‘After nearly annihilating the planet, the relatives have become friends’: the thrilling podcast featuring John F. Kennedy & Nikita Khrushchev’s descendants.

In October 1962, the world veered nearer toward annihilation more so than ever during the contemporary era. This happened after an American surveillance plane discovered that Soviet nuclear weapon installations were under construction in the island of Cuba, a mere 100 miles from the US mainland. In response, U.S. President JFK ordered the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to enact a naval quarantine around the island. The ensuing period constituted nearly two weeks filled with extreme tension.

An Unthinkable Threat

The danger remained clear. If Kennedy, or the Russian opposite, Nikita Khrushchev, initiated an attack on their enemy, a chain reaction involving worldwide atomic attacks and counterstrikes would have ensued, thrusting humanity toward total destruction.

This pivotal 1962 event has been covered endlessly, through volumes, movies, and television programmes. However, in its latest installment, the BBC World Service podcast titled "The Bomb" has brought a completely new dimension to this historical narrative. The series is jointly hosted by Kennedy's relative alongside Nina Khrushcheva, relatives belonging to the men that, over two tense weeks, controlled the destiny of the planet within their grasp.

"What were the Kremlin considering? What was the American side considering?" ponders Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's great-granddaughter who is also an academic specializing in global relations.

For her, the strength of the show lies in its endeavor to question: "How can people detest one another and oppose each other?"

"It was not lost on me how profound the fact that individuals have the potential to be friends or have the potential to be total adversaries," remarks Kennedy, son of RFK, nephew of JFK and now a writer as well as attorney. "We see this repeatedly in instances where nations enter into conflict, highlighting the sheer folly involved to engage in warfare."

The Precipice Towards Catastrophe

What’s notable about this event is that, because it transpired so publicly, citizens around the world were able to observe nearly as it happened as it crept towards disaster. Nonetheless, the risk of annihilation came closer than most people understood at the time.

"Almost all officials among Kennedy's advisors were advocating for a military strike and a ground invasion," explains Max Kennedy. "If we had struck the Cubans using the Sixth Fleet, undoubtedly Soviet forces on the ground would have fired a nuclear warhead at the American ships, and that would have sunk our naval vessels as well as sunk America's largest and most important naval force. In turn, the U.S. would have retaliated through an overwhelming counterattack that would have ended most life on Earth."

The fact this did not occur stands as credit to both leaders, they managed to exercise restraint and calmly negotiate when many advisors around them was pushing for action. Consequently, Khrushchev agreed to withdraw the nuclear weapons from Cuba and Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed at the time) removed American missiles from NATO ally Turkey. The relief was worldwide, matched by the sense of hope.

The Divergent Perspective

Still, during those 13 days of October 1962, the fear was felt globally. The Bomb’s presenters were born in the years following the crisis, and Khrushcheva learned about it through the USSR's school curriculum, which painted 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, the public were largely unaware a great deal about it, since it was a tense situation, and in the Soviet Union we were told that everything was constantly wonderful or positive."

Within Khrushchev’s family, though, it was different. "I was informed that it was a triumphant occasion for the USSR, as it was a direct confrontation. They were able to find a solution, and didn’t start the war, which was a wonderful thing," she adds. Later on, though, that perspective was not shared by all Russians. "For decades within Russian historical analysis, it was considered a setback for the Soviet leader, simply he refrained from destroying America."

An Unprecedented Collaboration

The Bomb is remarkably even-handed , well produced so much so that Khrushcheva jokes it almost made her forget the known the ending. This is, partly, thanks to the participation of historians. Yet, truly, the most groundbreaking thing is the involvement of the hosts themselves. Not so long ago, it was inconceivable for relatives of the heads of state of America and the Soviet Union would appear side by side. That Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva can do that, and exhibit such warmth with each other, has to be a sign of optimism.

"Max and I are not the pioneers," smiles Nina. "After 1991, a relative moved to America and became great friends with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"However we had never met before the podcast," clarifies Kennedy. "Which is a shame since we got along really well and now we’re friends, something that is really great. Ultimately, after nearly six decades since almost destroying the planet, our lineages are now friends, so I think global relations is more secure, somewhat."

Modern Parallels and Current Perils

Is that truly the case? Part of why this series feels so necessary is because we once again find ourselves in a perilous era. The Doomsday Clock stands nearer to midnight in its history, in part because world leaders don’t seem to be able to learn