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

In October 1962, humanity veered nearer toward ruin more so than ever during the contemporary era. This happened after a US surveillance aircraft identified that Soviet atomic weapon bases were under construction on the island of Cuba, less than 100 miles off the coast of the US mainland. Reacting to this, U.S. President JFK directed a naval task force to establish a maritime quarantine around the island. The ensuing period was nearly 14 days of unbearable anxiety.

An Unthinkable Danger

The threat was obvious. If President Kennedy, or the Russian opposite, Nikita Khrushchev, initiated an attack on their enemy, a chain reaction of worldwide nuclear strikes and retaliatory strikes would have followed, thrusting humanity toward total ruination.

The October crisis has been examined repeatedly, in books, films, and TV documentaries. However, for its third season, the BBC World Service podcast The Bomb has brought an unprecedented dimension into the story. The series is co-presented by Kennedy's relative and Khrushchev's descendant, family members of the men who, over two tense weeks, grasped the fate of humanity within their grasp.

"What were the Kremlin considering? What were the American side thinking?" questions Nina Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s great-granddaughter and an academic specializing in international affairs.

In her view, the strength of the podcast lies in its endeavor to question: "How can people detest each other to the point they go against one another?"

"It struck me how profound it is that people can be friends or can become total adversaries," adds Max Kennedy, son of RFK, nephew of JFK and currently a writer and attorney. "History shows this dynamic repeatedly when nations enter into conflict, and it just illustrates the sheer folly involved to engage in warfare."

The Precipice of Catastrophe

What is remarkable about this event is that, because it transpired in the global spotlight, individuals around the world could watch nearly in real time as it edged towards armageddon. Nonetheless, the risk of destruction was more imminent than anybody realised.

"Virtually everyone in the White House wanted an airstrike and an invasion," explains Kennedy. "If we had struck Cuba using the naval blockade, it is certain Soviet forces stationed there would've launched a tactical nuclear weapon against the American ships, and that would've destroyed our aircraft carriers and destroyed our primary naval force. And, we would have responded with massive retaliation which would have eradicated all life on the planet."

The reality it didn’t is a testament to both leaders, who managed to exercise restraint while calmly negotiate when many advisors around them was pushing for military action. As a result, Khrushchev agreed to withdraw the nuclear weapons in the Caribbean island while Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed then) removed his similar weapons based in Turkey. The sense of relief was worldwide, as was a feeling of hope.

A Divergent Viewpoint

Yet, during those two weeks in October, the tension was palpable globally. The Bomb’s co-hosts were born shortly after the crisis, with Khrushcheva learned about the crisis via the USSR's school curriculum, which painted a slightly different version of what happened.

"As you mentioned your parent recalls it, describing it as a frightening time," Khrushcheva notes. "But for Soviet citizens, the public were largely unaware a great deal regarding the crisis, because it was a crisis, whereas under the Soviet system the official line was that everything was constantly fine or positive."

Within Khrushchev’s family, however, it was different. "They told me what a great occasion it was, as it was a direct confrontation. They were able to resolve it, thus avoided a global war, which was a positive outcome," she adds. Later on, though, that perspective was not held by everybody. "For decades in Russian politics, it was considered a defeat for Khrushchev, because he refrained from destroying America."

A Unlikely Collaboration

The Bomb is so even-handed and well produced so much so that Nina quips it almost made her forget the known outcome. This is, in part, thanks to the participation of historians. Yet, truly, the most momentous thing is the participation of the hosts themselves. Even within living memory, it was unthinkable for relatives of the heads of state of America and the Soviet Union to appear side by side. The fact that these two individuals are able to do so, and exhibit such warmth toward one another, has to be a sign of hope.

"We are not the pioneers," notes Khrushcheva. "Following the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, a relative moved to America where he formed a close bond with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"However we were strangers prior to this project," clarifies Kennedy. "Which is a shame because we connected immediately and we’re friends, which is really great. Finally, following almost six decades of almost destroying the world, our lineages have become allies, suggesting global relations is safer, a little bit."

Contemporary Parallels with Present Perils

Is that truly the case? One reason why this series seems so urgent is because we now are living living through dark times. The symbolic clock of doom stands nearer to midnight than ever before, in part because today's statesmen don’t seem to be able to grasp