‘After almost annihilating the planet, our relatives are friends’: the gripping podcast from JFK & Khrushchev’s descendants.

During the month of October 1962, the planet veered closer to annihilation than at any other point in modern times. This happened following the discovery that an American surveillance aircraft found the fact that Russian nuclear weapon sites were being built in the island of Cuba, a mere 160 kilometers off the coast of the United States. In response, U.S. President John F Kennedy ordered a naval task force to establish a maritime quarantine around the island. The ensuing period was almost 14 days of extreme anxiety.

The Catastrophic Danger

The threat was clear. If Kennedy, or else his Russian opposite, Premier Khrushchev, had fired against the other side, a chain reaction involving global nuclear attacks and counterstrikes could have followed, casting humanity into total ruination.

The Cuban missile crisis has been documented endlessly, in books, films, and TV documentaries. However, in its latest installment, a prominent BBC World Service podcast titled "The Bomb" presents a novel element into the story. The series is co-presented featuring Kennedy's relative alongside Nina Khrushcheva, relatives of the figures who, for 13 days, grasped the destiny of the world within their grasp.

"What were the Soviet side thinking? What was Washington considering?" ponders Nina Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s great-granddaughter and an academic specializing in global relations.

For her, the unique appeal of the podcast lies in its attempt to question: "How can people detest each other to the point they go against each other?"

"It was not lost on me how profound the fact that humans have the potential to be allies or can become total enemies," remarks Max Kennedy, the son of RFK, nephew of JFK and currently a writer as well as attorney. "History shows this repeatedly when nations enter into conflict, demonstrating the profound irrationality it is to fight."

The Brink of Disaster

What is notable about the Cuban missile crisis was that, because it unfolded so publicly, people globally were able to observe almost as it happened while it crept closer to armageddon. Nonetheless, the danger of destruction came closer than what most people realised.

"Almost all officials in the White House wanted an airstrike and an invasion," says Kennedy. "Had the U.S. attacked Cuba with the naval blockade, there is no question the Russians stationed there would've launched a tactical nuclear weapon against the US Sixth Fleet, which would have obliterated the aircraft carriers and sunk our primary naval force. And, the U.S. would have retaliated with an overwhelming counterattack that would have ended all life on the planet."

The reality it didn’t stands as credit to both leaders, they succeeded in keep their heads while calmly negotiate at a time when hawkish elements around them demanded military action. Consequently, Khrushchev removed the nuclear weapons in the Caribbean island and President Kennedy (although not reported at the time) removed his missiles based in NATO ally Turkey. The relief was palpable, as was the sense of optimism.

A Different Viewpoint

Yet, during those 13 days in October, the anxiety was felt by everyone. The podcast's presenters were born shortly after these events, with Nina being taught about the crisis via the Soviet education system, which painted an alternative version of what happened.

"You said your father remembers it, describing it as a scary time," she says. "But in the Soviet Union, people really didn’t know a great deal about it, since it was a tense situation, and under the Soviet system the official line was that things are constantly wonderful and sunny."

Inside Khrushchev’s family, however, it was different. "I was informed what a great occasion it was, as it was a direct confrontation. The leaders managed to resolve it, thus didn’t start a global war, seen as a positive thing," she adds. In the years to come, though, that perspective would not be shared by everybody. "For decades in Russian politics, it was considered a failure for Khrushchev, simply he didn’t blow up America."

An Unprecedented Partnership

The Bomb is so balanced , well produced so much so that Nina quips she nearly forgot she already knew outcome. This is, partly, thanks to the participation of renowned scholars. But, really, the most significant aspect is the participation of the descendants. Not so long ago, it would be unthinkable for descendants of the heads of state of America and the USSR to appear side by side. That these two individuals can do that, and be so warm with each other, has to be a sign of progress.

"Max and I aren't the first," notes Khrushcheva. "Following the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, my uncle moved to America and formed a close bond with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"But we had never met before the podcast," clarifies Max. "Which is unfortunate since we got along really well and now we are friends, which is really great. Finally, after nearly six decades since almost destroying the planet, our lineages are now allies, suggesting global relations is safer, somewhat."

Modern Parallels with Present Perils

Or is it? One reason why The Bomb feels so necessary is that we once again are living living through a perilous era. The Doomsday Clock stands nearer to midnight in its history, in part because world leaders appear not to be able to learn