‘After nearly destroying the planet, the relatives have become friends’: the thrilling podcast featuring JFK and Nikita Khrushchev’s relatives.

During the month of October 1962, the planet edged closer to ruin than at any other point during modern times. This happened after an American surveillance plane found that Soviet atomic weapon bases were being built in Cuba, less than 160 kilometers off the coast of American soil. In response, President JFK directed a naval task force to establish a maritime blockade around the island. The next phase constituted almost two weeks filled with unbearable tension.

The Unthinkable Danger

The peril remained obvious. If President Kennedy, or else the Soviet counterpart, Nikita Khrushchev, had fired on their enemy, a chain reaction of worldwide nuclear strikes followed by retaliatory strikes would have followed, plunging humanity into all-out ruination.

This pivotal 1962 event has been covered repeatedly, through volumes, films, as well as television programmes. But, in its latest installment, the BBC World Service podcast titled "The Bomb" presents a completely new dimension to this historical narrative. It is jointly hosted by Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva, family members of the leaders who, over two tense weeks, held the fate of the world within their grasp.

"What were the Soviet side planning? What were Washington considering?" questions Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's descendant and a professor of global relations.

In her view, the beauty of the podcast is its endeavor to question: "How can individuals detest each other and go against one another?"

"It was not lost on me how profound it is that humans can be friends or else have the potential to be complete adversaries," remarks Kennedy, son of RFK, related to the late president and now an author and lawyer. "History shows this dynamic repeatedly when nations have gone to war, highlighting the sheer folly involved to fight."

A Precipice of Disaster

What is remarkable regarding the Cuban missile crisis was that, because it unfolded in the global spotlight, citizens globally were able to observe almost in real time as it crept towards armageddon. Even so, the danger of destruction came closer than what anybody understood at the time.

"The overwhelming majority among Kennedy's advisors wanted an airstrike followed by a ground invasion," notes Kennedy. "If we had attacked the Cubans with the Sixth Fleet, there is no question Soviet forces stationed there would have deployed a nuclear warhead against the US Sixth Fleet, which would have sunk the aircraft carriers and sunk our largest and most important naval force. And, we would have responded with an overwhelming counterattack that would have eradicated most life on the planet."

The reality this did not occur highlights the composure of both leaders, who succeeded in exercise restraint and calmly negotiate when everyone in their governments were advocating military action. As a result, Khrushchev removed the nuclear weapons in Cuba and Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed at the time) removed his similar weapons based in Turkey. The relief was immense, matched by a feeling of optimism.

A Divergent Perspective

Still, for those two weeks in October, the fear was palpable globally. The podcast's presenters came into the world in the years following these events, with Khrushcheva learned about the crisis through the Soviet education system, which portrayed an alternative picture of what happened.

"You said your parent remembers it, describing it as a frightening day," she says. "However in the Soviet Union, people really didn’t know a great deal regarding the crisis, since it was a crisis, and in the Soviet Union the official line was that everything was always wonderful and sunny."

Inside the Khrushchev household, though, it was distinct. "I was informed that it was a triumphant occasion for the USSR, because it was a direct confrontation. They were able to resolve it, and didn’t start a global war, which was a wonderful outcome," she continues. Subsequently, however, that perspective was not held by all Russians. "For a long time in Russian politics, it was considered a setback for the Soviet leader, simply he refrained from destroying America."

An Unprecedented Partnership

The Bomb is remarkably balanced and expertly crafted so much so that Nina jokes she nearly forgot she already knew outcome. This is, in part, thanks to the participation of historians. Yet, really, the most groundbreaking aspect is the involvement of the descendants. Even within living memory, it would be unthinkable for descendants of the leaders of the United States and the USSR would appear side by side. The fact that these two individuals can do that, and be so warm toward one another, has to be a sign of hope.

"We aren't the first," smiles Khrushcheva. "After the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, a relative moved to America and became great friends with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"But we were strangers before the podcast," clarifies Kennedy. "That is unfortunate since we connected really well and we’re friends, which is really great. Ultimately, following almost 60 years since almost destroying the planet, our families are now allies, so I think global relations is safer, a little bit."

Contemporary Parallels and Present Dangers

Or is it? Part of the reason this series feels so necessary is that we once again are living in a perilous era. The Doomsday Clock is closer to midnight than ever before, in part because world leaders don’t seem to have the capacity to grasp