Following almost destroying our planet, our relatives are friends’: the gripping podcast from John F. Kennedy & Khrushchev’s descendants.

In October 1962, the planet came closer to ruin more so than ever in recent history. This occurred after a US surveillance aircraft identified the fact that Russian nuclear weapon bases were being assembled on Cuba, less than 100 miles off the coast of the US mainland. Reacting to this, President John F Kennedy directed a naval task force to enact a maritime quarantine encircling Cuba. What followed was nearly a fortnight of unbearable stress.

The Catastrophic Threat

The threat was clear. Should Kennedy, or else the Russian opposite, Nikita Khrushchev, had fired on their enemy, a chain reaction involving worldwide nuclear strikes followed by retaliatory strikes would have ensued, thrusting civilization into all-out ruination.

This pivotal 1962 event has been covered repeatedly, through volumes, movies, and TV documentaries. But, for its third season, a prominent BBC World Service podcast The Bomb has brought an unprecedented element into this historical narrative. It is jointly hosted featuring Kennedy's relative and Nina Khrushcheva, family members of the men that, over two tense weeks, held the destiny of the planet in their hands.

"What were the Russians thinking? What were the United States planning?" questions Nina Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s great-granddaughter who is also a professor of international affairs.

For her, the strength of the podcast lies in its attempt to question: "Why do people detest one another to the point they confront one another?"

"It was not lost on me how remarkable the fact that people can be allies or can become total enemies," adds Max Kennedy, the son of RFK, related to JFK and now an author as well as attorney. "We see this dynamic repeatedly when nations have gone to war, highlighting the profound irrationality it is to fight."

The Brink Towards Catastrophe

What is notable regarding the Cuban missile crisis is that, because it unfolded so publicly, people around the world could watch almost in real time as it crept towards disaster. However, the threat of annihilation came closer than anybody understood at the time.

"Almost all officials among Kennedy's advisors wanted a military strike followed by an invasion," notes Max Kennedy. "If we had attacked the Cubans using the Sixth Fleet, it is certain the Russians on the ground would've fired a nuclear warhead at the American ships, and that would've obliterated the naval vessels as well as sunk America's largest and most important fleet. In turn, we would have retaliated through an overwhelming counterattack which would have eradicated all life on the planet."

The reality it didn’t stands as credit to both leaders, they managed to keep their heads while engaging in diplomacy when many advisors in their governments were advocating military action. Consequently, Khrushchev removed the missiles in the Caribbean island while Kennedy (although not reported then) withdrew American missiles based in NATO ally Turkey. The relief was immense, matched by a feeling of optimism.

A Divergent Perspective

Still, for those two weeks in October, the fear was felt by everyone. The Bomb’s co-hosts were born shortly after these events, and Khrushcheva learned about it via the USSR's school curriculum, which portrayed an alternative narrative of what happened.

"As you mentioned your parent remembers it, describing it as a scary time," she says. "However in the Soviet Union, the public were largely unaware a great deal regarding the crisis, since it was a crisis, and in the Soviet Union the official line was that things are always wonderful or sunny."

Inside Khrushchev’s family, though, the perspective was distinct. "They told me what a great occasion for the USSR, because it was eyeball to eyeball. The leaders managed to resolve it, and didn’t start the war, seen as a wonderful outcome," she continues. Later on, however, that perspective was not shared by everybody. "For decades in Russian politics, the crisis was viewed as a defeat for the Soviet leader, simply he didn’t blow up the United States."

An Unprecedented Partnership

The Bomb is so balanced , expertly crafted that Khrushcheva quips it almost made her forget the known outcome. This is, in part, thanks to the participation of historians. Yet, really, the most momentous aspect remains the involvement of the descendants. Even within living memory, it was inconceivable for relatives of the heads of state of the United States and USSR to appear together publicly. That these two individuals are able to do so, and be so warm with each other, must be seen as a symbol of progress.

"Max and I are not the first," smiles Khrushcheva. "Following 1991, a relative moved to America where he became great friends with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"But we had never met before the podcast," clarifies Kennedy. "Which is a shame since we got along immediately and now we are friends, something that is really great. Ultimately, after almost 60 years of almost destroying the world, our families are now friends, so I think global relations is safer, somewhat."

Contemporary Parallels with Present Dangers

Is that truly the case? One reason the reason The Bomb feels so necessary is that we now are living in dark times. The symbolic clock of doom stands nearer to midnight in its history, in part because world leaders appear not to have the capacity to comprehend