‘After almost destroying the world, the families have become friends’: a gripping podcast featuring John F. Kennedy and Khrushchev’s descendants.

During the month of October 1962, the planet came closer toward ruin more so than ever during the contemporary era. This happened when an American surveillance plane identified the fact that Soviet atomic missile bases were being built in Cuba, a mere 160 kilometers from the United States. In response, U.S. President John F Kennedy ordered a naval task force to impose a naval quarantine encircling Cuba. The ensuing period constituted nearly 14 days of unbearable anxiety.

The Catastrophic Danger

The threat remained obvious. Should Kennedy, or else his Russian opposite, Nikita Khrushchev, had fired against their enemy, a chain reaction of global atomic strikes and retaliatory strikes could have followed, casting civilization toward total oblivion.

The Cuban missile crisis has been examined repeatedly, through books, movies, and television programmes. But, in its latest installment, the BBC World Service podcast titled "The Bomb" has brought an unprecedented element into the story. It is co-presented by Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva, family members of the figures who, over 13 days, controlled the destiny of the planet in their hands.

"What were the Russians planning? What were the United States thinking?" asks Nina Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's great-granddaughter who is also a professor specializing in global relations.

In her view, the beauty of the show lies in its endeavor to question: "Why do nations detest one another and go against one another?"

"I am acutely aware how profound it is that humans can be friends or have the potential to be complete adversaries," adds Kennedy, son of Robert Kennedy, related to JFK and now an author and attorney. "History shows this dynamic over and over when countries enter into conflict, highlighting the profound irrationality involved to fight."

The Brink Towards Disaster

What is notable regarding the Cuban missile crisis was that, because it transpired so publicly, citizens around the world could watch almost as it happened while it crept closer to disaster. Nonetheless, the danger of annihilation came closer than most people understood at the time.

"Virtually everyone in the White House wanted an airstrike and an invasion," says Kennedy. "If we had struck the Cubans with the naval blockade, it is certain the Russians stationed there would've deployed a tactical nuclear weapon against the American ships, and that would have destroyed the naval vessels as well as sunk our primary naval force. In turn, we would have retaliated with massive retaliation that would have ended most life on the planet."

The reality this did not occur stands as credit to Kennedy and Khrushchev, who succeeded in keep their heads and calmly negotiate when many advisors in their governments were advocating action. As a result, The Soviet premier removed the missiles in Cuba while President Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed at the time) removed his similar weapons from Turkey. The relief was immense, matched by the sense of hope.

A Divergent Perspective

Yet, for those two weeks in October, the anxiety was felt by everyone. The podcast's presenters were born in the years following the crisis, and Nina learned about it through the Soviet education system, which painted a slightly different picture of events.

"As you mentioned your father recalls it, and it was a scary day," Khrushcheva notes. "However in the Soviet Union, people really didn’t know a great deal about it, because it was a tense situation, whereas in the Soviet Union we were told that things are constantly fine or sunny."

Within Khrushchev’s family, however, the perspective was distinct. "They told me that it was a triumphant occasion it was, because it was eyeball to eyeball. They were able to find a solution, and didn’t start the war, seen as a wonderful thing," she continues. In the years to come, however, that interpretation would not be shared by all Russians. "For a long time in Russian politics, the crisis was viewed as a setback for the Soviet leader, simply he didn’t blow up the United States."

An Unprecedented Collaboration

The Bomb is so balanced and well produced so much so that Khrushcheva quips she nearly forgot she already knew outcome. This is, in part, thanks to the participation of historians. But, really, the most significant aspect is the involvement of the hosts themselves. Not so long ago, it would be unthinkable for descendants of the heads of state of the United States and Soviet Union to appear together publicly. The fact that these two individuals can do that, and exhibit such warmth with each other, has to be a sign of optimism.

"Max and I are not the first," notes Khrushcheva. "Following 1991, a relative moved to America and formed a close bond with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"However we had never met prior to this project," adds Kennedy. "That is a shame because we got along really well and now we are friends, something that is really great. Finally, following nearly 60 years of nearly annihilating the planet, our lineages have become friends, suggesting global relations is more secure, somewhat."

Modern Parallels with Current Perils

Is that truly the case? Part of why this series seems so urgent is that we now are living in a perilous era. The Doomsday Clock stands nearer to catastrophe than ever before, in part because world leaders don’t seem to have the capacity to comprehend