‘After nearly annihilating our planet, the families have become allies’: a gripping podcast featuring JFK & Nikita Khrushchev’s descendants.

During the month of October 1962, humanity came closer to destruction than at any other point in recent history. This happened after a US surveillance plane found that Russian nuclear weapon bases were under construction in the island of Cuba, a mere 160 kilometers from American soil. In response, U.S. President John F Kennedy ordered a naval task force to enact a naval blockade encircling Cuba. What followed was almost a fortnight of extreme stress.

An Catastrophic Threat

The peril remained obvious. If Kennedy, or else his Soviet counterpart, Premier Khrushchev, were to fire against their enemy, a cascade of global atomic attacks and counterstrikes would have followed, casting humanity toward total destruction.

The October crisis has been documented repeatedly, in books, movies, as well as television programmes. But, for its third season, a prominent BBC World Service podcast titled "The Bomb" presents an unprecedented perspective to this historical narrative. It is co-presented by Kennedy's relative alongside Khrushchev's descendant, relatives of the leaders who, for 13 days, grasped the destiny of the world in their hands.

"What were the Russians planning? What were the United States thinking?" ponders Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s great-granddaughter and a professor specializing in international affairs.

For her, the beauty of the podcast is its endeavor to question: "How can people hate each other and go against each other?"

"It struck me how profound it is that individuals can be friends or else can become total adversaries," adds Max Kennedy, son of RFK, related to the late president and now a writer as well as attorney. "History shows this dynamic over and over in instances where countries enter into conflict, demonstrating the sheer folly involved to fight."

The Precipice Towards Catastrophe

What’s notable regarding this event is that, since it unfolded in the global spotlight, people worldwide were able to observe almost as it happened while it edged closer to catastrophe. However, the threat of annihilation was more imminent than most people understood at the time.

"The overwhelming majority among Kennedy's advisors were advocating for an airstrike followed by an invasion," notes Max Kennedy. "Had the U.S. struck Cuba with the Sixth Fleet, it is certain Soviet forces on the ground would have fired a tactical nuclear weapon at the US Sixth Fleet, which would have destroyed the aircraft carriers as well as sunk our largest and most important naval force. And, the U.S. would have responded through an overwhelming counterattack that would have eradicated all life on the planet."

The reality this did not occur is a testament to both leaders, who succeeded in exercise restraint and calmly negotiate at a time when many advisors around them was pushing for action. Consequently, The Soviet premier agreed to withdraw the missiles in the Caribbean island while Kennedy (although not reported then) withdrew American missiles from Turkey. The relief was worldwide, matched by a feeling of hope.

A Different Viewpoint

Still, for those two weeks of October 1962, the fear was felt globally. The Bomb’s presenters came into the world in the years following the crisis, and Nina learned about it via the USSR's education system, which presented an alternative picture of what happened.

"You said your parent remembers it, describing it as 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 in the Soviet Union we were told that everything was always wonderful or sunny."

Within Khrushchev’s family, though, the perspective was different. "I was informed that it was a triumphant moment for the USSR, because it represented a direct confrontation. The leaders managed to resolve it, thus didn’t start the war, seen as a positive thing," she adds. Subsequently, though, that view was not shared by everybody. "For decades within Russian historical analysis, it was considered a setback for the Soviet leader, because he refrained from destroying America."

A Unprecedented Collaboration

This podcast is so even-handed , well produced so much so that Nina quips it almost made her forget she already knew outcome. This is, partly, thanks to contributions from historians. Yet, really, the most groundbreaking thing is the participation of the hosts themselves. Not so long ago, it was inconceivable that relatives of the leaders of the United States and USSR would appear side by side. That Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva are able to do so, and exhibit such warmth toward one another, must be seen as a sign of optimism.

"Max and I aren't the first," notes Nina. "Following 1991, a relative moved to America and became great friends with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"However we had never met prior to this project," adds Max. "Which is unfortunate since we got along immediately and we are friends, which is wonderful. Ultimately, after almost 60 years since nearly annihilating the world, our families are now allies, suggesting global relations is safer, a little bit."

Modern Echoes with Present Dangers

Or is it? Part of the reason The Bomb feels so necessary is because we once again find ourselves living through a perilous era. The symbolic clock of doom is closer to midnight in its history, in part because today's statesmen appear not to be able to grasp