‘After almost destroying our planet, our relatives have become friends’: a gripping podcast featuring JFK & Khrushchev’s descendants.

In October 1962, the planet came closer toward annihilation than at any other point during modern times. This transpired after an American reconnaissance plane discovered the fact that Russian nuclear missile bases were being assembled in the island of Cuba, less than 100 miles off the coast of the United States. Reacting to this, President John F Kennedy commanded the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to impose a naval quarantine around Cuba. The next phase constituted nearly a fortnight filled with unbearable tension.

The Catastrophic Threat

The peril was obvious. If President Kennedy, or the Russian opposite, Premier Khrushchev, had fired on the other side, a cascade of global nuclear strikes and retaliatory strikes might have ensued, plunging mankind into total oblivion.

The October crisis has been documented extensively, in volumes, movies, as well as television programmes. However, for its third season, the BBC World Service podcast titled "The Bomb" has brought a completely new dimension into this historical narrative. The series is jointly hosted by Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva, family members belonging to the figures that, over 13 days, controlled the fate of humanity within their grasp.

"What was the Soviet side planning? What were the American side considering?" ponders Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s great-granddaughter and an academic of global relations.

For her, the unique appeal of the podcast lies in its attempt to question: "How can people detest one another to the point they oppose one another?"

"It was not lost on me how profound the fact that individuals have the potential to be friends or can become total enemies," states Max Kennedy, son of Robert Kennedy, related to JFK and currently a writer and lawyer. "History shows this repeatedly when countries enter into conflict, highlighting the sheer folly it is to fight."

The Precipice Towards Catastrophe

What’s remarkable about the Cuban missile crisis is that, since it transpired so publicly, individuals globally could watch nearly as it happened as it crept closer to armageddon. Nonetheless, the threat of destruction came closer than anybody realised.

"Almost all officials among Kennedy's advisors were advocating for an airstrike followed by a ground invasion," notes Kennedy. "Had the U.S. attacked the Cubans with the Sixth Fleet, it is certain the Russians on the ground would've launched a nuclear warhead against the American ships, which would've obliterated our naval vessels as well as sunk our largest and most important naval force. And, the U.S. would have retaliated through massive retaliation that would have ended most life on Earth."

The fact this did not occur stands as credit to Kennedy and Khrushchev, they succeeded in keep their heads and engaging in diplomacy when everyone in their governments demanded action. As a result, The Soviet premier agreed to withdraw the nuclear weapons in Cuba and President Kennedy (although not reported then) withdrew his similar weapons based in NATO ally Turkey. The sense of relief was palpable, as was a feeling of hope.

The Different Viewpoint

Still, during those two weeks of October 1962, the anxiety was felt globally. The Bomb’s co-hosts were born shortly after the crisis, with Khrushcheva learned about the crisis via the Soviet school curriculum, which portrayed an alternative version of what happened.

"As you mentioned your parent recalls it, and it was a frightening day," Khrushcheva notes. "However for Soviet citizens, the public really didn’t know that much about it, since it was a tense situation, whereas under the Soviet system the official line was that everything was constantly fine or positive."

Inside the Khrushchev household, however, it was distinct. "They told me that it was a triumphant occasion it was, because it represented a direct confrontation. The leaders managed to find a solution, thus avoided a global war, seen as a wonderful thing," she continues. In the years to come, though, that interpretation was not held by everybody. "For decades within Russian historical analysis, the crisis was viewed as a failure for Khrushchev, simply he didn’t blow up the United States."

A Unlikely Collaboration

This podcast is so balanced and well produced that Khrushcheva jokes she nearly forgot the known the ending. This is, in part, due to contributions from renowned scholars. Yet, really, the most groundbreaking aspect remains the participation of the hosts themselves. Even within living memory, it was inconceivable that descendants of the leaders of America and Soviet Union would appear side by side. The fact that Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva can do that, and be so warm toward one another, has to be a sign of hope.

"We are not the pioneers," smiles Nina. "After the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, my uncle Sergey Khrushchev’s son where he formed a close bond with the former president's family."

"But we had never met prior to this project," adds Max. "That is unfortunate because we got along really well and we’re friends, which is wonderful. Ultimately, following nearly six decades of almost destroying the planet, our lineages are now allies, so I think the world is more secure, a little bit."

Contemporary Echoes with Current Perils

Is that truly the case? One reason the reason this series seems so urgent is because we once again find ourselves living through a perilous era. The symbolic clock of doom stands nearer to catastrophe than ever before, partly since today's statesmen appear not to have the capacity to comprehend