Following nearly destroying the planet, the families have become friends’: a thrilling podcast from JFK and Khrushchev’s descendants.

In October 1962, humanity came closer toward ruin more so than ever during the contemporary era. This occurred when a US reconnaissance aircraft identified that Soviet nuclear weapon sites were being assembled in the island of Cuba, a mere 160 kilometers off the coast of the US mainland. Reacting to this, President JFK ordered the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to impose a maritime blockade around the island. What followed constituted almost a fortnight of impossible stress.

An Catastrophic Threat

The threat remained clear. If President Kennedy, or the Soviet counterpart, Nikita Khrushchev, initiated an attack on their enemy, a cascade of worldwide atomic strikes followed by retaliatory strikes might have ensued, plunging mankind toward all-out oblivion.

The Cuban missile crisis has been documented repeatedly, through volumes, films, and TV documentaries. But, for its third season, the BBC World Service podcast The Bomb presents a novel dimension into this historical narrative. It is co-presented featuring Max Kennedy alongside Khrushchev's descendant, relatives belonging to the leaders that, over two tense weeks, grasped the fate of humanity within their grasp.

"What was the Russians considering? What were the United States planning?" ponders Nina Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s descendant who is also an academic of global relations.

In her view, the unique appeal of the show lies in its endeavor to objectively ask: "Why do nations hate one another and confront each other?"

"It was not lost on me how remarkable the fact that individuals have the potential to be friends or have the potential to be complete adversaries," remarks Kennedy, son of RFK, related to JFK and now a writer and attorney. "History shows this dynamic over and over in instances where countries have gone to war, demonstrating the sheer folly involved to engage in warfare."

The Brink Towards Disaster

What’s remarkable about this event was that, because it unfolded in the global spotlight, citizens globally were able to observe nearly as it happened as it crept towards disaster. Even so, the threat of annihilation was more imminent than anybody understood at the time.

"Almost all officials in the White House wanted an airstrike followed by an invasion," explains Max Kennedy. "If we had struck the Cubans using the naval blockade, there is no question the Russians on the ground would have launched a nuclear warhead against the American ships, and that would have obliterated the aircraft carriers as well as sunk our largest and most important fleet. In turn, we would have responded with massive retaliation that would have eradicated most life on the planet."

The reality it didn’t is a testament to Kennedy and Khrushchev, who managed to keep their heads while engaging in diplomacy when everyone around them demanded military action. Consequently, Khrushchev agreed to withdraw the missiles from Cuba and President Kennedy (although not reported at the time) removed his similar weapons from Turkey. The relief was palpable, matched by a feeling of optimism.

A Divergent Viewpoint

Yet, during those two weeks in October, the tension was palpable by everyone. The Bomb’s presenters were born shortly after the crisis, with Nina learned about the crisis via the Soviet school curriculum, which portrayed a slightly different picture of what happened.

"You said your father recalls it, describing it as a scary day," she says. "However for Soviet citizens, the public really didn’t know that much regarding the crisis, because it was a crisis, and in the Soviet Union we were told that everything was always fine or positive."

Within the Khrushchev household, though, the perspective was distinct. "They told me that it was a triumphant moment for the USSR, because it was eyeball to eyeball. The leaders managed to find a solution, and didn’t start a global war, which was a positive thing," she adds. In the years to come, however, that view would not be shared by everybody. "For decades in Russian politics, the crisis was viewed as a failure for the Soviet leader, because he didn’t blow up America."

A Unlikely Collaboration

The Bomb is remarkably even-handed , well produced so much so that Khrushcheva jokes it almost made her forget she already knew the ending. This is, in part, due to the participation of renowned scholars. Yet, really, the most significant aspect is the participation of the descendants. Not so long ago, it would be unthinkable that relatives of the leaders of America and USSR to appear side by side. The fact that these two individuals can do that, and exhibit such warmth with each other, must be seen as a sign of progress.

"We are not the pioneers," notes Nina. "After the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, my uncle moved to America and became great friends with the former president's family."

"But we had never met before the podcast," clarifies Max. "Which is unfortunate since we connected really well and now we are friends, something that is wonderful. Ultimately, following nearly 60 years since almost destroying the world, our families have become friends, so I think global relations is more secure, somewhat."

Modern Parallels and Current Perils

Or is it? One reason why this series seems so urgent is because we now find ourselves in a perilous era. The Doomsday Clock is closer to midnight in its history, in part because world leaders don’t seem to be able to comprehend