‘After nearly annihilating the planet, the relatives have become allies’: a thrilling podcast from JFK & Nikita Khrushchev’s descendants.

During October 1962, the world veered closer toward destruction than at any other point in recent history. This happened after a US surveillance plane found that Soviet nuclear weapon sites were under construction on the island of Cuba, a mere 160 kilometers from American soil. In response, U.S. President JFK commanded a naval task force to enact a maritime quarantine encircling the island. The ensuing period was nearly a fortnight of unbearable anxiety.

An Catastrophic Threat

The peril was obvious. If President Kennedy, or the Soviet counterpart, Premier Khrushchev, had fired on their enemy, a series of worldwide nuclear strikes followed by counterstrikes could have ensued, casting mankind into all-out oblivion.

The Cuban missile crisis has been documented repeatedly, through volumes, films, as well as TV documentaries. But, in its latest installment, a prominent BBC World Service podcast The Bomb introduces an unprecedented perspective to the story. The series is jointly hosted featuring Max Kennedy and Khrushchev's descendant, relatives of the men who, over 13 days, grasped the destiny of the world within their grasp.

"What were the Kremlin considering? What were the United States planning?" questions Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's descendant and a professor of international affairs.

In her view, the beauty of the show lies in its attempt to question: "How can people detest each other to the point they oppose one another?"

"I am acutely aware how spectacular the fact that individuals have the potential to be allies or else have the potential to be total enemies," adds Kennedy, the son of RFK, related to the late president and now a writer as well as lawyer. "We see this over and over when nations have gone to war, and it just illustrates the profound irrationality it is to fight."

A Brink Towards Catastrophe

What’s notable about this event was that, because it unfolded in the global spotlight, people worldwide could watch nearly as it happened while it edged towards catastrophe. However, the threat of destruction was more imminent than what most people realised.

"The overwhelming majority among Kennedy's advisors wanted an airstrike and a ground invasion," says Max Kennedy. "If we had attacked Cuba with the naval blockade, there is no question Soviet forces on the ground would've deployed a tactical nuclear weapon against the American ships, and that would've sunk our aircraft carriers as well as sunk America's primary fleet. And, the U.S. would have retaliated through an overwhelming counterattack that would have eradicated all life on Earth."

The fact this did not occur is a testament to Kennedy and Khrushchev, they managed to exercise restraint while engaging in diplomacy when everyone around them were advocating military action. Consequently, Khrushchev agreed to withdraw the nuclear weapons in Cuba while Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed then) withdrew American missiles based in Turkey. The sense of relief was immense, matched by a feeling of hope.

A Divergent Viewpoint

Yet, for those two weeks of October 1962, the tension was felt globally. The podcast's presenters were born in the years following the crisis, and Khrushcheva learned about it via the Soviet school curriculum, which painted an alternative version of events.

"As you mentioned your father remembers it, describing it as a scary day," Khrushcheva notes. "However for Soviet citizens, the public were largely unaware a great deal about it, since it was a crisis, and under the Soviet system the official line was that things are constantly wonderful and positive."

Inside the Khrushchev household, though, the perspective was distinct. "I was informed what a great occasion for the USSR, because it represented a direct confrontation. They were able to find a solution, thus avoided the war, which was a wonderful outcome," she continues. Later on, however, that perspective was not shared by all Russians. "For a long time in Russian politics, the crisis was viewed as a defeat for Khrushchev, because he didn’t blow up the United States."

A Unlikely Partnership

This podcast is remarkably balanced and well produced that Nina jokes it almost made her forget she already knew the ending. This is, in part, due to contributions from historians. But, really, the most momentous thing remains the involvement of the descendants. Not so long ago, it would be unthinkable that relatives of the heads of state of the United States and the Soviet Union to appear together publicly. The fact that these two individuals are able to do so, and exhibit such warmth with each other, has to be a sign of progress.

"We are not the first," notes Nina. "Following 1991, a relative moved to America and became great friends with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"But we had never met before the podcast," adds Kennedy. "Which is a shame since we connected really well and now we are friends, something that is wonderful. Finally, following nearly 60 years since nearly annihilating the world, our lineages have become friends, suggesting global relations is more secure, a little bit."

Modern Parallels with Present Perils

Or is it? One reason why The Bomb feels so necessary is because we once again find ourselves in dark times. The symbolic clock of doom stands nearer to midnight in its history, partly since today's statesmen don’t seem to have the capacity to learn