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

During October 1962, the planet edged closer toward annihilation more so than ever in the contemporary era. This occurred after a US surveillance plane identified that Soviet nuclear weapon sites were being assembled in the island of Cuba, less than 100 miles off the coast of the United States. In response, President JFK directed the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to establish a maritime blockade around the island. The next phase constituted almost two weeks filled with extreme tension.

The Catastrophic Danger

The danger was clear. Should Kennedy, or the Russian opposite, Premier Khrushchev, were to fire against the other side, a chain reaction involving global atomic strikes and counterstrikes might have followed, casting humanity into total oblivion.

The Cuban missile crisis has been documented repeatedly, in books, films, as well as TV documentaries. But, in its latest installment, the BBC World Service podcast titled "The Bomb" presents a novel dimension into this historical narrative. The series is co-presented by Kennedy's relative alongside Khrushchev's descendant, relatives of the men who, for 13 days, held the destiny of humanity within their grasp.

"What was the Russians considering? What were the United States considering?" asks Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's descendant who is also a professor of global relations.

In her view, the unique appeal of the show lies in its endeavor to explore: "Why do individuals detest one another and oppose one another?"

"It struck me how spectacular the fact that humans have the potential to be friends or have the potential to be total adversaries," states Max Kennedy, son of RFK, nephew of the late president and currently a writer as well as lawyer. "History shows this over and over when countries have gone to war, demonstrating how unbelievably stupid involved to engage in warfare."

A Brink Towards Disaster

What’s notable about this event is that, since it transpired so publicly, individuals globally were able to observe almost in real time as it moved closer to catastrophe. Even so, the danger of annihilation was more imminent than anybody understood at the time.

"The overwhelming majority among Kennedy's advisors were advocating for a military strike followed by an invasion," notes Kennedy. "Had the U.S. attacked the Cubans with the Sixth Fleet, undoubtedly the Russians stationed there would've fired a tactical nuclear weapon against the US Sixth Fleet, and that would've obliterated the aircraft carriers and sunk our largest and most important naval force. In turn, we would have retaliated through massive retaliation that would have ended all life on Earth."

The reality this did not occur stands as credit to Kennedy and Khrushchev, who managed to remain calm while engaging in diplomacy at a time when hawkish elements in their governments was pushing for military action. As a result, The Soviet premier removed the missiles in Cuba and President Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed at the time) withdrew his missiles based in Turkey. The relief was worldwide, matched by the sense of optimism.

A Divergent Viewpoint

Yet, for those two weeks in October, the anxiety was palpable by everyone. The Bomb’s co-hosts came into the world shortly after these events, and Khrushcheva being taught about the crisis through the USSR's education system, which portrayed an alternative picture of what happened.

"As you mentioned your father remembers it, describing it as a scary time," she says. "However in the Soviet Union, people were largely unaware a great deal regarding the crisis, since it was a tense situation, and in the Soviet Union we were told that everything was always wonderful and sunny."

Inside the Khrushchev household, however, it was different. "They told me that it was a triumphant moment it was, as it represented a direct confrontation. The leaders managed to find a solution, and avoided the war, which was a positive outcome," she continues. In the years to come, though, that interpretation was not shared by everybody. "For a long time within Russian historical analysis, it was considered a setback for the Soviet leader, because he refrained from destroying the United States."

An Unprecedented Collaboration

The Bomb is so even-handed , well produced so much so that Khrushcheva jokes it almost made her forget she already knew outcome. This effect is, partly, due to the participation of historians. But, truly, the most groundbreaking aspect is the involvement of the hosts themselves. Even within living memory, it was unthinkable that descendants of the heads of state of America and the USSR would appear together publicly. The fact that Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva can do that, and exhibit such warmth with each other, must be seen as a symbol of progress.

"We are not the first," smiles Khrushcheva. "After 1991, a relative Sergey Khrushchev’s son where he became great friends with the former president's family."

"But we were strangers prior to this project," adds Kennedy. "Which is unfortunate since we got along immediately and now we’re friends, something that is wonderful. Ultimately, following almost six decades since almost destroying the world, our families have become friends, so I think global relations is safer, somewhat."

Contemporary Parallels with Current Perils

Is that truly the case? Part of the reason The Bomb seems so urgent is that we once again find ourselves living through dark times. The Doomsday Clock stands nearer to catastrophe than ever before, in part because today's statesmen appear not to have the capacity to grasp