‘After nearly destroying our planet, our families are allies’: the thrilling podcast featuring John F. Kennedy & Khrushchev’s descendants.

In the month of October 1962, the world edged nearer to destruction more so than ever in modern times. This transpired following the discovery that an American surveillance aircraft found that Soviet nuclear missile sites were being assembled on the island of Cuba, a mere 100 miles from the United States. Reacting to this, President JFK ordered a naval task force to impose a maritime quarantine encircling the island. What followed was nearly 14 days filled with unbearable tension.

An Unthinkable Danger

The threat was obvious. If President Kennedy, or his Soviet counterpart, Premier Khrushchev, were to fire on their enemy, a chain reaction involving worldwide atomic attacks followed by retaliatory strikes could have followed, plunging civilization into all-out ruination.

The October crisis has been documented extensively, in volumes, movies, and TV documentaries. However, in its latest installment, a prominent BBC World Service podcast titled "The Bomb" introduces a novel dimension into this historical narrative. The series is co-presented by Kennedy's relative and Nina Khrushcheva, relatives of the figures who, for 13 days, grasped the fate of the planet in their hands.

"What were the Soviet side planning? What were the United States considering?" asks Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s descendant who is also an academic of global relations.

For her, the strength of the show lies in its endeavor to objectively ask: "Why do people detest one another and oppose one another?"

"I am acutely aware how profound it is that individuals have the potential to be friends or have the potential to be total adversaries," adds Max Kennedy, the son of RFK, related to the late president and now a writer as well as attorney. "We see this repeatedly when countries have gone to war, and it just illustrates how unbelievably stupid it is to fight."

A Brink Towards Disaster

What’s striking about this event was that, because it unfolded in the global spotlight, citizens around the world could watch nearly as it happened while it moved towards armageddon. Nonetheless, the threat of destruction came closer than most people realised.

"The overwhelming majority in the White House wanted an airstrike followed by an invasion," explains Max Kennedy. "If we had attacked Cuba with the naval blockade, undoubtedly the Russians on the ground would have deployed a tactical nuclear weapon at the US Sixth Fleet, and that would have destroyed our naval vessels as well as sunk our primary naval force. And, we would have retaliated through an overwhelming counterattack which would have ended most life on Earth."

The fact it didn’t stands as credit to both leaders, who managed to remain calm while engaging in diplomacy when hawkish elements around them demanded action. Consequently, Khrushchev agreed to withdraw the missiles from the Caribbean island while President Kennedy (although not reported at the time) removed American similar weapons based in Turkey. The sense of relief was immense, matched by the sense of hope.

The Divergent Viewpoint

Still, during those 13 days of October 1962, the tension was felt by everyone. The Bomb’s co-hosts came into the world in the years following the crisis, and Khrushcheva being taught about the crisis through the Soviet school curriculum, which presented a slightly different narrative of what happened.

"You said your parent recalls it, and it was a frightening time," she says. "But in the Soviet Union, people really didn’t know a great deal about it, since it was a crisis, whereas in the Soviet Union the official line was that everything was always wonderful and positive."

Within the Khrushchev household, however, it was distinct. "I was informed that it was a triumphant occasion it was, because it was a direct confrontation. They were able to find a solution, and didn’t start the war, which was a positive outcome," she adds. Subsequently, though, that interpretation would not be held by everybody. "For a long time in Russian politics, it was considered a defeat for the Soviet leader, simply he didn’t blow up America."

An Unlikely Collaboration

The Bomb is remarkably balanced and well produced so much so that Nina jokes it almost made her forget the known outcome. This is, partly, due to the participation of historians. Yet, really, the most groundbreaking aspect remains the involvement of the descendants. Not so long ago, it was unthinkable for relatives of the leaders of the United States and the USSR to appear side by side. That Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva can do that, and be so warm with each other, must be seen as a sign of progress.

"We aren't the pioneers," notes Khrushcheva. "After the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, a relative moved to America and became great friends with the former president's family."

"However we had never met prior to this project," clarifies Max. "That is a shame because we connected immediately and we are friends, which is wonderful. Ultimately, following almost six decades of nearly annihilating the planet, our lineages are now allies, so I think the world is safer, a little bit."

Modern Echoes and Current Dangers

Is that truly the case? Part of why The Bomb feels so necessary is that we now find ourselves in dark times. The Doomsday Clock is closer to catastrophe than ever before, partly since world leaders don’t seem to have the capacity to learn