‘After almost annihilating our world, our families are allies’: the gripping podcast featuring JFK and Khrushchev’s descendants.

In October 1962, humanity came nearer toward ruin than at any other point during recent history. This occurred when a US surveillance plane identified that Soviet atomic missile installations were being built on Cuba, less than 160 kilometers off the coast of the United States. Reacting to this, U.S. President JFK commanded a naval task force to impose a naval quarantine around the island. The ensuing period was nearly 14 days filled with unbearable anxiety.

An Unthinkable Danger

The threat remained clear. Should Kennedy, or the Soviet counterpart, Nikita Khrushchev, initiated an attack on their enemy, a series involving worldwide atomic attacks followed by retaliatory strikes might have ensued, casting civilization toward total destruction.

The Cuban missile crisis has been examined endlessly, through volumes, films, as well as television programmes. However, for its third season, a prominent BBC World Service podcast The Bomb presents a completely new element to this historical narrative. The series is jointly hosted by Kennedy's relative alongside Nina Khrushcheva, relatives of the men who, for two tense weeks, grasped the destiny of the world within their grasp.

"What was the Soviet side planning? What was the American side thinking?" ponders Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s great-granddaughter and an academic of international affairs.

For her, the unique appeal of the podcast lies in its attempt to question: "Why do people hate each other and confront each other?"

"It struck me how remarkable it is that humans have the potential to be allies or can become total enemies," adds Kennedy, the son of Robert Kennedy, related to the late president and now an author and attorney. "We see this dynamic repeatedly in instances where nations have gone to war, highlighting the sheer folly involved to fight."

The Precipice of Disaster

What’s striking about this event was that, since it transpired in the global spotlight, individuals globally were able to observe nearly in real time as it moved towards disaster. Even so, the danger of destruction came closer than what anybody realised.

"The overwhelming majority among Kennedy's advisors wanted an airstrike followed by a ground invasion," says Max Kennedy. "If we had struck the Cubans using the Sixth Fleet, undoubtedly the Russians stationed there would've deployed a nuclear warhead against the American ships, and that would have sunk the aircraft carriers and sunk America's primary fleet. In turn, the U.S. would have retaliated through an overwhelming counterattack which would have eradicated most life on Earth."

The fact this did not occur highlights the composure of Kennedy and Khrushchev, they managed to keep their heads and calmly negotiate when many advisors in their governments demanded military action. As a result, Khrushchev agreed to withdraw the nuclear weapons from Cuba and President Kennedy (although not reported at the time) withdrew American missiles based in Turkey. The relief was palpable, matched by the sense of optimism.

A Divergent Viewpoint

Still, during those two weeks in October, the anxiety was felt globally. The podcast's co-hosts came into the world in the years following these events, and Nina being taught about the crisis through the Soviet education system, which painted a slightly different picture of what happened.

"As you mentioned your parent remembers it, and it was a frightening time," she says. "But in the Soviet Union, people were largely unaware that much regarding the crisis, because it was a crisis, and under the Soviet system the official line was that things are always wonderful or positive."

Within Khrushchev’s family, however, the perspective was distinct. "They told me what a great occasion it was, as it was a direct confrontation. The leaders managed to resolve it, and didn’t start a global war, which was a wonderful thing," she adds. In the years to come, though, that interpretation would not be held 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."

A Unlikely Partnership

This podcast is so balanced and well produced that Nina jokes she nearly forgot the known outcome. This is, in part, due to contributions from historians. Yet, truly, the most significant thing remains the involvement of the descendants. Not so long ago, it was inconceivable that relatives of the heads of state of the United States and Soviet Union to appear side by side. That these two individuals can do that, and exhibit such warmth with each other, has to be a sign of optimism.

"We are not the first," notes Khrushcheva. "After the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, a relative Sergey Khrushchev’s son and became great friends with the former president's family."

"But we were strangers before the podcast," clarifies Kennedy. "That is a shame because we connected immediately and now we are friends, something that is really great. Ultimately, following almost 60 years since nearly annihilating the planet, our families have become allies, so I think global relations is more secure, a little bit."

Modern Echoes and Current Perils

Is that truly the case? One reason why The Bomb seems so urgent is because we once again are living living through a perilous era. The Doomsday Clock stands nearer to catastrophe in its history, partly since world leaders appear not to have the capacity to grasp