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

During October 1962, the world veered nearer toward destruction than at any other point in modern times. This transpired when an American surveillance plane identified that Russian atomic weapon sites were being assembled on the island of Cuba, less than 100 miles from the US mainland. In response, President JFK ordered a naval task force to enact a maritime blockade around the island. What followed was nearly a fortnight of extreme tension.

An Unthinkable Danger

The peril was obvious. Should President Kennedy, or else his Soviet counterpart, Nikita Khrushchev, had fired against their enemy, a series of worldwide atomic strikes and counterstrikes would have ensued, plunging mankind into total ruination.

The October crisis has been covered extensively, in books, movies, and television programmes. But, in its latest installment, a prominent BBC World Service podcast titled "The Bomb" introduces a novel dimension to this historical narrative. The series is co-presented by Kennedy's relative and Nina Khrushcheva, family members belonging to the figures who, over two tense weeks, controlled the fate of humanity in their hands.

"What were the Kremlin planning? What were the United States planning?" questions Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's great-granddaughter who is also a professor specializing in international affairs.

For her, the beauty of the show is its endeavor to question: "Why do individuals detest each other and oppose one another?"

"It struck me how remarkable it is that people have the potential to be friends or can become total adversaries," adds Max Kennedy, the son of RFK, related to the late president and now a writer and lawyer. "We see this repeatedly in instances where countries enter into conflict, and it just illustrates the sheer folly involved to fight."

A Precipice Towards Catastrophe

What’s striking about this event was that, because it transpired so publicly, people around the world were able to observe nearly in real time as it crept closer to armageddon. Even so, the threat of destruction was more imminent than most people understood at the time.

"Almost all officials in the White House wanted an airstrike followed by a ground invasion," explains Max Kennedy. "Had the U.S. struck Cuba using the Sixth Fleet, it is certain Soviet forces stationed there would have deployed a nuclear warhead against the US Sixth Fleet, which would have sunk our aircraft carriers as well as sunk America's primary fleet. And, the U.S. would have responded through massive retaliation which would have eradicated most life on Earth."

The fact this did not occur stands as credit to Kennedy and Khrushchev, who succeeded in exercise restraint and engaging in diplomacy when many advisors around them demanded military action. Consequently, The Soviet premier removed the nuclear weapons from Cuba while President Kennedy (although not reported at the time) removed his missiles based in NATO ally Turkey. The sense of relief was palpable, matched by a feeling of hope.

The Different Perspective

Still, for those 13 days in October, the anxiety was palpable globally. The podcast's co-hosts were born in the years following these events, and Khrushcheva learned about the crisis via the USSR's education system, which portrayed an alternative version of what happened.

"You said your father remembers it, and it was a frightening time," Khrushcheva notes. "But for Soviet citizens, people were largely unaware that much about it, because it was a tense situation, and in the Soviet Union the official line was that things are always wonderful or positive."

Within Khrushchev’s family, though, it was different. "They told me that it was a triumphant occasion it was, because it represented a direct confrontation. The leaders managed to find a solution, and didn’t start a global war, seen as a positive thing," she adds. In the years to come, however, that perspective was not held by everybody. "For decades in Russian politics, it was considered a setback for the Soviet leader, simply he refrained from destroying the United States."

A Unlikely Partnership

This podcast is remarkably even-handed , well produced so much so that Khrushcheva quips it almost made her forget the known outcome. This is, partly, thanks to contributions from renowned scholars. But, really, the most momentous aspect is the involvement of the descendants. Not so long ago, it would be unthinkable that relatives of the heads of state of America and the USSR would appear together publicly. The fact that these two individuals can do that, and exhibit such warmth with each other, must be seen as a symbol of optimism.

"We are not the first," notes Nina. "Following the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, a relative Sergey Khrushchev’s son and became great friends with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"But we were strangers before the podcast," clarifies Max. "That is a shame because we connected immediately and we are friends, something that is wonderful. Finally, after nearly six decades of almost destroying the world, our families are now friends, suggesting the world is more secure, somewhat."

Contemporary Echoes with Present Dangers

Or is it? One reason the reason The Bomb feels so necessary is that we once again are living in dark times. The symbolic clock of doom is closer to midnight than ever before, in part because world leaders appear not to be able to comprehend