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

During October 1962, humanity edged nearer to ruin more so than ever in the contemporary era. This happened when a US surveillance plane identified the fact that Soviet atomic missile installations were under construction in Cuba, a mere 100 miles from American soil. In response, U.S. President John F Kennedy commanded the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to impose a maritime quarantine around the island. What followed constituted almost a fortnight of unbearable stress.

An Unthinkable Danger

The danger was palpable. If President Kennedy, or else the Soviet counterpart, Nikita Khrushchev, initiated an attack on the other side, a chain reaction of global nuclear strikes and retaliatory strikes would have ensued, plunging mankind toward total destruction.

The Cuban missile crisis has been examined repeatedly, through books, movies, as well as television programmes. But, for its third season, the BBC World Service podcast The Bomb introduces an unprecedented dimension into this historical narrative. It is jointly hosted featuring Kennedy's relative alongside Khrushchev's descendant, family members of the men who, for 13 days, held the destiny of humanity in their hands.

"What was the Kremlin thinking? What was the United States considering?" ponders Nina Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s descendant and a professor specializing in international affairs.

In her view, the strength of the podcast is its endeavor to objectively ask: "How can individuals hate each other and confront one another?"

"It struck me how spectacular the fact that individuals can be allies or else can become total adversaries," adds Max Kennedy, son of Robert Kennedy, related to the late president and currently an author and lawyer. "We see this repeatedly when countries have gone to war, highlighting how unbelievably stupid involved to engage in warfare."

A Precipice of Disaster

What is striking about the Cuban missile crisis was that, since it transpired in the global spotlight, individuals around the world were able to observe nearly as it happened as it crept closer to disaster. Nonetheless, the threat of destruction was more imminent than what anybody understood at the time.

"The overwhelming majority among Kennedy's advisors wanted a military strike followed by an invasion," explains Kennedy. "If we had attacked Cuba with the Sixth Fleet, it is certain the Russians stationed there would've fired a tactical nuclear weapon against the US Sixth Fleet, and that would've sunk our aircraft carriers as well as sunk our primary fleet. In turn, the U.S. would have responded with massive retaliation which would have eradicated most life on Earth."

The fact this did not occur stands as credit to Kennedy and Khrushchev, who managed to exercise restraint and calmly negotiate at a time when everyone in their governments was pushing for military action. Consequently, The Soviet premier removed the missiles in Cuba and Kennedy (although not reported then) withdrew American similar weapons from Turkey. The sense of relief was palpable, as was the sense of optimism.

The Divergent Perspective

Still, during those 13 days of October 1962, the tension was felt globally. The Bomb’s presenters were born in the years following these events, with Nina being taught about the crisis via the USSR's education system, which painted an alternative narrative of what happened.

"You said your parent recalls it, describing it as a scary time," Khrushcheva notes. "However for Soviet citizens, the public really didn’t know a great deal regarding the crisis, because it was a crisis, and under the Soviet system we were told that things are constantly fine and sunny."

Within Khrushchev’s family, however, it was distinct. "I was informed that it was a triumphant occasion it was, as it represented a direct confrontation. They were able to resolve it, thus didn’t start a global war, which was a wonderful outcome," she adds. In the years to come, though, that interpretation would not be held by everybody. "For decades in Russian politics, it was considered a failure for Khrushchev, simply he refrained from destroying the United States."

A Unlikely Partnership

This podcast is remarkably balanced and expertly crafted that Nina quips she nearly forgot she already knew outcome. This effect is, in part, due to contributions from renowned scholars. Yet, really, the most groundbreaking thing is the participation of the descendants. Even within living memory, it was unthinkable that descendants of the leaders of America and the USSR would appear together publicly. That these two individuals can do that, and exhibit such warmth with each other, has to be a symbol of optimism.

"Max and I aren't the first," smiles Nina. "Following 1991, a relative moved to America and became great friends with the former president's family."

"But we were strangers before the podcast," clarifies Max. "That is unfortunate because we got along immediately and now we are friends, which is wonderful. Finally, after almost six decades since nearly annihilating the world, our families are now friends, so I think the world is safer, somewhat."

Contemporary Parallels with Present Dangers

Or is it? Part of why The Bomb seems so urgent is that we now find ourselves in dark times. The Doomsday Clock is closer to catastrophe than ever before, partly since world leaders don’t seem to be able to comprehend