‘After almost destroying our world, the families have become allies’: a gripping podcast from John F. Kennedy and Khrushchev’s relatives.

In the month of October 1962, the planet edged nearer toward annihilation than at any other point in recent history. This occurred after a US reconnaissance plane discovered that Soviet atomic missile installations were under construction in Cuba, less than 160 kilometers off the coast of the US mainland. Reacting to this, President John F Kennedy commanded the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to enact a maritime blockade encircling the island. The ensuing period constituted almost 14 days filled with impossible tension.

An Catastrophic Threat

The peril was palpable. If Kennedy, or his Russian opposite, Premier Khrushchev, initiated an attack on their enemy, a chain reaction of global atomic strikes followed by retaliatory strikes might have ensued, casting mankind toward total destruction.

This pivotal 1962 event has been covered endlessly, in books, films, as well as TV documentaries. However, for its third season, a prominent BBC World Service podcast The Bomb introduces a novel element into this historical narrative. It is jointly hosted by Kennedy's relative and Khrushchev's descendant, relatives belonging to the figures that, over 13 days, grasped the destiny of the world in their hands.

"What were the Kremlin considering? What was Washington thinking?" asks Nina Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's great-granddaughter and an academic specializing in international affairs.

For her, the unique appeal of the podcast is its attempt to objectively ask: "How can nations hate each other to the point they confront each other?"

"It struck me how spectacular it is that individuals can be allies or else have the potential to be complete enemies," remarks Kennedy, the son of RFK, nephew of JFK and currently a writer and lawyer. "We see this over and over when nations enter into conflict, demonstrating the sheer folly it is to fight."

A Brink of Disaster

What’s remarkable about the Cuban missile crisis is that, because it transpired so publicly, individuals globally could watch almost as it happened as it crept closer to disaster. Nonetheless, the risk of annihilation was more imminent than most people realised.

"Virtually everyone among Kennedy's advisors wanted an airstrike and an invasion," explains Kennedy. "Had the U.S. struck Cuba with the naval blockade, there is no question Soviet forces stationed there would have launched a nuclear warhead against the US Sixth Fleet, which would've obliterated our naval vessels as well as sunk our primary naval force. And, we would have retaliated through massive retaliation that would have eradicated most life on the planet."

The fact it didn’t highlights the composure of both leaders, who succeeded in keep their heads while engaging in diplomacy at a time when everyone around them demanded military action. Consequently, Khrushchev removed the missiles in the Caribbean island while Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed at the time) removed his missiles based in NATO ally Turkey. The relief was immense, as was a feeling of hope.

A Different Viewpoint

Yet, for those two weeks of October 1962, the anxiety was palpable by everyone. The podcast's presenters came into the world in the years following these events, and Khrushcheva learned about it via the Soviet school curriculum, which presented a slightly different picture of events.

"You said your father remembers it, describing it as a scary time," Khrushcheva notes. "But in the Soviet Union, people were largely unaware that much about it, because it was a tense situation, whereas in the Soviet Union we were told that everything was always wonderful and sunny."

Within the Khrushchev household, though, the perspective was different. "They told me that it was a triumphant moment for the USSR, as it represented eyeball to eyeball. The leaders managed to find a solution, thus didn’t start the war, seen as a wonderful thing," she continues. In the years to come, however, that view would not be held by all Russians. "For decades in Russian politics, the crisis was viewed as a setback for Khrushchev, simply he didn’t blow up America."

An Unprecedented Partnership

This podcast is so balanced and well produced so much so that Khrushcheva jokes she nearly forgot the known outcome. This effect is, in part, thanks to contributions from renowned scholars. Yet, truly, the most significant aspect remains the involvement of the descendants. Not so long ago, it would be unthinkable for descendants of the leaders of America and the USSR would appear side by side. That these two individuals are able to do so, and be so warm with each other, has to be a symbol of optimism.

"We are not the pioneers," notes Khrushcheva. "After 1991, a relative moved to America and became great friends with the former president's family."

"But we had never met prior to this project," adds Kennedy. "Which is unfortunate because we got along immediately and we’re friends, something that is really great. Finally, following nearly six decades of almost destroying the planet, our lineages are now friends, suggesting the world is safer, a little bit."

Contemporary Parallels and Present Perils

Is that truly the case? Part of the reason this series feels so necessary is because we now are living living through dark times. The Doomsday Clock stands nearer to midnight in its history, in part because today's statesmen appear not to be able to grasp