‘After nearly destroying our world, our families have become allies’: a gripping podcast from JFK and Nikita Khrushchev’s descendants.

In October 1962, humanity came closer to annihilation more so than ever in the contemporary era. This occurred following the discovery that an American reconnaissance plane identified the fact that Russian nuclear missile installations were being assembled on the island of Cuba, a mere 100 miles from the United States. Reacting to this, U.S. President John F Kennedy ordered a naval task force to enact a maritime blockade encircling the island. The ensuing period was nearly 14 days of impossible tension.

The Unthinkable Danger

The danger was palpable. If President Kennedy, or his Russian opposite, Premier Khrushchev, were to fire on their enemy, a chain reaction of global atomic attacks and counterstrikes would have followed, casting civilization into total destruction.

The Cuban missile crisis has been covered endlessly, in volumes, films, as well as TV documentaries. But, for its third season, a prominent BBC World Service podcast The Bomb introduces a novel element to the story. It is co-presented by Kennedy's relative alongside Nina Khrushcheva, relatives of the men who, over 13 days, controlled the fate of humanity in their hands.

"What was the Soviet side considering? What was the United States considering?" ponders Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s great-granddaughter who is also a professor specializing in global relations.

In her view, the unique appeal of the show lies in its endeavor to question: "Why do nations hate one another and oppose one another?"

"It was not lost on me how remarkable the fact that humans have the potential to be friends or can become complete enemies," states Max Kennedy, the son of Robert Kennedy, related to the late president and now a writer and lawyer. "History shows this over and over when nations have gone to war, highlighting the sheer folly involved to engage in warfare."

A Brink of Catastrophe

What’s notable about this event is that, because it unfolded so publicly, individuals worldwide were able to observe almost as it happened as it moved closer to armageddon. Even so, the risk of destruction came closer than what most people realised.

"Virtually everyone among Kennedy's advisors wanted an airstrike and an invasion," explains Kennedy. "If we had struck the Cubans with the naval blockade, undoubtedly the Russians stationed there would've fired a tactical nuclear weapon at the US Sixth Fleet, and that would have obliterated the aircraft carriers as well as destroyed America's largest and most important naval force. In turn, we would have responded through an overwhelming counterattack that would have ended all life on Earth."

The reality it didn’t is a testament to both leaders, they managed to exercise restraint while calmly negotiate when everyone in their governments demanded action. Consequently, The Soviet premier removed the nuclear weapons in Cuba while President Kennedy (although not reported at the time) withdrew his similar weapons based in NATO ally Turkey. The sense of relief was immense, matched by a feeling of hope.

A Different Viewpoint

Yet, during those two weeks of October 1962, the fear was palpable globally. The podcast's co-hosts came into the world in the years following these events, and Nina learned about it through the Soviet school curriculum, which portrayed an alternative narrative of what happened.

"You said your father remembers it, and it was a frightening time," she says. "However for Soviet citizens, people really didn’t know a great deal regarding the crisis, since it was a tense situation, and in the Soviet Union the official line was that everything was always fine or sunny."

Within the Khrushchev household, however, it was different. "They told me what a great occasion for the USSR, as it was a direct confrontation. They were able to find a solution, thus didn’t start a global war, which was a positive thing," she continues. Later on, however, that perspective was not held by all Russians. "For decades in Russian politics, it was considered a defeat for Khrushchev, because he didn’t blow up the United States."

A Unprecedented Partnership

This podcast is so balanced and expertly crafted so much so that Nina jokes it almost made her forget the known outcome. This effect is, in part, due to the participation of renowned scholars. But, truly, the most significant thing remains the participation of the descendants. Even within living memory, it would be unthinkable for relatives of the heads of state of America and USSR would appear side by side. That Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva can do that, and exhibit such warmth with each other, must be seen as a symbol of progress.

"Max and I aren't the pioneers," notes Khrushcheva. "After 1991, my uncle Sergey Khrushchev’s son where he became great friends with the former president's family."

"However we were strangers before the podcast," clarifies Max. "That is a shame because we got along really well and now we’re friends, something that is wonderful. Ultimately, after almost six decades since almost destroying the world, our families are now friends, so I think the world is safer, somewhat."

Modern Echoes with Current Dangers

Is that truly the case? One reason why this series feels so necessary is because we now are living living through a perilous era. The symbolic clock of doom stands nearer to catastrophe in its history, in part because world leaders appear not to be able to learn