Following almost destroying the planet, our families are friends’: the thrilling podcast featuring JFK & Nikita Khrushchev’s relatives.

In the month of October 1962, humanity edged closer to annihilation than at any other point in recent history. This transpired when a US reconnaissance plane discovered the fact that Soviet atomic missile bases were being assembled in Cuba, less than 100 miles off the coast of the US mainland. In response, U.S. President JFK commanded a naval task force to establish a maritime quarantine encircling Cuba. The ensuing period constituted almost two weeks filled with extreme tension.

The Unthinkable Threat

The danger was clear. If Kennedy, or else his Russian opposite, Premier Khrushchev, had fired on the other side, a series involving worldwide atomic attacks and retaliatory strikes could have followed, casting humanity toward all-out destruction.

This pivotal 1962 event has been covered endlessly, in books, films, as well as television programmes. But, for its third season, a prominent BBC World Service podcast titled "The Bomb" has brought an unprecedented perspective into the story. It is jointly hosted featuring Max Kennedy and Khrushchev's descendant, relatives belonging to the men who, for 13 days, held the fate of humanity within their grasp.

"What was the Kremlin thinking? What was Washington thinking?" questions Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s descendant and an academic specializing in global relations.

For her, the beauty of the podcast is its endeavor to explore: "Why do nations detest each other to the point they confront each other?"

"It was not lost on me how spectacular it is that individuals have the potential to be friends or else have the potential to be total enemies," remarks Max Kennedy, the son of Robert Kennedy, related to the late president and now an author as well as attorney. "We see this over and over in instances where countries have gone to war, highlighting the profound irrationality involved to fight."

The Brink Towards Catastrophe

What’s remarkable regarding the Cuban missile crisis is that, since it transpired in the global spotlight, citizens globally could watch almost in real time while it edged closer to catastrophe. Nonetheless, the risk of annihilation came closer than anybody realised.

"The overwhelming majority among Kennedy's advisors wanted an airstrike followed by a ground invasion," explains Max Kennedy. "If we had struck Cuba with the Sixth Fleet, undoubtedly the Russians on the ground would've deployed a nuclear warhead at the US Sixth Fleet, which would've obliterated the naval vessels and destroyed our primary fleet. And, we would have retaliated through massive retaliation that would have eradicated all life on the planet."

The fact it didn’t stands as credit to Kennedy and Khrushchev, who succeeded in exercise restraint and engaging in diplomacy at a time when many advisors in their governments were advocating action. Consequently, Khrushchev agreed to withdraw the missiles from the Caribbean island and Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed at the time) removed American missiles based in NATO ally Turkey. The relief was palpable, matched by a feeling of hope.

The Different Viewpoint

Yet, for those 13 days in October, the tension was felt by everyone. The podcast's presenters came into the world shortly after the crisis, and Khrushcheva being taught about the crisis through the USSR's education system, which painted an alternative picture of events.

"As you mentioned your parent recalls it, describing it as a scary time," she says. "However for Soviet citizens, people really didn’t know a great deal about it, because it was a crisis, and in the Soviet Union the official line was that things are always wonderful or sunny."

Within Khrushchev’s family, though, it was different. "They told me that it was a triumphant occasion for the USSR, because it represented a direct confrontation. The leaders managed to resolve it, and didn’t start the war, seen as a wonderful thing," she adds. Subsequently, however, that interpretation was not held by everybody. "For decades within Russian historical analysis, the crisis was viewed as a defeat for Khrushchev, simply he didn’t blow up America."

An Unprecedented Collaboration

This podcast is so even-handed and expertly crafted so much so that Nina quips it almost made her forget she already knew outcome. This is, in part, thanks to contributions from historians. Yet, truly, the most significant aspect is the participation of the descendants. Not so long ago, it would be inconceivable that descendants of the leaders of the United States and the USSR would appear together publicly. The fact that Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva can do that, and exhibit such warmth with each other, has to be a sign of hope.

"Max and I are not the first," notes Nina. "Following 1991, a relative Sergey Khrushchev’s son and became great friends with the former president's family."

"However we had never met before the podcast," adds Max. "That is a shame since we got along really well and now we’re friends, something that is wonderful. Finally, following nearly 60 years since almost destroying the planet, our families are now friends, suggesting the world is safer, somewhat."

Contemporary Parallels with Present Perils

Or is it? One reason why The Bomb feels so necessary is because we once again are living in a perilous era. The symbolic clock of doom is closer to midnight than ever before, in part because today's statesmen appear not to be able to learn