‘After nearly annihilating the planet, our families have become friends’: the thrilling podcast featuring JFK and Khrushchev’s descendants.

During October 1962, the planet veered closer toward annihilation more so than ever during recent history. This occurred when an American surveillance aircraft identified that Soviet nuclear weapon bases were being assembled on the island of Cuba, a mere 160 kilometers from American soil. Reacting to this, President John F Kennedy commanded the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to establish a maritime quarantine encircling Cuba. What followed constituted nearly 14 days of impossible tension.

The Catastrophic Threat

The threat was obvious. If President Kennedy, or the Soviet counterpart, Premier Khrushchev, had fired on their enemy, a series of worldwide atomic attacks and counterstrikes could have followed, casting humanity into all-out ruination.

This pivotal 1962 event has been examined repeatedly, through books, films, as well as TV documentaries. However, in its latest installment, a prominent BBC World Service podcast The Bomb introduces a completely new perspective into the story. The series is co-presented by Max Kennedy alongside Nina Khrushcheva, family members belonging to the leaders that, over two tense weeks, held the destiny of the planet within their grasp.

"What was the Kremlin thinking? What was the American side considering?" ponders Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's great-granddaughter and a professor of global relations.

For her, the unique appeal of the podcast is its attempt to objectively ask: "Why do nations detest each other and oppose one another?"

"It was not lost on me how remarkable the fact that individuals have the potential to be allies or else can become total enemies," remarks Kennedy, son of Robert Kennedy, related to JFK and now an author and attorney. "We see this dynamic repeatedly in instances where nations enter into conflict, highlighting how unbelievably stupid it is to engage in warfare."

A Precipice Towards Catastrophe

What’s notable regarding this event was that, since it unfolded so publicly, citizens worldwide were able to observe nearly as it happened while it crept towards disaster. Even so, the threat of destruction came closer than what most people understood at the time.

"The overwhelming majority among Kennedy's advisors wanted a military strike and a ground invasion," explains Max Kennedy. "Had the U.S. struck Cuba using the Sixth Fleet, it is certain the Russians stationed there would have deployed a tactical nuclear weapon against the American ships, which would've destroyed the aircraft carriers and destroyed our primary naval force. In turn, we would have retaliated through an overwhelming counterattack which would have ended all life on the planet."

The fact it didn’t highlights the composure of both leaders, who succeeded in remain calm while calmly negotiate at a time when hawkish elements in their governments were advocating action. As a result, The Soviet premier removed the nuclear weapons from the Caribbean island while Kennedy (although not reported at the time) removed his similar weapons based in Turkey. The relief was palpable, matched by a feeling of hope.

The Divergent Perspective

Yet, for those 13 days in October, the anxiety was palpable by everyone. The podcast's co-hosts were born in the years following these events, with Nina learned about the crisis through the Soviet education system, which portrayed a slightly different picture of what happened.

"As you mentioned your father remembers it, describing it as a frightening day," Khrushcheva notes. "However for Soviet citizens, people really didn’t know a great deal about it, since it was a crisis, and in the Soviet Union we were told that everything was constantly fine and sunny."

Inside Khrushchev’s family, though, the perspective was distinct. "They told me that it was a triumphant occasion for the USSR, because it was a direct confrontation. The leaders managed to find a solution, and didn’t start a global war, seen as a positive thing," she continues. Later on, though, that perspective was not shared by all Russians. "For decades in Russian politics, it was considered a failure for the Soviet leader, simply he didn’t blow up America."

An Unprecedented Collaboration

This podcast is so even-handed and expertly crafted that Nina jokes it almost made her forget the known the ending. This is, partly, due to the participation of historians. Yet, really, the most groundbreaking thing remains the participation of the descendants. Even within living memory, it would be unthinkable for relatives of the heads of state of the United States and Soviet Union to appear side by side. That Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva can do that, and exhibit such warmth with each other, must be seen as a symbol of hope.

"We are not the first," notes Nina. "Following the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, my uncle moved to America and became great friends with the former president's family."

"However we were strangers before the podcast," clarifies Max. "That is unfortunate because we got along immediately and we are friends, something that is really great. Finally, after nearly six decades of nearly annihilating the world, our families have become allies, so I think the world is safer, a little bit."

Contemporary Echoes with Present Perils

Or is it? Part of the reason The Bomb feels so necessary is that we now find ourselves living through dark times. The symbolic clock of doom is closer to midnight than ever before, partly since world leaders don’t seem to have the capacity to learn