‘After nearly destroying our planet, the relatives are allies’: the gripping podcast featuring JFK & Khrushchev’s descendants.

In October 1962, the planet veered closer toward annihilation than at any other point during the contemporary era. This transpired following the discovery that an American reconnaissance plane found that Soviet nuclear missile installations were being built on Cuba, a mere 160 kilometers from the US mainland. In response, President JFK directed the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to impose a maritime quarantine encircling Cuba. What followed constituted nearly 14 days of extreme tension.

The Unthinkable Threat

The danger was obvious. Should President Kennedy, or the Soviet counterpart, Premier Khrushchev, initiated an attack on the other side, a series of global atomic strikes followed by retaliatory strikes could have followed, casting mankind toward all-out destruction.

The Cuban missile crisis has been examined extensively, in volumes, films, and TV documentaries. But, in its latest installment, the BBC World Service podcast titled "The Bomb" presents a completely new dimension to this historical narrative. The series is co-presented featuring Max Kennedy alongside Nina Khrushcheva, relatives belonging to the figures that, over two tense weeks, held the destiny of the world within their grasp.

"What was the Soviet side planning? What were the American side planning?" ponders Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s descendant and a professor specializing in global relations.

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

"I am acutely aware how remarkable it is that individuals can be friends or have the potential to be total enemies," remarks Kennedy, the son of RFK, related to the late president and now an author and lawyer. "We see this dynamic over and over when countries have gone to war, demonstrating how unbelievably stupid involved to fight."

A Brink Towards Catastrophe

What is striking regarding this event was that, since it unfolded so publicly, individuals globally could watch almost in real time as it moved towards armageddon. Even so, the danger of annihilation came closer than what anybody realised.

"Virtually everyone in the White House wanted an airstrike and an invasion," says Kennedy. "If we had struck the Cubans using the naval blockade, it is certain the Russians on the ground would have deployed a nuclear warhead against the American ships, which would have destroyed the naval vessels and sunk our largest and most important fleet. In turn, the U.S. would have retaliated through an overwhelming counterattack which would have ended most life on the planet."

The fact it didn’t is a testament to Kennedy and Khrushchev, they managed to remain calm and engaging in diplomacy when many advisors in their governments were advocating military action. Consequently, The Soviet premier agreed to withdraw the missiles in Cuba and President Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed at the time) withdrew his missiles from NATO ally Turkey. The sense of relief was immense, as was the sense of hope.

The Divergent Viewpoint

Yet, for those 13 days of October 1962, the anxiety was palpable globally. The Bomb’s presenters were born shortly after these events, with Nina being taught about it via the Soviet education system, which portrayed an alternative picture of events.

"As you mentioned your parent recalls it, describing it as a scary time," Khrushcheva notes. "But in the Soviet Union, the public really didn’t know that much regarding the crisis, since it was a crisis, and under the Soviet system the official line was that things are always wonderful or sunny."

Inside the Khrushchev household, though, the perspective was different. "They told me that it was a triumphant moment it was, as it represented eyeball to eyeball. The leaders managed to find a solution, thus didn’t start a global war, seen as a positive outcome," she continues. Subsequently, however, that view would not be shared by everybody. "For decades in Russian politics, the crisis was viewed as a failure for Khrushchev, simply he didn’t blow up America."

An Unprecedented Collaboration

This podcast is so even-handed and well produced so much so that Khrushcheva jokes she nearly forgot the known the ending. This effect is, in part, thanks to contributions from renowned scholars. But, truly, the most significant aspect remains the participation of the descendants. Not so long ago, it would be inconceivable for relatives of the leaders of the United States and USSR to appear together publicly. The fact that Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva can do that, and exhibit such warmth toward one another, must be seen as a symbol of hope.

"Max and I aren't the pioneers," smiles Nina. "After 1991, my uncle Sergey Khrushchev’s son and became great friends with the former president's family."

"But we were strangers before the podcast," adds Kennedy. "Which is a shame since we got along really well and we are friends, something that is wonderful. Finally, after almost six decades of nearly annihilating the planet, our families have become allies, suggesting global relations is more secure, somewhat."

Modern Parallels and Present Dangers

Or is it? Part of why The Bomb feels so necessary is that we once again find ourselves in a perilous era. The Doomsday Clock is closer to catastrophe than ever before, partly since today's statesmen don’t seem to have the capacity to learn