Following almost destroying the planet, our relatives are friends’: the thrilling podcast featuring John F. Kennedy and Nikita Khrushchev’s relatives.

In the month of October 1962, humanity came closer to ruin more so than ever in modern times. This transpired following the discovery that a US surveillance aircraft discovered that Soviet atomic missile bases were under construction on the island of Cuba, less than 160 kilometers off the coast of the United States. In response, U.S. President JFK ordered the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to establish a naval blockade encircling Cuba. The next phase constituted nearly a fortnight of extreme stress.

The Unthinkable Danger

The threat was palpable. If President Kennedy, or the Soviet counterpart, Nikita Khrushchev, were to fire against the other side, a series of global atomic attacks and counterstrikes would have followed, casting humanity toward all-out oblivion.

This pivotal 1962 event has been covered repeatedly, in books, films, as well as TV documentaries. But, in its latest installment, a prominent BBC World Service podcast The Bomb has brought a completely new element into this historical narrative. It is co-presented featuring Max Kennedy alongside Nina Khrushcheva, family members of the men who, for 13 days, grasped the fate of the planet within their grasp.

"What were the Kremlin considering? What were Washington thinking?" asks Nina Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's great-granddaughter who is also a professor specializing in global relations.

In her view, the unique appeal of the show lies in its attempt to question: "Why do people hate one another to the point they go against one another?"

"I am acutely aware how remarkable the fact that people can be allies or have the potential to be total adversaries," states Kennedy, the son of RFK, nephew of JFK and now a writer as well as lawyer. "History shows this over and over in instances where countries have gone to war, and it just illustrates the profound irrationality involved to fight."

A Brink Towards Disaster

What is remarkable about this event is that, because it unfolded so publicly, individuals globally could watch nearly in real time as it edged closer to catastrophe. Nonetheless, the danger of annihilation came closer than most people realised.

"The overwhelming majority in the White House were advocating for an airstrike and a ground invasion," notes Max Kennedy. "If we had attacked Cuba with the naval blockade, it is certain Soviet forces stationed there would have deployed a nuclear warhead against the US Sixth Fleet, which would have obliterated the aircraft carriers as well as sunk America's primary fleet. In turn, the U.S. would have retaliated with massive retaliation which would have eradicated most life on the planet."

The fact it didn’t is a testament to both leaders, who succeeded in exercise restraint while engaging in diplomacy when many advisors around them were advocating military action. Consequently, Khrushchev removed the missiles in Cuba while President Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed then) withdrew American similar weapons from NATO ally Turkey. The sense of relief was worldwide, as was the sense of optimism.

The Different Viewpoint

Yet, during those 13 days in October, the anxiety was palpable globally. The Bomb’s presenters came into the world shortly after these events, and Khrushcheva being taught about it via the Soviet school curriculum, which painted a slightly different version of what happened.

"As you mentioned your father remembers it, and it was a scary time," she says. "However in the Soviet Union, people were largely unaware that much about it, since it was a crisis, whereas under the Soviet system the official line was that things are always fine and sunny."

Within the Khrushchev household, though, the perspective was distinct. "They told me what a great occasion for the USSR, because it represented a direct confrontation. The leaders managed to resolve it, thus avoided a global war, which was a positive outcome," she continues. Subsequently, though, that perspective was not held by everybody. "For a long time within Russian historical analysis, the crisis was viewed as a failure for Khrushchev, simply he refrained from destroying the United States."

An Unprecedented Collaboration

The Bomb is remarkably balanced , expertly crafted so much so that Khrushcheva jokes it almost made her forget she already knew the ending. This effect is, in part, thanks to the participation of historians. But, truly, the most significant thing is the participation of the hosts themselves. Even within living memory, it was inconceivable for descendants of the heads of state of America and USSR would appear side by side. The fact that Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva are able to do so, and exhibit such warmth toward one another, must be seen as a sign of hope.

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

"But we had never met before the podcast," adds Max. "Which is unfortunate since we got along really well and now we’re friends, something that is wonderful. Finally, following almost 60 years of nearly annihilating the world, our families are now friends, so I think the world is more secure, somewhat."

Modern Echoes and Current Perils

Or is it? Part of the reason The Bomb feels so necessary is because we now find ourselves in a perilous era. The symbolic clock of doom is closer to catastrophe in its history, in part because world leaders appear not to have the capacity to comprehend