US President John F Kennedy and Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev brought the world to the brink of nuclear war in October 1962, but their families have since formed an unlikely friendship. The BBC World Service podcast "The Bomb" delves into the crisis that could have ended all life on Earth and what lessons can be learned from it.
The Cuban missile crisis was a pivotal moment in history, with Kennedy imposing a naval blockade around Cuba to prevent Soviet nuclear missile sites from being built just 100 miles off the US mainland. Khrushchev responded by putting his own missiles in place, setting up a precarious standoff between the two superpowers. The threat of global annihilation hung over humanity for nearly two weeks before the crisis was finally resolved.
The podcast's co-hosts, Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva, offer unique insights into their families' experiences during that time. Max is JFK's son and Robert Kennedy Jr.'s nephew, while Nina is Khrushchev's great-granddaughter and a professor of international affairs at New York City's New School.
The Cuban missile crisis was a defining moment in Cold War history, but what lessons can be learned from it today? For Max, the answer lies in the importance of leaders seeking every avenue to peace before going to war. "One is the importance of leaders who really seek every avenue to peace before going to war," he says. "The other thing is, when you're negotiating, the very important thing that President Kennedy did was try to put himself in Khrushchev's shoes."
Max and Nina agree that leadership responsibility is something that we are missing today. The crisis highlighted how, when you get close to war, you actually turn away from it. War is something that should not happen under any circumstances, according to Nina.
However, the podcast also raises concerns about the current state of world leaders. Max expresses his worry that some leaders may be willing to learn from past mistakes, but others are not. He cites President Trump as an example, saying "I don't have confidence in the leaders of America and Russia."
Nina's own experiences with Putin also highlight the dangers of a lack of understanding between world leaders. She notes that when Putin is in his military attire, he seems less concerned about war, but when he is not, it becomes a show of power.
Despite these concerns, Max and Nina offer a message of hope from their families' unlikely friendship. After nearly 60 years of "almost destroying the world," their families have become friends, which they say makes the world a safer place.
The Cuban missile crisis was a pivotal moment in history, with Kennedy imposing a naval blockade around Cuba to prevent Soviet nuclear missile sites from being built just 100 miles off the US mainland. Khrushchev responded by putting his own missiles in place, setting up a precarious standoff between the two superpowers. The threat of global annihilation hung over humanity for nearly two weeks before the crisis was finally resolved.
The podcast's co-hosts, Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva, offer unique insights into their families' experiences during that time. Max is JFK's son and Robert Kennedy Jr.'s nephew, while Nina is Khrushchev's great-granddaughter and a professor of international affairs at New York City's New School.
The Cuban missile crisis was a defining moment in Cold War history, but what lessons can be learned from it today? For Max, the answer lies in the importance of leaders seeking every avenue to peace before going to war. "One is the importance of leaders who really seek every avenue to peace before going to war," he says. "The other thing is, when you're negotiating, the very important thing that President Kennedy did was try to put himself in Khrushchev's shoes."
Max and Nina agree that leadership responsibility is something that we are missing today. The crisis highlighted how, when you get close to war, you actually turn away from it. War is something that should not happen under any circumstances, according to Nina.
However, the podcast also raises concerns about the current state of world leaders. Max expresses his worry that some leaders may be willing to learn from past mistakes, but others are not. He cites President Trump as an example, saying "I don't have confidence in the leaders of America and Russia."
Nina's own experiences with Putin also highlight the dangers of a lack of understanding between world leaders. She notes that when Putin is in his military attire, he seems less concerned about war, but when he is not, it becomes a show of power.
Despite these concerns, Max and Nina offer a message of hope from their families' unlikely friendship. After nearly 60 years of "almost destroying the world," their families have become friends, which they say makes the world a safer place.
I mean, we're still dealing with nuclear threats today and it's crazy to think about how close we came to Armageddon back then.
I mean, it's one thing to talk about peace and understanding, but when are we going to see real change? Still, I guess it's better than nothing. And hey, if Max and Nina's families can become friends after all they've been through, then maybe there's hope for the rest of us too 
.
. Max Kennedy is totally right that leaders should try to find peace before going to war. Like, it makes total sense 
. And Nina's point about understanding between world leaders is spot on 
. I mean, Putin can be super intimidating when he's all dressed up in military gear 
, but take him out of that and it's just a show 
.
, maybe we should aim for something similar 
. It's not all doom and gloom 
. The world is still a crazy place, but maybe by looking at how JFK & Khrushchev's families managed to put the past behind them, we can work towards more peaceful relations 
.
the fact that their families can even talk to each other after all these years is just wild 
I mean, max kennedy is jfk's son and robert kennedy jr's nephew and he's saying stuff about leaders seeking peace before war like it's a new idea lol. and then there's nina khrushcheva, who's like a professor or something, talking about how we need better understanding between world leaders 
it's just so surreal thinking that their families can just be friends after what happened back in 1962 
seriously though what's up with max saying trump is a total loser compared to his dad jfk and then nina bringing up putin like wth dude he's always changing into his military gear who knows what he's thinking 
anyway i feel max & nina's vibe on the importance of leaders being all about peace before war but it's all soooo suspicious why are they talking now 
. Can you believe how close we came to extinction? It's crazy to think about how two leaders from different sides could almost come together and avoid all-out war... but then again, it's also super scary that they did come so close 
. As an oldie like me who lived through the 60s, I remember the fear of nuclear war being a real thing back then.
. It's like they're trying to relive the past instead of moving forward. Max and Nina are right, though – we need more leaders who actually care about finding peaceful solutions before going to war 
.
. Max's point about trying to put yourself in the other person's shoes is spot on, but what about when they're still digging in their heels? 
... we need more than just 'diplomacy' when it comes to war. It's time for world leaders to actually listen to each other instead of just trying to one-up each other 
.
. It's time for us to take a hard look at ourselves and figure out why we're still in this situation 
.
. The thing is, I'm not sure if we're missing the mark by expecting our leaders to be more peaceful, or if we're just setting them up for failure 
.
It's also super interesting to see how they're both drawing parallels between what happened back then and now, with leaders like Trump and Putin still struggling with international relations. But honestly, it's a really uplifting message – that even after all these years, their families' friendship is still going strong.