‘After nearly destroying our world, the relatives are allies’: the gripping podcast from JFK and Khrushchev’s descendants.

During the month of October 1962, humanity edged closer to ruin than at any other point in recent history. This occurred following the discovery that an American surveillance aircraft found the fact that Russian atomic missile sites were being built in the island of Cuba, less than 100 miles off the coast of the United States. In response, President John F Kennedy ordered the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to impose a maritime blockade around Cuba. What followed constituted almost 14 days filled with unbearable anxiety.

The Catastrophic Threat

The peril remained palpable. If Kennedy, or the Soviet counterpart, Premier Khrushchev, initiated an attack against their enemy, a chain reaction involving worldwide atomic attacks followed by counterstrikes would have ensued, thrusting mankind into total destruction.

The October crisis has been documented extensively, in volumes, films, as well as TV documentaries. However, for its third season, the BBC World Service podcast The Bomb presents a completely new element into this historical narrative. It is co-presented featuring Max Kennedy alongside Khrushchev's descendant, relatives belonging to the men that, for 13 days, grasped the destiny of humanity within their grasp.

"What were the Soviet side thinking? What was the United States thinking?" ponders Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s great-granddaughter who is also a professor of global relations.

In her view, the unique appeal of the show is its attempt to objectively ask: "Why do individuals hate each other to the point they confront one another?"

"It struck me how spectacular it is that individuals have the potential to be friends or have the potential to be total adversaries," states Kennedy, the son of Robert Kennedy, related to JFK and currently a writer as well as attorney. "We see this over and over in instances where nations have gone to war, and it just illustrates the profound irrationality it is to fight."

The Precipice Towards Catastrophe

What’s striking regarding this event is that, because it unfolded in the global spotlight, individuals worldwide were able to observe almost as it happened while it crept towards catastrophe. However, the threat of annihilation was more imminent than what most people realised.

"The overwhelming majority among Kennedy's advisors were advocating for an airstrike followed by an invasion," says Kennedy. "Had the U.S. attacked Cuba with the naval blockade, it is certain Soviet forces on the ground would have deployed a tactical nuclear weapon at the US Sixth Fleet, and that would've destroyed the naval vessels as well as sunk America's largest and most important naval force. And, we would have responded through an overwhelming counterattack which would have ended most life on the planet."

The reality it didn’t is a testament to Kennedy and Khrushchev, they managed to exercise restraint while calmly negotiate when many advisors around them demanded action. As a result, The Soviet premier removed the missiles in Cuba while President Kennedy (although not reported then) removed his missiles based in NATO ally Turkey. The relief was palpable, as was the sense of hope.

A Different Viewpoint

Still, for those 13 days of October 1962, the tension was felt by everyone. The podcast's co-hosts were born in the years following these events, and Nina learned about it via the USSR's school curriculum, which portrayed a slightly different narrative of what happened.

"You said your father recalls it, describing it as a scary time," she says. "But in the Soviet Union, the public were largely unaware a great deal about it, because it was a crisis, whereas under the Soviet system the official line was that things are constantly fine and sunny."

Within Khrushchev’s family, though, the perspective was different. "I was informed what a great moment for the USSR, as it represented eyeball to eyeball. They were able to resolve it, and avoided the war, seen as a wonderful thing," she adds. Subsequently, however, that interpretation was not held by all Russians. "For decades within Russian historical analysis, the crisis was viewed as a setback for Khrushchev, simply he refrained from destroying the United States."

An Unprecedented Collaboration

The Bomb is so balanced and expertly crafted so much so that Khrushcheva jokes it almost made her forget she already knew the ending. This is, partly, due to the participation of historians. Yet, truly, the most groundbreaking aspect is the participation of the hosts themselves. Not so long ago, it would be unthinkable for relatives of the heads of state of the United States and the Soviet Union to appear side by side. That Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva are able to do so, and be so warm toward one another, has to be a sign of progress.

"We aren't the pioneers," notes Khrushcheva. "After the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, my uncle Sergey Khrushchev’s son where he formed a close bond with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"But we had never met prior to this project," clarifies Max. "Which is a shame since we connected immediately and we’re friends, something that is really great. Ultimately, after almost 60 years of nearly annihilating the planet, our families have become allies, so I think global relations is safer, a little bit."

Contemporary Echoes and Current Dangers

Or is it? One reason why this series seems so urgent is because we once again are living living through a perilous era. The Doomsday Clock is closer to midnight than ever before, in part because today's statesmen don’t seem to be able to learn