‘After almost annihilating the world, the families have become allies’: the thrilling podcast featuring John F. Kennedy and Nikita Khrushchev’s descendants.

During October 1962, the world came closer toward destruction more so than ever in modern times. This happened after a US surveillance aircraft found the fact that Soviet atomic weapon bases were under construction in the island of Cuba, less than 160 kilometers off the coast of the United States. Reacting to this, President JFK directed a naval task force to enact a naval quarantine encircling Cuba. The next phase was almost a fortnight of extreme anxiety.

The Catastrophic Threat

The danger remained clear. Should Kennedy, or else his Soviet counterpart, Nikita Khrushchev, were to fire against the other side, a chain reaction involving worldwide nuclear strikes followed by counterstrikes might have ensued, thrusting civilization toward all-out ruination.

This pivotal 1962 event has been covered extensively, through volumes, films, as well as television programmes. But, for its third season, the BBC World Service podcast titled "The Bomb" has brought a novel perspective into this historical narrative. The series is co-presented by Max Kennedy alongside Khrushchev's descendant, family members belonging to the leaders that, over 13 days, held the destiny of the world in their hands.

"What were the Russians thinking? What was Washington planning?" ponders Nina Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s descendant and an academic specializing in global relations.

For her, the beauty of the podcast lies in its endeavor to question: "How can nations detest one another and go against one another?"

"I am acutely aware how spectacular the fact that people have the potential to be allies or else have the potential to be total enemies," remarks Kennedy, the son of Robert Kennedy, related to the late president and currently a writer and lawyer. "History shows this over and over in instances where nations have gone to war, highlighting the sheer folly it is to engage in warfare."

A Brink of Catastrophe

What is striking regarding the Cuban missile crisis was that, because it unfolded in the global spotlight, people globally were able to observe nearly in real time as it moved closer to armageddon. Even so, the threat of destruction was more imminent than what anybody understood at the time.

"Virtually everyone in the White House were advocating for an airstrike and a ground invasion," explains Max Kennedy. "If we had struck Cuba with the naval blockade, it is certain Soviet forces on the ground would have deployed a nuclear warhead against the American ships, which would've sunk our naval vessels and sunk America's primary fleet. And, we would have responded with an overwhelming counterattack that would have ended all life on the planet."

The reality it didn’t stands as credit to both leaders, they succeeded in keep their heads and calmly negotiate when hawkish elements around them demanded military action. Consequently, Khrushchev agreed to withdraw the missiles in Cuba and President Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed then) withdrew his similar weapons based in NATO ally Turkey. The sense of relief was immense, matched by a feeling of hope.

A Different Viewpoint

Still, during those 13 days of October 1962, the fear was felt globally. The Bomb’s presenters came into the world shortly after the crisis, with Khrushcheva learned about it via the Soviet school curriculum, which painted an alternative picture of what happened.

"You said your father recalls it, describing it as a scary day," she says. "However in the Soviet Union, people really didn’t know that much about it, because it was a tense situation, and under the Soviet system we were told that everything was constantly wonderful and positive."

Inside Khrushchev’s family, however, the perspective was distinct. "They told me what a great occasion it was, as it was a direct confrontation. They were able to find a solution, thus avoided the war, seen as a wonderful thing," she continues. In the years to come, however, that view would not be held by all Russians. "For a long time in Russian politics, it was considered a setback for the Soviet leader, simply he didn’t blow up America."

An Unlikely Partnership

The Bomb is so even-handed and well produced that Khrushcheva quips it almost made her forget the known outcome. This is, in part, thanks to the participation of historians. Yet, really, the most groundbreaking thing is the participation of the descendants. Not so long ago, it was unthinkable that descendants of the heads of state of the United States and the Soviet Union would appear together publicly. That Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva can do that, and exhibit such warmth with each other, must be seen as a sign of hope.

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

"However we were strangers prior to this project," clarifies Kennedy. "Which is unfortunate because we connected really well and now we are friends, something that is really great. Finally, after nearly six decades since almost destroying the planet, our families have become friends, so I think global relations is more secure, somewhat."

Modern Parallels and Current Perils

Or is it? Part of why this series feels so necessary is that we once again are living living through dark times. The Doomsday Clock stands nearer to catastrophe in its history, partly since today's statesmen don’t seem to have the capacity to comprehend