‘After nearly destroying our world, the families are allies’: a gripping podcast from JFK and Khrushchev’s descendants.

In the month of October 1962, the world veered closer to ruin than at any other point during recent history. This occurred after a US surveillance aircraft found the fact that Russian nuclear weapon installations were being assembled in the island of Cuba, less than 160 kilometers off the coast of the United States. In response, President JFK commanded a naval task force to establish a naval quarantine encircling Cuba. What followed was almost a fortnight filled with unbearable tension.

An Catastrophic Threat

The danger remained palpable. If Kennedy, or else his Soviet counterpart, Nikita Khrushchev, initiated an attack on the other side, a chain reaction involving global nuclear attacks followed by retaliatory strikes would have ensued, casting humanity toward all-out destruction.

The October crisis has been documented repeatedly, in volumes, movies, and television programmes. However, in its latest installment, the BBC World Service podcast The Bomb presents an unprecedented element to this historical narrative. It is jointly hosted featuring Kennedy's relative alongside Khrushchev's descendant, relatives of the figures who, for two tense weeks, grasped the fate of the world within their grasp.

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

For her, the strength of the show lies in its attempt to question: "How can nations hate one another to the point they oppose one another?"

"I am acutely aware how profound the fact that individuals can be allies or have the potential to be complete adversaries," states Kennedy, the son of RFK, nephew of the late president and currently an author and lawyer. "History shows this dynamic over and over in instances where nations have gone to war, highlighting the profound irrationality it is to engage in warfare."

The Precipice Towards Catastrophe

What is remarkable about this event was that, since it transpired in the global spotlight, individuals around the world were able to observe nearly as it happened while it edged towards catastrophe. Even so, the threat of annihilation was more imminent than what anybody understood at the time.

"The overwhelming majority among Kennedy's advisors wanted an airstrike followed by an invasion," notes Kennedy. "Had the U.S. attacked Cuba with the Sixth Fleet, it is certain Soviet forces on the ground would have launched a nuclear warhead against the US Sixth Fleet, which would have sunk our aircraft carriers as well as destroyed our primary fleet. In turn, we would have retaliated through an overwhelming counterattack which would have ended all life on the planet."

The fact this did not occur is a testament to both leaders, they managed to keep their heads while engaging in diplomacy at a time when many advisors in their governments was pushing for military action. As a result, The Soviet premier removed the missiles in Cuba and President Kennedy (although not reported then) removed his similar weapons based in Turkey. The sense of relief was worldwide, as was a feeling of optimism.

A Divergent Viewpoint

Yet, for those two weeks in October, the anxiety was palpable by everyone. The Bomb’s co-hosts came into the world in the years following these events, with Khrushcheva learned about the crisis through the USSR's school curriculum, which painted an alternative narrative of events.

"As you mentioned your parent recalls it, and it was a frightening time," Khrushcheva notes. "However for Soviet citizens, people really didn’t know that much about it, because it was a crisis, whereas in the Soviet Union we were told that things are always fine and positive."

Inside the Khrushchev household, however, the perspective was distinct. "They told me that it was a triumphant moment it was, as it represented a direct confrontation. They were able to resolve it, and didn’t start the war, seen as a wonderful outcome," she continues. In the years to come, though, that interpretation was not held by all Russians. "For decades in Russian politics, it was considered a failure for Khrushchev, because he refrained from destroying the United States."

A Unlikely Partnership

The Bomb is remarkably balanced , expertly crafted so much so that Nina jokes she nearly forgot she already knew the ending. This is, partly, thanks to contributions from historians. But, really, the most groundbreaking aspect is the involvement of the descendants. Even within living memory, it would be 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 can do that, and be so warm with each other, has to be a sign of hope.

"Max and I are not the first," smiles Nina. "After 1991, a relative Sergey Khrushchev’s son where he formed a close bond with the former president's family."

"However we were strangers before the podcast," clarifies Kennedy. "Which is unfortunate since we got along really well and now we’re friends, which is wonderful. Finally, after nearly six decades since almost destroying the planet, our lineages are now allies, suggesting global relations is more secure, a little bit."

Modern Parallels and Current Dangers

Or is it? Part of the reason The Bomb seems so urgent is that we once again find ourselves in a perilous era. The symbolic clock of doom stands nearer to midnight in its history, in part because today's statesmen don’t seem to have the capacity to grasp