‘After nearly annihilating our planet, our relatives are allies’: a gripping podcast from JFK & Nikita Khrushchev’s relatives.

During the month of October 1962, humanity came closer toward ruin more so than ever in recent history. This happened following the discovery that an American surveillance aircraft found the fact that Russian atomic weapon bases were under construction in the island of Cuba, a mere 160 kilometers from American soil. In response, President JFK commanded the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to establish a maritime quarantine around Cuba. The next phase constituted almost two weeks filled with unbearable stress.

An Unthinkable Danger

The danger was clear. If Kennedy, or the Russian opposite, Nikita Khrushchev, were to fire against their enemy, a series involving worldwide nuclear attacks and counterstrikes might have ensued, thrusting mankind into total oblivion.

This pivotal 1962 event has been examined endlessly, through volumes, movies, and TV documentaries. But, in its latest installment, the BBC World Service podcast The Bomb presents a novel element to the story. The series is co-presented by Kennedy's relative alongside Nina Khrushcheva, family members of the figures that, over two tense weeks, held the destiny of the planet in their hands.

"What was the Soviet side planning? What were Washington planning?" ponders Nina Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s great-granddaughter who is also an academic of international affairs.

In her view, the strength of the podcast lies in its attempt to explore: "Why do people detest one another to the point they go against one another?"

"It was not lost on me how spectacular it is that people can be friends or else have the potential to be total adversaries," states Kennedy, the son of Robert Kennedy, related to JFK and currently a writer as well as attorney. "We see this repeatedly when nations enter into conflict, and it just illustrates how unbelievably stupid it is to engage in warfare."

The Precipice of Disaster

What is notable regarding this event was that, because it transpired so publicly, individuals globally could watch nearly in real time while it crept closer to disaster. Even so, the threat of destruction came closer than what anybody understood at the time.

"Almost all officials among Kennedy's advisors were advocating for a military strike and a ground invasion," says Max Kennedy. "Had the U.S. attacked the Cubans with the Sixth Fleet, there is no question Soviet forces stationed there would have deployed a nuclear warhead at the US Sixth Fleet, which would have sunk the aircraft carriers and destroyed America's primary naval force. And, we would have retaliated with an overwhelming counterattack that would have eradicated all life on the planet."

The reality this did not occur stands as credit to Kennedy and Khrushchev, they managed to remain calm and calmly negotiate at a time when many advisors in their governments were advocating military action. Consequently, The Soviet premier removed the missiles from the Caribbean island while Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed then) withdrew American similar weapons based in Turkey. The sense of relief was worldwide, matched by a feeling of hope.

A Divergent Viewpoint

Yet, for those two weeks of October 1962, the tension was palpable by everyone. The podcast's co-hosts came into the world in the years following these events, and Nina being taught about it via the Soviet school curriculum, which portrayed a slightly different picture of what happened.

"You said your parent recalls it, describing it as a frightening day," she says. "However in the Soviet Union, the public really didn’t know a great deal regarding the crisis, because it was a crisis, and in the Soviet Union we were told that things are always wonderful or positive."

Inside the Khrushchev household, though, it was distinct. "I was informed that it was a triumphant occasion it was, as it was a direct confrontation. The leaders managed to resolve it, thus avoided the war, which was a wonderful outcome," she continues. Later on, though, that perspective would not be shared by everybody. "For a long time within Russian historical analysis, the crisis was viewed as a failure for the Soviet leader, simply he didn’t blow up America."

An Unprecedented Collaboration

This podcast is remarkably balanced , expertly crafted so much so that Khrushcheva quips she nearly forgot the known outcome. This is, partly, due to the participation of renowned scholars. But, truly, the most momentous aspect is the participation of the descendants. Not so long ago, it was inconceivable that relatives of the leaders of the United States and Soviet Union to appear together publicly. That these two individuals can do that, and be so warm with each other, has to be a sign of hope.

"Max and I aren't the first," notes Nina. "After 1991, a relative moved to America where he formed a close bond with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"But we had never met prior to this project," adds Max. "Which is a shame because we connected immediately and now we’re friends, which is really great. Finally, following nearly six decades of almost destroying the world, our families have become friends, so I think the world is safer, a little bit."

Modern Echoes with Present Perils

Is that truly the case? One reason why 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 midnight in its history, in part because world leaders don’t seem to have the capacity to grasp