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

During October 1962, the planet edged nearer to annihilation more so than ever in recent history. This happened when an American surveillance aircraft discovered that Russian atomic missile bases were being built on the island of Cuba, less than 100 miles off the coast of American soil. Reacting to this, President JFK ordered the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to establish a naval quarantine encircling the island. The next phase was nearly 14 days of unbearable stress.

The Catastrophic Threat

The danger was clear. If President Kennedy, or his Russian opposite, Premier Khrushchev, were to fire on the other side, a cascade of global nuclear strikes and counterstrikes could have ensued, plunging civilization into total ruination.

The October crisis has been documented repeatedly, through volumes, movies, and TV documentaries. However, for its third season, the BBC World Service podcast titled "The Bomb" presents a completely new element to the story. The series is co-presented featuring Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva, family members of the leaders that, for two tense weeks, grasped the destiny of the planet in their hands.

"What was the Kremlin thinking? What was the United States considering?" asks Nina Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s great-granddaughter who is also a professor specializing in global relations.

For her, the beauty of the podcast lies in its endeavor to objectively ask: "Why do individuals hate each other to the point they go against one another?"

"It was not lost on me how spectacular the fact that people can be allies or have the potential to be complete enemies," adds Kennedy, son of RFK, nephew of the late president and now a writer and lawyer. "History shows this repeatedly when countries have gone to war, demonstrating the sheer folly it is to engage in warfare."

A Precipice of Catastrophe

What’s notable about this event is that, since it transpired so publicly, individuals worldwide could watch almost in real time as it moved towards armageddon. Even so, the risk of annihilation was more imminent than most people understood at the time.

"Virtually everyone in the White House were advocating for an airstrike followed by a ground invasion," explains Max Kennedy. "Had the U.S. attacked Cuba with the Sixth Fleet, it is certain the Russians on the ground would've launched a nuclear warhead at the American ships, which would have obliterated our aircraft carriers and destroyed our primary fleet. And, the U.S. would have responded with an overwhelming counterattack that would have eradicated most life on Earth."

The fact it didn’t highlights the composure of Kennedy and Khrushchev, they managed to keep their heads and engaging in diplomacy at a time when many advisors in their governments demanded military action. As a result, The Soviet premier removed the nuclear weapons from the Caribbean island and Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed at the time) withdrew American similar weapons from Turkey. The sense of relief was palpable, matched by the sense of hope.

A Divergent Perspective

Still, during those 13 days in October, the tension was felt by everyone. The podcast's presenters were born shortly after the crisis, and Khrushcheva learned about it through the USSR's education system, which portrayed an alternative version of what happened.

"You said your father remembers it, describing it as a frightening time," she says. "However for Soviet citizens, people were largely unaware a great deal about it, because it was a tense situation, whereas under the Soviet system the official line was that things are constantly wonderful or sunny."

Inside the Khrushchev household, though, it was distinct. "They told me what a great moment it was, because it represented eyeball to eyeball. The leaders managed to find a solution, and didn’t start a global war, which was a positive outcome," she adds. Subsequently, however, that interpretation was not shared by everybody. "For a long time in Russian politics, the crisis was viewed as a defeat for the Soviet leader, because he didn’t blow up America."

A Unprecedented Partnership

This podcast is so even-handed , well produced that Nina quips it almost made her forget the known outcome. This is, partly, thanks to the participation of historians. Yet, truly, the most momentous aspect remains the participation of the hosts themselves. Even within living memory, it was inconceivable for descendants of the leaders of America and USSR would appear side by side. That these two individuals are able to do so, and be so warm toward one another, must be seen as a sign of optimism.

"Max and I aren't the pioneers," notes Nina. "Following the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, my uncle moved to America where he formed a close bond with the former president's family."

"However we had never met prior to this project," clarifies Kennedy. "Which is a shame because we connected immediately and now we are friends, something that is wonderful. Finally, following nearly 60 years since almost destroying the world, our lineages are now allies, suggesting the world is more secure, somewhat."

Contemporary Echoes and Current Perils

Is that truly the case? One reason why this series seems so urgent is that we now find ourselves living through a perilous era. The Doomsday Clock is closer to midnight than ever before, partly since today's statesmen don’t seem to have the capacity to grasp