‘After nearly destroying our planet, the families have become allies’: a thrilling podcast from John F. Kennedy & Khrushchev’s descendants.

In October 1962, humanity edged nearer to destruction than at any other point during recent history. This happened when a US reconnaissance aircraft discovered the fact that Russian atomic weapon installations were being assembled on the island of Cuba, less than 160 kilometers from the US mainland. In response, President John F Kennedy commanded the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to impose a naval blockade encircling the island. The next phase was almost two weeks filled with impossible stress.

The Unthinkable Danger

The danger was clear. Should Kennedy, or else his Russian opposite, Nikita Khrushchev, were to fire against the other side, a cascade involving worldwide nuclear strikes and counterstrikes would have followed, thrusting humanity toward total destruction.

This pivotal 1962 event has been documented endlessly, through volumes, movies, and TV documentaries. But, in its latest installment, the BBC World Service podcast titled "The Bomb" presents an unprecedented dimension to this historical narrative. It is co-presented by Kennedy's relative alongside Khrushchev's descendant, relatives belonging to the figures that, over 13 days, held the fate of the world in their hands.

"What were the Kremlin thinking? What were Washington planning?" questions Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's descendant and a professor specializing in global relations.

For her, the strength of the show is its endeavor to question: "How can individuals hate one another to the point they go against one another?"

"It struck me how remarkable the fact that individuals have the potential to be allies or else can become total adversaries," remarks Max Kennedy, son of Robert Kennedy, related to the late president and currently an author and lawyer. "History shows this dynamic over and over in instances where nations enter into conflict, highlighting how unbelievably stupid it is to engage in warfare."

A Precipice Towards Disaster

What’s striking regarding the Cuban missile crisis is that, because it unfolded so publicly, people around the world could watch almost as it happened while it crept closer to armageddon. However, the threat of annihilation was more imminent than what most people understood at the time.

"Virtually everyone among Kennedy's advisors were advocating for a military strike and an invasion," explains Kennedy. "Had the U.S. attacked the Cubans with the Sixth Fleet, undoubtedly the Russians stationed there would've launched a nuclear warhead against the US Sixth Fleet, and that would have destroyed our aircraft carriers and sunk America's largest and most important fleet. And, the U.S. would have retaliated through massive retaliation which would have ended most life on Earth."

The fact it didn’t is a testament to both leaders, they managed to exercise restraint while calmly negotiate at a time when hawkish elements around them were advocating military action. Consequently, Khrushchev agreed to withdraw the missiles in Cuba and Kennedy (although not reported then) removed his missiles based in NATO ally Turkey. The sense of relief was palpable, matched by a feeling of hope.

A Different Viewpoint

Yet, for those 13 days in October, the tension was felt globally. The Bomb’s co-hosts were born shortly after these events, and Khrushcheva being taught about the crisis via the USSR's education system, which painted an alternative narrative of what happened.

"You said your parent remembers it, describing it as a frightening time," Khrushcheva notes. "But in the Soviet Union, the public were largely unaware a great deal about it, because it was a crisis, and in the Soviet Union the official line was that things are constantly wonderful and positive."

Inside the Khrushchev household, though, the perspective was different. "They told me that it was a triumphant moment it was, because it represented eyeball to eyeball. The leaders managed to find a solution, and avoided the war, seen as a positive thing," she continues. Later on, though, that perspective was not shared by everybody. "For a long time within Russian historical analysis, it was considered a setback for Khrushchev, simply he didn’t blow up America."

An Unprecedented Partnership

The Bomb is so balanced , well produced that Nina quips she nearly forgot the known the ending. This effect is, partly, thanks to contributions from historians. But, truly, the most momentous aspect is the participation of the hosts themselves. Even within living memory, it was inconceivable for descendants of the leaders of the United States and Soviet Union to appear together publicly. That these two individuals are able to do so, and be so warm toward one another, has to be a sign of optimism.

"We are not the pioneers," notes Nina. "Following 1991, my uncle Sergey Khrushchev’s son where he became great friends with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"However we had never met before the podcast," adds Max. "That is unfortunate since we connected immediately and we are friends, which is really great. Ultimately, after nearly 60 years of nearly annihilating the world, our lineages are now allies, so I think the world is more secure, a little bit."

Modern Parallels with Current Perils

Is that truly the case? One reason why The Bomb seems so urgent is that we now find ourselves in a perilous era. The symbolic clock of doom is closer to midnight than ever before, in part because world leaders don’t seem to be able to comprehend