Following almost annihilating our world, our relatives are friends’: the gripping podcast featuring JFK & Khrushchev’s relatives.

In the month of October 1962, humanity veered closer to ruin than at any other point in the contemporary era. This happened when an American reconnaissance plane discovered that Russian nuclear missile sites were being built on Cuba, a mere 160 kilometers from the US mainland. Reacting to this, U.S. President John F Kennedy directed a naval task force to establish a naval quarantine encircling Cuba. The next phase constituted almost 14 days filled with extreme stress.

The Unthinkable Threat

The danger was palpable. If Kennedy, or the Soviet counterpart, Nikita Khrushchev, initiated an attack on the other side, a chain reaction of worldwide atomic attacks and counterstrikes would have ensued, thrusting mankind toward all-out ruination.

This pivotal 1962 event has been documented endlessly, through volumes, movies, and television programmes. However, in its latest installment, a prominent BBC World Service podcast titled "The Bomb" presents a completely new dimension to this historical narrative. It is co-presented by Max Kennedy alongside Nina Khrushcheva, relatives of the men that, over 13 days, grasped the fate of humanity in their hands.

"What were the Soviet side thinking? What were the United States planning?" ponders Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's great-granddaughter and a professor of global relations.

In her view, the unique appeal of the show lies in its endeavor to explore: "How can people hate one another to the point they go against each other?"

"I am acutely aware how spectacular the fact that people have the potential to be allies or else can become total enemies," states Kennedy, son of RFK, nephew of the late president and now an author and lawyer. "History shows this over and over when nations enter into conflict, highlighting how unbelievably stupid involved to engage in warfare."

A Brink of Disaster

What is remarkable about the Cuban missile crisis is that, since it transpired in the global spotlight, citizens around the world could watch nearly in real time as it moved closer to catastrophe. However, the danger of annihilation was more imminent than anybody understood at the time.

"Virtually everyone in the White House wanted an airstrike and a ground invasion," notes Kennedy. "Had the U.S. attacked Cuba with the Sixth Fleet, undoubtedly the Russians stationed there would've fired a nuclear warhead against the US Sixth Fleet, which would've destroyed the naval vessels as well as destroyed our primary naval force. And, the U.S. would have retaliated through massive retaliation which would have ended all life on the planet."

The fact this did not occur highlights the composure of Kennedy and Khrushchev, who managed to remain calm and calmly negotiate at a time when everyone in their governments were advocating action. As a result, The Soviet premier agreed to withdraw the nuclear weapons in Cuba and President Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed then) removed his similar weapons from Turkey. The sense of relief was immense, matched by the sense of hope.

A Different Viewpoint

Still, during those two weeks of October 1962, the tension was felt globally. The podcast's presenters were born shortly after these events, with Khrushcheva learned about the crisis via the USSR's education system, which painted an alternative picture of what happened.

"As you mentioned your parent recalls it, and it was a frightening time," she says. "However in the Soviet Union, the public were largely unaware a great deal regarding the crisis, since it was a crisis, and under the Soviet system we were told that everything was always wonderful and positive."

Within the Khrushchev household, though, the perspective was different. "They told me that it was a triumphant moment for the USSR, as it represented eyeball to eyeball. The leaders managed to find a solution, and avoided the war, which was a wonderful thing," she adds. Later on, though, that interpretation would not be held by everybody. "For a long time within Russian historical analysis, it was considered a failure for the Soviet leader, simply he refrained from destroying the United States."

An Unlikely Partnership

This podcast is remarkably even-handed , well produced so much so that Khrushcheva jokes she nearly forgot she already knew the ending. This effect is, partly, thanks to contributions from renowned scholars. But, truly, the most significant thing is the participation of the descendants. Not so long ago, it would be inconceivable that relatives of the heads of state of the United States and Soviet Union to appear side by side. That Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva can do that, and be so warm with each other, must be seen as a symbol of hope.

"We are not the pioneers," notes Nina. "After 1991, a relative Sergey Khrushchev’s son and became great friends with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"But we were strangers prior to this project," adds Kennedy. "That is unfortunate since we connected immediately and we’re friends, which is wonderful. Ultimately, following almost 60 years of almost destroying the world, our lineages are now friends, suggesting global relations is safer, somewhat."

Modern Parallels with Present Perils

Or is it? Part of why The Bomb seems so urgent is because we once again find ourselves living through dark times. The Doomsday Clock is closer to midnight in its history, in part because world leaders don’t seem to be able to learn