‘After almost destroying our planet, the families have become friends’: the gripping podcast from JFK and Khrushchev’s descendants.

During October 1962, humanity came closer toward annihilation more so than ever during recent history. This happened after a US reconnaissance plane discovered the fact that Russian nuclear weapon sites were under construction in the island of Cuba, a mere 160 kilometers off the coast of the United States. In response, U.S. President John F Kennedy directed a naval task force to establish a naval quarantine encircling the island. The next phase was nearly two weeks filled with unbearable anxiety.

An Unthinkable Danger

The peril was clear. If President Kennedy, or else the Russian opposite, Nikita Khrushchev, initiated an attack on their enemy, a series involving worldwide atomic attacks followed by counterstrikes would have followed, casting mankind toward all-out oblivion.

This pivotal 1962 event has been examined repeatedly, in books, films, and TV documentaries. However, in its latest installment, a prominent BBC World Service podcast The Bomb has brought a novel element to this historical narrative. It is jointly hosted by Kennedy's relative and Nina Khrushcheva, family members belonging to the figures who, for two tense weeks, grasped the fate of the planet within their grasp.

"What were the Russians planning? What was Washington considering?" asks Nina Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s great-granddaughter and a professor specializing in global relations.

In her view, the unique appeal of the show is its attempt to explore: "Why do people hate each other to the point they confront each other?"

"I am acutely aware how profound it is that people can be allies or else can become complete enemies," adds Max Kennedy, the son of Robert Kennedy, related to the late president and currently a writer as well as attorney. "History shows this dynamic repeatedly when countries enter into conflict, demonstrating how unbelievably stupid it is to fight."

The Brink Towards Catastrophe

What’s remarkable regarding the Cuban missile crisis was that, because it unfolded so publicly, individuals worldwide were able to observe almost in real time as it edged closer to catastrophe. However, the threat of destruction came closer than most people understood at the time.

"Almost all officials in the White House were advocating for a military strike followed by an invasion," explains Kennedy. "Had the U.S. struck Cuba with the naval blockade, it is certain Soviet forces on the ground would have deployed a tactical nuclear weapon against the American ships, which would have obliterated the aircraft carriers and destroyed our largest and most important fleet. And, we would have retaliated through an overwhelming counterattack that would have eradicated all life on the planet."

The reality it didn’t stands as credit to Kennedy and Khrushchev, they succeeded in exercise restraint while calmly negotiate when everyone around them were advocating military action. Consequently, Khrushchev agreed to withdraw the nuclear weapons in the Caribbean island and President Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed then) withdrew his similar weapons based in Turkey. The relief was worldwide, matched by a feeling of optimism.

A Different Perspective

Still, for those 13 days of October 1962, the anxiety was felt globally. The Bomb’s co-hosts were born shortly after these events, with Nina learned about it through the Soviet education system, which painted an alternative narrative of what happened.

"You said your parent recalls it, and it was a frightening day," she says. "However in the Soviet Union, the public really didn’t know that much regarding the crisis, because it was a crisis, and in the Soviet Union we were told that things are constantly wonderful or positive."

Inside Khrushchev’s family, however, it was different. "They told me what a great occasion for the USSR, because it represented a direct confrontation. The leaders managed to find a solution, thus avoided the war, seen as a positive thing," she continues. Later on, however, that perspective was not held by everybody. "For decades in Russian politics, the crisis was viewed as a failure for the Soviet leader, simply he didn’t blow up the United States."

A Unprecedented Partnership

The Bomb is remarkably even-handed , expertly crafted so much so that Khrushcheva jokes it almost made her forget the known outcome. This effect is, partly, thanks to the participation of renowned scholars. Yet, really, the most groundbreaking thing is the participation of the descendants. Not so long ago, it was unthinkable that descendants of the leaders of the United States and the Soviet Union to appear side by side. That Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva can do that, and exhibit such warmth with each other, must be seen as a sign of optimism.

"We are not the first," notes Nina. "Following 1991, a relative Sergey Khrushchev’s son where he formed a close bond with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"However we had never met before the podcast," clarifies Kennedy. "That is a shame because we got along immediately and now we’re friends, which is wonderful. Ultimately, after nearly six decades since almost destroying the world, our lineages are now friends, suggesting the world is safer, a little bit."

Modern Echoes with Present Dangers

Or is it? One reason the reason this series seems so urgent is that we once again are living living through dark times. The symbolic clock of doom stands nearer to midnight than ever before, partly since today's statesmen don’t seem to have the capacity to learn