Following almost destroying our world, the families have become allies’: a thrilling podcast featuring John F. Kennedy & Khrushchev’s descendants.

During October 1962, humanity came closer toward destruction than at any other point during the contemporary era. This transpired when a US reconnaissance aircraft discovered that Soviet nuclear weapon installations were being built in the island of Cuba, less than 100 miles from American soil. In response, President John F Kennedy commanded the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to impose a naval blockade encircling the island. The ensuing period constituted nearly a fortnight filled with extreme stress.

An Catastrophic Danger

The danger remained obvious. If Kennedy, or else his Russian opposite, Nikita Khrushchev, initiated an attack on the other side, a cascade of global nuclear strikes followed by counterstrikes could have followed, plunging humanity toward total ruination.

The October crisis has been examined extensively, through volumes, films, and TV documentaries. But, in its latest installment, a prominent BBC World Service podcast The Bomb has brought a novel perspective to the story. It is jointly hosted by Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva, family members belonging to the leaders that, for 13 days, grasped the fate of the planet within their grasp.

"What were the Soviet side planning? What were Washington planning?" asks Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's descendant and a professor of global relations.

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

"It was not lost on me how remarkable it is that people can be allies or have the potential to be complete adversaries," adds Kennedy, son of RFK, nephew of the late president and currently an author and attorney. "History shows this repeatedly when nations have gone to war, and it just illustrates how unbelievably stupid involved to engage in warfare."

A Precipice of Catastrophe

What’s remarkable about this event was that, because it unfolded in the global spotlight, individuals globally could watch nearly as it happened as it moved closer to disaster. Even so, the danger of destruction came closer than what anybody understood at the time.

"Virtually everyone in the White House wanted a military strike followed by an invasion," notes Max Kennedy. "If we had attacked the Cubans with the Sixth Fleet, it is certain the Russians on the ground would have launched a nuclear warhead at the US Sixth Fleet, which would have destroyed the naval vessels as well as destroyed our largest and most important naval force. In turn, the U.S. would have responded through an overwhelming counterattack which would have ended all life on the planet."

The fact it didn’t is a testament to both leaders, who managed to exercise restraint while calmly negotiate when everyone in their governments was pushing for action. As a result, The Soviet premier removed the nuclear weapons in the Caribbean island while Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed then) withdrew his missiles based in Turkey. The relief was worldwide, matched by the sense of optimism.

The Different Perspective

Still, during those two weeks of October 1962, the tension was palpable by everyone. The podcast's co-hosts came into the world shortly after these events, and Nina being taught about it through the Soviet education system, which portrayed a slightly different narrative of events.

"You said your parent recalls it, and it was a scary day," Khrushcheva notes. "However in the Soviet Union, the public really didn’t know that much regarding the crisis, because it was a tense situation, and in the Soviet Union the official line was that things are constantly fine or sunny."

Within Khrushchev’s family, though, the perspective was different. "They told me what a great occasion for the USSR, because it was a direct confrontation. They were able to find a solution, and didn’t start a global war, seen as a wonderful thing," she adds. Subsequently, though, that view would not be shared by all Russians. "For decades in Russian politics, the crisis was viewed as a setback for Khrushchev, because he didn’t blow up the United States."

An Unlikely Partnership

This podcast is remarkably even-handed , expertly crafted so much so that Khrushcheva jokes she nearly forgot she already knew outcome. This is, partly, thanks to contributions from historians. But, truly, the most groundbreaking aspect is the participation of the descendants. Not so long ago, it would be unthinkable for relatives of the heads of state of the United States and the Soviet Union to appear together publicly. The fact that these two individuals can do that, and exhibit such warmth with each other, has to be a symbol of optimism.

"We aren't the first," notes Khrushcheva. "Following the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, my uncle moved to America and formed a close bond with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"However we had never met before the podcast," adds Kennedy. "Which is a shame because we got along really well and we’re friends, which is really great. Finally, after almost six decades of nearly annihilating the planet, our families have become friends, so I think the world is safer, somewhat."

Contemporary Parallels with Present Dangers

Or is it? One reason why The Bomb feels so necessary is because we once again find ourselves 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 grasp