‘After nearly destroying the world, the families have become allies’: the thrilling podcast from JFK & Khrushchev’s relatives.

In October 1962, the world veered closer toward annihilation than at any other point in the contemporary era. This happened following the discovery that an American surveillance aircraft found the fact that Russian atomic weapon installations were being assembled in Cuba, a mere 160 kilometers off the coast of American soil. Reacting to this, President John F Kennedy commanded the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to enact a maritime quarantine encircling the island. What followed constituted nearly 14 days filled with extreme tension.

An Unthinkable Danger

The peril remained palpable. If Kennedy, or his Soviet counterpart, Premier Khrushchev, initiated an attack against the other side, a cascade of global atomic attacks followed by counterstrikes could have ensued, plunging humanity toward total ruination.

The October crisis has been documented repeatedly, in volumes, movies, as well as TV documentaries. But, in its latest installment, the BBC World Service podcast The Bomb presents a novel perspective into this historical narrative. The series is jointly hosted by Max Kennedy alongside Khrushchev's descendant, family members of the men who, over two tense weeks, controlled the destiny of the planet in their hands.

"What was the Soviet side planning? What were Washington considering?" questions Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's great-granddaughter and a professor specializing in international affairs.

For her, the strength of the show lies in its attempt to objectively ask: "How can people detest each other to the point they go against each other?"

"It struck me how profound it is that people have the potential to be friends or else have the potential to be complete enemies," remarks Kennedy, son of Robert Kennedy, nephew of JFK and currently an author and attorney. "We see this repeatedly in instances where countries enter into conflict, highlighting the profound irrationality it is to fight."

The Precipice Towards Disaster

What is striking regarding this event was that, because it transpired in the global spotlight, individuals globally were able to observe almost as it happened as it crept towards disaster. Nonetheless, the threat of destruction was more imminent than most people understood at the time.

"The overwhelming majority among Kennedy's advisors were advocating for an airstrike and a ground invasion," says Max Kennedy. "If we had struck Cuba with the Sixth Fleet, undoubtedly the Russians stationed there would have fired a nuclear warhead at the US Sixth Fleet, which would've obliterated the aircraft carriers as well as destroyed our largest and most important naval force. And, the U.S. would have responded with an overwhelming counterattack which would have eradicated all life on Earth."

The reality this did not occur highlights the composure of both leaders, who succeeded in remain calm while engaging in diplomacy when many advisors in their governments was pushing for action. As a result, The Soviet premier agreed to withdraw the nuclear weapons in the Caribbean island and President Kennedy (although not reported at the time) removed American missiles based in NATO ally Turkey. The sense of relief was worldwide, matched by a feeling of hope.

A Divergent Viewpoint

Still, during those two weeks of October 1962, the tension was palpable by everyone. The podcast's presenters came into the world shortly after these events, and Khrushcheva being taught about it through the Soviet education system, which presented an alternative picture of what happened.

"You said your parent remembers it, and it was a scary day," Khrushcheva notes. "But for Soviet citizens, the public were largely unaware a great deal regarding the crisis, since it was a crisis, whereas in the Soviet Union the official line was that everything was always fine and positive."

Within Khrushchev’s family, however, the perspective was distinct. "They told me that it was a triumphant moment it was, as it was eyeball to eyeball. The leaders managed to find a solution, and didn’t start the war, which was a positive thing," she continues. In the years to come, however, that perspective was not shared by all Russians. "For a long time within Russian historical analysis, it was considered a setback for Khrushchev, because he didn’t blow up America."

An Unprecedented Collaboration

The Bomb is so even-handed , well produced that Khrushcheva jokes she nearly forgot the known the ending. This effect is, in part, due to the participation of renowned scholars. But, really, the most significant thing remains the involvement of the hosts themselves. Not so long ago, it would be unthinkable that relatives of the leaders of America and USSR would appear side by side. That these two individuals can do that, and exhibit such warmth with each other, must be seen as a sign of hope.

"We aren't the first," notes Nina. "Following 1991, my uncle Sergey Khrushchev’s son and became great friends with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"However we were strangers prior to this project," adds Kennedy. "That is a shame since we got along immediately and we are friends, which is really great. Ultimately, after nearly 60 years since nearly annihilating the planet, our lineages are now friends, so I think global relations is safer, a little bit."

Contemporary Echoes with Current Dangers

Or is it? One reason why The Bomb feels so necessary is that we now are living in a perilous era. The symbolic clock of doom is closer to midnight in its history, in part because today's statesmen appear not to have the capacity to comprehend