‘After nearly annihilating the world, the relatives are friends’: a gripping podcast from JFK & Nikita Khrushchev’s descendants.

During October 1962, the world veered nearer toward destruction than at any other point in recent history. This transpired following the discovery that a US reconnaissance plane discovered the fact that Russian atomic missile sites were being built in the island of Cuba, less than 160 kilometers from the United States. In response, President JFK ordered a naval task force to establish a maritime blockade around Cuba. The ensuing period constituted almost 14 days of impossible tension.

An Unthinkable Danger

The threat was obvious. If President Kennedy, or his Soviet counterpart, Premier Khrushchev, initiated an attack on the other side, a chain reaction of global nuclear strikes followed by retaliatory strikes might have followed, thrusting mankind toward all-out ruination.

This pivotal 1962 event has been documented repeatedly, through books, films, as well as TV documentaries. However, in its latest installment, a prominent BBC World Service podcast The Bomb presents a novel element to the story. The series is jointly hosted featuring Kennedy's relative alongside Khrushchev's descendant, family members belonging to the men that, for two tense weeks, grasped the destiny of the planet within their grasp.

"What were the Russians planning? What was Washington considering?" ponders Nina Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s great-granddaughter who is also a professor specializing in international affairs.

In her view, the beauty of the podcast is its attempt to explore: "How can nations hate each other and confront one another?"

"I am acutely aware how spectacular it is that humans can be allies or can become total enemies," states Kennedy, the son of Robert Kennedy, related to JFK and now an author as well as attorney. "History shows this dynamic over and over when countries enter into conflict, and it just illustrates the sheer folly involved to fight."

The Precipice Towards Catastrophe

What is remarkable about this event is that, because it unfolded so publicly, citizens globally were able to observe almost as it happened while it moved towards armageddon. Even so, the threat of annihilation came closer than what most people understood at the time.

"Almost all officials among Kennedy's advisors wanted a military strike and an invasion," says Kennedy. "If we had attacked Cuba using the Sixth Fleet, it is certain the Russians on the ground would have fired a nuclear warhead at the US Sixth Fleet, which would have destroyed our aircraft carriers and sunk our primary fleet. And, the U.S. would have responded with massive retaliation that would have ended all life on the planet."

The fact it didn’t highlights the composure of both leaders, they managed to remain calm while engaging in diplomacy when hawkish elements around them were advocating military action. As a result, The Soviet premier removed the nuclear weapons in Cuba and Kennedy (although not reported at the time) withdrew his missiles from Turkey. The relief was worldwide, matched by the sense of hope.

The Different Perspective

Still, for those 13 days in October, the anxiety was felt by everyone. The Bomb’s co-hosts were born in the years following these events, with Khrushcheva being taught about it through the Soviet education system, which portrayed a slightly different picture of events.

"You said your parent remembers it, and it was a frightening time," Khrushcheva notes. "However for Soviet citizens, people really didn’t know that much regarding the crisis, since it was a tense situation, whereas under the Soviet system we were told that everything was always fine and sunny."

Within the Khrushchev household, though, the perspective was different. "They told me that it was a triumphant occasion it was, because it was a direct confrontation. The leaders managed to resolve it, and avoided the war, seen as a wonderful outcome," she adds. Subsequently, however, that view would not be shared by everybody. "For decades in Russian politics, it was considered a failure for Khrushchev, because he didn’t blow up America."

A Unlikely Partnership

This podcast is so even-handed and expertly crafted so much so that Khrushcheva quips it almost made her forget the known the ending. This effect is, in part, due to the participation of renowned scholars. Yet, really, the most groundbreaking aspect is the involvement of the descendants. Even within living memory, it was unthinkable that descendants of the leaders of America and the Soviet Union to appear side by side. The fact that Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva can do that, and exhibit such warmth with each other, has to be a symbol of optimism.

"Max and I are not the pioneers," smiles Khrushcheva. "Following the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, my uncle moved to America and became great friends with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"But we had never met before the podcast," adds Max. "Which is a shame because we got along really well and now we’re friends, something that is wonderful. Ultimately, following almost six decades since nearly annihilating the planet, our lineages have become friends, suggesting global relations is safer, somewhat."

Modern Parallels and Current Dangers

Or is it? One reason why The Bomb seems so urgent is because we now find ourselves living through dark times. The Doomsday Clock stands nearer to midnight in its history, partly since today's statesmen don’t seem to have the capacity to grasp