Following almost destroying our planet, the relatives have become friends’: a thrilling podcast from John F. Kennedy and Khrushchev’s descendants.

In October 1962, the world edged nearer toward annihilation than at any other point during the contemporary era. This transpired after an American reconnaissance aircraft found that Russian atomic weapon bases were under construction in the island of Cuba, less than 160 kilometers off the coast of American soil. In response, President JFK ordered a naval task force to establish a maritime blockade encircling the island. The next phase was nearly two weeks of unbearable anxiety.

The Catastrophic Danger

The threat was clear. Should President Kennedy, or his Russian opposite, Nikita Khrushchev, were to fire against their enemy, a series involving global nuclear attacks followed by counterstrikes might have ensued, casting mankind toward total oblivion.

The Cuban missile crisis has been documented repeatedly, in volumes, films, and television programmes. However, for its third season, a prominent BBC World Service podcast The Bomb presents an unprecedented dimension to the story. It is co-presented by Max Kennedy alongside Khrushchev's descendant, relatives belonging to the figures who, over 13 days, controlled the fate of the planet within their grasp.

"What were the Soviet side considering? What was the American side planning?" questions Nina Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s descendant who is also an academic of global relations.

For her, the beauty of the show is its endeavor to explore: "How can individuals hate one another and confront one another?"

"It was not lost on me how spectacular it is that people can be allies or have the potential to be complete adversaries," remarks Kennedy, son of Robert Kennedy, related to JFK and now a writer and lawyer. "We see this dynamic repeatedly in instances where countries enter into conflict, highlighting how unbelievably stupid involved to engage in warfare."

The Brink of Catastrophe

What’s striking about this event was that, since it unfolded in the global spotlight, people worldwide could watch nearly in real time while it edged towards armageddon. Even so, the danger of annihilation was more imminent than anybody realised.

"Virtually everyone in the White House were advocating for an airstrike followed by an invasion," notes Max Kennedy. "Had the U.S. attacked Cuba using the Sixth Fleet, undoubtedly Soviet forces on the ground would have fired a nuclear warhead against the US Sixth Fleet, and that would've destroyed our naval vessels and sunk our primary naval force. In turn, we would have responded through an overwhelming counterattack which would have eradicated most life on the planet."

The fact it didn’t stands as credit to Kennedy and Khrushchev, they succeeded in remain calm while calmly negotiate at a time when hawkish elements in their governments were advocating military action. Consequently, The Soviet premier removed the nuclear weapons from the Caribbean island while Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed at the time) removed American missiles based in Turkey. The relief was palpable, as was a feeling of hope.

A Divergent Viewpoint

Still, for those two weeks of October 1962, the anxiety was felt globally. The podcast's co-hosts came into the world in the years following the crisis, and Nina being taught about the crisis via the Soviet education system, which painted a slightly different version of what happened.

"You said your parent remembers it, describing it as a scary time," she says. "But for Soviet citizens, the public were largely unaware a great deal about it, since it was a crisis, whereas in the Soviet Union we were told that things are constantly wonderful and sunny."

Inside the Khrushchev household, though, it was distinct. "They told me what a great occasion for the USSR, because it was eyeball to eyeball. The leaders managed to find a solution, thus avoided a global war, which was a positive thing," she continues. In the years to come, though, that perspective was not shared by everybody. "For decades in Russian politics, the crisis was viewed as a failure for the Soviet leader, simply he didn’t blow up America."

A Unlikely Partnership

The Bomb is so even-handed , expertly crafted so much so that Khrushcheva quips it almost made her forget the known the ending. This effect is, partly, due to the participation of renowned scholars. Yet, truly, the most significant aspect remains the involvement of the hosts themselves. Not so long ago, it was inconceivable for relatives of the heads of state of the United States and the USSR to appear together publicly. That these two individuals can do that, and exhibit such warmth toward one another, has to be a sign of optimism.

"Max and I are not the first," notes Khrushcheva. "Following the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, my uncle moved to America and formed a close bond with the former president's family."

"However we were strangers before the podcast," adds Kennedy. "Which is a shame because we got along immediately and now we’re friends, which is really great. Finally, following almost six decades of almost destroying the planet, our families are now allies, suggesting the world is more secure, somewhat."

Modern Echoes with Present Perils

Or is it? One reason why The Bomb feels so necessary is because we now find ourselves living through dark times. The Doomsday Clock is closer to catastrophe in its history, in part because world leaders don’t seem to have the capacity to comprehend