‘After nearly destroying the world, our relatives are friends’: the gripping podcast from John F. Kennedy & Nikita Khrushchev’s descendants.

During October 1962, the world came closer toward destruction than at any other point in recent history. This happened following the discovery that an American reconnaissance plane identified that Russian atomic weapon bases were being assembled on Cuba, a mere 160 kilometers off the coast of the US mainland. Reacting to this, U.S. President John F Kennedy ordered the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to enact a maritime quarantine around the island. What followed constituted almost a fortnight of unbearable tension.

The Catastrophic Danger

The peril was obvious. If Kennedy, or the Russian opposite, Nikita Khrushchev, were to fire against the other side, a chain reaction involving global nuclear strikes followed by retaliatory strikes might have followed, casting civilization into total oblivion.

The Cuban missile crisis has been documented repeatedly, through volumes, films, as well as TV documentaries. However, for its third season, the BBC World Service podcast titled "The Bomb" introduces a novel element to this historical narrative. The series is jointly hosted featuring Kennedy's relative alongside Khrushchev's descendant, relatives of the leaders who, over two tense weeks, grasped the destiny of the planet in their hands.

"What were the Soviet side considering? What was the American side planning?" questions Nina Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's great-granddaughter who is also a professor of international affairs.

In her view, the beauty of the show is its endeavor to question: "Why do people detest each other to the point they confront one another?"

"It was not lost on me how remarkable it is that humans have the potential to be friends or have the potential to be total adversaries," remarks Kennedy, son of RFK, nephew of the late president and now a writer and attorney. "History shows this over and over when countries enter into conflict, and it just illustrates the sheer folly involved to engage in warfare."

The Brink of Catastrophe

What is notable regarding this event is that, since it unfolded so publicly, people around the world were able to observe nearly in real time while it moved towards disaster. Even so, the danger of destruction was more imminent than what most people realised.

"The overwhelming majority among Kennedy's advisors were advocating for a military strike followed by a ground invasion," notes Kennedy. "If we had struck Cuba with the Sixth Fleet, there is no question Soviet forces stationed there would have launched a tactical nuclear weapon at the American ships, and that would have obliterated the aircraft carriers and sunk America's primary naval force. And, we would have responded with an overwhelming counterattack which would have ended most life on Earth."

The fact it didn’t highlights the composure of both leaders, who succeeded in keep their heads and engaging in diplomacy at a time when everyone around them demanded military action. Consequently, The Soviet premier removed the missiles from Cuba and President Kennedy (although not reported at the time) removed American similar weapons based in Turkey. The relief was immense, as was the sense of optimism.

A Different Viewpoint

Yet, during those 13 days in October, the tension was palpable by everyone. The podcast's co-hosts were born shortly after these events, and Khrushcheva being taught about the crisis through the Soviet education system, which portrayed a slightly different narrative of events.

"You said your father remembers it, and it was a scary time," Khrushcheva notes. "But in the Soviet Union, people really didn’t know a great deal about it, because it was a crisis, and under the Soviet system we were told that everything was always fine or positive."

Within the Khrushchev household, however, it was distinct. "They told me that it was a triumphant moment it was, as it was a direct confrontation. They were able to resolve it, thus didn’t start a global war, which was a wonderful outcome," she adds. In the years to come, however, that perspective would not be held by all Russians. "For decades in Russian politics, it was considered a failure for the Soviet leader, because he didn’t blow up America."

A Unprecedented Collaboration

The Bomb is so even-handed , expertly crafted that Khrushcheva jokes she nearly forgot the known outcome. This effect is, in part, due to contributions from historians. But, really, the most momentous thing remains the involvement of the hosts themselves. Even within living memory, it would be unthinkable that descendants of the heads of state of the United States 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 sign of optimism.

"We are not the first," smiles Nina. "After the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, a relative Sergey Khrushchev’s son and became great friends with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"However we were strangers before the podcast," clarifies Max. "Which is unfortunate because we got along immediately and now we are friends, which is wonderful. Finally, following almost six decades since almost destroying the planet, our lineages have become friends, so I think the world is safer, somewhat."

Modern Echoes with Present Perils

Is that truly the case? One reason the reason this series seems so urgent is because we once again are living living through dark times. The symbolic clock of doom stands nearer to catastrophe than ever before, in part because today's statesmen appear not to have the capacity to comprehend