‘After nearly destroying our world, the families are friends’: the thrilling podcast from John F. Kennedy and Nikita Khrushchev’s relatives.

During the month of October 1962, the world came closer toward ruin more so than ever in modern times. This transpired when a US surveillance plane discovered that Soviet atomic missile installations were being built on the island of Cuba, a mere 100 miles from American soil. In response, U.S. President John F Kennedy commanded a naval task force to establish a naval blockade around the island. The ensuing period constituted almost a fortnight of extreme anxiety.

The Unthinkable Danger

The peril was obvious. Should Kennedy, or his Soviet counterpart, Nikita Khrushchev, initiated an attack against their enemy, a series of global nuclear attacks followed by retaliatory strikes could have ensued, casting mankind into total destruction.

The Cuban missile crisis has been examined extensively, in books, films, as well as television programmes. But, in its latest installment, a prominent BBC World Service podcast The Bomb has brought a novel perspective to this historical narrative. The series is co-presented featuring Max Kennedy alongside Nina Khrushcheva, relatives belonging to the figures that, over 13 days, held the destiny of the planet within their grasp.

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

For her, the strength of the show is its endeavor to explore: "How can individuals detest one another to the point they oppose one another?"

"It struck me how remarkable the fact that individuals can be allies or else have the potential to be total enemies," remarks Max Kennedy, son of Robert Kennedy, related to JFK and currently a writer and attorney. "We see this over and over in instances where nations have gone to war, highlighting the sheer folly it is to engage in warfare."

A Precipice Towards Catastrophe

What’s remarkable about the Cuban missile crisis was that, since it unfolded in the global spotlight, individuals around the world could watch almost in real time while it edged closer to catastrophe. Nonetheless, the risk of annihilation came closer than what anybody realised.

"Virtually everyone in the White House wanted an airstrike and an invasion," explains Kennedy. "Had the U.S. struck Cuba using the naval blockade, it is certain Soviet forces stationed there would've launched a nuclear warhead at the US Sixth Fleet, and that would have obliterated our naval vessels and sunk America's primary fleet. In turn, the U.S. would have responded through an overwhelming counterattack which would have eradicated most life on the planet."

The reality this did not occur is a testament to both leaders, they managed to keep their heads and engaging in diplomacy at a time when hawkish elements around them was pushing for action. As a result, Khrushchev agreed to withdraw the missiles from the Caribbean island and President Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed at the time) withdrew his missiles from Turkey. The sense of relief was immense, as was a feeling of hope.

The Divergent Perspective

Still, during those two weeks in October, the tension was felt by everyone. The podcast's co-hosts came into the world shortly after the crisis, with Nina learned about the crisis through the USSR's school curriculum, which portrayed a slightly different picture of what happened.

"As you mentioned your parent recalls it, describing it as a scary day," Khrushcheva notes. "But in the Soviet Union, the public were largely unaware that much about it, because it was a tense situation, and under the Soviet system the official line was that things are constantly fine or positive."

Inside Khrushchev’s family, however, it was different. "They told me what a great moment for the USSR, as it was a direct confrontation. The leaders managed to find a solution, thus avoided a global war, which was a positive thing," she adds. In the years to come, though, that view would not be held by all Russians. "For a long time within Russian historical analysis, it was considered a defeat for Khrushchev, because he didn’t blow up the United States."

An Unlikely Partnership

This podcast is remarkably balanced , expertly crafted that Khrushcheva jokes she nearly forgot the known outcome. This is, partly, thanks to contributions from historians. But, really, the most momentous aspect remains the participation of the descendants. Not so long ago, it would be unthinkable for relatives of the heads of state of America and USSR to appear side by side. That Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva can do that, and exhibit such warmth toward one another, has to be a sign of optimism.

"We are not the first," notes Khrushcheva. "After the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, a relative Sergey Khrushchev’s son and formed a close bond with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"But we were strangers prior to this project," adds Kennedy. "That is a shame since we connected really well and now we are friends, which is really great. Ultimately, after nearly 60 years since nearly annihilating the world, our families are now friends, so I think the world is more secure, somewhat."

Modern Parallels with Current Dangers

Or is it? One reason the reason The Bomb seems so urgent is that we once again find ourselves living through a perilous era. The symbolic clock of doom is closer to catastrophe than ever before, in part because today's statesmen don’t seem to be able to grasp