‘After almost annihilating our planet, the relatives are allies’: the gripping podcast featuring John F. Kennedy & Nikita Khrushchev’s relatives.

In the month of October 1962, the world veered nearer toward destruction than at any other point in the contemporary era. This transpired after an American surveillance plane identified that Russian nuclear weapon bases were being built on the island of Cuba, a mere 100 miles from the US mainland. In response, U.S. President JFK ordered the US Navy’s Sixth Fleet to enact a naval blockade encircling Cuba. The ensuing period was almost a fortnight filled with extreme tension.

The Unthinkable Danger

The danger was palpable. If Kennedy, or else the Russian opposite, Nikita Khrushchev, had fired against their enemy, a series involving worldwide nuclear strikes followed by retaliatory strikes could have followed, casting humanity into total oblivion.

The Cuban missile crisis has been documented endlessly, in books, movies, and TV documentaries. But, for its third season, the BBC World Service podcast titled "The Bomb" has brought an unprecedented dimension into this historical narrative. The series is jointly hosted featuring Kennedy's relative alongside Khrushchev's descendant, family members of the men that, over 13 days, controlled the fate of humanity in their hands.

"What was the Kremlin planning? What were the American side planning?" questions Nina Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's descendant who is also an academic specializing in global relations.

In her view, the beauty of the podcast is its attempt to objectively ask: "Why do people hate one another to the point they confront one another?"

"I am acutely aware how remarkable the fact that people can be allies or else have the potential to be complete adversaries," remarks Max Kennedy, the son of Robert Kennedy, nephew of JFK and now a writer and attorney. "We see this dynamic over and over when nations enter into conflict, highlighting how unbelievably stupid involved to engage in warfare."

The Precipice of Disaster

What’s notable regarding the Cuban missile crisis was that, since it unfolded so publicly, people around the world could watch nearly as it happened while it crept towards armageddon. However, the risk of destruction was more imminent than anybody realised.

"Virtually everyone among Kennedy's advisors were advocating for a military strike followed by an invasion," says Max Kennedy. "If we had attacked Cuba with the Sixth Fleet, there is no question the Russians stationed there would've deployed a nuclear warhead against the US Sixth Fleet, and that would have obliterated our aircraft carriers as well as destroyed America's primary fleet. In turn, the U.S. would have responded through massive retaliation which would have ended most life on the planet."

The fact this did not occur is a testament to Kennedy and Khrushchev, who succeeded in exercise restraint while engaging in diplomacy at a time when everyone around them demanded military action. As a result, The Soviet premier removed the missiles in Cuba while President Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed then) removed his missiles based in NATO ally Turkey. The relief was immense, matched by a feeling of optimism.

The Different Viewpoint

Yet, during those 13 days of October 1962, the tension was palpable globally. The podcast's presenters were born in the years following these events, and Nina being taught about it through the USSR's school curriculum, which painted a slightly different picture of events.

"As you mentioned your parent recalls it, describing it as a scary day," she says. "But for Soviet citizens, people were largely unaware a great deal regarding the crisis, since it was a tense situation, and in the Soviet Union the official line was that everything was always fine and sunny."

Inside Khrushchev’s family, though, the perspective was different. "They told me that it was a triumphant moment for the USSR, as it represented a direct confrontation. The leaders managed to find a solution, and didn’t start the war, which was a wonderful outcome," she continues. Subsequently, however, that view was not shared by all Russians. "For a long time within Russian historical analysis, the crisis was viewed as a setback for the Soviet leader, simply he didn’t blow up the United States."

An Unprecedented Partnership

This podcast is remarkably even-handed , expertly crafted that Nina quips it almost made her forget she already knew the ending. This is, in part, thanks to contributions from historians. Yet, really, the most groundbreaking aspect remains the involvement of the hosts themselves. Even within living memory, it would be inconceivable that relatives of the leaders of the United States and USSR would appear side by side. That Max Kennedy and Nina Khrushcheva can do that, and be so warm toward one another, has to be a symbol of optimism.

"We aren't the first," smiles Nina. "After 1991, my uncle moved to America and became great friends with the former president's family."

"But we had never met before the podcast," clarifies Max. "Which is a shame since we got along really well and now we’re friends, something that is wonderful. Ultimately, after almost 60 years since almost destroying the planet, our lineages have become friends, so I think global relations is safer, somewhat."

Modern Echoes and Current Perils

Is that truly the case? Part of why The Bomb seems so urgent is because we once again find ourselves living through dark times. The symbolic clock of doom stands nearer to catastrophe than ever before, partly since world leaders appear not to be able to grasp