Following almost destroying our planet, our families have become friends’: a thrilling podcast featuring John F. Kennedy & Khrushchev’s relatives.

In the month of October 1962, humanity veered closer toward annihilation more so than ever in recent history. This transpired after an American surveillance plane discovered the fact that Russian atomic missile installations were being built on Cuba, less than 160 kilometers from the United States. Reacting to this, President JFK ordered a naval task force to enact a naval quarantine around Cuba. What followed constituted nearly a fortnight filled with unbearable anxiety.

The Unthinkable Danger

The threat was palpable. Should President Kennedy, or else his Russian opposite, Premier Khrushchev, were to fire on the other side, a series involving global atomic attacks followed by retaliatory strikes might have followed, casting humanity into total oblivion.

This pivotal 1962 event has been examined repeatedly, in volumes, films, and TV documentaries. But, in its latest installment, the BBC World Service podcast The Bomb presents a novel dimension into this historical narrative. The series is jointly hosted featuring Max Kennedy alongside Nina Khrushcheva, family members belonging to the men that, for 13 days, grasped the destiny of humanity within their grasp.

"What were the Russians considering? What were the American side considering?" asks Nina Khrushcheva, Khrushchev’s great-granddaughter and an academic of global relations.

For her, the beauty of the show lies in its attempt to explore: "How can nations detest one another to the point they oppose each other?"

"It was not lost on me how remarkable it is that humans have the potential to be allies or else can become complete enemies," states Max Kennedy, son of RFK, nephew of JFK and now a writer as well as lawyer. "We see this dynamic repeatedly in instances where countries enter into conflict, and it just illustrates how unbelievably stupid it is to engage in warfare."

A Precipice of Catastrophe

What is striking regarding the Cuban missile crisis was that, since it transpired so publicly, individuals around the world were able to observe almost in real time while it moved closer to disaster. Even so, the threat of annihilation was more imminent than what anybody realised.

"The overwhelming majority in the White House wanted an airstrike and an invasion," explains Kennedy. "Had the U.S. attacked Cuba using the Sixth Fleet, there is no question the Russians on the ground would've deployed a tactical nuclear weapon against the American ships, which would've obliterated our aircraft carriers as well as destroyed our largest and most important fleet. And, we would have responded with massive retaliation that would have eradicated all life on the planet."

The fact it didn’t is a testament to Kennedy and Khrushchev, who managed to remain calm and engaging in diplomacy when everyone around them were advocating action. As a result, Khrushchev agreed to withdraw the nuclear weapons from Cuba and President Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed then) withdrew American missiles from NATO ally Turkey. The relief was immense, as was a feeling of optimism.

A Divergent Viewpoint

Still, for those 13 days of October 1962, the anxiety was felt by everyone. The podcast's co-hosts came into the world in the years following the crisis, with Nina being taught about the crisis through the USSR's school curriculum, which portrayed an alternative picture of what happened.

"As you mentioned your parent remembers it, describing it as a frightening day," Khrushcheva notes. "But for Soviet citizens, people really didn’t know that much regarding the crisis, since it was a tense situation, whereas under the Soviet system we were told that everything was constantly fine and positive."

Inside the Khrushchev household, however, the perspective was distinct. "They told me that it was a triumphant occasion for the USSR, as it represented a direct confrontation. They were able to resolve it, thus avoided the war, which was a positive thing," she continues. Later on, though, that interpretation was not shared by everybody. "For decades within Russian historical analysis, the crisis was viewed as a failure for Khrushchev, because he didn’t blow up the United States."

A Unlikely Partnership

The Bomb is so balanced and expertly crafted so much so that Nina quips she nearly forgot she already knew outcome. This effect is, partly, due to the participation of historians. Yet, truly, the most momentous thing remains the involvement of the descendants. Not so long ago, it was unthinkable that descendants of the heads of state of America and the Soviet Union to appear together publicly. That these two individuals are able to do so, and exhibit such warmth toward one another, has to be a sign of optimism.

"Max and I are not the pioneers," smiles Khrushcheva. "Following the dissolution of the USSR in 1991, a relative Sergey Khrushchev’s son and became great friends with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"However we were strangers prior to this project," clarifies Max. "That is unfortunate since we got along really well and we’re friends, which is really great. Finally, after nearly 60 years since almost destroying the planet, our families have become friends, suggesting the world is safer, a little bit."

Contemporary Echoes with Current Dangers

Or is it? Part of the reason this series feels so necessary is that we once again find ourselves in a perilous era. The symbolic clock of doom stands nearer to midnight in its history, in part because world leaders appear not to have the capacity to learn