‘After nearly destroying the planet, the relatives are friends’: a thrilling podcast featuring JFK & Khrushchev’s descendants.

In the month of October 1962, the planet veered nearer to ruin more so than ever during modern times. This happened after a US surveillance plane identified the fact that Soviet nuclear missile installations were being assembled on Cuba, less than 160 kilometers from American soil. In response, President JFK directed the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to impose a naval quarantine encircling Cuba. The ensuing period constituted almost 14 days of impossible tension.

The Catastrophic Danger

The threat was clear. If President Kennedy, or else his Soviet counterpart, Premier Khrushchev, had fired against the other side, a series of worldwide nuclear attacks followed by retaliatory strikes might have ensued, thrusting civilization into total oblivion.

This pivotal 1962 event has been examined extensively, in books, films, as well as television programmes. But, in its latest installment, a prominent BBC World Service podcast titled "The Bomb" introduces an unprecedented element to this historical narrative. It is co-presented featuring Kennedy's relative alongside Khrushchev's descendant, relatives belonging to the figures that, for 13 days, grasped the fate of humanity in their hands.

"What were the Russians considering? What were Washington considering?" questions Nina Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s descendant and a professor specializing in international affairs.

In her view, the strength of the show lies in its endeavor to explore: "How can individuals hate each other and go against each other?"

"It struck me how spectacular the fact that people have the potential to be friends or else can become complete enemies," states Max Kennedy, the son of Robert Kennedy, nephew of JFK and now an author and lawyer. "We see this dynamic repeatedly when nations enter into conflict, highlighting the profound irrationality involved to engage in warfare."

The Brink Towards Disaster

What is remarkable regarding the Cuban missile crisis was that, since it transpired in the global spotlight, people around the world were able to observe nearly in real time as it moved closer to disaster. Nonetheless, the threat of annihilation was more imminent than what most people realised.

"Almost all officials among Kennedy's advisors were advocating for an airstrike and a ground invasion," notes Kennedy. "Had the U.S. attacked the Cubans with the naval blockade, it is certain the Russians stationed there would have deployed a tactical nuclear weapon at the US Sixth Fleet, and that would've obliterated the aircraft carriers and destroyed America's primary fleet. In turn, the U.S. would have responded through massive retaliation that would have ended most life on the planet."

The reality this did not occur highlights the composure of both leaders, who succeeded in remain calm while engaging in diplomacy at a time when many advisors around them demanded military action. Consequently, Khrushchev agreed to withdraw the missiles from the Caribbean island and Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed at the time) removed his similar weapons from NATO ally Turkey. The relief was palpable, matched by a feeling of hope.

A Different Perspective

Still, during those two weeks of October 1962, the tension was felt globally. The podcast's presenters were born in the years following these events, and Nina learned about it via the USSR's education system, which painted an alternative version of what happened.

"You said your father remembers it, describing it as a frightening time," she says. "However for Soviet citizens, people really didn’t know that much regarding the crisis, because it was a crisis, whereas under the Soviet system we were told that everything was always wonderful or sunny."

Inside Khrushchev’s family, though, the perspective was distinct. "They told me that it was a triumphant moment for the USSR, because it was a direct confrontation. The leaders managed to resolve it, thus didn’t start a global war, seen as a wonderful outcome," she adds. In the years to come, however, that view was not shared by all Russians. "For a long time in Russian politics, the crisis was viewed as a defeat for the Soviet leader, simply he refrained from destroying the United States."

A Unprecedented Partnership

The Bomb is so even-handed and well produced that Nina quips it almost made her forget the known outcome. This effect is, in part, due to the participation of renowned scholars. Yet, truly, the most significant thing is the participation of the descendants. Not so long ago, it would be unthinkable that descendants of the heads of state of America and the Soviet Union would appear side by side. The fact that these two individuals are able to do so, and be so warm with each other, has to be a sign of optimism.

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

"But we had never met before the podcast," clarifies Max. "That is unfortunate because we got along immediately and we are friends, something that is really great. Ultimately, after nearly 60 years of nearly annihilating the planet, our lineages are now allies, so I think the world is safer, a little bit."

Contemporary Parallels with Current Dangers

Or is it? Part of why this series feels so necessary is that we once again are living in a perilous era. The symbolic clock of doom is closer to catastrophe than ever before, partly since world leaders don’t seem to have the capacity to comprehend