‘After almost annihilating the world, our relatives have become friends’: a thrilling podcast featuring John F. Kennedy & Khrushchev’s relatives.

During October 1962, the world veered closer toward ruin than at any other point during modern times. This occurred after a US reconnaissance aircraft discovered the fact that Soviet nuclear missile bases were being assembled on Cuba, less than 100 miles off the coast of the United States. Reacting to this, U.S. President John F Kennedy commanded the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to establish a maritime quarantine around the island. What followed was nearly a fortnight of unbearable tension.

An Unthinkable Threat

The peril was clear. If Kennedy, or else the Soviet counterpart, Nikita Khrushchev, had fired on their enemy, a series involving worldwide atomic attacks followed by counterstrikes would have followed, casting humanity into total destruction.

The Cuban missile crisis has been documented extensively, through volumes, movies, and TV documentaries. But, for its third season, a prominent BBC World Service podcast titled "The Bomb" introduces a completely new perspective into this historical narrative. It is jointly hosted featuring Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva, relatives of the figures that, for 13 days, controlled the fate of humanity in their hands.

"What were the Russians considering? What were the American side considering?" questions Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's great-granddaughter and an academic of international affairs.

For her, the strength of the show lies in its attempt to objectively ask: "How can nations detest one another to the point they confront each other?"

"It was not lost on me how spectacular it is that individuals can be friends or have the potential to be total adversaries," adds Max Kennedy, the son of Robert Kennedy, nephew of JFK and now a writer and lawyer. "History shows this over and over in instances where nations have gone to war, and it just illustrates how unbelievably stupid involved to fight."

A Precipice Towards Catastrophe

What’s remarkable regarding the Cuban missile crisis was that, since it transpired so publicly, people worldwide could watch almost in real time as it edged closer to armageddon. Nonetheless, the threat of annihilation came closer than anybody realised.

"Virtually everyone among Kennedy's advisors wanted an airstrike and an invasion," says Max Kennedy. "If we had attacked Cuba using the naval blockade, undoubtedly the Russians stationed there would have launched a tactical nuclear weapon against the American ships, and that would've sunk our naval vessels and destroyed our largest and most important naval force. And, we would have retaliated through an overwhelming counterattack that would have ended all life on the planet."

The fact this did not occur is a testament to both leaders, who managed to remain calm and engaging in diplomacy when everyone around them were advocating action. Consequently, The Soviet premier agreed to withdraw the nuclear weapons from Cuba while Kennedy (although not reported then) removed his similar weapons from NATO ally Turkey. The sense of relief was worldwide, as was a feeling of optimism.

The Divergent Perspective

Yet, for those 13 days of October 1962, the fear was palpable globally. The podcast's presenters were born in the years following these events, with Khrushcheva being taught about it through the USSR's education system, which portrayed a slightly different narrative of what happened.

"As you mentioned your father recalls it, describing it as a scary day," Khrushcheva notes. "However in the Soviet Union, the public really didn’t know that much about it, since it was a tense situation, and under the Soviet system the official line was that things are always wonderful or sunny."

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

An Unprecedented Collaboration

This podcast is remarkably balanced and expertly crafted so much so that Khrushcheva quips she nearly forgot the known the ending. This is, partly, thanks to contributions from historians. But, really, the most groundbreaking aspect remains the involvement of the descendants. Not so long ago, it was inconceivable for relatives of the leaders of America and USSR to appear together publicly. That Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva are able to do so, and be so warm toward one another, has to be a symbol of optimism.

"Max and I aren't the pioneers," smiles Nina. "After 1991, my uncle moved to America where he formed a close bond with the former president's family."

"But we were strangers before the podcast," adds Kennedy. "Which is unfortunate because we got along immediately and we are friends, which is really great. Ultimately, following almost 60 years of nearly annihilating the world, our lineages are now friends, so I think the world is more secure, a little bit."

Modern Echoes and Present Perils

Or is it? Part of the reason this series feels so necessary is that we once again are living living through a perilous era. The symbolic clock of doom is closer to catastrophe in its history, in part because world leaders appear not to have the capacity to grasp