‘After almost destroying the planet, the relatives have become allies’: a thrilling podcast featuring JFK & Khrushchev’s relatives.

In October 1962, humanity came closer toward destruction than at any other point in recent history. This occurred following the discovery that a US reconnaissance aircraft discovered the fact that Russian atomic weapon bases were being assembled in Cuba, less than 160 kilometers off the coast of American soil. Reacting to this, President John F Kennedy commanded the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to establish a naval blockade encircling the island. The next phase constituted almost two weeks filled with unbearable anxiety.

The Catastrophic Threat

The peril remained clear. If Kennedy, or the Soviet counterpart, Premier Khrushchev, had fired on the other side, a series involving global atomic attacks and counterstrikes could have ensued, plunging humanity toward all-out ruination.

The Cuban missile crisis has been examined endlessly, in volumes, movies, and television programmes. However, in its latest installment, the BBC World Service podcast The Bomb has brought an unprecedented perspective to this historical narrative. It is jointly hosted featuring Max Kennedy alongside Khrushchev's descendant, relatives belonging to the figures who, for 13 days, controlled the fate of the world in their hands.

"What was the Kremlin thinking? What were the United States thinking?" ponders Nina Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's great-granddaughter and a professor of international affairs.

In her view, the beauty of the show is its endeavor to question: "Why do people detest one another to the point they oppose one another?"

"It struck me how spectacular it is that people have the potential to be allies or can become total adversaries," remarks Kennedy, the son of Robert Kennedy, related to JFK and currently an author as well as lawyer. "We see this over and over in instances where nations have gone to war, highlighting the profound irrationality it is to fight."

A Precipice Towards Disaster

What is striking regarding this event was that, since it unfolded in the global spotlight, individuals globally could watch almost in real time while it moved towards disaster. However, the threat of annihilation came closer than anybody understood at the time.

"The overwhelming majority in the White House were advocating for an airstrike followed by a ground invasion," notes Max Kennedy. "If we had attacked the Cubans using the Sixth Fleet, undoubtedly the Russians stationed there would have fired a tactical nuclear weapon against the US Sixth Fleet, which would have destroyed our naval vessels as well as sunk America's largest and most important fleet. In turn, the U.S. would have responded with massive retaliation which would have ended most life on Earth."

The reality it didn’t is a testament to Kennedy and Khrushchev, they managed to keep their heads while calmly negotiate at a time when many advisors around them were advocating action. Consequently, Khrushchev agreed to withdraw the nuclear weapons in Cuba and President Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed then) withdrew his missiles from Turkey. The relief was immense, as was the sense of hope.

A Divergent Viewpoint

Yet, during those two weeks of October 1962, the fear was palpable by everyone. The podcast's co-hosts came into the world in the years following the crisis, with Nina being taught about the crisis via the Soviet school curriculum, which painted a slightly different narrative of events.

"You said your parent remembers it, and it was a scary day," she says. "However for Soviet citizens, the public really didn’t know that much about it, because it was a crisis, and under the Soviet system we were told that everything was always fine or positive."

Inside Khrushchev’s family, though, the perspective was different. "They told me that it was a triumphant moment for the USSR, because it was eyeball to eyeball. They were able to resolve it, thus didn’t start the war, seen as a positive outcome," she continues. Subsequently, though, that perspective was not held by everybody. "For decades in Russian politics, it was considered a setback for Khrushchev, because he refrained from destroying the United States."

An Unlikely Collaboration

This podcast is remarkably balanced , expertly crafted that Khrushcheva jokes it almost made her forget the known outcome. This effect is, partly, due to contributions from historians. But, really, the most groundbreaking thing is the participation of the descendants. Even within living memory, it was unthinkable for relatives of the leaders of the United States and the Soviet Union would appear side by side. The fact that these two individuals are able to do so, and exhibit such warmth with each other, must be seen as a sign of progress.

"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 were strangers before the podcast," clarifies Max. "Which is unfortunate since we got along immediately and now we’re friends, which is really great. Ultimately, following nearly six decades since nearly annihilating the world, our lineages are now friends, so I think global relations is more secure, somewhat."

Modern Echoes with Current Perils

Or is it? Part of the reason this series seems so urgent is because we once again find ourselves living through 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 grasp