‘After nearly annihilating our world, the relatives have become friends’: the thrilling podcast from John F. Kennedy & Khrushchev’s descendants.

In October 1962, the world veered closer toward destruction than at any other point in the contemporary era. This happened after an American reconnaissance aircraft discovered the fact that Soviet nuclear weapon sites were being built in Cuba, less than 100 miles off the coast of American soil. In response, President John F Kennedy commanded the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to impose a naval blockade encircling the island. The ensuing period constituted nearly 14 days of unbearable tension.

An Unthinkable Threat

The danger was obvious. Should Kennedy, or else the Russian opposite, Premier Khrushchev, were to fire against the other side, a chain reaction of worldwide nuclear strikes and retaliatory strikes might have followed, thrusting mankind toward total destruction.

The Cuban missile crisis has been covered repeatedly, through volumes, films, and television programmes. However, for its third season, a prominent BBC World Service podcast The Bomb presents an unprecedented element to this historical narrative. The series is co-presented featuring Max Kennedy alongside Nina Khrushcheva, family members of the men who, over 13 days, grasped the fate of humanity in their hands.

"What were the Russians considering? What were the American side planning?" asks Nina Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s descendant and an academic specializing in international affairs.

In her view, the beauty of the show is its endeavor to objectively ask: "How can nations detest one another to the point they confront each other?"

"It was not lost on me how profound the fact that humans have the potential to be allies or else can become total enemies," remarks Max Kennedy, son of RFK, related to JFK and currently a writer as well as attorney. "We see this repeatedly when nations have gone to war, demonstrating the sheer folly it is to fight."

A Precipice Towards Catastrophe

What is notable regarding this event was that, because it transpired so publicly, citizens globally were able to observe nearly as it happened as it crept closer to disaster. Nonetheless, the risk of annihilation came closer than what most people realised.

"Virtually everyone among Kennedy's advisors were advocating for an airstrike and a ground invasion," says Max Kennedy. "Had the U.S. struck Cuba with the Sixth Fleet, it is certain the Russians on the ground would have fired a tactical nuclear weapon at the US Sixth Fleet, which would have sunk our aircraft carriers as well as destroyed America's largest and most important fleet. And, we would have responded through an overwhelming counterattack that would have eradicated all life on the planet."

The fact this did not occur is a testament to both leaders, they succeeded in exercise restraint and engaging in diplomacy when everyone around them demanded military action. Consequently, The Soviet premier agreed to withdraw the nuclear weapons in the Caribbean island while President Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed then) withdrew American missiles from NATO ally Turkey. The sense of relief was palpable, matched by a feeling of hope.

The Different Perspective

Still, during those two weeks of October 1962, the tension was palpable globally. The podcast's presenters came into the world shortly after the crisis, with Nina being taught about the crisis through the USSR's school curriculum, which presented an alternative version of events.

"As you mentioned your father recalls it, describing it as a scary time," she says. "However for Soviet citizens, the public were largely unaware a great deal about it, because it was a tense situation, and under the Soviet system we were told that things are always wonderful or sunny."

Inside the Khrushchev household, though, the perspective was distinct. "They told me that it was a triumphant occasion for the USSR, as it was a direct confrontation. The leaders managed to resolve it, thus avoided a global war, which was a wonderful thing," she continues. Subsequently, though, that interpretation was not shared by everybody. "For decades in Russian politics, the crisis was viewed as a setback for Khrushchev, simply he didn’t blow up America."

A Unprecedented Partnership

This podcast is remarkably balanced , well produced so much so that Khrushcheva jokes she nearly forgot she already knew outcome. This is, in part, thanks to contributions from historians. Yet, truly, the most momentous thing remains the participation of the hosts themselves. Not so long ago, it was unthinkable that relatives of the heads of state of the United States and Soviet Union would 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 sign of hope.

"We aren't the first," notes Khrushcheva. "After the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, a relative Sergey Khrushchev’s son and became great friends with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"However we had never met before the podcast," clarifies Kennedy. "Which is a shame since we got along really well and now we are friends, something that is wonderful. Ultimately, following almost six decades of nearly annihilating the world, our families have become friends, suggesting the world is more secure, somewhat."

Modern Parallels and Current Perils

Or is it? One reason why this series feels so necessary is that we now are living living through a perilous era. The Doomsday Clock is closer to catastrophe in its history, in part because world leaders appear not to have the capacity to comprehend