Following nearly destroying the planet, our families have become allies’: a thrilling podcast from JFK and Khrushchev’s descendants.

During October 1962, the world edged closer to annihilation more so than ever in recent history. This transpired when an American surveillance plane discovered the fact that Soviet atomic missile bases were being assembled in the island of Cuba, a mere 160 kilometers from the US mainland. Reacting to this, President JFK ordered the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to enact a maritime blockade around Cuba. The ensuing period was almost a fortnight of impossible stress.

An Unthinkable Danger

The peril was clear. Should President Kennedy, or else the Russian opposite, Nikita Khrushchev, were to fire on their enemy, a cascade of global nuclear attacks and retaliatory strikes would have followed, casting mankind toward total destruction.

The Cuban missile crisis has been documented extensively, in books, movies, and television programmes. However, for its third season, a prominent BBC World Service podcast titled "The Bomb" presents an unprecedented perspective to the story. The series is co-presented by Kennedy's relative and Nina Khrushcheva, relatives belonging to the men who, for 13 days, grasped the fate of humanity within their grasp.

"What were the Kremlin considering? What was Washington considering?" asks Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s great-granddaughter and an academic specializing in global relations.

In her view, the unique appeal of the show lies in its attempt to objectively ask: "Why do individuals detest each other and oppose one another?"

"It was not lost on me how profound it is that individuals can be friends or can become total adversaries," adds Max Kennedy, son of RFK, nephew of JFK and currently an author and attorney. "History shows this repeatedly in instances where countries have gone to war, highlighting how unbelievably stupid involved to engage in warfare."

A Precipice of Disaster

What’s striking about the Cuban missile crisis is that, because it transpired in the global spotlight, individuals globally could watch nearly as it happened as it crept towards armageddon. Even so, the threat of destruction was more imminent than what most people understood at the time.

"Almost all officials in the White House wanted an airstrike and an invasion," says Kennedy. "If we had struck Cuba with the Sixth Fleet, undoubtedly Soviet forces stationed there would have launched a tactical nuclear weapon against the US Sixth Fleet, and that would've obliterated the naval vessels and destroyed America's primary fleet. In turn, the U.S. would have responded with massive retaliation which would have eradicated most life on the planet."

The reality this did not occur is a testament to both leaders, who succeeded in keep their heads while calmly negotiate at a time when everyone in their governments were advocating action. As a result, Khrushchev removed the nuclear weapons in the Caribbean island while Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed then) removed his missiles based in Turkey. The relief was palpable, matched by a feeling of optimism.

A Different Perspective

Still, during those 13 days in October, the tension was palpable globally. The podcast's co-hosts were born in the years following these events, with Nina being taught about it via the Soviet school curriculum, which painted a slightly different version of events.

"You said your parent recalls it, and it was a frightening day," she says. "However in the Soviet Union, the public really didn’t know a great deal regarding the crisis, since it was a tense situation, whereas under the Soviet system we were told that everything was constantly wonderful or sunny."

Within Khrushchev’s family, though, the perspective was distinct. "I was informed what a great moment for the USSR, because it represented eyeball to eyeball. The leaders managed to find a solution, thus avoided the war, which was a wonderful thing," she continues. In the years to come, though, that perspective was not held by everybody. "For a long time in Russian politics, the crisis was viewed as a setback for the Soviet leader, simply he refrained from destroying America."

A Unlikely Collaboration

The Bomb is remarkably even-handed and well produced so much so that Nina jokes it almost made her forget she already knew outcome. This effect is, in part, due to the participation of renowned scholars. Yet, really, the most groundbreaking aspect remains the participation of the hosts themselves. Even within living memory, it would be inconceivable for relatives of the heads of state of America and the USSR to appear side by side. 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," smiles Nina. "After the dissolution of the USSR in 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 Kennedy. "Which is a shame because we got along immediately and we’re friends, something that is really great. Ultimately, following nearly six decades of almost destroying the world, our families have become friends, so I think global relations is safer, a little bit."

Modern Parallels and Present Perils

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