‘After almost destroying our world, the relatives are friends’: the thrilling podcast featuring John F. Kennedy & Khrushchev’s descendants.

During October 1962, the world came nearer toward annihilation more so than ever during the contemporary era. This transpired after an American surveillance plane found the fact that Soviet atomic weapon installations were being built on Cuba, less than 100 miles from the US mainland. Reacting to this, U.S. President JFK commanded a naval task force to impose a maritime quarantine encircling the island. The next phase was almost two weeks filled with extreme stress.

An Unthinkable Threat

The peril was clear. If President Kennedy, or else his Soviet counterpart, Premier Khrushchev, initiated an attack on their enemy, a series of worldwide atomic strikes followed by retaliatory strikes could have followed, plunging civilization toward all-out ruination.

The Cuban missile crisis has been documented endlessly, through books, films, as well as television programmes. But, for its third season, a prominent BBC World Service podcast titled "The Bomb" has brought a completely new dimension into the story. The series is jointly hosted featuring Max Kennedy alongside Nina Khrushcheva, relatives of the figures who, for two tense weeks, controlled the destiny of the planet within their grasp.

"What were the Kremlin planning? What was the American side planning?" questions Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's great-granddaughter and a professor of global relations.

In her view, the beauty of the podcast is its attempt to question: "How can nations hate each other and oppose each other?"

"I am acutely aware how remarkable the fact that people can be friends or have the potential to be total adversaries," adds Max Kennedy, son of RFK, related to JFK and now a writer as well as lawyer. "We see this repeatedly in instances where nations have gone to war, and it just illustrates the profound irrationality it is to fight."

The Brink of Catastrophe

What’s remarkable about the Cuban missile crisis is that, because it unfolded in the global spotlight, citizens worldwide could watch nearly as it happened while it edged towards disaster. Nonetheless, the danger of destruction came closer than anybody realised.

"Virtually everyone in the White House wanted a military strike followed by a ground invasion," explains Max Kennedy. "Had the U.S. struck the Cubans using the naval blockade, undoubtedly the Russians on the ground would have deployed a tactical nuclear weapon against the US Sixth Fleet, which would've obliterated our naval vessels as well as sunk America's largest and most important naval force. In turn, we would have responded with massive retaliation which would have eradicated most life on the planet."

The fact it didn’t is a testament to both leaders, they managed to exercise restraint while calmly negotiate when everyone around them were advocating military action. As a result, The Soviet premier removed the nuclear weapons in the Caribbean island while Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed then) withdrew his missiles based in Turkey. The relief was immense, as was the sense of optimism.

The Different Viewpoint

Yet, for those two weeks of October 1962, the tension was felt globally. The Bomb’s co-hosts came into the world in the years following these events, and Khrushcheva learned about it through the Soviet education system, which portrayed an alternative version of what happened.

"As you mentioned your father recalls it, and it was a frightening time," Khrushcheva notes. "But for Soviet citizens, the public really didn’t know a great deal regarding the crisis, because it was a crisis, whereas under the Soviet system we were told that everything was always fine and positive."

Within the Khrushchev household, however, it was distinct. "I was informed that it was a triumphant moment it was, because it represented eyeball to eyeball. They were able to find a solution, thus avoided the war, which was a wonderful outcome," she adds. Subsequently, however, that view was not held by all Russians. "For a long time in Russian politics, it was considered a setback for the Soviet leader, simply he refrained from destroying America."

A Unprecedented Collaboration

The Bomb is remarkably even-handed , expertly crafted that Nina quips it almost made her forget the known the ending. This effect is, in part, thanks to contributions from historians. But, really, the most momentous thing remains the involvement of the descendants. Even within living memory, it was inconceivable for relatives of the leaders of the United States and the USSR to appear together publicly. The fact that these two individuals are able to do so, and be so warm toward one another, must be seen as a sign of progress.

"We are not the pioneers," notes Khrushcheva. "After 1991, my uncle moved to America where he formed a close bond with the former president's family."

"But we had never met before the podcast," adds Kennedy. "Which is unfortunate since we got along immediately and now we’re friends, something that is wonderful. Ultimately, after nearly 60 years since almost destroying the planet, our lineages are now friends, suggesting global relations is more secure, a little bit."

Contemporary Echoes with Current Perils

Or is it? Part of the reason this series feels so necessary is that we now find ourselves in dark times. The Doomsday Clock is closer to midnight in its history, partly since today's statesmen appear not to be able to learn