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

In October 1962, humanity came nearer to annihilation than at any other point in the contemporary era. This transpired when a US reconnaissance plane found the fact that Russian nuclear weapon installations were being assembled in Cuba, a mere 100 miles off the coast of American soil. In response, President John F Kennedy commanded a naval task force to establish a maritime blockade encircling Cuba. What followed was almost a fortnight filled with impossible tension.

The Unthinkable Threat

The peril remained palpable. Should President Kennedy, or else his Soviet counterpart, Nikita Khrushchev, were to fire on their enemy, a cascade of worldwide atomic attacks and counterstrikes would have ensued, thrusting civilization toward all-out ruination.

The Cuban missile crisis has been documented repeatedly, through volumes, movies, as well as television programmes. However, for its third season, a prominent BBC World Service podcast The Bomb presents a completely new element to the story. The series is co-presented by Kennedy's relative alongside Khrushchev's descendant, family members belonging to the figures that, over two tense weeks, controlled the destiny of the planet within their grasp.

"What was the Kremlin planning? What was the American side planning?" ponders Nina Khrushcheva, the Soviet leader's descendant and a professor specializing in international affairs.

In her view, the strength of the show lies in its endeavor to objectively ask: "How can nations hate one another and confront one another?"

"It struck me how remarkable it is that individuals have the potential to be allies or can become complete enemies," adds Kennedy, son of Robert Kennedy, related to the late president and now an author as well as attorney. "History shows this dynamic over and over when countries have gone to war, and it just illustrates the profound irrationality involved to engage in warfare."

A Brink Towards Catastrophe

What is striking regarding this event was that, because it transpired in the global spotlight, individuals globally were able to observe almost as it happened as it moved towards disaster. However, the threat of annihilation came closer than what anybody understood at the time.

"Almost all officials among Kennedy's advisors were advocating for a military strike and an invasion," explains Kennedy. "If we had attacked Cuba with the naval blockade, it is certain Soviet forces stationed there would've fired a nuclear warhead against the American ships, and that would've obliterated the naval vessels as well as destroyed our primary fleet. And, we would have responded with an overwhelming counterattack that would have ended most life on Earth."

The fact it didn’t highlights the composure of Kennedy and Khrushchev, they managed to keep their heads and calmly negotiate at a time when everyone around them was pushing for action. Consequently, The Soviet premier agreed to withdraw the nuclear weapons from the Caribbean island and Kennedy (a fact not publicly disclosed at the time) withdrew his similar weapons from Turkey. The relief was immense, matched by a feeling of optimism.

A Divergent Perspective

Yet, during those 13 days in October, the fear was palpable by everyone. The podcast's presenters came into the world in the years following these events, with Khrushcheva being taught about it through the USSR's education system, which painted an alternative picture of events.

"You said your parent recalls it, describing it as a scary day," she says. "However in the Soviet Union, the public really didn’t know a great deal about it, because it was a crisis, and in the Soviet Union the official line was that things are constantly wonderful or positive."

Inside Khrushchev’s family, though, it was distinct. "They told me that it was a triumphant occasion for the USSR, because it was a direct confrontation. They were able to find a solution, and avoided the war, which was a positive outcome," she continues. Subsequently, though, that interpretation was not held by everybody. "For decades within Russian historical analysis, it was considered a setback for Khrushchev, because he didn’t blow up America."

An Unlikely Collaboration

The Bomb is so balanced and expertly crafted so much so that Khrushcheva quips she nearly forgot she already knew outcome. This is, partly, thanks to the participation of historians. Yet, really, the most groundbreaking thing remains the participation of the hosts themselves. Even within living memory, it was inconceivable for relatives of the leaders of America and USSR to appear side by side. That these two individuals are able to do so, and be so warm toward one another, has to be a sign of hope.

"Max and I are not the first," smiles Khrushcheva. "After 1991, a relative moved to America and became great friends with Dwight Eisenhower’s children."

"However we were strangers before the podcast," adds Kennedy. "That is a shame because we connected immediately and we are friends, which is wonderful. Finally, following nearly 60 years since nearly annihilating the planet, our families are now allies, so I think global relations is safer, somewhat."

Modern Echoes with Current Perils

Is that truly the case? One reason the reason this series feels so necessary is because we once again are living living through a perilous era. The Doomsday Clock stands nearer to midnight in its history, partly since world leaders don’t seem to be able to grasp