‘After nearly annihilating our world, our families have become allies’: the thrilling podcast from JFK & Khrushchev’s relatives.

In October 1962, the planet veered nearer toward annihilation than at any other point in modern times. This occurred following the discovery that a US reconnaissance plane discovered that Soviet nuclear weapon bases were under construction on the island of Cuba, less than 160 kilometers from American soil. In response, U.S. President JFK commanded the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to impose a naval quarantine around Cuba. What followed constituted nearly two weeks of impossible tension.

An Catastrophic Threat

The threat remained palpable. Should President Kennedy, or the Soviet counterpart, Nikita Khrushchev, initiated an attack on their enemy, a chain reaction of worldwide atomic attacks and counterstrikes would have followed, casting mankind into all-out destruction.

The Cuban missile crisis has been examined endlessly, through volumes, movies, and TV documentaries. However, for its third season, the BBC World Service podcast titled "The Bomb" presents a completely new perspective into this historical narrative. It is jointly hosted featuring Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva, family members belonging to the figures that, for 13 days, controlled the destiny of the world within their grasp.

"What was the Soviet side planning? What was Washington planning?" questions Nina Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s great-granddaughter who is also a professor of global relations.

For her, the beauty of the show is its attempt to question: "How can people hate each other to the point they oppose each other?"

"It was not lost on me how remarkable it is that humans can be allies or else have the potential to be total adversaries," remarks Max Kennedy, son of Robert Kennedy, nephew of the late president and currently a writer and attorney. "We see this dynamic repeatedly when nations have gone to war, demonstrating how unbelievably stupid involved to engage in warfare."

A Brink of Disaster

What is striking regarding the Cuban missile crisis was that, because it transpired so publicly, people worldwide were able to observe almost in real time as it moved closer to catastrophe. However, the threat of destruction was more imminent than what most people realised.

"Almost all officials in the White House were advocating for an airstrike followed by an invasion," explains Kennedy. "If we had struck the Cubans with the naval blockade, undoubtedly the Russians on the ground would've deployed a nuclear warhead against the US Sixth Fleet, and that would've sunk the naval vessels as well as sunk America's largest and most important naval force. In turn, the U.S. would have retaliated with an overwhelming counterattack which would have ended all life on the planet."

The fact it didn’t stands as credit to Kennedy and Khrushchev, who managed to exercise restraint while calmly negotiate when many advisors around them were advocating action. As a result, The Soviet premier removed the nuclear weapons from Cuba while Kennedy (although not reported then) withdrew his missiles based in Turkey. The relief was worldwide, as was a feeling of hope.

The Different Perspective

Yet, during those 13 days of October 1962, the anxiety was palpable globally. The Bomb’s co-hosts were born in the years following the crisis, and Khrushcheva being taught about it via the USSR's school curriculum, which portrayed a slightly different narrative of what happened.

"As you mentioned your father remembers it, and it was a scary time," Khrushcheva notes. "But in the Soviet Union, the public were largely unaware a great deal regarding the crisis, since it was a crisis, whereas in the Soviet Union the official line was that everything was always wonderful and sunny."

Within Khrushchev’s family, however, the perspective was distinct. "I was informed what a great occasion it was, because it represented a direct confrontation. They were able to resolve it, thus didn’t start a global war, which was a wonderful outcome," she continues. In the years to come, though, that perspective would not be shared by everybody. "For a long time in Russian politics, the crisis was viewed as a setback for the Soviet leader, because he refrained from destroying the United States."

An Unlikely Collaboration

The Bomb is so balanced and expertly crafted so much so that Nina quips it almost made her forget the known outcome. This effect is, in part, thanks to the participation of renowned scholars. Yet, truly, the most groundbreaking thing remains the involvement of the descendants. Not so long ago, it would be unthinkable that descendants of the leaders of the United States and Soviet Union to appear together publicly. The fact that Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva can do that, and exhibit such warmth toward one another, has to be a sign of optimism.

"We are not the first," smiles Khrushcheva. "After 1991, my uncle Sergey Khrushchev’s son where he became great friends with the former president's family."

"However we had never met prior to this project," adds Max. "Which is a shame since we got along really well and now we’re friends, which is really great. Finally, following almost six decades since nearly annihilating the planet, our lineages have become friends, suggesting the world is safer, a little bit."

Contemporary Parallels with Present Perils

Is that truly the case? Part of the reason this series feels so necessary is because we once again find ourselves living through a perilous era. The Doomsday Clock is closer to midnight in its history, in part because today's statesmen don’t seem to have the capacity to comprehend