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

In October 1962, the planet came closer toward ruin more so than ever during recent history. This occurred after an American reconnaissance aircraft identified the fact that Russian atomic weapon sites were being assembled in the island of Cuba, less than 100 miles from American soil. In response, U.S. President John F Kennedy directed the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to establish a maritime quarantine encircling Cuba. What followed constituted nearly a fortnight filled with unbearable stress.

The Unthinkable Danger

The threat remained palpable. Should Kennedy, or else the Soviet counterpart, Nikita Khrushchev, were to fire against the other side, a chain reaction of worldwide nuclear strikes and retaliatory strikes could have ensued, plunging civilization into total oblivion.

This pivotal 1962 event has been documented endlessly, through books, movies, as well as television programmes. But, for its third season, the BBC World Service podcast The Bomb introduces a novel perspective into this historical narrative. The series is co-presented featuring Kennedy's relative and Nina Khrushcheva, relatives of the leaders who, over 13 days, held the destiny of humanity in their hands.

"What were the Soviet side planning? What was the United States planning?" asks Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's descendant and an academic specializing in international affairs.

For her, the strength of the show lies in its attempt to question: "Why do individuals hate one another and oppose one another?"

"It was not lost on me how profound it is that individuals can be allies or have the potential to be total enemies," states Max Kennedy, the son of RFK, related to JFK and currently an author and lawyer. "History shows this over and over in instances where nations have gone to war, highlighting the profound irrationality involved to fight."

A Precipice of Disaster

What is notable regarding this event is that, because it transpired in the global spotlight, individuals worldwide could watch nearly in real time as it crept towards armageddon. However, the risk of annihilation was more imminent than most people understood at the time.

"Virtually everyone in the White House were advocating for a military strike followed by a ground invasion," notes Kennedy. "Had the U.S. struck the Cubans with the naval blockade, it is certain the Russians stationed there would have deployed a nuclear warhead against the US Sixth Fleet, which would have obliterated our aircraft carriers and sunk our largest and most important naval force. In turn, we would have responded with massive retaliation which would have eradicated all life on Earth."

The fact this did not occur stands as credit to Kennedy and Khrushchev, who managed to keep their heads and calmly negotiate when hawkish elements in their governments was pushing for action. Consequently, Khrushchev removed the nuclear weapons from Cuba and President Kennedy (although not reported then) withdrew his missiles based in NATO ally Turkey. The relief was palpable, matched by the sense of hope.

The Different Perspective

Yet, during those two weeks of October 1962, the anxiety was felt globally. The podcast's co-hosts came into the world shortly after the crisis, with Nina learned about the crisis via the USSR's education system, which portrayed a slightly different version of what happened.

"You said your father remembers it, and it was a frightening time," Khrushcheva notes. "But in the Soviet Union, people really didn’t know a great deal regarding the crisis, because it was a tense situation, whereas in the Soviet Union we were told that everything was always wonderful and sunny."

Within the Khrushchev household, though, the perspective was different. "They told me what a great occasion for the USSR, because it was a direct confrontation. The leaders managed to find a solution, thus didn’t start a global war, which was a positive outcome," she continues. In the years to come, however, that perspective would not be shared by all Russians. "For a long time within Russian historical analysis, the crisis was viewed as a setback for Khrushchev, simply he didn’t blow up America."

An Unlikely Collaboration

This podcast is remarkably balanced , expertly crafted so much so that Khrushcheva jokes she nearly forgot the known outcome. This effect is, in part, due to the participation of renowned scholars. But, truly, the most momentous aspect remains the involvement of the hosts themselves. Even within living memory, it was inconceivable that relatives of the heads of state of America and USSR would appear together publicly. That Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva can do that, and exhibit such warmth toward one another, must be seen as a sign of progress.

"Max and I aren't the pioneers," smiles Nina. "After 1991, a relative moved to America where he became great friends with the former president's family."

"But we were strangers prior to this project," clarifies Kennedy. "That is a shame because we connected immediately and now we are friends, something that is really great. Ultimately, following almost six decades since nearly annihilating the world, our lineages are now allies, so I think global relations is safer, a little bit."

Modern Echoes with Present Dangers

Is that truly the case? Part of the reason The Bomb feels so necessary is because we now find ourselves in dark times. The symbolic clock of doom stands nearer to catastrophe than ever before, partly since today's statesmen appear not to be able to learn