‘After nearly destroying the planet, the families are allies’: the thrilling podcast featuring John F. Kennedy and Nikita Khrushchev’s relatives.

During October 1962, humanity edged nearer toward ruin more so than ever during modern times. This happened following the discovery that an American reconnaissance plane discovered the fact that Russian atomic missile sites were being assembled on Cuba, less than 100 miles from the US mainland. Reacting to this, President JFK directed the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to impose a naval quarantine encircling the island. The next phase constituted nearly a fortnight of extreme stress.

The Catastrophic Danger

The peril remained palpable. If Kennedy, or his Soviet counterpart, Premier Khrushchev, were to fire against their enemy, a chain reaction of global nuclear attacks and retaliatory strikes might have followed, casting humanity into all-out destruction.

The Cuban missile crisis has been covered repeatedly, in volumes, films, as well as TV documentaries. But, in its latest installment, a prominent BBC World Service podcast The Bomb has brought a completely new element into this historical narrative. It is jointly hosted featuring Max Kennedy alongside Nina Khrushcheva, relatives of the figures that, for 13 days, controlled the destiny of humanity in their hands.

"What were the Kremlin planning? What was Washington thinking?" questions Nina Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's descendant and an academic specializing in global relations.

In her view, the unique appeal of the show lies in its endeavor to objectively ask: "Why do nations hate one another and confront each other?"

"It was not lost on me how remarkable it is that people have the potential to be allies or can become total adversaries," adds Max Kennedy, son of RFK, related to the late president and now a writer as well as attorney. "We see this over and over when countries have gone to war, highlighting the sheer folly it is to fight."

A Brink of Catastrophe

What’s notable about the Cuban missile crisis was that, because it transpired so publicly, individuals around the world could watch almost in real time as it edged closer to disaster. Nonetheless, the risk of annihilation came closer than what anybody realised.

"The overwhelming majority among Kennedy's advisors wanted a military strike and an invasion," notes Kennedy. "Had the U.S. attacked the Cubans with the Sixth Fleet, there is no question the Russians on the ground would've deployed a nuclear warhead at the American ships, and that would've obliterated our naval vessels as well as sunk America's primary fleet. In turn, the U.S. would have retaliated with an overwhelming counterattack that would have ended most life on the planet."

The reality it didn’t highlights the composure of both leaders, they managed to exercise restraint while calmly negotiate when everyone around them were advocating military action. Consequently, Khrushchev removed the missiles in Cuba while Kennedy (although not reported at the time) withdrew American missiles from Turkey. The sense of relief was immense, as was a feeling of optimism.

A Different Perspective

Still, for those 13 days in October, the tension was palpable by everyone. The Bomb’s presenters were born in the years following the crisis, and Khrushcheva learned about it through the Soviet education system, which portrayed an alternative narrative of events.

"You said your parent recalls it, describing it as a scary time," she says. "But for Soviet citizens, people really didn’t know that much regarding the crisis, because it was a crisis, whereas in the Soviet Union the official line was that things are constantly fine or positive."

Within Khrushchev’s family, however, the perspective was different. "They told me what a great moment it was, because it represented a direct confrontation. The leaders managed to resolve it, thus didn’t start the war, seen as a positive outcome," she continues. Subsequently, though, that perspective was not held by all Russians. "For decades within Russian historical analysis, the crisis was viewed as a failure for the Soviet leader, because he didn’t blow up America."

An Unprecedented Partnership

This podcast is remarkably balanced , expertly crafted that Nina jokes it almost made her forget the known the ending. This is, partly, due to contributions from historians. Yet, really, the most significant thing is the involvement of the descendants. Even within living memory, it was unthinkable for descendants of the heads of state of the United States and the Soviet Union to appear side by side. That Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva can do that, and exhibit such warmth with each other, has to be a sign of optimism.

"We aren't the first," notes Khrushcheva. "Following the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, a relative Sergey Khrushchev’s son where he became great friends with the former president's family."

"However we had never met before the podcast," clarifies Kennedy. "Which is a shame because we got along immediately and we are friends, which is really great. Ultimately, after nearly 60 years since almost destroying the planet, our families have become allies, suggesting global relations is safer, somewhat."

Contemporary Echoes and Current Perils

Or is it? One reason the reason this series seems so urgent is because we now find ourselves living through dark times. The Doomsday Clock is closer to catastrophe than ever before, in part because world leaders appear not to be able to grasp