Following almost annihilating our planet, the relatives have become friends’: the gripping podcast from John F. Kennedy and Khrushchev’s relatives.

During the month of October 1962, humanity came closer toward destruction than at any other point during the contemporary era. This transpired following the discovery that a US reconnaissance plane identified the fact that Soviet nuclear weapon bases were being assembled on the island of Cuba, less than 160 kilometers from American soil. In response, President JFK commanded a naval task force to impose a naval blockade encircling Cuba. The ensuing period constituted nearly a fortnight filled with impossible anxiety.

The Catastrophic Threat

The danger was palpable. Should Kennedy, or else the Soviet counterpart, Premier Khrushchev, initiated an attack against the other side, a chain reaction involving global nuclear strikes and retaliatory strikes could have ensued, plunging civilization into all-out destruction.

This pivotal 1962 event has been examined endlessly, in volumes, movies, as well as TV documentaries. But, for its third season, the BBC World Service podcast titled "The Bomb" presents an unprecedented element into the story. It is co-presented featuring Max Kennedy alongside Khrushchev's descendant, relatives belonging to the leaders that, for 13 days, held the fate of the planet within their grasp.

"What was the Kremlin planning? What were the United States planning?" questions Nina Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s descendant who is also a professor specializing in international affairs.

In her view, the unique appeal of the show is its endeavor to objectively ask: "Why do nations detest one another to the point they go against one another?"

"It struck me how profound it is that individuals have the potential to be friends or else have the potential to be total enemies," remarks Kennedy, the son of Robert Kennedy, nephew of the late president and currently an author and attorney. "We see this over and over in instances where nations enter into conflict, and it just illustrates the profound irrationality it is to fight."

The Brink Towards Catastrophe

What’s remarkable about the Cuban missile crisis was that, because it transpired so publicly, people worldwide were able to observe nearly in real time as it crept closer to armageddon. However, the risk of destruction came closer than what anybody realised.

"Almost all officials among Kennedy's advisors wanted a military strike and a ground invasion," explains Kennedy. "Had the U.S. struck the Cubans with the Sixth Fleet, there is no question the Russians on the ground would've fired a nuclear warhead against the US Sixth Fleet, and that would've sunk the aircraft carriers as well as sunk our primary naval force. In turn, we would have retaliated through massive retaliation that would have ended all life on the planet."

The fact it didn’t is a testament to Kennedy and Khrushchev, who succeeded in remain calm and engaging in diplomacy when many advisors around them were advocating action. As a result, Khrushchev agreed to withdraw the nuclear weapons from Cuba while President Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed at the time) withdrew his missiles based in Turkey. The sense of relief was worldwide, matched by a feeling of optimism.

A Different Perspective

Still, for those two weeks of October 1962, the fear was palpable globally. The Bomb’s co-hosts came into the world shortly after the crisis, and Khrushcheva learned about the crisis through the Soviet school curriculum, which portrayed an alternative narrative of what happened.

"You said your parent recalls it, and it was a frightening time," Khrushcheva notes. "But in the Soviet Union, people were largely unaware a great deal about it, since it was a tense situation, whereas in the Soviet Union the official line was that everything was always fine or sunny."

Inside the Khrushchev household, though, the perspective was different. "They told me that it was a triumphant moment it was, because it represented a direct confrontation. They were able to resolve it, thus didn’t start the war, seen as a wonderful outcome," she adds. Later on, however, that perspective would not be shared by everybody. "For a long time in Russian politics, the crisis was viewed as a failure for Khrushchev, simply he didn’t blow up America."

A Unprecedented Partnership

The Bomb is remarkably even-handed and well produced so much so that Khrushcheva jokes it almost made her forget she already knew outcome. This effect is, in part, due to the participation of renowned scholars. Yet, really, the most groundbreaking aspect is the participation of the descendants. Not so long ago, it would be unthinkable for descendants of the leaders of the United States and USSR to appear side by side. The fact that these two individuals are able to do so, and be so warm toward one another, has to be a symbol of optimism.

"Max and I are not the pioneers," smiles Khrushcheva. "After the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, a relative moved to America where he formed a close bond with the former president's family."

"But we were strangers before the podcast," adds Kennedy. "Which is a shame because we got along really well and now we’re friends, something that is wonderful. Finally, following nearly six decades since almost destroying the planet, our families are now allies, so I think the world is more secure, a little bit."

Modern Echoes and Current Dangers

Is that truly the case? Part of why this series feels so necessary is because we now find ourselves living through dark times. The Doomsday Clock is closer to catastrophe than ever before, partly since world leaders appear not to be able to grasp