‘After nearly annihilating our world, our families have become friends’: a thrilling podcast featuring John F. Kennedy & Nikita Khrushchev’s descendants.

In October 1962, the world edged closer to annihilation than at any other point in recent history. This transpired following the discovery that an American reconnaissance aircraft discovered the fact that Soviet atomic weapon bases were being built on the island of Cuba, a mere 160 kilometers from the United States. In response, President JFK commanded the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to enact a naval blockade encircling the island. The ensuing period was nearly 14 days of unbearable stress.

An Unthinkable Danger

The threat was palpable. If President Kennedy, or else his Russian opposite, Premier Khrushchev, initiated an attack on the other side, a series involving worldwide atomic attacks followed by retaliatory strikes could have ensued, thrusting civilization into total oblivion.

The October crisis has been documented repeatedly, in volumes, films, and television programmes. However, in its latest installment, a prominent BBC World Service podcast titled "The Bomb" presents a novel perspective into this historical narrative. The series is jointly hosted by Kennedy's relative and Khrushchev's descendant, relatives belonging to the leaders who, over 13 days, held the fate of humanity in their hands.

"What were the Russians thinking? What were the United States considering?" ponders Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s descendant who is also a professor of global relations.

For her, the beauty of the show lies in its attempt to question: "Why do nations detest one another and oppose each other?"

"It was not lost on me how spectacular it is that humans can be allies or else can become complete enemies," adds Kennedy, son of RFK, related to JFK and now an author as well as lawyer. "History shows this dynamic repeatedly in instances where nations have gone to war, highlighting the sheer folly involved to fight."

A Brink of Catastrophe

What is striking about the Cuban missile crisis is that, because it unfolded in the global spotlight, individuals globally were able to observe nearly as it happened while it edged closer to disaster. Nonetheless, the risk of annihilation was more imminent than what most people realised.

"The overwhelming majority among Kennedy's advisors were advocating for a military strike and a ground invasion," notes Kennedy. "If we had struck Cuba with the Sixth Fleet, it is certain Soviet forces stationed there would've fired a nuclear warhead at the US Sixth Fleet, and that would have destroyed the aircraft carriers and sunk our largest and most important naval force. And, the U.S. would have responded with an overwhelming counterattack that would have ended most life on the planet."

The fact this did not occur is a testament to Kennedy and Khrushchev, who succeeded in remain calm and engaging in diplomacy at a time when everyone around them demanded action. As a result, Khrushchev removed the nuclear weapons from the Caribbean island and President Kennedy (although not reported at the time) removed American missiles based in Turkey. The relief was palpable, as was the sense of hope.

A Different Viewpoint

Still, during those 13 days of October 1962, the anxiety was palpable by everyone. The podcast's presenters came into the world in the years following these events, and Nina learned about it via the USSR's education system, which portrayed an alternative narrative of events.

"You said your father remembers it, and it was a scary time," she says. "But for Soviet citizens, people really didn’t know a great deal about it, because it was a crisis, and in the Soviet Union the official line was that things are constantly wonderful or sunny."

Inside Khrushchev’s family, however, the perspective was different. "I was informed what a great moment for the USSR, as it was eyeball to eyeball. The leaders managed to resolve it, thus didn’t start a global war, seen as a wonderful outcome," she adds. In the years to come, however, that interpretation would not be shared by everybody. "For a long time within Russian historical analysis, it was considered a setback for the Soviet leader, simply he refrained from destroying America."

A Unprecedented Collaboration

This podcast is remarkably even-handed and well produced that Khrushcheva jokes she nearly forgot the known the ending. This effect is, partly, thanks to contributions from renowned scholars. But, truly, the most significant thing is the involvement of the descendants. Even within living memory, it would be unthinkable for descendants 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 toward one another, must be seen as a symbol of progress.

"Max and I aren't the pioneers," notes Khrushcheva. "After the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, a relative Sergey Khrushchev’s son and became great friends with the former president's family."

"However we were strangers before the podcast," clarifies Max. "Which is unfortunate because we connected really well and we’re friends, something that is wonderful. Finally, after almost 60 years since nearly annihilating the planet, our lineages have become allies, so I think global relations is more secure, somewhat."

Modern Echoes with Current Dangers

Or is it? Part of the reason The Bomb seems so urgent is because we now are living living through a perilous era. The Doomsday Clock stands nearer to catastrophe in its history, in part because today's statesmen appear not to be able to grasp