‘After almost destroying the world, the relatives are allies’: the thrilling podcast from John F. Kennedy and Nikita Khrushchev’s relatives.

During October 1962, the planet veered closer to ruin than at any other point in modern times. This happened after a US reconnaissance aircraft identified the fact that Soviet nuclear missile sites were under construction on Cuba, a mere 100 miles from the US mainland. In response, U.S. President JFK commanded a naval task force to establish a naval quarantine around Cuba. What followed was almost two weeks of impossible anxiety.

The Catastrophic Threat

The danger was clear. If President Kennedy, or the Soviet counterpart, Premier Khrushchev, initiated an attack against the other side, a series involving worldwide nuclear strikes and retaliatory strikes would have followed, plunging civilization into all-out ruination.

This pivotal 1962 event has been documented extensively, in volumes, movies, as well as TV documentaries. But, for its third season, the BBC World Service podcast The Bomb has brought a novel perspective into the story. The series is co-presented featuring Kennedy's relative and Khrushchev's descendant, family members belonging to the leaders that, for 13 days, grasped the destiny of the world in their hands.

"What were the Russians planning? What was Washington planning?" asks Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s descendant and a professor specializing in global relations.

In her view, the unique appeal of the show lies in its endeavor to question: "How can people hate each other to the point they confront each other?"

"It was not lost on me how remarkable the fact that people can be friends or else have the potential to be complete adversaries," states Kennedy, son of Robert Kennedy, nephew of JFK and currently an author and lawyer. "We see this over and over in instances where nations have gone to war, and it just illustrates the profound irrationality it is to fight."

A Brink of Catastrophe

What’s remarkable regarding the Cuban missile crisis is that, because it unfolded in the global spotlight, people globally were able to observe nearly in real time while it edged closer to catastrophe. However, the threat of annihilation was more imminent than what anybody realised.

"The overwhelming majority in the White House were advocating for an airstrike and a ground invasion," notes Max Kennedy. "If we had attacked the Cubans using the naval blockade, there is no question Soviet forces stationed there would have launched a tactical nuclear weapon against the US Sixth Fleet, and that would have obliterated our naval vessels and destroyed our primary naval force. In turn, the U.S. would have retaliated through massive retaliation which would have eradicated all life on the planet."

The fact it didn’t stands as credit to both leaders, they managed to exercise restraint while engaging in diplomacy at a time when many advisors in their governments were advocating action. Consequently, Khrushchev agreed to withdraw the missiles from the Caribbean island while Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed then) withdrew American similar weapons based in NATO ally Turkey. The relief was palpable, as was a feeling of optimism.

A Different Perspective

Yet, for those 13 days of October 1962, the anxiety was felt globally. The podcast's presenters came into the world in the years following these events, with Nina being taught about it through the Soviet school curriculum, which painted an alternative narrative of events.

"As you mentioned your father remembers it, and it was a scary time," Khrushcheva notes. "But for Soviet citizens, the public were largely unaware a great deal about it, because it was a tense situation, and under the Soviet system the official line was that everything was always fine or positive."

Inside the Khrushchev household, however, it was different. "I was informed what a great moment for the USSR, as it was a direct confrontation. The leaders managed to resolve it, and didn’t start the war, which was a positive outcome," she adds. Later on, though, that view was not held by everybody. "For decades in Russian politics, it was considered a defeat for the Soviet leader, simply he didn’t blow up America."

A Unprecedented Collaboration

The Bomb is so balanced , well produced that Nina quips it almost made her forget she already knew outcome. This effect is, in part, due to contributions from historians. But, really, the most significant thing remains the involvement of the hosts themselves. Not so long ago, it was unthinkable that descendants of the heads of state of America and Soviet Union would appear side by side. The fact that these two individuals are able to do so, and exhibit such warmth toward one another, has to be a symbol of hope.

"Max and I are not the pioneers," notes Nina. "After 1991, a relative Sergey Khrushchev’s son and formed a close bond with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"But we were strangers before the podcast," clarifies Kennedy. "That is unfortunate since we got along really well and we are friends, something that is really great. Finally, after nearly 60 years of almost destroying the planet, our lineages have become allies, suggesting global relations is safer, a little bit."

Modern Parallels and Current Perils

Is that truly the case? One reason why The Bomb seems so urgent is that we now find ourselves living through dark times. The Doomsday Clock is closer to catastrophe in its history, in part because world leaders appear not to be able to learn