Following nearly destroying our planet, the families have become allies’: the thrilling podcast featuring John F. Kennedy & Nikita Khrushchev’s descendants.

During October 1962, the world edged nearer to ruin more so than ever in recent history. This occurred following the discovery that a US surveillance plane discovered that Soviet nuclear weapon installations were under construction on the island of Cuba, less than 160 kilometers from the US mainland. In response, U.S. President JFK ordered a naval task force to impose a maritime quarantine encircling the island. The next phase was nearly a fortnight filled with extreme tension.

The Unthinkable Danger

The peril was obvious. If Kennedy, or else his Soviet counterpart, Nikita Khrushchev, were to fire against the other side, a series of worldwide atomic strikes and retaliatory strikes would have followed, plunging mankind into all-out oblivion.

The October crisis has been documented repeatedly, through volumes, movies, as well as TV documentaries. But, in its latest installment, the BBC World Service podcast The Bomb introduces a novel element into the story. It is jointly hosted by Kennedy's relative alongside Nina Khrushcheva, relatives belonging to the leaders who, for 13 days, held the destiny of humanity in their hands.

"What was the Kremlin thinking? What were the United States planning?" questions Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's descendant who is also an academic of international affairs.

In her view, the unique appeal of the show lies in its attempt to explore: "Why do people detest one another and confront each other?"

"It was not lost on me how spectacular it is that people have the potential to be friends or else can become complete adversaries," adds Kennedy, the son of RFK, related to JFK and now an author as well as attorney. "History shows this over and over when nations have gone to war, and it just illustrates the sheer folly it is to fight."

A Brink Towards Disaster

What is striking about the Cuban missile crisis was that, since it transpired in the global spotlight, people worldwide could watch almost as it happened as it edged towards armageddon. Even so, the risk of destruction came closer than what anybody realised.

"Almost all officials among Kennedy's advisors wanted an airstrike and a ground invasion," says Max Kennedy. "If we had attacked the Cubans with the Sixth Fleet, undoubtedly Soviet forces stationed there would have deployed a tactical nuclear weapon at the US Sixth Fleet, and that would have sunk our aircraft carriers as well as destroyed our largest and most important naval force. In turn, we would have responded through massive retaliation which would have eradicated most life on the planet."

The fact it didn’t highlights the composure of Kennedy and Khrushchev, they succeeded in remain calm and calmly negotiate at a time when everyone in their governments were advocating military action. Consequently, Khrushchev agreed to withdraw the nuclear weapons in the Caribbean island and Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed at the time) removed his missiles from NATO ally Turkey. The relief was immense, matched by the sense of hope.

The Different Viewpoint

Still, during those two weeks in October, the tension was palpable globally. The podcast's co-hosts were born shortly after the crisis, with Khrushcheva being taught about it through the USSR's school curriculum, which painted an alternative version of what happened.

"You said your parent recalls it, describing it as a scary day," Khrushcheva notes. "However for Soviet citizens, people were largely unaware that much about it, since it was a crisis, whereas in the Soviet Union the official line was that everything was always fine or sunny."

Inside Khrushchev’s family, however, the perspective was distinct. "They told me that it was a triumphant moment it was, because it was eyeball to eyeball. The leaders managed to find a solution, thus avoided the war, seen as a wonderful outcome," she adds. In the years to come, though, that perspective would not be shared by all Russians. "For a long time within Russian historical analysis, the crisis was viewed as a defeat for Khrushchev, simply he refrained from destroying the United States."

A Unprecedented Collaboration

This podcast is remarkably balanced and expertly crafted that Nina jokes she nearly forgot she already knew outcome. This is, partly, thanks to contributions from historians. Yet, really, the most momentous thing remains the involvement of the descendants. Even within living memory, it would be inconceivable for descendants of the heads of state of America and the Soviet Union would appear together publicly. That these two individuals can do that, and be so warm with each other, must be seen as a symbol of progress.

"Max and I are not the pioneers," smiles Khrushcheva. "After 1991, my uncle Sergey Khrushchev’s son where he formed a close bond with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"However we had never met before the podcast," clarifies Max. "Which is unfortunate since we got along really well and we are friends, which is wonderful. Ultimately, after almost six decades of almost destroying the planet, our families have become friends, so I think the world is safer, somewhat."

Contemporary Echoes and Current Dangers

Or is it? One reason the reason The Bomb seems so urgent is because we now find ourselves in dark times. The Doomsday Clock is closer to midnight than ever before, in part because today's statesmen appear not to have the capacity to comprehend