‘After almost destroying the world, our families are allies’: the gripping podcast from JFK & Nikita Khrushchev’s relatives.

In October 1962, the world came nearer to ruin than at any other point in the contemporary era. This happened after an American reconnaissance plane discovered the fact that Russian nuclear weapon installations were being built in Cuba, a mere 100 miles off the coast of the US mainland. In response, President JFK directed the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to establish a maritime blockade encircling Cuba. The ensuing period was almost a fortnight filled with unbearable stress.

The Catastrophic Danger

The danger remained obvious. Should President Kennedy, or the Soviet counterpart, Premier Khrushchev, were to fire on the other side, a chain reaction of worldwide atomic strikes followed by counterstrikes would have followed, thrusting civilization toward total ruination.

The October crisis has been documented repeatedly, in books, films, and television programmes. But, for its third season, a prominent BBC World Service podcast titled "The Bomb" introduces a novel perspective into the story. It is jointly hosted featuring Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva, family members belonging to the figures who, over two tense weeks, held the fate of the planet within their grasp.

"What were the Kremlin considering? What was the American side thinking?" ponders Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s descendant who is also an academic specializing in global relations.

In her view, the strength of the podcast lies in its endeavor to question: "Why do people detest each other to the point they oppose each other?"

"It was not lost on me how profound the fact that humans have the potential to be friends or can become complete enemies," states Kennedy, son of RFK, related to the late president and currently a writer as well as lawyer. "History shows this repeatedly when nations have gone to war, highlighting the sheer folly it is to fight."

The Brink Towards Disaster

What is notable regarding the Cuban missile crisis is that, since it transpired so publicly, citizens globally were able to observe nearly as it happened while it edged closer to catastrophe. Nonetheless, the threat of destruction was more imminent than most people realised.

"Virtually everyone in the White House wanted a military strike followed by an invasion," notes Kennedy. "Had the U.S. attacked Cuba with the Sixth Fleet, it is certain Soviet forces on the ground would have launched a tactical nuclear weapon against the US Sixth Fleet, and that would have sunk the aircraft carriers and sunk America's primary fleet. In turn, we would have retaliated with an overwhelming counterattack which would have eradicated most life on Earth."

The reality it didn’t is a testament to both leaders, they succeeded in remain calm and engaging in diplomacy at a time when hawkish elements around them demanded action. As a result, Khrushchev removed the missiles from the Caribbean island while President Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed then) removed American missiles based in Turkey. The sense of relief was immense, as was the sense of optimism.

A Divergent Perspective

Still, during those two weeks of October 1962, the tension was palpable globally. The podcast's presenters were born shortly after these events, and Khrushcheva being taught about the crisis via the Soviet education system, which portrayed a slightly different narrative of events.

"You said your parent remembers it, and it was a scary time," Khrushcheva notes. "However for Soviet citizens, people were largely unaware a great deal about it, since it was a tense situation, and under the Soviet system the official line was that everything was constantly wonderful and positive."

Inside the Khrushchev household, however, the perspective was different. "I was informed that it was a triumphant moment it was, because it was a direct confrontation. They were able to find a solution, thus avoided a global war, seen as a positive thing," she continues. Later on, however, that view was not held by everybody. "For a long time in Russian politics, it was considered a defeat for Khrushchev, because he didn’t blow up America."

An Unlikely Partnership

The Bomb is so balanced , well produced that Khrushcheva jokes she nearly forgot she already knew the ending. This effect is, partly, due to the participation of historians. Yet, really, the most momentous aspect remains the participation of the descendants. Not so long ago, it was inconceivable that relatives of the heads of state of the United States and the USSR to appear together publicly. That these two individuals can do that, and exhibit such warmth with each other, has to be a sign of hope.

"Max and I aren't the first," notes Nina. "Following the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, a relative moved to America where he formed a close bond with the former president's family."

"However we had never met prior to this project," adds Kennedy. "That is unfortunate since we connected really well and now we are friends, something that is wonderful. Finally, after almost six decades of nearly annihilating the world, our families are now friends, so I think global relations is safer, somewhat."

Modern Echoes with Present Perils

Or is it? Part of why The Bomb seems so urgent is because we now are living living through a perilous era. The Doomsday Clock is closer to midnight in its history, in part because today's statesmen don’t seem to be able to grasp