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

In October 1962, the world edged nearer toward destruction more so than ever in recent history. This transpired after an American surveillance aircraft found the fact that Soviet nuclear weapon installations were being built in the island of Cuba, a mere 160 kilometers from American soil. Reacting to this, President JFK ordered a naval task force to enact a maritime quarantine around the island. The ensuing period was almost two weeks of extreme stress.

An Unthinkable Threat

The peril remained palpable. If President Kennedy, or else his Soviet counterpart, Premier Khrushchev, had fired on the other side, a cascade involving worldwide atomic strikes and counterstrikes would have ensued, casting civilization toward all-out oblivion.

The October crisis has been documented endlessly, in volumes, movies, and television programmes. But, in its latest installment, the BBC World Service podcast titled "The Bomb" has brought a completely new element to this historical narrative. The series is co-presented by Kennedy's relative and Khrushchev's descendant, family members belonging to the men who, over 13 days, grasped the destiny of the planet within their grasp.

"What were the Russians thinking? What were the United States thinking?" asks Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s descendant who is also an academic of international affairs.

For her, the unique appeal of the podcast is its endeavor to question: "Why do nations detest each other and go against one another?"

"It was not lost on me how remarkable it is that humans can be allies or else can become total enemies," states Max Kennedy, the son of RFK, related to JFK and now an author as well as lawyer. "We see this repeatedly when countries have gone to war, and it just illustrates the sheer folly involved to engage in warfare."

The Brink Towards Disaster

What is remarkable about this event was that, since it unfolded so publicly, individuals around the world could watch nearly in real time while it edged closer to armageddon. Even so, the danger of destruction was more imminent than what anybody understood at the time.

"Almost all officials in the White House were advocating for a military strike and an invasion," notes Max Kennedy. "If we had attacked the Cubans using the naval blockade, undoubtedly the Russians on the ground would have deployed a nuclear warhead against the US Sixth Fleet, and that would've destroyed the naval vessels and destroyed our primary naval force. In turn, the U.S. would have retaliated with an overwhelming counterattack that would have eradicated all life on Earth."

The reality this did not occur highlights the composure of Kennedy and Khrushchev, they managed to exercise restraint while engaging in diplomacy when hawkish elements in their governments demanded military action. Consequently, Khrushchev agreed to withdraw the nuclear weapons in the Caribbean island and Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed at the time) withdrew his similar weapons from NATO ally Turkey. The relief was worldwide, matched by the sense of hope.

A Divergent Perspective

Still, during those two weeks of October 1962, the anxiety was palpable globally. The podcast's presenters were born shortly after the crisis, with Nina being taught about it through the Soviet school curriculum, which painted an alternative narrative of what happened.

"You said your father remembers it, describing it as a scary time," she says. "But in the Soviet Union, the public were largely unaware that much regarding the crisis, because it was a crisis, whereas in the Soviet Union we were told that everything was always wonderful and sunny."

Within Khrushchev’s family, though, it was distinct. "They told me what a great moment for the USSR, as it represented a direct confrontation. They were able to resolve it, thus avoided a global war, seen as a positive thing," she adds. Later on, however, that perspective was not shared by everybody. "For decades in Russian politics, the crisis was viewed as a defeat for Khrushchev, because he didn’t blow up the United States."

An Unlikely Partnership

The Bomb is so even-handed and well produced so much so that Nina quips it almost made her forget the known outcome. This effect is, partly, thanks to the participation of renowned scholars. But, truly, the most groundbreaking aspect is the participation of the hosts themselves. Not so long ago, it would be unthinkable for relatives of the leaders of the United States and the Soviet Union would appear together publicly. That these two individuals are able to do so, and be so warm toward one another, must be seen as a symbol of optimism.

"We are not the first," notes Nina. "Following 1991, a relative moved to America and formed a close bond with the former president's family."

"But we had never met before the podcast," clarifies Max. "That is a shame because we connected really well and now we are friends, which is really great. Finally, following almost six decades since almost destroying the planet, our lineages have become friends, suggesting the world is safer, a little bit."

Contemporary Parallels with Present Dangers

Is that truly the case? Part of why this series seems so urgent is because we now find ourselves living through a perilous era. The symbolic clock of doom is closer to catastrophe in its history, partly since world leaders don’t seem to be able to comprehend