‘After nearly destroying the world, our relatives have become friends’: a gripping podcast featuring JFK & Nikita Khrushchev’s descendants.

During the month of October 1962, the planet edged closer toward destruction than at any other point in recent history. This happened after an American reconnaissance plane identified the fact that Soviet atomic weapon installations were being built in the island of Cuba, less than 100 miles off the coast of the United States. Reacting to this, U.S. President JFK directed a naval task force to establish a naval quarantine around Cuba. What followed constituted almost a fortnight of impossible anxiety.

The Catastrophic Threat

The threat remained clear. If Kennedy, or his Russian opposite, Nikita Khrushchev, initiated an attack against the other side, a cascade of global nuclear attacks and counterstrikes could have ensued, casting humanity into total ruination.

The Cuban missile crisis has been documented endlessly, through volumes, movies, and television programmes. But, in its latest installment, the BBC World Service podcast The Bomb presents an unprecedented dimension into this historical narrative. It is jointly hosted featuring Kennedy's relative alongside Khrushchev's descendant, relatives belonging to the figures who, over 13 days, held the fate of the world in their hands.

"What were the Soviet side planning? What were the American side planning?" ponders Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s great-granddaughter and a professor specializing in international affairs.

In her view, the strength of the podcast lies in its attempt to question: "Why do nations hate one another to the point they oppose one another?"

"It struck me how remarkable the fact that individuals have the potential to be allies or can become total enemies," states Kennedy, son of RFK, related to the late president and currently an author and lawyer. "History shows this dynamic repeatedly when countries have gone to war, highlighting the sheer folly it is to engage in warfare."

The Brink of Disaster

What’s remarkable regarding the Cuban missile crisis is that, because it unfolded so publicly, individuals around the world could watch nearly as it happened while it edged closer to catastrophe. However, the risk of annihilation was more imminent than anybody realised.

"The overwhelming majority in the White House were advocating for an airstrike and an invasion," notes Kennedy. "Had the U.S. struck the Cubans with the Sixth Fleet, there is no question the Russians on the ground would've launched a nuclear warhead against the US Sixth Fleet, and that would have destroyed the aircraft carriers and destroyed America's primary fleet. And, we would have retaliated through an overwhelming counterattack that would have eradicated all life on the planet."

The reality this did not occur highlights the composure of both leaders, they succeeded in exercise restraint and engaging in diplomacy when everyone in their governments demanded military action. As a result, Khrushchev removed the nuclear weapons in Cuba while Kennedy (although not reported then) withdrew American missiles from NATO ally Turkey. The sense of relief was immense, as was the sense of optimism.

A Different Perspective

Yet, for those two weeks in October, the fear was palpable by everyone. The Bomb’s co-hosts were born shortly after the crisis, with Khrushcheva being taught about it via the USSR's education system, which painted a slightly different picture of what happened.

"You said your father remembers it, and it was a frightening day," she says. "However for Soviet citizens, the public were largely unaware that much about it, since it was a crisis, whereas in the Soviet Union the official line was that everything was constantly wonderful or sunny."

Inside Khrushchev’s family, however, the perspective was different. "I was informed that it was a triumphant moment it was, because it was a direct confrontation. The leaders managed to resolve it, and didn’t start a global war, seen as a positive outcome," she adds. In the years to come, though, that view was not shared by everybody. "For decades in Russian politics, the crisis was viewed as a defeat for Khrushchev, because he didn’t blow up the United States."

A Unprecedented Partnership

The Bomb is so even-handed and expertly crafted so much so that Khrushcheva quips it almost made her forget the known outcome. This effect is, in part, due to contributions from renowned scholars. But, truly, the most groundbreaking aspect remains the participation of the hosts themselves. Even within living memory, it would be inconceivable for descendants of the leaders of the United States and the Soviet Union would appear together publicly. The fact that these two individuals can do that, and exhibit such warmth toward one another, must be seen as a sign of hope.

"We are not the first," smiles Khrushcheva. "Following 1991, my uncle Sergey Khrushchev’s son where he became great friends with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"However we had never met before the podcast," clarifies Kennedy. "That is a shame since we connected immediately and now we are friends, which is wonderful. Finally, after nearly 60 years since almost destroying the world, our families are now allies, suggesting the world is more secure, somewhat."

Modern Parallels with Present Perils

Is that truly the case? One reason why The Bomb feels so necessary is because we once again are living living through dark times. The Doomsday Clock stands nearer to catastrophe in its history, in part because today's statesmen appear not to be able to learn