‘After almost destroying our world, the relatives have become allies’: the thrilling podcast from JFK & Khrushchev’s descendants.

During October 1962, the world veered closer toward ruin than at any other point in modern times. This happened after an American surveillance aircraft discovered the fact that Russian atomic weapon bases were under construction on the island of Cuba, less than 100 miles off the coast of American soil. In response, President JFK commanded a naval task force to enact a maritime blockade around the island. The ensuing period constituted nearly a fortnight filled with extreme stress.

The Catastrophic Danger

The danger remained palpable. Should Kennedy, or his Russian opposite, Nikita Khrushchev, initiated an attack on their enemy, a chain reaction involving worldwide nuclear attacks and counterstrikes might have ensued, casting humanity toward total oblivion.

This pivotal 1962 event has been examined endlessly, in books, films, as well as television programmes. But, in its latest installment, the BBC World Service podcast titled "The Bomb" presents a novel element into the story. The series is jointly hosted featuring Max Kennedy alongside Khrushchev's descendant, family members belonging to the men who, for 13 days, grasped the fate of the world in their hands.

"What was the Kremlin considering? What was the American side planning?" asks Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's descendant and an academic specializing in global relations.

For her, the unique appeal of the podcast lies in its endeavor to objectively ask: "Why do nations detest each other and oppose one another?"

"It struck me how remarkable the fact that humans can be allies or else can become total enemies," adds Max Kennedy, son of RFK, related to JFK and currently an author as well as attorney. "History shows this dynamic repeatedly in instances where nations have gone to war, highlighting the sheer folly involved to engage in warfare."

A Brink Towards Disaster

What is striking regarding the Cuban missile crisis is that, since it transpired so publicly, people globally were able to observe nearly in real time as it edged towards catastrophe. Even so, the danger of destruction came closer than most people realised.

"Virtually everyone among Kennedy's advisors wanted an airstrike and an invasion," notes Kennedy. "Had the U.S. attacked the Cubans with the naval blockade, there is no question Soviet forces on the ground would've deployed a nuclear warhead against the US Sixth Fleet, and that would have destroyed the naval vessels as well as destroyed America's primary fleet. In turn, the U.S. would have retaliated with an overwhelming counterattack which would have eradicated all life on Earth."

The fact it didn’t highlights the composure of Kennedy and Khrushchev, they succeeded in keep their heads and calmly negotiate when everyone in their governments demanded action. As a result, Khrushchev removed the nuclear weapons from the Caribbean island while President Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed at the time) withdrew his similar weapons based in NATO ally Turkey. The sense of relief was immense, as was a feeling of hope.

The Divergent Perspective

Yet, during those two weeks in October, the anxiety was felt by everyone. The podcast's co-hosts came into the world shortly after the crisis, and Nina being taught about it via the USSR's education system, which portrayed a slightly different picture of what happened.

"As you mentioned your father remembers it, and it was a scary time," Khrushcheva notes. "However in the Soviet Union, people really didn’t know that much about it, because it was a crisis, whereas in the Soviet Union the official line was that things are constantly wonderful or sunny."

Inside the Khrushchev household, however, the perspective was different. "They told me that it was a triumphant moment for the USSR, because it was a direct confrontation. They were able to find a solution, and avoided a global war, seen as a positive outcome," she continues. Later on, though, that perspective would not be shared by everybody. "For decades within Russian historical analysis, the crisis was viewed as a defeat for the Soviet leader, simply he didn’t blow up America."

An Unprecedented Collaboration

The Bomb is remarkably balanced , expertly crafted so much so that Khrushcheva quips she nearly forgot the known outcome. This effect is, in part, thanks to the participation of historians. But, truly, the most groundbreaking aspect is the participation of the hosts themselves. Not so long ago, it would be inconceivable that descendants of the heads of state of the United States and the Soviet Union to appear side by side. The fact that Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva can do that, and exhibit such warmth with each other, has to be a symbol of progress.

"We are not the pioneers," smiles Khrushcheva. "Following 1991, my uncle Sergey Khrushchev’s son and formed a close bond with the former president's family."

"But we were strangers prior to this project," adds Max. "Which is a shame because we connected immediately and we are friends, which is wonderful. Finally, following nearly 60 years since almost destroying the planet, our families have become allies, so I think global relations is safer, a little bit."

Modern Parallels and Current Dangers

Or is it? One reason the reason this series feels so necessary is that we once again are living in a perilous era. The symbolic clock of doom is closer to catastrophe in its history, partly since today's statesmen don’t seem to have the capacity to learn