‘After almost annihilating the planet, the families have become allies’: a thrilling podcast featuring JFK & Khrushchev’s relatives.

During the month of October 1962, the world veered closer toward destruction more so than ever during modern times. This transpired when a US surveillance plane identified the fact that Soviet atomic weapon installations were under construction in the island of Cuba, less than 160 kilometers off the coast of the US mainland. Reacting to this, U.S. President John F Kennedy directed the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to enact a naval quarantine encircling Cuba. The next phase constituted almost two weeks filled with extreme stress.

An Unthinkable Danger

The peril was clear. Should President Kennedy, or else his Russian opposite, Premier Khrushchev, had fired against their enemy, a series involving worldwide nuclear strikes and counterstrikes could have followed, casting humanity toward total destruction.

This pivotal 1962 event has been documented repeatedly, through books, movies, as well as television programmes. However, in its latest installment, a prominent BBC World Service podcast The Bomb presents a novel dimension to this historical narrative. The series is co-presented by Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva, relatives belonging to the leaders that, for two tense weeks, grasped the destiny of the world in their hands.

"What was the Russians thinking? What were the American side planning?" asks Nina Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's great-granddaughter who is also an academic of global relations.

In her view, the unique appeal of the show is its endeavor to question: "Why do individuals detest one another and confront one another?"

"It struck me how profound the fact that humans have the potential to be friends or have the potential to be total adversaries," adds Max Kennedy, son of RFK, related to the late president and currently an author as well as lawyer. "We see this over and over when countries have gone to war, and it just illustrates how unbelievably stupid it is to fight."

The Brink of Disaster

What’s striking about the Cuban missile crisis is that, since it transpired in the global spotlight, people globally were able to observe almost as it happened as it crept closer to catastrophe. However, the risk of annihilation came closer than what anybody realised.

"Almost all officials among Kennedy's advisors wanted a military strike followed by a ground invasion," notes Max Kennedy. "Had the U.S. struck Cuba using the naval blockade, it is certain Soviet forces on the ground would have fired a nuclear warhead at the US Sixth Fleet, which would have obliterated our aircraft carriers as well as sunk America's largest and most important fleet. In turn, the U.S. would have responded through an overwhelming counterattack which would have ended all life on the planet."

The fact this did not occur highlights the composure of both leaders, who succeeded in keep their heads and calmly negotiate at a time when everyone in their governments were advocating military action. Consequently, The Soviet premier agreed to withdraw the missiles from Cuba and President Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed then) withdrew his missiles from NATO ally Turkey. The relief was palpable, matched by the sense of optimism.

A Different Viewpoint

Still, for those two weeks of October 1962, the anxiety was palpable globally. The podcast's co-hosts were born in the years following these events, with Nina learned about it via the USSR's education system, which painted an alternative picture of events.

"You said your father recalls it, and it was a frightening time," Khrushcheva notes. "However in the Soviet Union, people really didn’t know that much about it, because it was a crisis, and in the Soviet Union the official line was that things are always fine and positive."

Within Khrushchev’s family, however, the perspective was different. "I was informed what a great occasion for the USSR, because it represented eyeball to eyeball. The leaders managed to find a solution, thus didn’t start the war, seen as a wonderful thing," she continues. Later on, though, that interpretation would not be held by all Russians. "For a long time within Russian historical analysis, the crisis was viewed as a failure for the Soviet leader, simply he refrained from destroying the United States."

A Unprecedented Collaboration

The Bomb is so even-handed , well produced that Khrushcheva jokes it almost made her forget the known the ending. This effect is, partly, due to the participation of renowned scholars. But, truly, the most momentous thing is the participation of the descendants. Not so long ago, it was inconceivable that descendants of the leaders of America and the USSR to appear side by side. The fact that these two individuals can do that, and be so warm with each other, has to be a sign of progress.

"Max and I aren't the first," notes Nina. "Following the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, my uncle moved to America where he formed a close bond with the former president's family."

"However we had never met prior to this project," adds Kennedy. "That is unfortunate since we connected really well and now we are friends, something that is really great. Finally, following almost 60 years since almost destroying the world, our lineages are now allies, suggesting global relations is more secure, somewhat."

Modern Echoes with Present Dangers

Or is it? Part of why The Bomb seems so urgent is because we now are living in a perilous era. The Doomsday Clock stands nearer to catastrophe in its history, partly since world leaders don’t seem to be able to comprehend