‘After nearly annihilating the planet, the families are friends’: the thrilling podcast from JFK and Khrushchev’s descendants.

During the month of October 1962, the world veered nearer to ruin than at any other point in modern times. This occurred when an American surveillance plane found the fact that Russian nuclear weapon bases were being built in the island of Cuba, less than 100 miles from American soil. In response, President JFK ordered a naval task force to enact a naval quarantine encircling the island. What followed was nearly 14 days of impossible anxiety.

The Catastrophic Danger

The peril was palpable. If Kennedy, or else his Russian opposite, Premier Khrushchev, were to fire against their enemy, a chain reaction of worldwide nuclear attacks followed by retaliatory strikes might have ensued, thrusting mankind toward all-out destruction.

This pivotal 1962 event has been documented endlessly, in books, movies, as well as TV documentaries. However, for its third season, the BBC World Service podcast The Bomb presents a novel dimension into this historical narrative. It is co-presented featuring Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva, family members of the leaders who, over two tense weeks, controlled the fate of humanity in their hands.

"What were the Kremlin planning? What was the United States planning?" ponders Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s great-granddaughter who is also a professor of global relations.

In her view, the beauty of the podcast is its endeavor to explore: "Why do individuals detest each other to the point they oppose one another?"

"I am acutely aware how remarkable the fact that humans have the potential to be friends or can become complete enemies," states Max Kennedy, the son of RFK, related to the late president and currently a writer as well as lawyer. "We see this repeatedly when countries have gone to war, demonstrating the sheer folly it is to engage in warfare."

A Precipice Towards Catastrophe

What’s notable about the Cuban missile crisis is that, because it transpired in the global spotlight, citizens around the world were able to observe almost as it happened as it crept towards disaster. Even so, the danger of destruction was more imminent than anybody understood at the time.

"Virtually everyone in the White House were advocating for an airstrike followed by an invasion," explains Kennedy. "If we had struck Cuba using the naval blockade, it is certain the Russians stationed there would've launched a nuclear warhead at the US Sixth Fleet, and that would have sunk our aircraft carriers and sunk America's largest and most important naval force. And, we would have retaliated with massive retaliation which would have ended all life on the planet."

The reality it didn’t is a testament to both leaders, who succeeded in exercise restraint and calmly negotiate at a time when many advisors around them was pushing for military action. Consequently, Khrushchev agreed to withdraw the nuclear weapons from the Caribbean island and Kennedy (although not reported at the time) withdrew his similar weapons from NATO ally Turkey. The relief was immense, as was the sense of hope.

A Divergent Viewpoint

Yet, for those 13 days in October, the fear was felt globally. The Bomb’s co-hosts were born shortly after the crisis, and Nina being taught about it through the Soviet education system, which portrayed a slightly different version of events.

"You said your parent recalls it, and it was a scary time," Khrushcheva notes. "However in the Soviet Union, people were largely unaware a great deal about it, since it was a crisis, whereas under the Soviet system the official line was that things are always fine or positive."

Within the Khrushchev household, however, it was distinct. "They told me what a great moment for the USSR, as it was a direct confrontation. The leaders managed to resolve it, and avoided the war, which was a wonderful outcome," she continues. In the years to come, however, that view would not be shared by everybody. "For decades within Russian historical analysis, the crisis was viewed as a setback for the Soviet leader, simply he refrained from destroying America."

An Unlikely Collaboration

The Bomb is remarkably balanced and expertly crafted so much so that Khrushcheva jokes it almost made her forget she already knew the ending. This effect is, partly, due to contributions from renowned scholars. But, truly, the most significant aspect is the participation of the hosts themselves. Not so long ago, it would be unthinkable that descendants of the leaders of the United States and the Soviet Union to appear together publicly. The fact that Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva are able to do so, and exhibit such warmth with each other, has to be a sign of optimism.

"Max and I are not the pioneers," smiles Nina. "Following 1991, my uncle Sergey Khrushchev’s son and became great friends with the former president's family."

"But we were strangers before the podcast," clarifies Max. "That is a shame since we got along immediately and now we are friends, something that is wonderful. Ultimately, following almost six decades of nearly annihilating the world, our lineages have become friends, so I think the world is safer, a little bit."

Modern Parallels with Present Perils

Or is it? One reason the reason The Bomb feels so necessary is that we once again are living living through dark times. The Doomsday Clock is closer to midnight in its history, partly since today's statesmen don’t seem to be able to grasp