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

In the month of October 1962, humanity veered closer to destruction more so than ever during modern times. This occurred after a US reconnaissance plane identified the fact that Russian nuclear missile installations were under construction on the island of Cuba, a mere 160 kilometers from the US mainland. Reacting to this, President John F Kennedy commanded the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to enact a naval blockade encircling Cuba. What followed constituted almost two weeks filled with unbearable anxiety.

An Catastrophic Threat

The danger remained obvious. If Kennedy, or his Soviet counterpart, Premier Khrushchev, had fired against the other side, a series involving worldwide atomic strikes and retaliatory strikes would have followed, casting mankind into all-out destruction.

The October crisis has been covered repeatedly, through books, films, as well as TV documentaries. However, in its latest installment, the BBC World Service podcast The Bomb has brought an unprecedented perspective into the story. It is jointly hosted featuring Max Kennedy alongside Nina Khrushcheva, family members of the leaders who, for 13 days, grasped the fate of the planet in their hands.

"What were the Russians considering? What was the United States considering?" questions Nina Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's descendant and an academic of global relations.

For her, the strength of the show lies in its attempt to objectively ask: "How can people hate each other to the point they confront one another?"

"It was not lost on me how remarkable the fact that people have the potential to be allies or else can become total adversaries," adds Max Kennedy, the son of Robert Kennedy, related to the late president and currently a writer and attorney. "We see this over and over when countries have gone to war, and it just illustrates the sheer folly it is to engage in warfare."

A Precipice of Catastrophe

What’s striking regarding this event was that, since it unfolded in the global spotlight, people worldwide could watch nearly as it happened as it moved towards armageddon. However, the danger of destruction came closer than what most people understood at the time.

"Virtually everyone among Kennedy's advisors were advocating for an airstrike followed by a ground invasion," says Max Kennedy. "If we had attacked the Cubans using the Sixth Fleet, it is certain the Russians stationed there would've fired a nuclear warhead against the US Sixth Fleet, which would've destroyed the naval vessels as well as destroyed America's primary fleet. In turn, we would have retaliated with massive retaliation that would have ended all life on Earth."

The fact this did not occur highlights the composure of Kennedy and Khrushchev, they succeeded in keep their heads and engaging in diplomacy at a time when everyone in their governments was pushing for action. Consequently, The Soviet premier agreed to withdraw the missiles in Cuba and Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed then) withdrew his missiles based in Turkey. The relief was worldwide, matched by the sense of optimism.

The Different Perspective

Still, for those two weeks in October, the anxiety was palpable globally. The podcast's co-hosts were born in the years following the crisis, with Khrushcheva learned about the crisis via the USSR's school curriculum, which portrayed a slightly different version of what happened.

"You said your parent remembers it, and it was a scary day," Khrushcheva notes. "However for Soviet citizens, people were largely unaware a great deal regarding the crisis, because it was a tense situation, and under the Soviet system the official line was that things are always wonderful and positive."

Inside Khrushchev’s family, however, the perspective was distinct. "I was informed that it was a triumphant occasion it was, as it was a direct confrontation. The leaders managed to resolve it, and avoided a global war, which was a positive thing," she adds. In the years to come, however, that view was not held by everybody. "For a long time in Russian politics, it was considered a setback for Khrushchev, simply he refrained from destroying America."

A Unprecedented Partnership

The Bomb is remarkably balanced and well produced so much so that Nina jokes it almost made her forget the known the ending. This is, in part, due to contributions from renowned scholars. But, really, the most momentous thing is the participation of the descendants. Not so long ago, it was unthinkable that descendants of the heads of state of America and Soviet Union to appear side by side. That Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva are able to do so, and exhibit such warmth toward one another, has to be a symbol of optimism.

"We aren't the pioneers," smiles Nina. "Following the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, my uncle moved to America and became great friends with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"However we were strangers before the podcast," adds Kennedy. "That is unfortunate because we got along immediately and now we are friends, something that is wonderful. Ultimately, after almost 60 years of nearly annihilating the world, our lineages have become friends, suggesting the world is more secure, a little bit."

Contemporary Echoes and Present Perils

Or is it? Part of the reason The Bomb seems so urgent is that we now are living in a perilous era. The symbolic clock of doom stands nearer to catastrophe than ever before, in part because today's statesmen appear not to have the capacity to learn