‘After nearly annihilating the world, the families have become friends’: a gripping podcast from JFK & Nikita Khrushchev’s relatives.

During October 1962, the world veered closer to ruin more so than ever in modern times. This transpired following the discovery that an American reconnaissance plane found that Soviet atomic missile installations were being assembled in the island of Cuba, less than 100 miles from the US mainland. Reacting to this, President John F Kennedy ordered a naval task force to impose a naval blockade around the island. The ensuing period was nearly a fortnight of extreme tension.

An Catastrophic Threat

The peril remained palpable. Should Kennedy, or his Soviet counterpart, Premier Khrushchev, had fired against their enemy, a cascade of global atomic strikes and retaliatory strikes could have followed, thrusting mankind toward all-out ruination.

The Cuban missile crisis has been covered endlessly, in volumes, movies, and television programmes. But, for its third season, a prominent BBC World Service podcast The Bomb presents a novel dimension to this historical narrative. The series is co-presented by Max Kennedy alongside Khrushchev's descendant, family members belonging to the men who, for 13 days, controlled the destiny of the world within their grasp.

"What were the Kremlin planning? What was the United States considering?" asks Nina Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s great-granddaughter and an academic specializing in international affairs.

In her view, the unique appeal of the show lies in its attempt to explore: "How can individuals detest each other and go against each other?"

"It struck me how profound it is that humans can be allies or else have the potential to be total enemies," states Max Kennedy, the son of Robert Kennedy, related to JFK and currently a writer and attorney. "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 about the Cuban missile crisis is that, because it unfolded so publicly, citizens around the world were able to observe nearly in real time as it edged towards catastrophe. However, the threat of destruction came closer than most people understood at the time.

"Almost all officials among Kennedy's advisors wanted an airstrike and a ground invasion," says Max Kennedy. "If we had struck the Cubans using the Sixth Fleet, there is no question Soviet forces on the ground would've deployed a nuclear warhead against the US Sixth Fleet, and that would have obliterated our naval vessels and destroyed our primary fleet. And, the U.S. would have retaliated with massive retaliation which would have ended most life on Earth."

The reality it didn’t stands as credit to both leaders, they succeeded in exercise restraint while engaging in diplomacy at a time when everyone in their governments demanded military action. As a result, The Soviet premier removed the missiles in Cuba and Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed at the time) removed American missiles from NATO ally Turkey. The sense of relief was worldwide, as was the sense of hope.

The Divergent Viewpoint

Yet, during those two weeks of October 1962, the anxiety was felt globally. The Bomb’s presenters were born in the years following the crisis, and Nina learned about it via the USSR's school curriculum, which painted an alternative narrative of what happened.

"As you mentioned your parent remembers it, and it was a scary time," she says. "However for Soviet citizens, the public were largely unaware that much about it, since it was a crisis, and in the Soviet Union we were told that things are constantly wonderful or sunny."

Within the Khrushchev household, however, the perspective was different. "I was informed that it was a triumphant occasion for the USSR, as it was eyeball to eyeball. The leaders managed to resolve it, and didn’t start a global war, which was a positive outcome," she adds. Subsequently, however, that perspective would not be shared by everybody. "For decades within Russian historical analysis, the crisis was viewed as a defeat for the Soviet leader, because he refrained from destroying the United States."

An Unprecedented Partnership

This podcast is remarkably balanced , well produced that Khrushcheva quips it almost made her forget she already knew the ending. This is, partly, due to contributions from renowned scholars. Yet, truly, the most groundbreaking thing remains the participation of the hosts themselves. Even within living memory, it would be unthinkable for descendants of the leaders of the United States and Soviet Union would appear side by side. That these two individuals are able to do so, and be so warm with each other, has to be a symbol of optimism.

"We are not the pioneers," notes Nina. "After 1991, my uncle Sergey Khrushchev’s son where he formed a close bond with the former president's family."

"But we were strangers before the podcast," clarifies Max. "That is a shame since we got along immediately and now we’re friends, which is really great. Ultimately, after almost six decades of nearly annihilating the planet, our lineages have become allies, so I think the world is safer, a little bit."

Modern Echoes and Current Dangers

Or is it? One reason why The Bomb seems so urgent is that we now find ourselves living through a perilous era. The symbolic clock of doom is closer to midnight in its history, in part because today's statesmen appear not to have the capacity to learn