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

During October 1962, the world came closer toward destruction than at any other point during modern times. This happened after a US reconnaissance aircraft discovered the fact that Soviet atomic missile bases were under construction on the island of Cuba, less than 100 miles off the coast of the US mainland. In response, U.S. President John F Kennedy commanded the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to impose a maritime quarantine encircling the island. The ensuing period was nearly a fortnight filled with extreme anxiety.

An Unthinkable Danger

The danger was palpable. If Kennedy, or else the Russian opposite, Premier Khrushchev, initiated an attack on the other side, a chain reaction involving global nuclear strikes and counterstrikes might have followed, thrusting civilization toward all-out destruction.

This pivotal 1962 event has been covered repeatedly, through volumes, movies, as well as television programmes. However, for its third season, a prominent BBC World Service podcast titled "The Bomb" presents a completely new dimension to this historical narrative. It is jointly hosted by Kennedy's relative alongside Nina Khrushcheva, relatives of the leaders who, for 13 days, grasped the fate of humanity within their grasp.

"What were the Russians thinking? What were Washington thinking?" ponders Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's descendant who is also an academic of international affairs.

For her, the unique appeal of the podcast is its endeavor to objectively ask: "How can nations detest one another to the point they oppose each other?"

"It struck me how remarkable the fact that humans can be friends or have the potential to be total adversaries," states Max Kennedy, the son of RFK, nephew of the late president and currently an author and lawyer. "History shows this dynamic over and over in instances where nations enter into conflict, demonstrating the sheer folly it is to fight."

The Precipice of Disaster

What is striking regarding this event is that, because it transpired so publicly, individuals around the world could watch almost in real time as it crept closer to catastrophe. Even so, the danger of annihilation came closer than most people understood at the time.

"The overwhelming majority in the White House were advocating for a military strike followed by an invasion," explains Kennedy. "Had the U.S. struck Cuba using the naval blockade, undoubtedly Soviet forces stationed there would've launched a nuclear warhead against the American ships, and that would've obliterated the naval vessels and destroyed our primary fleet. In turn, the U.S. would have retaliated with massive retaliation that would have ended most life on Earth."

The reality it didn’t stands as credit to Kennedy and Khrushchev, they managed to keep their heads while calmly negotiate when many advisors around them were advocating military action. Consequently, The Soviet premier removed the missiles in the Caribbean island while Kennedy (although not reported at the time) removed American missiles based in Turkey. The sense of relief was palpable, matched by the sense of optimism.

A Different Viewpoint

Yet, for those 13 days of October 1962, the tension was felt globally. The podcast's presenters were born shortly after these events, and Nina being taught about it through the USSR's school curriculum, which painted a slightly different narrative of events.

"As you mentioned your father recalls it, describing it as a scary day," she says. "However for Soviet citizens, people were largely unaware a great deal about it, since it was a crisis, whereas under the Soviet system we were told that things are always wonderful or positive."

Within Khrushchev’s family, however, it was different. "They told me what a great occasion for the USSR, as it was eyeball to eyeball. The leaders managed to find a solution, and didn’t start the war, seen as a positive outcome," she adds. Later on, though, that view would not be held by all Russians. "For a long time in Russian politics, the crisis was viewed as a setback for the Soviet leader, simply he didn’t blow up the United States."

An Unprecedented Collaboration

This podcast is so even-handed , well produced that Khrushcheva jokes it almost made her forget the known outcome. This effect is, partly, thanks to contributions from historians. But, really, the most significant aspect is the involvement of the hosts themselves. Even within living memory, it was unthinkable for relatives of the leaders of the United States and USSR would appear side by side. The fact that these two individuals are able to do so, and be so warm with each other, must be seen as a sign of progress.

"Max and I aren't the first," smiles Khrushcheva. "After the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, a relative Sergey Khrushchev’s son where he became great friends with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"But we had never met before the podcast," adds Kennedy. "Which is a shame because we connected really well and now we’re friends, which is wonderful. Finally, after nearly six decades of nearly annihilating the world, our families are now allies, so I think global relations is safer, a little bit."

Contemporary Parallels and Current Perils

Is that truly the case? One reason the reason The Bomb feels so necessary is that we now are living in dark times. The symbolic clock of doom stands nearer to catastrophe in its history, in part because world leaders appear not to have the capacity to learn