Following nearly destroying our planet, the families have become friends’: the gripping podcast featuring JFK & Khrushchev’s descendants.

In October 1962, the planet came nearer toward destruction more so than ever in recent history. This occurred after an American reconnaissance plane found that Soviet nuclear missile installations were being built in Cuba, less than 160 kilometers from the US mainland. Reacting to this, President JFK commanded the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to establish a naval blockade encircling Cuba. The next phase was almost 14 days of extreme tension.

The Unthinkable Threat

The peril remained obvious. Should Kennedy, or his Soviet counterpart, Premier Khrushchev, were to fire on the other side, a chain reaction involving worldwide nuclear strikes and counterstrikes might have ensued, thrusting mankind toward total oblivion.

The Cuban missile crisis has been documented endlessly, in volumes, movies, and television programmes. However, in its latest installment, the BBC World Service podcast The Bomb introduces an unprecedented dimension to this historical narrative. It is jointly hosted by Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva, relatives belonging to the figures who, over two tense weeks, held the fate of the world within their grasp.

"What were the Russians considering? What was Washington thinking?" questions Nina Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's great-granddaughter and a professor specializing in international affairs.

For her, the strength of the show lies in its attempt to objectively ask: "Why do nations detest one another and oppose each other?"

"It struck me how remarkable it is that humans have the potential to be allies or else have the potential to be complete adversaries," adds Max Kennedy, son of RFK, related to JFK and now a writer and lawyer. "History shows this dynamic over and over when nations have gone to war, and it just illustrates the sheer folly involved to engage in warfare."

The Brink Towards Disaster

What’s striking regarding this event is that, since it transpired in the global spotlight, citizens worldwide could watch nearly as it happened as it moved closer to armageddon. However, the risk of destruction came closer than what anybody understood at the time.

"The overwhelming majority in the White House were advocating for a military strike and an invasion," explains Kennedy. "If we had struck Cuba using the naval blockade, there is no question the Russians stationed there would have deployed a tactical nuclear weapon at the US Sixth Fleet, and that would've obliterated our naval vessels and sunk our primary fleet. In turn, we would have responded through an overwhelming counterattack which would have ended all life on Earth."

The fact it didn’t highlights the composure of Kennedy and Khrushchev, who managed to exercise restraint while calmly negotiate when hawkish elements in their governments were advocating action. Consequently, The Soviet premier removed the missiles in the Caribbean island while President Kennedy (although not reported at the time) withdrew his missiles from NATO ally Turkey. The sense of relief was palpable, matched by a feeling of optimism.

A Divergent Perspective

Still, for those 13 days of October 1962, the fear was felt globally. The Bomb’s co-hosts came into the world shortly after the crisis, with Khrushcheva learned about the crisis through the Soviet education system, which painted a slightly different narrative of events.

"As you mentioned your father remembers it, and it was a frightening day," Khrushcheva notes. "However for Soviet citizens, the public were largely unaware that much about it, because it was a crisis, and in the Soviet Union the official line was that everything was constantly fine and positive."

Inside Khrushchev’s family, however, it was distinct. "They told me what a great occasion it was, because it was a direct confrontation. The leaders managed to resolve it, and didn’t start the war, which was a positive outcome," she continues. Subsequently, however, that perspective would not be held by all Russians. "For decades in Russian politics, it was considered a failure for the Soviet leader, because he refrained from destroying the United States."

An Unprecedented Collaboration

This podcast is so even-handed and well produced that Nina jokes it almost made her forget she already knew the ending. This is, in part, thanks to the participation of historians. Yet, truly, the most momentous aspect remains the involvement of the descendants. Even within living memory, it would be inconceivable for relatives of the leaders of America and USSR to appear together publicly. That these two individuals are able to do so, and be so warm with each other, must be seen as a sign of progress.

"Max and I aren't the pioneers," smiles Nina. "Following 1991, my uncle moved to America and formed a close bond with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"But we were strangers prior to this project," clarifies Kennedy. "Which is a shame because we got along immediately and we are friends, which is really great. Finally, after almost six decades since nearly annihilating the planet, our lineages have become friends, so I think the world is safer, somewhat."

Modern Echoes and Current Perils

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