‘After almost annihilating the planet, our relatives are friends’: the gripping podcast featuring John F. Kennedy & Nikita Khrushchev’s descendants.

In October 1962, the planet edged closer to ruin more so than ever during the contemporary era. This happened following the discovery that a US surveillance plane identified the fact that Soviet atomic weapon installations were under construction in the island of Cuba, less than 100 miles from the US mainland. In response, President JFK ordered a naval task force to establish a naval blockade around Cuba. The ensuing period constituted almost 14 days of unbearable anxiety.

An Catastrophic Threat

The danger remained clear. Should Kennedy, or the Soviet counterpart, Nikita Khrushchev, were to fire against their enemy, a series of global nuclear strikes followed by retaliatory strikes might have followed, casting mankind into all-out oblivion.

This pivotal 1962 event has been documented repeatedly, in books, movies, as well as TV documentaries. However, in its latest installment, a prominent BBC World Service podcast titled "The Bomb" has brought an unprecedented dimension to this historical narrative. The series is co-presented by Max Kennedy and Khrushchev's descendant, family members belonging to the figures that, over two tense weeks, grasped the fate of the world within their grasp.

"What was the Kremlin planning? What were Washington planning?" questions Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s great-granddaughter and a professor specializing in global relations.

For her, the strength of the podcast is its endeavor to question: "How can people detest one another and oppose one another?"

"It was not lost on me how remarkable it is that people can be allies or else have the potential to be complete enemies," adds Kennedy, son of Robert Kennedy, nephew of JFK and now a writer as well as attorney. "We see this dynamic over and over in instances where countries have gone to war, and it just illustrates the profound irrationality it is to engage in warfare."

The Precipice of Disaster

What’s notable about this event is that, since it unfolded so publicly, individuals worldwide were able to observe almost as it happened as it moved towards armageddon. However, the risk of annihilation was more imminent than anybody realised.

"Virtually everyone in the White House were advocating for a military strike followed by a ground invasion," explains Max Kennedy. "Had the U.S. struck the Cubans with the Sixth Fleet, there is no question the Russians stationed there would've fired a tactical nuclear weapon at the American ships, which would have sunk the aircraft carriers and sunk our primary fleet. And, we would have retaliated with an overwhelming counterattack that would have ended most life on Earth."

The fact this did not occur stands as credit to Kennedy and Khrushchev, who succeeded in exercise restraint while calmly negotiate when many advisors around them was pushing for action. Consequently, Khrushchev agreed to withdraw the missiles in the Caribbean island while Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed at the time) withdrew his similar weapons based in Turkey. The relief was palpable, matched by a feeling of optimism.

A Different Viewpoint

Yet, for those 13 days of October 1962, the anxiety was palpable by everyone. The Bomb’s co-hosts came into the world shortly after the crisis, with Nina learned about the crisis through the USSR's education system, which portrayed a slightly different picture of events.

"You said your father remembers it, and it was a scary time," Khrushcheva notes. "But for Soviet citizens, people really didn’t know a great deal regarding the crisis, because it was a crisis, whereas under the Soviet system we were told that things are constantly fine or sunny."

Inside the Khrushchev household, however, it was distinct. "They told me that it was a triumphant occasion it was, because it was eyeball to eyeball. They were able to resolve it, thus avoided the war, which was a wonderful outcome," she continues. In the years to come, though, that interpretation would not be held by all Russians. "For a long time in Russian politics, the crisis was viewed as a defeat for Khrushchev, because he refrained from destroying America."

A Unprecedented Collaboration

This podcast is so balanced and well produced that Khrushcheva jokes she nearly forgot she already knew outcome. This effect is, in part, due to contributions from historians. Yet, truly, the most momentous thing is the involvement of the descendants. Even within living memory, it would be inconceivable that relatives of the leaders of the United States and USSR would appear together publicly. The fact that Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva are able to do so, and exhibit such warmth toward one another, must be seen as a symbol of optimism.

"We aren't the first," smiles Nina. "After 1991, my uncle Sergey Khrushchev’s son and formed a close bond with the former president's family."

"But we were strangers prior to this project," adds Kennedy. "That is a shame because we got along really well and now we’re friends, something that is really great. Finally, following nearly six decades since almost destroying the planet, our families have become friends, so I think global relations is more secure, a little bit."

Modern Parallels with Current Perils

Is that truly the case? Part of the reason The Bomb feels so necessary is because we once again find ourselves living through dark times. The Doomsday Clock stands nearer to catastrophe in its history, in part because world leaders don’t seem to be able to learn