‘After nearly destroying our planet, our relatives are friends’: a thrilling podcast featuring John F. Kennedy & Khrushchev’s relatives.

During October 1962, humanity came closer toward destruction than at any other point in modern times. This occurred following the discovery that an American surveillance plane found the fact that Russian nuclear weapon bases were being assembled in Cuba, a mere 100 miles off the coast of American soil. In response, U.S. President JFK ordered a naval task force to enact a naval quarantine around Cuba. The next phase constituted nearly a fortnight of extreme tension.

The Unthinkable Danger

The danger was clear. If President Kennedy, or else the Russian opposite, Nikita Khrushchev, had fired on the other side, a series of global atomic strikes followed by counterstrikes might have followed, casting humanity into all-out destruction.

The Cuban missile crisis has been examined extensively, in volumes, movies, as well as television programmes. However, in its latest installment, the BBC World Service podcast The Bomb has brought an unprecedented perspective to the story. The series is jointly hosted featuring Max Kennedy and Khrushchev's descendant, relatives belonging to the figures who, over 13 days, controlled the destiny of humanity within their grasp.

"What were the Kremlin considering? What were Washington planning?" asks Nina Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s great-granddaughter and a professor specializing in international affairs.

In her view, the beauty of the show is its attempt to explore: "How can nations detest each other to the point they go against each other?"

"It was not lost on me how spectacular the fact that humans can be allies or have the potential to be total enemies," states Kennedy, son of RFK, nephew of JFK and now a writer as well as attorney. "History shows this dynamic over and over when nations have gone to war, highlighting the sheer folly involved to fight."

The Brink of Catastrophe

What’s remarkable regarding the Cuban missile crisis was that, since it unfolded so publicly, citizens worldwide were able to observe nearly as it happened as it crept closer to catastrophe. Even so, the threat of destruction was more imminent than what most people understood at the time.

"Virtually everyone among Kennedy's advisors were advocating for a military strike and an invasion," explains Kennedy. "Had the U.S. struck Cuba with the naval blockade, undoubtedly the Russians stationed there would have deployed a nuclear warhead against the US Sixth Fleet, and that would've obliterated the aircraft carriers and sunk our largest and most important fleet. And, the U.S. would have retaliated with massive retaliation that would have ended all life on the planet."

The reality this did not occur is a testament to both leaders, they managed to exercise restraint while calmly negotiate when everyone around them demanded military action. Consequently, The Soviet premier removed the missiles in Cuba and Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed then) withdrew American missiles based in Turkey. The sense of relief was immense, matched by a feeling of optimism.

The Divergent Viewpoint

Still, during those two weeks of October 1962, the fear was palpable by everyone. The podcast's presenters came into the world shortly after the crisis, and Khrushcheva being taught about it through the Soviet school curriculum, which portrayed a slightly different version of what happened.

"As you mentioned your parent recalls it, and it was a frightening day," she says. "However in the Soviet Union, people were largely unaware a great deal about it, since it was a tense situation, whereas under the Soviet system the official line was that everything was always wonderful or sunny."

Within the Khrushchev household, though, it was distinct. "I was informed that it was a triumphant occasion it was, as it represented a direct confrontation. The leaders managed to resolve it, and didn’t start the war, which was a wonderful thing," she adds. Subsequently, though, that interpretation would not be shared by all Russians. "For a long time within Russian historical analysis, it was considered a failure for Khrushchev, because he refrained from destroying America."

An Unprecedented Partnership

The Bomb is remarkably balanced and expertly crafted so much so that Nina quips it almost made her forget the known outcome. This effect is, partly, due to the participation of renowned scholars. Yet, truly, the most momentous aspect is the participation of the descendants. Even within living memory, it was unthinkable that relatives of the heads of state of the United States and USSR would appear side by side. The fact that Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva are able to do so, and exhibit such warmth toward one another, has to be a symbol of progress.

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

"But we were strangers before the podcast," clarifies Kennedy. "Which is a shame because we got along really well and we are friends, which is wonderful. Finally, following almost 60 years since almost destroying the planet, our lineages have become friends, so I think the world is safer, somewhat."

Modern Parallels and Current Dangers

Is that truly the case? One reason the reason The Bomb seems so urgent is because we once again find ourselves in dark times. The Doomsday Clock stands nearer to catastrophe than ever before, partly since today's statesmen appear not to be able to grasp