Following almost destroying our planet, the relatives are friends’: the gripping podcast featuring John F. Kennedy & Khrushchev’s descendants.

In October 1962, the planet came closer to destruction than at any other point in modern times. This happened after a US reconnaissance aircraft discovered that Soviet nuclear missile bases were being built on Cuba, a mere 160 kilometers from the US mainland. Reacting to this, U.S. President John F Kennedy directed a naval task force to establish a naval blockade around the island. The next phase constituted nearly two weeks of unbearable anxiety.

An Unthinkable Threat

The peril was clear. If President Kennedy, or his Russian opposite, Nikita Khrushchev, had fired on their enemy, a chain reaction of worldwide nuclear attacks followed by counterstrikes would have ensued, casting mankind toward total ruination.

The Cuban missile crisis has been documented extensively, in books, films, and TV documentaries. But, in its latest installment, a prominent BBC World Service podcast titled "The Bomb" introduces a novel perspective to this historical narrative. The series is jointly hosted by Max Kennedy alongside Nina Khrushcheva, relatives belonging to the figures that, over two tense weeks, held the fate of the planet in their hands.

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

In her view, the beauty of the show is its attempt to objectively ask: "Why do individuals detest each other and go against each other?"

"I am acutely aware how profound the fact that people can be allies or else have the potential to be complete adversaries," adds Max Kennedy, the son of RFK, nephew of JFK and now an author as well as attorney. "History shows this over and over in instances where countries enter into conflict, demonstrating the profound irrationality involved to engage in warfare."

A Precipice of Catastrophe

What’s notable about the Cuban missile crisis was that, since it transpired so publicly, citizens around the world could watch nearly in real time as it edged towards disaster. Nonetheless, the danger of annihilation was more imminent than most people realised.

"The overwhelming majority among Kennedy's advisors wanted an airstrike followed by a ground invasion," notes Kennedy. "Had the U.S. attacked the Cubans with the Sixth Fleet, it is certain Soviet forces on the ground would have fired a tactical nuclear weapon against the American ships, which would have destroyed the naval vessels and sunk America's primary fleet. In turn, we would have responded through massive retaliation that would have eradicated most life on Earth."

The fact it didn’t is a testament to Kennedy and Khrushchev, they managed to remain calm and calmly negotiate at a time when hawkish elements around them were advocating action. As a result, The Soviet premier agreed to withdraw the nuclear weapons from Cuba while President Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed then) withdrew American similar weapons based in NATO ally Turkey. The sense of relief was immense, as was a feeling of optimism.

A Different Perspective

Still, during those 13 days in October, the tension was felt globally. The Bomb’s co-hosts came into the world shortly after these events, with Nina learned about the crisis via the Soviet education system, which presented an alternative version of what happened.

"As you mentioned your parent remembers it, and it was a scary day," Khrushcheva notes. "But in the Soviet Union, people were largely unaware that much about it, because it was a tense situation, whereas under the Soviet system we were told that everything was always wonderful or sunny."

Within the Khrushchev household, however, the perspective was different. "They told me what a great occasion for the USSR, as it was a direct confrontation. The leaders managed to resolve it, and didn’t start a global war, seen as a positive thing," she continues. In the years to come, however, that interpretation was not held by all Russians. "For decades in Russian politics, the crisis was viewed as a defeat for Khrushchev, simply he didn’t blow up the United States."

A Unprecedented Partnership

The Bomb is remarkably balanced and expertly crafted so much so that Nina quips she nearly forgot the known the ending. This is, in part, thanks to the participation of historians. Yet, truly, the most groundbreaking thing is the involvement of the hosts themselves. Even within living memory, it was unthinkable for relatives of the heads of state of the United States and USSR would appear side by side. The fact that Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva can do that, and be so warm with each other, has to be a symbol of progress.

"Max and I are not the pioneers," notes Nina. "After the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, a relative moved to America and became great friends with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"However we were strangers prior to this project," adds Kennedy. "That is unfortunate since we got along really well and we’re friends, which is wonderful. Ultimately, following almost six decades of almost destroying the planet, our families have become friends, so I think global relations is safer, somewhat."

Contemporary Echoes and Current Perils

Or is it? Part of why this series seems so urgent is that we once again find ourselves in dark times. The symbolic clock of doom is closer to midnight than ever before, in part because today's statesmen don’t seem to be able to grasp