Kennedy are presenting a new BBC World Service series exploring the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis.
Across ten episodes The Bomb: Kennedy and Khrushchev will tell how the world teetered on the edge of nuclear war, as tensions between the United States and the Soviet Union escalated to an unprecedented level.
Hosted by Nina Khrushcheva and Max Kennedy, it will stream weekly on the BBC World Service YouTube channel from June 21st.
Audiences are being promised a “uniquely personal” look at one of the 60s most defining moments.
What began as a covert Soviet operation to place nuclear missiles in Cuba soon spiralled into a 13-day confrontation in October 1962 that threatened the future of the world.
With leading historians, Khrushcheva and Kennedy examine the political decisions, miscalculations, and human dynamics that brought the superpowers to the edge of catastrophe.
The series features archive footage including:
- Khrushchev’s public show of support for Fidel Castro during his 1961 visit to New York – where the two leaders warmly embraced before the world’s press
- The meeting between Khrushchev and Kennedy at the Vienna Summit in 1961
- President John F. Kennedy’s televised address to the nation in October 1962, outlining the gravity of the crisis
Nina Khrushcheva says: “A nuclear threat has become a very prominent topic of political conversations in recent years. Having a series about the bomb and the Cuban Missile Crisis is not only timely, it is instructive.
How were Khrushchev and Kennedy able to overcome the worst Cold War confrontation and resolve it to mutual satisfaction? I am proud to be part of this BBC podcast exploring historical lessons of that era.”
Max Kennedy added: “The Cuban Missile Crisis remains the most dangerous moment in world history. My father, Robert F. Kennedy, then Attorney General, worked hard to help resolve the conflict, and his book Thirteen Days is still taught in universities.
“It’s vital that young people understand the difference one person, deeply committed to public service, can make. I hoped to help bring President Kennedy’s extraordinary effort to light for a new generation.”
Simon Pitts, World Service Commissioning Editor, said: “During the Cuban Missile Crisis, President John F. Kennedy and Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev stared into the abyss of nuclear apocalypse.
“I’m thrilled that Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva are telling the story of the world leaders, their own families, who brought humanity back from the brink of devastation.”