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

During the month of October 1962, the planet came closer to destruction than at any other point during modern times. This happened when a US surveillance plane identified the fact that Soviet atomic weapon sites were being built on the island of Cuba, less than 160 kilometers off the coast of American soil. Reacting to this, President John F Kennedy ordered the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to enact a naval blockade encircling the island. The next phase constituted nearly a fortnight of impossible anxiety.

An Unthinkable Danger

The peril remained clear. Should President Kennedy, or else the Russian opposite, Nikita Khrushchev, initiated an attack on the other side, a chain reaction of worldwide nuclear attacks followed by retaliatory strikes could have ensued, plunging humanity into total oblivion.

The October crisis has been documented endlessly, through volumes, movies, as well as television programmes. But, for its third season, the BBC World Service podcast The Bomb presents an unprecedented element into this historical narrative. It is co-presented by Kennedy's relative and Nina Khrushcheva, relatives belonging to the figures that, over 13 days, controlled the fate of humanity in their hands.

"What were the Russians considering? What was the United States planning?" questions Nina Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s great-granddaughter and an academic of international affairs.

In her view, the strength of the show lies in its endeavor to objectively ask: "How can nations hate one another to the point they confront each other?"

"It struck me how spectacular it is that individuals have the potential to be friends or can become total adversaries," states Kennedy, son of Robert Kennedy, nephew of the late president and currently an author and lawyer. "History shows this over and over when countries have gone to war, highlighting the sheer folly it is to engage in warfare."

The Brink of Catastrophe

What’s remarkable about this event is that, since it unfolded in the global spotlight, people around the world were able to observe nearly as it happened as it moved closer to disaster. Nonetheless, the threat of annihilation came closer than most people understood at the time.

"Virtually everyone in the White House were advocating for an airstrike followed by an invasion," explains Kennedy. "If we had struck the Cubans using the Sixth Fleet, it is certain the Russians on the ground would have launched a nuclear warhead at the US Sixth Fleet, and that would have destroyed the naval vessels as well as sunk our largest and most important naval force. And, we would have retaliated with massive retaliation that would have eradicated most life on the planet."

The fact this did not occur stands as credit to both leaders, who managed to keep their heads and calmly negotiate when everyone around them demanded action. Consequently, The Soviet premier removed the missiles from the Caribbean island and President Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed at the time) withdrew American missiles from NATO ally Turkey. The relief was palpable, matched by the sense of hope.

A Different Perspective

Still, for those two weeks in October, the fear was palpable globally. The podcast's co-hosts were born shortly after these events, with Khrushcheva learned about it via the USSR's school curriculum, which painted an alternative narrative of what happened.

"As you mentioned your father recalls it, describing it as a scary day," Khrushcheva notes. "But for Soviet citizens, the public really didn’t know a great deal regarding the crisis, because it was a crisis, whereas under the Soviet system the official line was that things are always wonderful and sunny."

Within the Khrushchev household, however, the perspective was different. "They told me what a great occasion for the USSR, as it represented a direct confrontation. The leaders managed to find a solution, thus avoided a global war, seen as a wonderful thing," she adds. In the years to come, though, that interpretation was not shared by all Russians. "For a long time within Russian historical analysis, it was considered a setback for Khrushchev, because he didn’t blow up America."

An Unlikely Partnership

This podcast is remarkably even-handed , well produced that Khrushcheva jokes she nearly forgot the known outcome. This is, in part, due to contributions from renowned scholars. But, really, the most significant aspect is the participation of the descendants. Not so long ago, it would be inconceivable that descendants of the leaders of the United States and Soviet Union would appear together publicly. The fact that these two individuals are able to do so, and exhibit such warmth toward one another, must be seen as a symbol of hope.

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

"However we were strangers prior to this project," adds Max. "Which is unfortunate because we connected really well and now we’re friends, which is really great. Finally, following almost 60 years of nearly annihilating the planet, our lineages are now allies, suggesting the world is more secure, a little bit."

Contemporary Echoes with Current Perils

Or is it? Part of why The Bomb seems so urgent is because we once again find ourselves living through dark times. The Doomsday Clock stands nearer to midnight than ever before, partly since today's statesmen don’t seem to have the capacity to comprehend