‘After almost destroying the planet, the families have become friends’: a thrilling podcast from John F. Kennedy and Nikita Khrushchev’s descendants.

During October 1962, the world edged closer toward destruction than at any other point during modern times. This happened when a US reconnaissance aircraft found the fact that Russian atomic weapon sites were being built in the island of Cuba, less than 100 miles off the coast of the US mainland. Reacting to this, President JFK ordered the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to enact a naval quarantine encircling the island. What followed was nearly two weeks of impossible anxiety.

An Unthinkable Threat

The threat remained palpable. Should President Kennedy, or his Russian opposite, Premier Khrushchev, had fired on the other side, a cascade of global nuclear strikes followed by retaliatory strikes might have ensued, plunging mankind into all-out ruination.

The Cuban missile crisis has been covered repeatedly, in books, movies, as well as TV documentaries. However, in its latest installment, a prominent BBC World Service podcast The Bomb has brought a novel dimension into the story. It is co-presented by Kennedy's relative and Khrushchev's descendant, family members of the figures who, over 13 days, grasped the fate of humanity in their hands.

"What were the Soviet side planning? What were the United States considering?" asks Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s great-granddaughter and an academic of international affairs.

For her, the strength of the podcast lies in its endeavor to objectively ask: "Why do nations detest one another and oppose each other?"

"It struck me how spectacular it is that humans can be friends or can become total adversaries," states Max Kennedy, the son of Robert Kennedy, nephew of JFK and currently a writer as well as attorney. "History shows this dynamic repeatedly when countries have gone to war, demonstrating the profound irrationality it is to engage in warfare."

A Brink of Disaster

What is remarkable regarding this event is that, since it unfolded so publicly, individuals globally could watch nearly as it happened as it moved closer to disaster. However, the danger of annihilation came closer than what most people realised.

"Almost all officials among Kennedy's advisors wanted a military strike followed by a ground invasion," says Kennedy. "Had the U.S. struck the Cubans with the naval blockade, it is certain Soviet forces stationed there would have fired a tactical nuclear weapon against the American ships, and that would've sunk our naval vessels and sunk our primary naval force. And, we would have responded through massive retaliation that would have ended most life on the planet."

The fact it didn’t is a testament to Kennedy and Khrushchev, they succeeded in keep their heads and calmly negotiate when many advisors around them demanded action. As a result, Khrushchev agreed to withdraw the nuclear weapons from the Caribbean island and Kennedy (although not reported at the time) withdrew his similar weapons based in Turkey. The relief was worldwide, as was the sense of hope.

The Divergent Viewpoint

Yet, during those 13 days of October 1962, the tension was palpable by everyone. The podcast's presenters came into the world shortly after these events, with Nina being taught about it through the Soviet school curriculum, which presented a slightly different picture of events.

"As you mentioned your father recalls it, describing it as a scary day," Khrushcheva notes. "But in the Soviet Union, the public really didn’t know that much about it, because it was a crisis, and under the Soviet system we were told that everything was constantly wonderful and positive."

Inside Khrushchev’s family, however, it was distinct. "I was informed what a great occasion it was, because it represented eyeball to eyeball. They were able to resolve it, thus didn’t start a global war, which was a positive thing," she adds. Subsequently, however, that view would not be shared by everybody. "For decades in Russian politics, the crisis was viewed as a setback for Khrushchev, because he refrained from destroying America."

An Unlikely Collaboration

The Bomb is remarkably balanced , well produced so much so that Khrushcheva jokes she nearly forgot the known the ending. This is, partly, thanks to the participation of historians. But, really, the most significant thing is the participation of the descendants. Even within living memory, it would be unthinkable that relatives of the heads of state of America and Soviet Union to appear together publicly. That these two individuals are able to do so, and exhibit such warmth with each other, has to be a symbol of optimism.

"Max and I aren't the first," notes Khrushcheva. "Following 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 a shame because we got along immediately and we are friends, something that is really great. Finally, following nearly six decades of nearly annihilating the planet, our families have become allies, so I think global relations is safer, somewhat."

Contemporary Echoes and Present Perils

Or is it? Part of why The Bomb seems so urgent is because we now are living living through dark times. The symbolic clock of doom is closer to midnight in its history, partly since today's statesmen appear not to be able to grasp