‘After almost destroying our world, our families are friends’: the thrilling podcast featuring John F. Kennedy and Khrushchev’s relatives.

During the month of October 1962, humanity came nearer to ruin more so than ever in the contemporary era. This transpired after a US reconnaissance aircraft discovered that Russian atomic weapon bases were under construction in Cuba, less than 100 miles off the coast of the United States. Reacting to this, President John F Kennedy commanded the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to establish a naval quarantine around the island. The ensuing period constituted nearly 14 days filled with impossible stress.

The Catastrophic Threat

The threat was obvious. If Kennedy, or else his Soviet counterpart, Nikita Khrushchev, initiated an attack on their enemy, a cascade of global atomic attacks and retaliatory strikes might have ensued, thrusting humanity into all-out oblivion.

The October crisis has been examined extensively, in books, films, as well as TV documentaries. But, in its latest installment, the BBC World Service podcast The Bomb has brought a completely new element into the story. It is co-presented featuring Max Kennedy alongside Khrushchev's descendant, family members of the figures that, for 13 days, controlled the fate of the planet within their grasp.

"What were the Russians thinking? What was the American side planning?" questions Nina Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's descendant and an academic specializing in international affairs.

For her, the strength of the podcast lies in its attempt to question: "How can nations detest each other and confront one another?"

"It struck me how spectacular it is that humans can be friends or else have the potential to be complete adversaries," remarks Max Kennedy, the son of Robert Kennedy, related to JFK and now an author and lawyer. "History shows this dynamic repeatedly in instances where countries have gone to war, and it just illustrates the sheer folly involved to engage in warfare."

The Brink Towards Catastrophe

What is striking about this event was that, because it unfolded so publicly, citizens around the world could watch nearly as it happened while it moved closer to armageddon. Nonetheless, the threat of destruction was more imminent than what most people realised.

"Almost all officials in the White House wanted a military strike and a ground invasion," explains Kennedy. "If we had struck Cuba with the naval blockade, undoubtedly Soviet forces on the ground would've launched a nuclear warhead at the US Sixth Fleet, which would have sunk the naval vessels as well as sunk our largest and most important naval force. In turn, the U.S. would have retaliated with massive retaliation which would have ended most life on Earth."

The fact this did not occur highlights the composure of Kennedy and Khrushchev, who managed to remain calm and engaging in diplomacy when hawkish elements around them were advocating action. Consequently, The Soviet premier agreed to withdraw the missiles from Cuba and President Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed at the time) withdrew his missiles from Turkey. The sense of relief was worldwide, as was the sense of optimism.

A Divergent Viewpoint

Still, for those 13 days in October, the fear was palpable by everyone. The podcast's presenters came into the world in the years following these events, with Nina being taught about the crisis through the USSR's school curriculum, which presented an alternative version of what happened.

"You said your father recalls it, describing it as a frightening day," Khrushcheva notes. "However for Soviet citizens, the public were largely unaware that much about it, because it was a tense situation, whereas in the Soviet Union we were told that everything was constantly wonderful and positive."

Within the Khrushchev household, though, it was different. "They told me what a great moment it was, because it represented eyeball to eyeball. They were able to resolve it, thus avoided a global war, which was a wonderful thing," she adds. Subsequently, however, that view would not be held by all Russians. "For a long time in Russian politics, the crisis was viewed as a setback for the Soviet leader, because he didn’t blow up America."

A Unprecedented Partnership

This podcast is remarkably even-handed , well produced so much so that Khrushcheva jokes she nearly forgot she already knew the ending. This effect is, in part, due to contributions from renowned scholars. Yet, really, the most groundbreaking aspect is the participation of the descendants. Even within living memory, it would be unthinkable that relatives of the heads of state of the United States and the USSR to appear together publicly. That these two individuals are able to do so, and exhibit such warmth toward one another, must be seen as a symbol of optimism.

"We aren't the first," smiles Khrushcheva. "Following the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, my uncle Sergey Khrushchev’s son and became great friends with the former president's family."

"However we had never met prior to this project," adds Max. "That is a shame because we connected immediately and now we’re friends, which is wonderful. Finally, after nearly six decades of almost destroying the planet, our families are now allies, suggesting global relations is more secure, a little bit."

Modern Echoes with Current Perils

Or is it? One reason why The Bomb feels so necessary is because we once again find ourselves in dark times. The Doomsday Clock is closer to midnight than ever before, in part because world leaders don’t seem to have the capacity to learn