Following nearly annihilating the planet, our relatives have become friends’: a thrilling podcast featuring JFK & Nikita Khrushchev’s descendants.

In the month of October 1962, the planet edged nearer to annihilation than at any other point during the contemporary era. This transpired when a US reconnaissance aircraft identified that Russian atomic missile installations were being assembled on the island of Cuba, less than 160 kilometers from the United States. In response, President John F Kennedy ordered a naval task force to establish a maritime quarantine encircling Cuba. The next phase was nearly a fortnight of unbearable stress.

An Catastrophic Danger

The danger remained palpable. If President Kennedy, or the Soviet counterpart, Nikita Khrushchev, initiated an attack against their enemy, a cascade involving worldwide nuclear attacks and counterstrikes could have ensued, plunging civilization into total destruction.

The Cuban missile crisis has been examined endlessly, in volumes, movies, as well as television programmes. But, in its latest installment, a prominent BBC World Service podcast The Bomb presents a completely new perspective into this historical narrative. It is jointly hosted by Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva, relatives belonging to the leaders who, for 13 days, controlled the destiny of the world within their grasp.

"What were the Kremlin planning? What was the American side planning?" asks Nina Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s great-granddaughter who is also an academic of international affairs.

In her view, the unique appeal of the podcast is its attempt to objectively ask: "Why do nations detest each other and go against each other?"

"It was not lost on me how remarkable it is that humans have the potential to be friends or else can become complete adversaries," remarks Max Kennedy, the son of Robert Kennedy, related to JFK and currently a writer and lawyer. "We see this repeatedly when nations enter into conflict, highlighting how unbelievably stupid it is to fight."

The Brink Towards Disaster

What is striking regarding this event is that, since it transpired in the global spotlight, individuals around the world were able to observe almost in real time as it edged closer to disaster. However, the risk of destruction was more imminent than what anybody understood at the time.

"Virtually everyone among Kennedy's advisors wanted an airstrike followed by an invasion," explains Max Kennedy. "If we had struck Cuba with the Sixth Fleet, it is certain Soviet forces on the ground would have launched a tactical nuclear weapon at the American ships, and that would have destroyed our naval vessels and sunk our largest and most important naval force. And, we would have responded with massive retaliation which would have ended all life on the planet."

The fact it didn’t stands as credit to Kennedy and Khrushchev, they managed to remain calm and calmly negotiate when everyone around them demanded action. Consequently, Khrushchev agreed to withdraw the nuclear weapons from Cuba while President Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed at the time) removed American similar weapons from NATO ally Turkey. The sense of relief was worldwide, matched by a feeling of optimism.

The Divergent Perspective

Yet, during those two weeks of October 1962, the anxiety was felt by everyone. The podcast's co-hosts were born in the years following the crisis, and Nina learned about it through the Soviet education system, which painted a slightly different picture of what happened.

"As you mentioned your father recalls it, describing it as a frightening time," she says. "However for Soviet citizens, the public were largely unaware a great deal about it, since it was a crisis, whereas under the Soviet system the official line was that everything was constantly fine and sunny."

Within the Khrushchev household, though, it was different. "They told me what a great occasion for the USSR, because it was a direct confrontation. They were able to find a solution, and avoided a global war, which was a positive outcome," she adds. Subsequently, however, that view was not held by everybody. "For decades within Russian historical analysis, it was considered a defeat for Khrushchev, because he didn’t blow up the United States."

An Unlikely Collaboration

The Bomb is so even-handed and expertly crafted so much so that Khrushcheva quips it almost made her forget the known the ending. This is, in part, thanks to contributions from historians. But, really, the most momentous thing is the involvement of the descendants. Even within living memory, it would be inconceivable that descendants of the heads of state of America and Soviet Union would appear together publicly. That Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva can do that, and be so warm with each other, must be seen as a sign of optimism.

"We are not the first," smiles Nina. "After the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, a relative moved to America where he formed a close bond with the former president's family."

"However we had never met before the podcast," clarifies Max. "That is a shame since we got along immediately and we’re friends, which is really great. Finally, after nearly 60 years since nearly annihilating the planet, our lineages have become friends, so I think global relations is safer, somewhat."

Contemporary Echoes with Current Dangers

Is that truly the case? One reason the reason The Bomb seems so urgent is because we now find ourselves living through a perilous era. The symbolic clock of doom is closer to midnight in its history, partly since today's statesmen don’t seem to have the capacity to comprehend