‘After almost destroying the world, the families have become friends’: the thrilling podcast featuring JFK and Khrushchev’s descendants.

During the month of October 1962, humanity veered closer to destruction more so than ever during modern times. This transpired after a US reconnaissance aircraft discovered that Russian nuclear weapon bases were under construction on Cuba, a mere 160 kilometers off the coast of the United States. Reacting to this, U.S. President John F Kennedy directed the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to enact a naval quarantine encircling Cuba. The ensuing period constituted nearly two weeks filled with impossible stress.

The Unthinkable Threat

The danger was clear. Should President Kennedy, or the Russian opposite, Premier Khrushchev, initiated an attack on their enemy, a cascade involving worldwide nuclear attacks followed by retaliatory strikes might have followed, casting humanity toward all-out destruction.

This pivotal 1962 event has been documented repeatedly, through volumes, movies, and TV documentaries. But, in its latest installment, a prominent BBC World Service podcast titled "The Bomb" introduces an unprecedented element to the story. The series is co-presented by Kennedy's relative and Nina Khrushcheva, family members belonging to the men that, over two tense weeks, held the destiny of the planet in their hands.

"What was the Soviet side considering? What was Washington planning?" ponders Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s descendant who is also an academic of international affairs.

For her, the beauty of the podcast is its endeavor to objectively ask: "Why do nations hate one another and confront each other?"

"It was not lost on me how remarkable it is that people have the potential to be friends or have the potential to be total adversaries," states Max Kennedy, son of Robert Kennedy, nephew of the late president and now a writer as well as attorney. "We see this over and over when countries have gone to war, and it just illustrates how unbelievably stupid involved to engage in warfare."

A Precipice Towards Catastrophe

What’s striking about the Cuban missile crisis is that, since it unfolded in the global spotlight, citizens globally were able to observe almost in real time as it crept closer to catastrophe. Nonetheless, the danger of annihilation was more imminent than most people realised.

"Almost all officials in the White House wanted an airstrike and a ground invasion," explains Max Kennedy. "If we had struck the Cubans with the Sixth Fleet, there is no question Soviet forces on the ground would have deployed a tactical nuclear weapon against the US Sixth Fleet, and that would have obliterated the aircraft carriers as well as destroyed our primary fleet. And, we would have retaliated through massive retaliation which would have eradicated all life on Earth."

The reality this did not occur is a testament to both leaders, they succeeded in keep their heads and calmly negotiate at a time when hawkish elements around them were advocating action. Consequently, The Soviet premier removed the missiles from Cuba while President Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed at the time) withdrew his similar weapons from NATO ally Turkey. The relief was worldwide, as was a feeling of hope.

A Divergent Viewpoint

Still, for those 13 days of October 1962, the anxiety was palpable by everyone. The podcast's co-hosts came into the world shortly after these events, and Khrushcheva being taught about the crisis through the USSR's school curriculum, which presented a slightly different version of what happened.

"You said your father recalls it, describing it as a scary time," she says. "But for Soviet citizens, the public really didn’t know a great deal regarding the crisis, because it was a crisis, whereas under the Soviet system we were told that everything was constantly wonderful and positive."

Within the Khrushchev household, however, it was different. "They told me that it was a triumphant moment for the USSR, because it represented eyeball to eyeball. They were able to find a solution, and didn’t start a global war, which was a positive thing," she adds. Subsequently, though, that perspective was not held by everybody. "For decades within Russian historical analysis, the crisis was viewed as a defeat for Khrushchev, because he refrained from destroying the United States."

A Unlikely Collaboration

The Bomb is so balanced and well produced that Khrushcheva quips it almost made her forget she already knew outcome. This is, in part, due to the participation of historians. Yet, really, the most groundbreaking aspect remains the participation of the descendants. Even within living memory, it would be unthinkable that relatives of the leaders of the United States and USSR to appear side by side. The fact that Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva can do that, and be so warm toward one another, must be seen as a symbol of hope.

"We are not the pioneers," smiles Khrushcheva. "After the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, a relative moved to America and became great friends with the former president's family."

"But we were strangers prior to this project," clarifies Max. "That is a shame because we got along immediately and we’re friends, which is really great. Ultimately, after nearly six decades of almost destroying the planet, our lineages have become friends, suggesting global relations is safer, a little bit."

Modern Echoes with Present Perils

Or is it? Part of why The Bomb feels so necessary is because we now are living in a perilous era. The symbolic clock of doom stands nearer to catastrophe than ever before, in part because world leaders appear not to be able to learn