‘After almost destroying the planet, our relatives are friends’: the thrilling podcast featuring JFK & Nikita Khrushchev’s descendants.

During the month of October 1962, humanity veered closer to destruction more so than ever during recent history. This happened after an American surveillance aircraft discovered that Russian atomic missile sites were being assembled in the island of Cuba, less than 160 kilometers from the United States. Reacting to this, President John F Kennedy commanded a naval task force to establish a maritime quarantine around Cuba. What followed was almost two weeks of extreme tension.

The Catastrophic Threat

The peril was obvious. If President Kennedy, or else his Soviet counterpart, Premier Khrushchev, initiated an attack on the other side, a chain reaction of global atomic strikes followed by retaliatory strikes could have followed, thrusting civilization toward all-out ruination.

The Cuban missile crisis has been examined endlessly, in volumes, movies, as well as television programmes. However, in its latest installment, a prominent BBC World Service podcast The Bomb has brought an unprecedented element to this historical narrative. The series is co-presented featuring Max Kennedy and Khrushchev's descendant, relatives of the figures that, over two tense weeks, controlled the fate of the planet in their hands.

"What were the Russians considering? What was Washington thinking?" questions Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s descendant who is also a professor specializing in international affairs.

For her, the strength of the podcast lies in its attempt to objectively ask: "Why do people detest one another to the point they go against each other?"

"I am acutely aware how remarkable it is that humans have the potential to be allies or else can become total adversaries," states Max Kennedy, son of RFK, related to JFK and currently a writer and lawyer. "We see this dynamic over and over in instances where nations have gone to war, demonstrating the profound irrationality involved to fight."

A Brink of Catastrophe

What is remarkable about the Cuban missile crisis is that, because it transpired so publicly, citizens around the world were able to observe nearly as it happened as it edged closer to armageddon. Even so, the threat of annihilation was more imminent than what most people understood at the time.

"The overwhelming majority among Kennedy's advisors were advocating for an airstrike and a ground invasion," explains Max Kennedy. "If we had attacked Cuba with the Sixth Fleet, undoubtedly Soviet forces on the ground would've deployed a tactical nuclear weapon at the American ships, which would have sunk the naval vessels and sunk America's largest and most important fleet. And, the U.S. would have responded with an overwhelming counterattack which would have ended most life on Earth."

The fact this did not occur is a testament to Kennedy and Khrushchev, who succeeded in remain calm and engaging in diplomacy at a time when hawkish elements in their governments demanded action. As a result, The Soviet premier removed the missiles from Cuba and Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed then) withdrew American similar weapons based in Turkey. The sense of relief was palpable, matched by a feeling of hope.

A Different Perspective

Yet, for those 13 days of October 1962, the tension was palpable by everyone. The Bomb’s presenters came into the world shortly after these events, with Nina being taught about the crisis via the USSR's school curriculum, which presented a slightly different version of events.

"As you mentioned your parent remembers it, and it was a frightening time," Khrushcheva notes. "However in the Soviet Union, the public were largely unaware a great deal regarding the crisis, since it was a crisis, whereas in the Soviet Union the official line was that things are constantly fine or sunny."

Within Khrushchev’s family, however, it was different. "They told me that it was a triumphant occasion for the USSR, as it represented a direct confrontation. The leaders managed to resolve it, and didn’t start the war, seen as a wonderful thing," she continues. Subsequently, though, that view was not held by everybody. "For a long time in Russian politics, it was considered a defeat for Khrushchev, simply he refrained from destroying America."

An Unlikely Collaboration

This podcast is so balanced and expertly crafted that Nina quips it almost made her forget the known outcome. This effect is, partly, due to the participation of historians. But, truly, the most groundbreaking thing remains the involvement of the hosts themselves. Not so long ago, it was unthinkable for relatives of the leaders of America and Soviet Union would appear together publicly. That these two individuals are able to do so, and exhibit such warmth toward one another, must be seen as a symbol of progress.

"Max and I aren't the pioneers," notes Khrushcheva. "Following 1991, my uncle Sergey Khrushchev’s son and formed a close bond with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"But we were strangers before the podcast," clarifies Kennedy. "That is a shame because we got along really well and now we’re friends, something that is wonderful. Ultimately, following almost 60 years since almost destroying the world, our families are now allies, so I think the world is safer, somewhat."

Modern Parallels and Current Perils

Or is it? One reason why this series feels so necessary is that we once again are living in 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 grasp