‘After almost annihilating the planet, our families are allies’: a gripping podcast featuring JFK & Khrushchev’s relatives.

In the month of October 1962, the world edged closer toward ruin more so than ever in recent history. This occurred following the discovery that an American reconnaissance aircraft identified the fact that Russian nuclear weapon installations were under construction on the island of Cuba, less than 160 kilometers from American soil. In response, President JFK commanded a naval task force to enact a naval blockade encircling the island. The next phase constituted nearly a fortnight filled with unbearable anxiety.

The Catastrophic Threat

The danger was obvious. Should President Kennedy, or his Russian opposite, Nikita Khrushchev, were to fire against the other side, a chain reaction of worldwide atomic strikes and retaliatory strikes could have ensued, casting mankind into total destruction.

The Cuban missile crisis has been covered repeatedly, in volumes, films, as well as TV documentaries. But, in its latest installment, the BBC World Service podcast titled "The Bomb" introduces a completely new dimension to this historical narrative. It is jointly hosted by Kennedy's relative and Khrushchev's descendant, family members of the men that, over two tense weeks, held the destiny of the world in their hands.

"What was the Soviet side planning? What were the American side thinking?" questions Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s great-granddaughter and an academic of international affairs.

For her, the strength of the show lies in its endeavor to objectively ask: "How can nations detest each other to the point they confront each other?"

"I am acutely aware how spectacular it is that people have the potential to be friends or else have the potential to be total enemies," adds Max Kennedy, the son of RFK, nephew of JFK and now an author and lawyer. "History shows this dynamic repeatedly when nations have gone to war, and it just illustrates the sheer folly involved to fight."

A Brink of Catastrophe

What’s striking regarding this event was that, because it transpired so publicly, individuals around the world were able to observe nearly as it happened while it edged towards armageddon. Nonetheless, the risk of annihilation came closer than what anybody realised.

"Almost all officials in the White House were advocating for a military strike followed by a ground invasion," explains Kennedy. "Had the U.S. struck Cuba with the Sixth Fleet, undoubtedly Soviet forces stationed there would've deployed a tactical nuclear weapon at the American ships, which would have obliterated the aircraft carriers as well as destroyed America's primary fleet. In turn, we would have retaliated with an overwhelming counterattack that would have eradicated all life on Earth."

The fact it didn’t is a testament to Kennedy and Khrushchev, they managed to exercise restraint and calmly negotiate at a time when everyone in their governments demanded action. As a result, The Soviet premier removed the nuclear weapons from Cuba while President Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed at the time) withdrew American missiles from Turkey. The relief was worldwide, matched by the sense of optimism.

The Divergent Perspective

Yet, for those 13 days of October 1962, the fear was palpable by everyone. The Bomb’s presenters were born in the years following these events, and Khrushcheva being taught about the crisis through the USSR's education system, which painted an alternative narrative of what happened.

"You said your father remembers it, and it was a frightening day," she says. "However for Soviet citizens, the public really didn’t know that much about it, since it was a tense situation, and in the Soviet Union the official line was that things are always fine and positive."

Inside Khrushchev’s family, though, the perspective was different. "They told me that it was a triumphant occasion it was, because it represented a direct confrontation. They were able to find a solution, and didn’t start the war, seen as a positive outcome," she adds. Later on, however, that perspective was not shared by all Russians. "For decades in Russian politics, the crisis was viewed as a defeat for Khrushchev, because he didn’t blow up America."

A Unlikely Collaboration

The Bomb is so balanced , expertly crafted so much so that Khrushcheva jokes it almost made her forget the known the ending. This effect is, partly, thanks to the participation of historians. But, really, the most momentous thing remains the participation of the descendants. Not so long ago, it would be unthinkable that relatives of the heads of state of America 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, must be seen as a symbol of optimism.

"Max and I aren't the pioneers," smiles Khrushcheva. "After 1991, a relative Sergey Khrushchev’s son and formed a close bond with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"However we were strangers before the podcast," clarifies Max. "Which is a shame because we connected really well and now we’re friends, which is really great. Finally, after nearly six decades of almost destroying the world, our lineages are now friends, suggesting the world is more secure, somewhat."

Modern Echoes and Present Perils

Or is it? Part of the reason this series seems so urgent is that we once again find ourselves living through dark times. The Doomsday Clock is closer to catastrophe than ever before, in part because today's statesmen appear not to have the capacity to grasp