‘After almost annihilating our planet, the relatives have become allies’: the gripping podcast featuring John F. Kennedy & Khrushchev’s descendants.

In the month of October 1962, the world edged closer to ruin more so than ever during recent history. This happened following the discovery that a US reconnaissance plane identified the fact that Soviet nuclear weapon sites were under construction on the island of Cuba, a mere 160 kilometers off the coast of the United States. Reacting to this, U.S. President John F Kennedy commanded the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to establish a naval quarantine around Cuba. The ensuing period constituted nearly two weeks of impossible stress.

The Catastrophic Threat

The peril was palpable. Should President Kennedy, or his Soviet counterpart, Premier Khrushchev, initiated an attack against the other side, a series involving worldwide atomic strikes and counterstrikes would have followed, thrusting humanity into total destruction.

The October crisis has been covered endlessly, through volumes, films, and television programmes. But, for its third season, the BBC World Service podcast The Bomb introduces an unprecedented perspective into this historical narrative. The series is co-presented by Kennedy's relative and Khrushchev's descendant, family members belonging to the leaders who, for two tense weeks, held the fate of the world in their hands.

"What was the Soviet side thinking? What were Washington planning?" ponders Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s great-granddaughter who is also an academic of global relations.

For her, the beauty of the show is its endeavor to explore: "How can nations detest one another to the point they go against each other?"

"It struck me how profound it is that people have the potential to be allies or have the potential to be complete adversaries," remarks Kennedy, the son of RFK, nephew of the late president and now an author as well as attorney. "We see this repeatedly in instances where countries have gone to war, demonstrating how unbelievably stupid involved to engage in warfare."

The Brink Towards Catastrophe

What’s remarkable regarding the Cuban missile crisis was that, since it unfolded so publicly, individuals worldwide were able to observe nearly in real time while it edged towards catastrophe. However, the danger of destruction came closer than anybody understood at the time.

"Almost all officials in the White House were advocating for an airstrike and an invasion," says Kennedy. "Had the U.S. attacked Cuba with the Sixth Fleet, there is no question Soviet forces on the ground would have deployed a tactical nuclear weapon at the American ships, and that would've destroyed the aircraft carriers and destroyed America's largest and most important naval force. In turn, we would have retaliated through massive retaliation which would have ended all life on the planet."

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

A Different Viewpoint

Still, for those 13 days of October 1962, the anxiety was palpable by everyone. The podcast's co-hosts were born in the years following the crisis, and Khrushcheva being taught about the crisis via the USSR's education system, which presented a slightly different picture of what happened.

"You said your parent remembers it, and it was a scary time," she says. "However for Soviet citizens, the public were largely unaware that much about it, since it was a tense situation, and under the Soviet system the official line was that everything was always fine or positive."

Inside Khrushchev’s family, however, the perspective was distinct. "I was informed that it was a triumphant moment it was, because it was eyeball to eyeball. They were able to find a solution, and didn’t start the war, which was a positive outcome," she adds. Subsequently, though, that interpretation would not be held by all Russians. "For decades in Russian politics, the crisis was viewed as a failure for the Soviet leader, because he didn’t blow up America."

An Unlikely Collaboration

This podcast is remarkably balanced , well produced so much so that Khrushcheva jokes it almost made her forget she already knew outcome. This is, in part, thanks to the participation of renowned scholars. Yet, truly, the most momentous thing remains the involvement of the descendants. Not so long ago, it would be unthinkable that descendants of the leaders of America and USSR would appear side by side. That Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva are able to do so, and be so warm toward one another, must be seen as a symbol of hope.

"Max and I aren't the pioneers," notes Nina. "After the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, a relative moved to America where he became great friends with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"However we were strangers prior to this project," adds Max. "That is a shame since we got along immediately and now we’re friends, something that is wonderful. Ultimately, after nearly 60 years of nearly annihilating the world, our lineages have become allies, so I think global relations is safer, somewhat."

Modern Parallels and Current Dangers

Is that truly the case? One reason why The Bomb seems so urgent is that we now are living living through dark times. The symbolic clock of doom is closer to midnight than ever before, partly since today's statesmen don’t seem to have the capacity to grasp