Following almost destroying the world, the relatives are friends’: a thrilling podcast featuring JFK & Nikita Khrushchev’s relatives.

In the month of October 1962, the world veered closer to ruin than at any other point during modern times. This transpired when an American reconnaissance plane found that Soviet atomic weapon sites were being assembled in Cuba, less than 100 miles off the coast of American soil. Reacting to this, U.S. President John F Kennedy commanded the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to impose a naval blockade encircling Cuba. What followed constituted almost two weeks filled with unbearable anxiety.

The Unthinkable Threat

The peril was clear. Should Kennedy, or his Soviet counterpart, Nikita Khrushchev, had fired against the other side, a cascade involving worldwide nuclear strikes followed by counterstrikes could have ensued, casting civilization toward total destruction.

The October crisis has been examined endlessly, in books, films, and TV documentaries. But, in its latest installment, a prominent BBC World Service podcast The Bomb has brought a novel perspective to the story. It is jointly hosted by Max Kennedy and Khrushchev's descendant, family members belonging to the figures who, over 13 days, grasped the fate of humanity in their hands.

"What was the Kremlin considering? What were the American side planning?" ponders Nina Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's great-granddaughter who is also an academic specializing in international affairs.

In her view, the strength of the show lies in its endeavor to objectively ask: "Why do people hate each other and go against each other?"

"I am acutely aware how profound it is that humans can be friends or can become total adversaries," states Kennedy, son of RFK, nephew of JFK and now a writer as well as lawyer. "We see this over and over when nations enter into conflict, demonstrating how unbelievably stupid involved to engage in warfare."

The Brink of Catastrophe

What is remarkable about the Cuban missile crisis is that, because it unfolded in the global spotlight, citizens globally were able to observe almost as it happened as it moved towards armageddon. Nonetheless, the risk of annihilation was more imminent than most people understood at the time.

"The overwhelming majority among Kennedy's advisors were advocating for an airstrike followed by an invasion," says Kennedy. "Had the U.S. attacked Cuba using the Sixth Fleet, there is no question Soviet forces stationed there would have deployed a tactical nuclear weapon at the US Sixth Fleet, which would've obliterated the naval vessels as well as destroyed America's primary naval force. In turn, we would have retaliated with an overwhelming counterattack which would have eradicated all life on Earth."

The reality it didn’t stands as credit to both leaders, who managed to remain calm while calmly negotiate at a time when hawkish elements in their governments demanded military action. Consequently, Khrushchev agreed to withdraw the missiles from Cuba while Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed at the time) removed his missiles based in Turkey. The relief was palpable, as was a feeling of optimism.

A Different Perspective

Yet, for those two weeks of October 1962, the fear was palpable by everyone. The Bomb’s co-hosts were born in the years following these events, and Khrushcheva being taught about it through the USSR's school curriculum, which presented a slightly different narrative of events.

"You said your parent remembers it, describing it as a scary day," Khrushcheva notes. "However in the Soviet Union, people really didn’t know a great deal about it, because it was a crisis, whereas in the Soviet Union we were told that things are constantly fine or sunny."

Inside the Khrushchev household, though, the perspective was different. "I was informed what a great occasion for the USSR, because it represented a direct confrontation. The leaders managed to resolve it, thus avoided a global war, seen as a positive thing," she continues. Later on, though, that perspective was not held by all Russians. "For a long time within Russian historical analysis, the crisis was viewed as a setback for the Soviet leader, simply he refrained from destroying America."

A Unlikely Partnership

The Bomb is remarkably balanced , well produced so much so that Khrushcheva jokes it almost made her forget she already knew outcome. This effect is, in part, due to contributions from historians. Yet, truly, the most groundbreaking thing remains the involvement of the descendants. Even within living memory, it was inconceivable for descendants of the heads of state of the United States and the Soviet Union would appear side by side. That Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva are able to do so, and exhibit such warmth toward one another, has to be a symbol of hope.

"We aren't the pioneers," smiles Nina. "Following the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, a relative moved to America and formed a close bond with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"But we had never met before the podcast," clarifies Max. "Which is a shame since we connected really well and now we are friends, which is wonderful. Finally, following almost six decades since almost destroying the planet, our lineages have become allies, so I think the world is more secure, a little bit."

Contemporary Echoes with Current Perils

Is that truly the case? Part of why The Bomb feels so necessary is that we now are living living through a perilous era. The Doomsday Clock is closer to catastrophe in its history, in part because world leaders appear not to have the capacity to grasp