‘After almost destroying the world, the families have become allies’: a gripping podcast from JFK and Khrushchev’s descendants.

During the month of October 1962, the planet came nearer to ruin than at any other point during recent history. This happened when a US reconnaissance aircraft found that Soviet atomic missile sites were under construction in the island of Cuba, less than 160 kilometers off the coast of the US mainland. In response, President John F Kennedy commanded the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to impose a naval quarantine encircling the island. What followed was nearly a fortnight of impossible stress.

The Unthinkable Danger

The threat remained palpable. Should Kennedy, or else the Soviet counterpart, Nikita Khrushchev, had fired on their enemy, a cascade of global atomic attacks and counterstrikes could have ensued, thrusting civilization toward all-out ruination.

The Cuban missile crisis has been covered extensively, in books, films, as well as television programmes. But, for its third season, the BBC World Service podcast The Bomb introduces a completely new element to this historical narrative. The series is jointly hosted by Max Kennedy and Khrushchev's descendant, family members of the leaders that, over two tense weeks, controlled the destiny of humanity within their grasp.

"What was the Soviet side planning? What was Washington thinking?" questions Nina Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's great-granddaughter and an academic of global relations.

In her view, the unique appeal of the podcast lies in its endeavor to objectively ask: "How can individuals hate each other to the point they confront 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 enemies," states Kennedy, the son of RFK, nephew of the late president and now a writer as well as lawyer. "We see this repeatedly when countries enter into conflict, highlighting how unbelievably stupid involved to engage in warfare."

A Brink of Disaster

What is notable about the Cuban missile crisis was that, since it transpired so publicly, people globally could watch almost as it happened while it moved closer to disaster. However, the danger of annihilation was more imminent than what anybody understood at the time.

"Virtually everyone in the White House wanted an airstrike and an invasion," explains Max Kennedy. "If we had struck Cuba with the Sixth Fleet, it is certain Soviet forces on the ground would've launched a nuclear warhead at the American ships, which would've obliterated the aircraft carriers as well as destroyed our primary naval force. And, we would have responded through an overwhelming counterattack which would have eradicated all life on Earth."

The fact this did not occur highlights the composure of both leaders, who managed to keep their heads and calmly negotiate when everyone around them demanded military action. Consequently, Khrushchev removed the missiles from the Caribbean island and President Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed then) removed his similar weapons from NATO ally Turkey. The sense of relief was immense, as was a feeling of hope.

A Different Viewpoint

Still, for those two weeks of October 1962, the fear was palpable globally. The podcast's presenters were born shortly after these events, and Khrushcheva being taught about the crisis via the Soviet school curriculum, which painted a slightly different narrative of events.

"You said your father recalls it, describing it as a frightening time," Khrushcheva notes. "However for Soviet citizens, the public were largely unaware that much about it, because it was a crisis, and in the Soviet Union we were told that things are always wonderful and sunny."

Inside Khrushchev’s family, however, it was distinct. "I was informed that it was a triumphant moment it was, as it was a direct confrontation. They were able to find a solution, thus didn’t start a global war, seen as a wonderful outcome," she adds. Later on, however, that view was not shared by all Russians. "For a long time in Russian politics, the crisis was viewed as a failure for Khrushchev, simply he refrained from destroying the United States."

An Unprecedented Collaboration

This podcast is remarkably balanced and expertly crafted so much so that Nina jokes she nearly forgot the known the ending. This effect is, partly, thanks to contributions from renowned scholars. Yet, really, the most groundbreaking aspect is the involvement of the descendants. Even within living memory, it was inconceivable that relatives of the leaders of the United States and the USSR would appear side by side. The fact that Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva are able to do so, and exhibit such warmth with each other, must be seen as a sign of progress.

"We aren't the first," smiles Khrushcheva. "After 1991, a relative moved to America and became great friends with the former president's family."

"But we had never met prior to this project," clarifies Max. "That is a shame since we got along really well and now we’re friends, something that is wonderful. Finally, following almost six decades since nearly annihilating the planet, our lineages are now allies, suggesting the world is more secure, a little bit."

Modern Parallels and Current Perils

Or is it? Part of the reason this series seems so urgent is that we once again find ourselves living through dark times. The Doomsday Clock stands nearer to catastrophe in its history, in part because today's statesmen appear not to be able to grasp