Following nearly annihilating our world, the relatives have become friends’: a gripping podcast from John F. Kennedy & Khrushchev’s relatives.

In October 1962, humanity edged closer to ruin than at any other point during modern times. This occurred when an American reconnaissance aircraft identified that Russian nuclear weapon bases were being assembled in the island of Cuba, a mere 160 kilometers from American soil. In response, President JFK directed the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to establish a maritime quarantine encircling Cuba. The ensuing period was almost 14 days filled with extreme stress.

An Catastrophic Threat

The peril remained clear. If President Kennedy, or else his Russian opposite, Nikita Khrushchev, initiated an attack against the other side, a series of global nuclear attacks and counterstrikes might have followed, thrusting humanity into all-out oblivion.

The Cuban missile crisis has been examined repeatedly, through books, films, and television programmes. However, in its latest installment, a prominent BBC World Service podcast The Bomb has brought a novel dimension to the story. It is jointly hosted by Kennedy's relative alongside Nina Khrushcheva, family members belonging to the leaders that, for 13 days, grasped the fate of the world in their hands.

"What was the Kremlin planning? What was the United States planning?" asks Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's great-granddaughter who is also a professor specializing in global relations.

In her view, the unique appeal of the show is its endeavor to objectively ask: "Why do individuals detest each other and confront each other?"

"I am acutely aware how remarkable the fact that individuals have the potential to be allies or have the potential to be complete enemies," remarks Max Kennedy, the son of Robert Kennedy, nephew of the late president and currently an author as well as attorney. "History shows this over and over when nations have gone to war, highlighting the sheer folly it is to fight."

The Precipice of Catastrophe

What’s notable regarding the Cuban missile crisis is that, since it unfolded in the global spotlight, citizens around the world could watch almost in real time as it edged towards catastrophe. Nonetheless, the risk of destruction came closer than most people realised.

"Almost all officials among Kennedy's advisors were advocating for a military strike and a ground invasion," notes Max Kennedy. "Had the U.S. struck the Cubans using the Sixth Fleet, there is no question Soviet forces on the ground would have launched a tactical nuclear weapon against the American ships, which would've destroyed the naval vessels as well as sunk our largest and most important fleet. And, the U.S. would have retaliated with an overwhelming counterattack that would have eradicated all life on Earth."

The fact this did not occur stands as credit to Kennedy and Khrushchev, they managed to remain calm while engaging in diplomacy at a time when hawkish elements in their governments were advocating action. Consequently, Khrushchev agreed to withdraw the nuclear weapons in the Caribbean island and Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed then) withdrew American missiles based in NATO ally Turkey. The sense of relief was palpable, as was a feeling of optimism.

A Different Viewpoint

Yet, for those two weeks of October 1962, the anxiety was felt globally. The Bomb’s co-hosts came into the world in the years following the crisis, with Nina being taught about it via the Soviet education system, which portrayed an alternative narrative of what happened.

"You said your father recalls it, describing it as a scary day," she says. "But for Soviet citizens, the public were largely unaware a great deal regarding the crisis, since it was a crisis, whereas under the Soviet system the official line was that everything was constantly wonderful or sunny."

Inside Khrushchev’s family, though, the perspective was different. "I was informed what a great occasion for the USSR, as it was eyeball to eyeball. They were able to resolve it, and avoided a global war, seen as a positive thing," she continues. In the years to come, though, that interpretation would not be held by everybody. "For a long time in Russian politics, it was considered a setback for the Soviet leader, because he refrained from destroying the United States."

A Unlikely Partnership

This podcast is so balanced and well produced that Khrushcheva quips it almost made her forget the known the ending. This is, partly, due to the participation of historians. Yet, truly, the most momentous aspect is the participation of the hosts themselves. Not so long ago, it was unthinkable for descendants of the leaders of America and USSR to appear side by side. That Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva are able to do so, and exhibit such warmth with each other, must be seen as a symbol of optimism.

"We aren't the pioneers," smiles Khrushcheva. "After 1991, my uncle moved to America and formed a close bond with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"However we had never met prior to this project," clarifies Kennedy. "That is a shame because we got along immediately and we are friends, something that is wonderful. Ultimately, following nearly 60 years since almost destroying the planet, our lineages have become friends, so I think global relations is safer, a little bit."

Contemporary Parallels and Current Dangers

Or is it? One reason why The Bomb feels so necessary is that we now are living living through a perilous era. The symbolic clock of doom is closer to midnight in its history, partly since world leaders appear not to be able to learn