‘After almost destroying our planet, the relatives have become allies’: a thrilling podcast featuring JFK & Khrushchev’s relatives.

In the month of October 1962, humanity veered nearer to ruin than at any other point during modern times. This occurred after a US surveillance plane found that Soviet nuclear weapon installations were being built in the island of Cuba, a mere 100 miles from the United States. In response, U.S. President JFK directed a naval task force to establish a naval quarantine encircling the island. What followed constituted almost 14 days filled with impossible tension.

The Unthinkable Threat

The peril remained palpable. If President Kennedy, or else his Soviet counterpart, Nikita Khrushchev, were to fire on their enemy, a cascade involving global nuclear attacks and retaliatory strikes would have ensued, casting mankind into total destruction.

This pivotal 1962 event has been examined extensively, in volumes, films, as well as television programmes. But, for its third season, a prominent BBC World Service podcast The Bomb introduces a completely new dimension to the story. It is co-presented by Max Kennedy and Khrushchev's descendant, family members belonging to the figures that, for 13 days, controlled the fate of the planet within their grasp.

"What were the Kremlin thinking? What was the American side planning?" ponders Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s great-granddaughter and an academic of international affairs.

In her view, the strength of the show is its endeavor to explore: "Why do individuals hate one another and go against each other?"

"It struck me how spectacular it is that individuals can be friends or can become complete enemies," remarks Kennedy, son of Robert Kennedy, related to the late president and currently an author as well as attorney. "History shows this over and over in instances where nations enter into conflict, demonstrating the sheer folly involved to engage in warfare."

The Brink of Catastrophe

What is notable regarding this event was that, since it transpired in the global spotlight, people worldwide were able to observe nearly in real time while it edged closer to armageddon. Nonetheless, the threat of annihilation was more imminent than most people realised.

"Almost all officials among Kennedy's advisors wanted a military strike followed by an invasion," explains Max Kennedy. "If we had struck the Cubans with the naval blockade, it is certain the Russians on the ground would've fired a tactical nuclear weapon at the US Sixth Fleet, and that would've sunk the naval vessels as well as sunk our largest and most important naval force. In turn, we would have responded with massive retaliation that would have eradicated all life on the planet."

The fact this did not occur highlights the composure of both leaders, who managed to exercise restraint and calmly negotiate at a time when hawkish elements in their governments demanded action. As a result, The Soviet premier removed the missiles from Cuba while Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed then) withdrew American similar weapons from Turkey. The sense of relief was palpable, as was a feeling of optimism.

The Different Perspective

Yet, for those 13 days of October 1962, the tension was palpable globally. The podcast's presenters were born shortly after the crisis, with Khrushcheva being taught about the crisis via the Soviet education system, which portrayed a slightly different version of what happened.

"As you mentioned your parent remembers it, describing it as a scary time," Khrushcheva notes. "But for Soviet citizens, people really didn’t know a great deal about it, since it was a tense situation, and under the Soviet system the official line was that everything was always wonderful or positive."

Inside Khrushchev’s family, though, it was distinct. "They told me that it was a triumphant moment it was, as it was eyeball to eyeball. They were able to find a solution, and didn’t start the war, seen as a wonderful outcome," she adds. In the years to come, however, that interpretation would not be shared by all Russians. "For a long time within Russian historical analysis, it was considered a setback for Khrushchev, because he refrained from destroying the United States."

An Unlikely Collaboration

This podcast is remarkably even-handed and expertly crafted that Khrushcheva quips it almost made her forget she already knew outcome. This effect is, in part, due to the participation of historians. But, truly, the most groundbreaking thing is the involvement of the descendants. Even within living memory, it was inconceivable that relatives of the heads of state of America and USSR to appear together publicly. The fact that these two individuals can do that, and be so warm toward one another, must be seen as a symbol of hope.

"We aren't the first," smiles Nina. "After 1991, a relative Sergey Khrushchev’s son where he became great friends with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"But we had never met before the podcast," adds Max. "Which is unfortunate since we got along immediately and now we’re friends, something that is really great. Ultimately, following nearly six decades of almost destroying the planet, our lineages are now friends, so I think the world is more secure, somewhat."

Contemporary Parallels with Present Dangers

Is that truly the case? One reason why this series feels so necessary is that we once again are living living through a perilous era. The symbolic clock of doom stands nearer to catastrophe than ever before, in part because today's statesmen don’t seem to be able to comprehend