‘After almost annihilating our world, the relatives are friends’: a thrilling podcast featuring John F. Kennedy and Nikita Khrushchev’s relatives.

In October 1962, humanity came closer toward destruction than at any other point in the contemporary era. This transpired following the discovery that an American surveillance aircraft identified the fact that Russian nuclear missile bases were being built on Cuba, a mere 100 miles off the coast of American soil. In response, U.S. President JFK directed the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to enact a maritime blockade around Cuba. What followed was nearly two weeks filled with extreme stress.

An Catastrophic Threat

The threat was obvious. If Kennedy, or else his Soviet counterpart, Premier Khrushchev, initiated an attack on the other side, a cascade of global nuclear attacks followed by retaliatory strikes could have followed, casting civilization into all-out oblivion.

The Cuban missile crisis has been examined endlessly, through books, movies, and television programmes. But, for its third season, the BBC World Service podcast titled "The Bomb" presents a completely new perspective into the story. The series is jointly hosted featuring Kennedy's relative alongside Nina Khrushcheva, relatives belonging to the leaders that, for two tense weeks, controlled the fate of the world in their hands.

"What were the Soviet side considering? What were the United States thinking?" questions Nina Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's descendant who is also an academic specializing in international affairs.

In her view, the unique appeal of the show lies in its attempt to objectively ask: "How can people hate one another to the point they go against one another?"

"I am acutely aware how profound it is that people have the potential to be allies or can become total enemies," states Max Kennedy, son of Robert Kennedy, related to JFK and now a writer as well as attorney. "We see this dynamic over and over in instances where nations have gone to war, demonstrating the sheer folly it is to fight."

A Brink of Catastrophe

What is notable regarding this event was that, because it unfolded in the global spotlight, people around the world were able to observe almost in real time while it edged closer to disaster. However, the threat of destruction came closer than most people understood at the time.

"The overwhelming majority in the White House were advocating for an airstrike followed by a ground invasion," notes Kennedy. "If we had attacked Cuba using the naval blockade, it is certain Soviet forces on the ground would've launched a tactical nuclear weapon against the American ships, which would have destroyed the naval vessels and destroyed America's largest and most important fleet. In turn, the U.S. would have responded through massive retaliation which would have ended all life on Earth."

The reality this did not occur is a testament to both leaders, they managed to exercise restraint and calmly negotiate when everyone around them demanded action. As a result, Khrushchev removed the missiles from 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 the sense of optimism.

A Divergent Viewpoint

Still, for those two weeks in October, the tension was felt by everyone. The Bomb’s co-hosts were born in the years following the crisis, and Khrushcheva learned about it via the USSR's school curriculum, which presented a slightly different picture of events.

"As you mentioned your parent remembers it, and it was a scary time," Khrushcheva notes. "But for Soviet citizens, the public really didn’t know that much regarding the crisis, since it was a tense situation, and under the Soviet system we were told that things are constantly wonderful and positive."

Inside Khrushchev’s family, however, the perspective was distinct. "They told me what a great moment for the USSR, because it represented eyeball to eyeball. They were able to find a solution, thus didn’t start the war, which was a positive thing," she continues. In the years to come, however, that view was not shared by all Russians. "For decades in Russian politics, it was considered a defeat for the Soviet leader, because he refrained from destroying America."

A Unprecedented Partnership

The Bomb is so balanced and expertly crafted that Nina quips she nearly forgot the known the ending. This is, in part, thanks to contributions from renowned scholars. Yet, truly, the most momentous aspect is the involvement of the hosts themselves. Not so long ago, it would be inconceivable that descendants of the heads of state of the United States and the USSR would appear side by side. The fact that these two individuals are able to do so, and be so warm toward one another, has to be a sign of progress.

"Max and I are not the pioneers," notes Nina. "After the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, my uncle Sergey Khrushchev’s son where he formed a close bond with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"But we had never met before the podcast," adds Max. "Which is unfortunate since we connected immediately and now we’re friends, something that is wonderful. Finally, following almost six decades since nearly annihilating the world, our lineages are now allies, suggesting the world is safer, somewhat."

Modern Parallels with Current Dangers

Is that truly the case? One reason the reason this series seems so urgent is that we once again find ourselves living through dark times. The Doomsday Clock is closer to midnight in its history, partly since today's statesmen appear not to have the capacity to comprehend