‘After almost destroying our world, our relatives have become friends’: a gripping podcast featuring John F. Kennedy and Nikita Khrushchev’s descendants.

In October 1962, humanity came closer toward destruction more so than ever in recent history. This occurred when a US reconnaissance aircraft found that Soviet atomic weapon bases were being assembled in Cuba, a mere 100 miles from the United States. Reacting to this, President John F Kennedy ordered a naval task force to enact a maritime quarantine around the island. What followed was nearly a fortnight filled with unbearable anxiety.

The Catastrophic Threat

The threat remained palpable. If Kennedy, or the Russian opposite, Premier Khrushchev, were to fire against their enemy, a cascade of global nuclear attacks and retaliatory strikes would have followed, plunging civilization toward total oblivion.

The Cuban missile crisis has been examined repeatedly, in books, films, as well as television programmes. But, for its third season, a prominent BBC World Service podcast titled "The Bomb" presents a novel element to this historical narrative. The series is co-presented featuring Max Kennedy and Khrushchev's descendant, family members of the figures that, for 13 days, controlled the destiny of humanity within their grasp.

"What was the Russians planning? What were Washington thinking?" asks Nina Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's descendant who is also a professor of international affairs.

In her view, the unique appeal of the podcast lies in its endeavor to objectively ask: "Why do people detest each other and oppose one another?"

"It was not lost on me how remarkable it is that people can be friends or else can become total adversaries," remarks Kennedy, the son of Robert Kennedy, nephew of the late president and currently an author as well as lawyer. "History shows this dynamic repeatedly when countries enter into conflict, demonstrating the profound irrationality involved to fight."

The Brink Towards Disaster

What is notable regarding the Cuban missile crisis was that, because it unfolded in the global spotlight, people globally were able to observe almost as it happened as it moved closer to catastrophe. However, the risk of destruction came closer than what anybody understood at the time.

"Virtually everyone among Kennedy's advisors wanted a military strike followed by an invasion," says Kennedy. "Had the U.S. attacked Cuba using the naval blockade, undoubtedly the Russians stationed there would've deployed a nuclear warhead against the US Sixth Fleet, which would've sunk the naval vessels and destroyed our largest and most important fleet. In turn, we would have retaliated through massive retaliation which would have eradicated most life on Earth."

The fact this did not occur highlights the composure of Kennedy and Khrushchev, they managed to exercise restraint and engaging in diplomacy when many advisors around them was pushing for action. Consequently, The Soviet premier removed the nuclear weapons in the Caribbean island and President Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed at the time) withdrew American similar weapons based in NATO ally Turkey. The relief was worldwide, as was the sense of optimism.

A Divergent Perspective

Still, for those two weeks of October 1962, the tension was felt by everyone. The podcast's presenters came into the world in the years following the crisis, with Khrushcheva learned about the crisis through the USSR's school curriculum, which portrayed a slightly different version of events.

"As you mentioned your parent remembers it, describing it as a scary time," Khrushcheva notes. "But for Soviet citizens, the public were largely unaware a great deal regarding the crisis, because it was a tense situation, whereas under the Soviet system the official line was that things are always wonderful and positive."

Inside the Khrushchev household, though, it was different. "They told me what a great moment it was, because it was eyeball to eyeball. They were able to resolve it, thus avoided a global war, seen as a positive outcome," she continues. Subsequently, however, that interpretation was not held by everybody. "For a long time in Russian politics, the crisis was viewed as a defeat for the Soviet leader, simply he didn’t blow up the United States."

An Unlikely Collaboration

This podcast is remarkably balanced and expertly crafted so much so that Nina jokes she nearly forgot she already knew the ending. This is, partly, due to the participation of historians. But, really, the most groundbreaking thing remains the involvement of the hosts themselves. Not so long ago, it was unthinkable that descendants of the heads of state of America and the USSR to appear side by side. The fact that Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva can do that, and be so warm with each other, must be seen as a symbol of optimism.

"We are not the pioneers," smiles Khrushcheva. "After 1991, a relative moved to America and became great friends with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"However we were strangers before the podcast," clarifies Max. "That is a shame since we connected really well and now we are friends, which is really great. Ultimately, after almost six decades of almost destroying the world, our families have become allies, so I think global relations is safer, somewhat."

Modern Echoes and Current Perils

Is that truly the case? Part of the reason The Bomb seems so urgent is that we once again find ourselves in a perilous era. The symbolic clock of doom stands nearer to catastrophe in its history, partly since world leaders don’t seem to have the capacity to grasp