‘After nearly annihilating our world, the relatives are friends’: the gripping podcast featuring JFK and Nikita Khrushchev’s relatives.

In the month of October 1962, the world came nearer to ruin more so than ever during modern times. This occurred when a US reconnaissance plane discovered that Russian atomic weapon bases were under construction in the island of Cuba, less than 100 miles off the coast of American soil. In response, President John F Kennedy directed a naval task force to establish a naval blockade around Cuba. What followed was almost two weeks filled with extreme anxiety.

The Unthinkable Danger

The peril was clear. If Kennedy, or his Russian opposite, Premier Khrushchev, had fired on their enemy, a chain reaction of worldwide atomic strikes and counterstrikes might have ensued, casting mankind toward total destruction.

The Cuban missile crisis has been covered endlessly, in books, movies, and television programmes. But, for its third season, the BBC World Service podcast titled "The Bomb" has brought an unprecedented dimension to this historical narrative. The series is jointly hosted by Max Kennedy alongside Khrushchev's descendant, family members belonging to the men who, over 13 days, controlled the destiny of the planet in their hands.

"What was the Soviet side planning? What was the United States considering?" asks Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s great-granddaughter and an academic of global relations.

In her view, the unique appeal of the podcast lies in its endeavor to explore: "How can nations detest one another and confront one another?"

"It struck me how remarkable the fact that individuals have the potential to be allies or have the potential to be complete enemies," states Max Kennedy, the son of RFK, related to JFK and currently a writer as well as lawyer. "We see this dynamic over and over when nations have gone to war, demonstrating the sheer folly it is to engage in warfare."

The Brink of Disaster

What’s striking about the Cuban missile crisis was that, since it transpired in the global spotlight, individuals around the world could watch nearly in real time while it moved closer to catastrophe. Nonetheless, the risk of destruction came closer than what anybody understood at the time.

"The overwhelming majority among Kennedy's advisors were advocating for a military strike followed by an invasion," notes Kennedy. "If we had struck Cuba with the Sixth Fleet, undoubtedly Soviet forces on the ground would have deployed a tactical nuclear weapon against the American ships, and that would've obliterated our aircraft carriers and sunk America's primary naval force. In turn, the U.S. would have retaliated with massive retaliation which would have ended all life on the planet."

The reality this did not occur stands as credit to both leaders, they managed to remain calm while engaging in diplomacy at a time when hawkish elements around them were advocating action. Consequently, The Soviet premier agreed to withdraw the nuclear weapons in Cuba while Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed then) withdrew his similar weapons based in NATO ally Turkey. The sense of relief was immense, matched by the sense of hope.

A Divergent Perspective

Yet, during those two weeks of October 1962, the fear was felt by everyone. The podcast's presenters came into the world in the years following the crisis, and Nina being taught about it through the Soviet education system, which portrayed an alternative narrative of what happened.

"As you mentioned your parent recalls it, and it was a frightening day," Khrushcheva notes. "But for Soviet citizens, the public really didn’t know a great deal regarding the crisis, because it was a tense situation, whereas under the Soviet system the official line was that everything was always fine and sunny."

Inside the Khrushchev household, though, the perspective was different. "I was informed what a great moment it was, as it represented a direct confrontation. The leaders managed to find a solution, and didn’t start a global war, which was a positive thing," she continues. In the years to come, however, that view was not shared by everybody. "For decades within Russian historical analysis, the crisis was viewed as a defeat for Khrushchev, because he refrained from destroying the United States."

A Unprecedented Collaboration

This podcast is so even-handed , well produced so much so that Khrushcheva jokes she nearly forgot the known outcome. This is, partly, thanks to contributions from historians. But, truly, the most groundbreaking aspect remains the involvement of the descendants. Not so long ago, it would be unthinkable that descendants of the leaders of America and the Soviet Union to appear side by side. That these two individuals are able to do so, and exhibit such warmth toward one another, has to be a symbol of progress.

"We aren't the pioneers," notes Nina. "After the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, a relative Sergey Khrushchev’s son where he became great friends with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"However we had never met prior to this project," clarifies Kennedy. "That is a shame since we got along immediately and now we’re friends, which is wonderful. Finally, following almost six decades since nearly annihilating the planet, our lineages are now allies, suggesting global relations is more secure, a little bit."

Modern Parallels with Current Dangers

Or is it? One reason why this series feels so necessary is because we once again are living living through dark times. The Doomsday Clock is closer to midnight than ever before, in part because today's statesmen appear not to be able to learn