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

In the month of October 1962, the planet edged closer to destruction than at any other point during modern times. This transpired following the discovery that a US surveillance aircraft discovered the fact that Soviet nuclear missile installations were being assembled in Cuba, less than 160 kilometers from American soil. Reacting to this, President John F Kennedy ordered a naval task force to enact a naval blockade around Cuba. What followed constituted nearly a fortnight filled with extreme tension.

The Unthinkable Danger

The danger remained palpable. Should Kennedy, or the Russian opposite, Premier Khrushchev, were to fire against their enemy, a cascade involving worldwide nuclear attacks followed by retaliatory strikes could have ensued, plunging mankind toward all-out oblivion.

This pivotal 1962 event has been covered repeatedly, through volumes, movies, and TV documentaries. However, for its third season, a prominent BBC World Service podcast titled "The Bomb" introduces a novel dimension to the story. It is jointly hosted by Kennedy's relative alongside Nina Khrushcheva, family members of the men that, for 13 days, grasped the destiny of the world in their hands.

"What were the Soviet side considering? What were Washington thinking?" asks Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's great-granddaughter who is also an academic of international affairs.

For her, the strength of the podcast lies in its endeavor to objectively ask: "Why do individuals hate each other and oppose each other?"

"It was not lost on me how profound the fact that individuals can be allies or else can become total enemies," adds Kennedy, the son of Robert Kennedy, nephew of the late president and now a writer and attorney. "We see this dynamic repeatedly in instances where countries have gone to war, and it just illustrates how unbelievably stupid involved to engage in warfare."

The Precipice of Disaster

What is notable regarding the Cuban missile crisis is that, because it transpired in the global spotlight, individuals globally were able to observe almost in real time as it moved towards catastrophe. Nonetheless, the danger of annihilation was more imminent than what anybody realised.

"The overwhelming majority among Kennedy's advisors wanted a military strike and a ground invasion," notes Kennedy. "Had the U.S. attacked Cuba with the naval blockade, it is certain the Russians on the ground would have deployed a nuclear warhead at the US Sixth Fleet, and that would've destroyed our aircraft carriers as well as destroyed our primary fleet. And, we would have retaliated through an overwhelming counterattack which would have eradicated all life on Earth."

The fact it didn’t highlights the composure of Kennedy and Khrushchev, they managed to remain calm and calmly negotiate at a time when hawkish elements around them were advocating military action. Consequently, The Soviet premier agreed to withdraw the missiles from the Caribbean island and Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed then) withdrew American similar weapons from Turkey. The sense of relief was palpable, matched by a feeling of optimism.

The Different Viewpoint

Yet, during those 13 days in October, the anxiety was felt globally. The podcast's co-hosts came into the world shortly after these events, with Khrushcheva being taught about it via the USSR's education system, which presented an alternative version of what happened.

"As you mentioned your father remembers it, describing it as a frightening time," Khrushcheva notes. "However for Soviet citizens, the public were largely unaware that much about it, since it was a tense situation, and under the Soviet system the official line was that things are constantly wonderful or sunny."

Within Khrushchev’s family, however, it was distinct. "I was informed that it was a triumphant moment it was, because it was eyeball to eyeball. The leaders managed to resolve it, thus avoided a global war, which was a wonderful thing," she adds. Subsequently, however, that perspective would not be held by all Russians. "For decades in Russian politics, it was considered a failure for Khrushchev, simply he didn’t blow up America."

A Unprecedented Collaboration

This podcast is remarkably balanced and expertly crafted that Khrushcheva quips it almost made her forget the known the ending. This is, partly, thanks to the participation of historians. But, really, the most groundbreaking thing remains the involvement of the descendants. Not so long ago, it was inconceivable that descendants of the heads of state of the United States and Soviet Union would appear together publicly. The fact that Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva are able to do so, and exhibit such warmth toward one another, must be seen as a symbol of optimism.

"Max and I are not the pioneers," notes Khrushcheva. "Following the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, my uncle moved to America where he formed a close bond with the former president's family."

"However we had never met prior to this project," adds Kennedy. "Which is a shame because we connected immediately and now we are friends, which is really great. Finally, after nearly 60 years of almost destroying the world, our families are now allies, suggesting global relations is safer, a little bit."

Contemporary Echoes and Present Perils

Or is it? Part of why The Bomb feels so necessary is because we now are living in a perilous era. The symbolic clock of doom is closer to catastrophe than ever before, partly since today's statesmen don’t seem to have the capacity to learn